Thoughts on Sex Addiction

[AdamSmith]

I'm a doctor and treat these people. I don't need your pity.

You don't seem to read the current research. My PCP knows and agrees with the medical research cited in my posts above:

 

The Sober Truth: Debunking the Bad Science Behind 12-Step Programs and the Rehab Industry

 

An exposé of Alcoholics Anonymous, 12-step programs, and the rehab industry—and how a failed addiction-treatment model came to dominate America.

 

AA has become so infused in our society that it is practically synonymous with addiction recovery. Yet the evidence shows that AA has only a 5–10 percent success rate—hardly better than no treatment at all. Despite this, doctors, employers, and judges regularly refer addicted people to treatment programs and rehab facilities based on the 12-step model.

 

In The Sober Truth, acclaimed addiction specialist Dr. Lance Dodes exposes the deeply flawed science that the 12-step industry has used to support its programs. Dr. Dodes analyzes dozens of studies to reveal a startling pattern of errors, misjudgments, and biases. He also pores over the research to highlight the best peer-reviewed studies available and discovers that they reach a grim consensus on the program’s overall success.

 

But The Sober Truth is more than a book about addiction. It is also a book about science and how and why AA and rehab became so popular, despite the discouraging data. Dr. Dodes explores the entire story of AA’s rise, from its origins in early fundamentalist religious and mystical beliefs to its present-day place of privilege in politics and media.

 

The Sober Truth includes true stories from Dr. Dodes’s thirty-five years of clinical practice, as well as firsthand accounts submitted by addicts through an open invitation on the Psychology Today website. These stories vividly reveal the experience of walking the steps and attending some of the nation’s most famous rehabilitation centers.

 

The Sober Truth builds a powerful response to the monopoly of the 12-step program and explodes the myth that these programs offer an acceptable or universal solution to the deeply personal problem of addiction. This book offers new and actionable information for addicts, their families, and medical providers, and lays out better ways to understand addiction for those seeking a more effective and compassionate approach to this treatable problem.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Sober-Truth-Debunking-Programs-Industry/dp/0807035874/ref=la_B001KCPU7K_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1492213842&sr=1-3Have

[Rudynate]

 

Why the existence of AA gets someone so upset seems to indicate more about the person than it does about the program.

 

 

I'm always puzzled when I encounter an unusual hostility to AA - wondering what's beneath it.

[Rocky93]

You don't seem to read the current research. My PCP knows and agrees with the medical research cited in my posts above:

 

The Sober Truth: Debunking the Bad Science Behind 12-Step Programs and the Rehab Industry

 

An exposé of Alcoholics Anonymous, 12-step programs, and the rehab industry—and how a failed addiction-treatment model came to dominate America.

 

AA has become so infused in our society that it is practically synonymous with addiction recovery. Yet the evidence shows that AA has only a 5–10 percent success rate—hardly better than no treatment at all. Despite this, doctors, employers, and judges regularly refer addicted people to treatment programs and rehab facilities based on the 12-step model.

 

In The Sober Truth, acclaimed addiction specialist Dr. Lance Dodes exposes the deeply flawed science that the 12-step industry has used to support its programs. Dr. Dodes analyzes dozens of studies to reveal a startling pattern of errors, misjudgments, and biases. He also pores over the research to highlight the best peer-reviewed studies available and discovers that they reach a grim consensus on the program’s overall success.

 

But The Sober Truth is more than a book about addiction. It is also a book about science and how and why AA and rehab became so popular, despite the discouraging data. Dr. Dodes explores the entire story of AA’s rise, from its origins in early fundamentalist religious and mystical beliefs to its present-day place of privilege in politics and media.

 

The Sober Truth includes true stories from Dr. Dodes’s thirty-five years of clinical practice, as well as firsthand accounts submitted by addicts through an open invitation on the Psychology Today website. These stories vividly reveal the experience of walking the steps and attending some of the nation’s most famous rehabilitation centers.

 

The Sober Truth builds a powerful response to the monopoly of the 12-step program and explodes the myth that these programs offer an acceptable or universal solution to the deeply personal problem of addiction. This book offers new and actionable information for addicts, their families, and medical providers, and lays out better ways to understand addiction for those seeking a more effective and compassionate approach to this treatable problem.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Sober-Truth-Debunking-Programs-Industry/dp/0807035874/ref=la_B001KCPU7K_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1492213842&sr=1-3Have

 

I don't think you get it. You surround yourself with all this scientific research while I am in the thick of it everyday. You and your articles both state that the results of AA cannot be scientifically researched. Thirdly, addiction is a spiritual disease and not just a scientific, medical or psychological concept.

