Accurate statistics on sexual addictions is hard to find and verify. Some articles report a range of 5% to 10% recovery rate for sexual addictions, which means about a 90%-95% relapse rate. Most experts cannot verify these as being accurate but can admit statistics are high due to their experience. This report is not to verify the accuracy but to bring awareness to the severity this addiction. Too many people argue and fight over a statistic rate and ignore the severity of this issue.
Sexual addiction in our country is huge. And the ministry is not immune to people with a sexual addiction. Please understand the severity, understand the need for you to obtain professional help, and to seek every possible way to get rid of this addiction.
Pastoral Care, Inc. Staff
Statistics on Sexual Addiction recovery
1. The estimated number of people who have a sexual addiction in the United States alone: 12 to 30 million.
2. 80% of women who have a husband or partner that has been diagnosed with a sexual addiction suffered from depression in a recent study.
3. 4 out of 10 women say that they withdraw their emotional connections to a partner with a sexual addiction.
4. The percentage of women who developed an eating disorder after discovering the actions of a partner with a sexual addiction: 60%.
5. The chances of spontaneous remission of sexual addiction occurring: 1 in 100,000.
6. It is believed that only 5% of addicts who go into therapy will be able to succeed in beating their addiction, although this figure is disputed.
7. The year when a sexual addiction was first officially diagnosed under modern criteria: 1983.
8. Sexual addictions may be either paraphilic or nonparaphilic.
9. There is no 1 test that can conclusively prove that someone has a sexual addiction.
10. It is common among those with bipolar disorder to engage in high-risk sexual activities during manic states.
11. Victims of childhood sexual abuse often repeat a pattern of abuse in a subconscious attempt to gain control over their childhood trauma.
12. People who are questioning their own sexuality tend to engage in activities that are similar to sexual addiction but may not qualify as an actual addiction.
13. People with Borderline Personality Disorder engage in unsafe sexual activities as a general pattern of self-injurious behavior.
14. Men with Aspergers Syndrome often exhibit out-of-control sexual behaviors.
15. The most common feeling that a partner with a sexual addiction has been betrayal. The most common feeling that an addict has is shame.
16. Sexual addiction appeared in a 1987 copy of the DSM, but it has been since removed.
17. Sex addicts lose time to their addiction, becoming preoccupied with their thoughts about sex and sexual materials that they have at their disposal. Everything comes after their
addictions have been satisfied.
18. Most sexual addicts operate on a cash-only basis because most of the ways to satisfy their addiction don’t allow for credit card charges.
19. A vast majority of sex addicts will rarely be single and often have a history of cheating within their relationships.
20. Most sex addicts lead a double life and lying is a common occurrence.
21. 1 out of 3 men self-report that they are addicted to pornography.
22. The pornography industry alone generates $12 billion of revenue per year.
23. 66% of Internet-using 18- to 34-year-old men look at online pornography at least once a month.
24. 70% of Internet pornographic traffic occurs during the 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Workday.
25. The percentage of internet sites that are pornographic in nature right now: 12%.
26. 2.5 billion emails per day are pornographic related in some way.
27. More than half of the men who identify themselves as Evangelical Christian admit that they have an addiction to pornography and used it in the last week for
self-satisfaction.
28. 55% of Christian pastors admitted to visiting a pornographic site.
29. Sex addiction is not about physical contact but as a way of alleviating pain, relief from depression or anxiety, or a form of escapism, addicts tend to avoid problems through
sex.
30. In the UK, an average of 2,000 calls per month come from people who are seeking help from their addictions to sex.
31. As people grow older, issues with medication may cause sexual addictions or the inability to control sexual desires.
32. The average male sexual addict has 32 sexual partners.
33. The number of sexual partners, on average, for a female sexual addict: 22.
34. 98% of sex addicts have participated in at least some form of phone sex at least once.
35. The percentage of sex addicts that have used Skype in order to have video sex over the internet: 74%.
36. The percentage of sex addicts who say that they have not had a one-night stand: 2%.
37. 7 out of 10 married sex addicts say that they’ve been able to convince their spouse to participate in swinging activities.
38. 94% of sex addicts have filmed themselves having sex.
39. 3 out of 4 addicts have admitted that they regularly post naked photos of themselves online.
It Can Happen to Anyone
Sexual addiction is something that can happen to anyone. You can be religious or not religious. You can be a man or a woman. You can be married, in a stable long-term relationship, or be single and never had a stable relationship. Up to 1 in 10 people are addicted to sex.
Because there is such a burning desire for sexual satisfaction, questions about our society must be brought up. Is it because pornography is more prevalent today than ever before that the numbers of sexual addiction are increasing? Or is it because we have tightened the grips on society and demanded conformity instead? If sex is natural, then why do we demand conformity when it comes to the structures of our relationships?
If the 5% “curative” rate of sexual addiction is factual, then it becomes easy to see why 95% of people seek treatment end up falling out of recovery. When this addiction comes out, it can cause a lot of hurt, pain, and shame. Partners feel like they aren’t good enough. Addicts feel like they should do better. In all cases, this common and often undiagnosed characteristic deserves more attention and understanding.
Resource: Health Research Funding/39 Shocking Sexual Addictions Recovery