Additionally, I have 3 Master's degrees, but I am not in a pissing match with you. I read the research. I also can read THROUGH the research- like who is funding it and who benefits from its alleged "findings." After 30 years watching kids shoot needles in the arms and necks, listening to their stories, following their lives, commemorating their deaths, I have come to rely more on my gut and experience than scientific journals from people who have not even known intimately one heroin addict

[Rocky93]

You don't seem to read the current research. My PCP knows and agrees with the medical research cited in my posts above:

 

The Sober Truth: Debunking the Bad Science Behind 12-Step Programs and the Rehab Industry

 

An exposé of Alcoholics Anonymous, 12-step programs, and the rehab industry—and how a failed addiction-treatment model came to dominate America.

 

AA has become so infused in our society that it is practically synonymous with addiction recovery. Yet the evidence shows that AA has only a 5–10 percent success rate—hardly better than no treatment at all. Despite this, doctors, employers, and judges regularly refer addicted people to treatment programs and rehab facilities based on the 12-step model.

 

In The Sober Truth, acclaimed addiction specialist Dr. Lance Dodes exposes the deeply flawed science that the 12-step industry has used to support its programs. Dr. Dodes analyzes dozens of studies to reveal a startling pattern of errors, misjudgments, and biases. He also pores over the research to highlight the best peer-reviewed studies available and discovers that they reach a grim consensus on the program’s overall success.

 

But The Sober Truth is more than a book about addiction. It is also a book about science and how and why AA and rehab became so popular, despite the discouraging data. Dr. Dodes explores the entire story of AA’s rise, from its origins in early fundamentalist religious and mystical beliefs to its present-day place of privilege in politics and media.

 

The Sober Truth includes true stories from Dr. Dodes’s thirty-five years of clinical practice, as well as firsthand accounts submitted by addicts through an open invitation on the Psychology Today website. These stories vividly reveal the experience of walking the steps and attending some of the nation’s most famous rehabilitation centers.

 

The Sober Truth builds a powerful response to the monopoly of the 12-step program and explodes the myth that these programs offer an acceptable or universal solution to the deeply personal problem of addiction. This book offers new and actionable information for addicts, their families, and medical providers, and lays out better ways to understand addiction for those seeking a more effective and compassionate approach to this treatable problem.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Sober-Truth-Debunking-Programs-Industry/dp/0807035874/ref=la_B001KCPU7K_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1492213842&sr=1-3Have

 

I don't think you get it. You surround yourself with all this scientific research while I am in the thick of it everyday. You and your articles both state that the results of AA cannot be scientifically researched. Thirdly, addiction is a spiritual disease and not just a scientific, medical or psychological concept.

Additionally, I have 3 Master's degrees, but I am not in a pissing match with you. I read the research. I also can read THROUGH the research- like who is funding it and who benefits from its alleged "findings." After 30 years watching kids shoot needles in the arms and necks, listening to their stories, following their lives, commemorating their deaths, I have come to rely more on my gut and experience than scientific journals from people who have not even known intimately one heroin addict

[AdamSmith]

I don't think you get it. You surround yourself with all this scientific research while I am in the thick of it everyday. You and your articles both state that the results of AA cannot be scientifically researched. Thirdly, addiction is a spiritual disease and not just a scientific, medical or psychological concept.

Additionally, I have 3 Master's degrees, but I am not in a pissing match with you. I read the research. I also can read THROUGH the research- like who is funding it and who benefits from its alleged "findings." After 30 years watching kids shoot needles in the arms and necks, listening to their stories, following their lives, commemorating their deaths, I have come to rely more on my gut and experience than scientific journals from people who have not even known intimately one heroin addict

What I report above is my personal path out of addiction, as prescribed and managed by my primary care provider (George Washington University; medical school University of Chicago) Dr Brian Klausner; Dr Henry Friedman my Freudian analyst, whose training analyst was the progenitor of self-psychiatry Heinz Kohut; and Dr Stephen Cooper, author of

 

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/mobile/w/objects-of-hope-steven-h-cooper/1101598782;jsessionid=27283E1D3F110D64B29F1B1C293B60C3.prodny_store02-atgap02?ean=9781134899012

 

You, and your degrees, have my greatest sympathy.

[AdamSmith]

I don't think you get it. You surround yourself with all this scientific research while I am in the thick of it everyday. You and your articles both state that the results of AA cannot be scientifically researched. Thirdly, addiction is a spiritual disease and not just a scientific, medical or psychological concept.

Additionally, I have 3 Master's degrees, but I am not in a pissing match with you. I read the research. I also can read THROUGH the research- like who is funding it and who benefits from its alleged "findings." After 30 years watching kids shoot needles in the arms and necks, listening to their stories, following their lives, commemorating their deaths, I have come to rely more on my gut and experience than scientific journals from people who have not even known intimately one heroin addict

What I report above is my personal path out of addiction, as prescribed and managed by my primary care provider (George Washington University; medical school University of Chicago) Dr Brian Klausner; Dr Henry Friedman my Freudian analyst, whose training analyst was the progenitor of self-psychiatry Heinz Kohut; and Dr Stephen Cooper, author of

 

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/mobile/w/objects-of-hope-steven-h-cooper/1101598782;jsessionid=27283E1D3F110D64B29F1B1C293B60C3.prodny_store02-atgap02?ean=9781134899012

 

You, and your degrees, have my greatest sympathy.

[Rocky93]

Don't need your sympathies. Just keep up with your class A therapists. Glad it is working for you. There are many paths to recovery. Don't knock what can save others. I am a big fan of Cognitive-Behavioral therapy, believe it or not. But not many people can go from selling all they have and robbing their family members directly to Freudian analysis and primary care doctors from top of the line universities.

Don't forget them. These so-called "junkies," who are dying in the streets. If you have to have sympathy, have it for the parents who have to bury their children. And if you pray, please pray for them.

[Rocky93]

Don't need your sympathies. Just keep up with your class A therapists. Glad it is working for you. There are many paths to recovery. Don't knock what can save others. I am a big fan of Cognitive-Behavioral therapy, believe it or not. But not many people can go from selling all they have and robbing their family members directly to Freudian analysis and primary care doctors from top of the line universities.

Don't forget them. These so-called "junkies," who are dying in the streets. If you have to have sympathy, have it for the parents who have to bury their children. And if you pray, please pray for them.

[LookingAround]

You don't seem to read the current research. My PCP knows and agrees with the medical research cited in my posts above:

 

The Sober Truth: Debunking the Bad Science Behind 12-Step Programs and the Rehab Industry

 

An exposé of Alcoholics Anonymous, 12-step programs, and the rehab industry—and how a failed addiction-treatment model came to dominate America.

 

AA has become so infused in our society that it is practically synonymous with addiction recovery. Yet the evidence shows that AA has only a 5–10 percent success rate—hardly better than no treatment at all. Despite this, doctors, employers, and judges regularly refer addicted people to treatment programs and rehab facilities based on the 12-step model.

 

In The Sober Truth, acclaimed addiction specialist Dr. Lance Dodes exposes the deeply flawed science that the 12-step industry has used to support its programs. Dr. Dodes analyzes dozens of studies to reveal a startling pattern of errors, misjudgments, and biases. He also pores over the research to highlight the best peer-reviewed studies available and discovers that they reach a grim consensus on the program’s overall success.

 

But The Sober Truth is more than a book about addiction. It is also a book about science and how and why AA and rehab became so popular, despite the discouraging data. Dr. Dodes explores the entire story of AA’s rise, from its origins in early fundamentalist religious and mystical beliefs to its present-day place of privilege in politics and media.

 

The Sober Truth includes true stories from Dr. Dodes’s thirty-five years of clinical practice, as well as firsthand accounts submitted by addicts through an open invitation on the Psychology Today website. These stories vividly reveal the experience of walking the steps and attending some of the nation’s most famous rehabilitation centers.

 

The Sober Truth builds a powerful response to the monopoly of the 12-step program and explodes the myth that these programs offer an acceptable or universal solution to the deeply personal problem of addiction. This book offers new and actionable information for addicts, their families, and medical providers, and lays out better ways to understand addiction for those seeking a more effective and compassionate approach to this treatable problem.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Sober-Truth-Debunking-Programs-Industry/dp/0807035874/ref=la_B001KCPU7K_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1492213842&sr=1-3Have

And we know primary care physicians (PCP) know the most about treating addiction. Lol

[LookingAround]

You don't seem to read the current research. My PCP knows and agrees with the medical research cited in my posts above:

 

The Sober Truth: Debunking the Bad Science Behind 12-Step Programs and the Rehab Industry

 

An exposé of Alcoholics Anonymous, 12-step programs, and the rehab industry—and how a failed addiction-treatment model came to dominate America.

 

AA has become so infused in our society that it is practically synonymous with addiction recovery. Yet the evidence shows that AA has only a 5–10 percent success rate—hardly better than no treatment at all. Despite this, doctors, employers, and judges regularly refer addicted people to treatment programs and rehab facilities based on the 12-step model.

 

In The Sober Truth, acclaimed addiction specialist Dr. Lance Dodes exposes the deeply flawed science that the 12-step industry has used to support its programs. Dr. Dodes analyzes dozens of studies to reveal a startling pattern of errors, misjudgments, and biases. He also pores over the research to highlight the best peer-reviewed studies available and discovers that they reach a grim consensus on the program’s overall success.

 

But The Sober Truth is more than a book about addiction. It is also a book about science and how and why AA and rehab became so popular, despite the discouraging data. Dr. Dodes explores the entire story of AA’s rise, from its origins in early fundamentalist religious and mystical beliefs to its present-day place of privilege in politics and media.

 

The Sober Truth includes true stories from Dr. Dodes’s thirty-five years of clinical practice, as well as firsthand accounts submitted by addicts through an open invitation on the Psychology Today website. These stories vividly reveal the experience of walking the steps and attending some of the nation’s most famous rehabilitation centers.

 

The Sober Truth builds a powerful response to the monopoly of the 12-step program and explodes the myth that these programs offer an acceptable or universal solution to the deeply personal problem of addiction. This book offers new and actionable information for addicts, their families, and medical providers, and lays out better ways to understand addiction for those seeking a more effective and compassionate approach to this treatable problem.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Sober-Truth-Debunking-Programs-Industry/dp/0807035874/ref=la_B001KCPU7K_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1492213842&sr=1-3Have

And we know primary care physicians (PCP) know the most about treating addiction. Lol

[Bearofdistinction]

Some of us spend a lot of time looking at porn, surfing the net, hiring escorts or fantasizing about sex. Has anyone on here ever tried to slow down or stop? Does this interefere in your life vis-a-vis being productive or at the cost of other commitments and responsibilities?

 

Many times I feel like porn and sex are an addiction for me. Could it just be my Catholic guilt? Have others worried your behavior has crossed the line?

 

Looking for some thoughts and/or experience. I have found the majority of men on this site to be very honest, open and helpful to everyone. This is a question for escorts and clients. Well, anyone who ever pondered this question. We are pretty much all aware of alcoholism and drug addiction, however, addictions to things like food, sex, and relationships are less obvious to others. We hide them from others as best we could and many lead lives that can be functional and successful.

 

I appreciate any and all feedback or reflections

 

When you get attacked by high school students are dressed up like GOTH=BooBoo Premier nutsury

[Bearofdistinction]

Some of us spend a lot of time looking at porn, surfing the net, hiring escorts or fantasizing about sex. Has anyone on here ever tried to slow down or stop? Does this interefere in your life vis-a-vis being productive or at the cost of other commitments and responsibilities?

 

Many times I feel like porn and sex are an addiction for me. Could it just be my Catholic guilt? Have others worried your behavior has crossed the line?

 

Looking for some thoughts and/or experience. I have found the majority of men on this site to be very honest, open and helpful to everyone. This is a question for escorts and clients. Well, anyone who ever pondered this question. We are pretty much all aware of alcoholism and drug addiction, however, addictions to things like food, sex, and relationships are less obvious to others. We hide them from others as best we could and many lead lives that can be functional and successful.

 

I appreciate any and all feedback or reflections

 

When you get attacked by high school students are dressed up like GOTH=BooBoo Premier nutsury

[Rocky93]

When you get attacked by high school students are dressed up like GOTH=BooBoo Premier nutsury

 

?

[Rocky93]

When you get attacked by high school students are dressed up like GOTH=BooBoo Premier nutsury

 

?

[AdamSmith]

And we know primary care physicians (PCP) know the most about treating addiction. Lol

The board certification exam that a general internist has to go through is possibly the most wide-ranging, and harrowing, of any of them. The examiners inevitably ask questions about the would-be internist's knowledge of substance abuse detection and treatment.

 

Any good general practitioner will have in-depth knowledge of the up-to-date published, and now accepted in the medical community, research that I cited above documenting the 5-8% success rate of AA alone.

 

My PCP (this person, trained at Georgetown School of Medicine and University of Chicago Hospitals: http://www.wakemed.org/brian-t-klausner-md-primary-care-internal-medicine) is well acquainted with the substance-abuse research I cited above, agrees with it entirely, and agrees that the general addiction treatment community is 80 years behind the times.

[AdamSmith]

And we know primary care physicians (PCP) know the most about treating addiction. Lol

The board certification exam that a general internist has to go through is possibly the most wide-ranging, and harrowing, of any of them. The examiners inevitably ask questions about the would-be internist's knowledge of substance abuse detection and treatment.

 

Any good general practitioner will have in-depth knowledge of the up-to-date published, and now accepted in the medical community, research that I cited above documenting the 5-8% success rate of AA alone.

 

My PCP (this person, trained at Georgetown School of Medicine and University of Chicago Hospitals: http://www.wakemed.org/brian-t-klausner-md-primary-care-internal-medicine) is well acquainted with the substance-abuse research I cited above, agrees with it entirely, and agrees that the general addiction treatment community is 80 years behind the times.

[LADoug1]

To the original post regarding porn/sex addiction for this man I love great porn and see my escort once a week. My porn porn viewing depends on my need to jo. I'm so much happier and feel so good about myself. My porn viewing and seeing an escort once a week is within my budget and doesn't interfere with my job. As for my personal relationship my partner and I don't have sec anymore. I'm not dead yet.

 

It shows you're not addicted. Everything in moderation and contoured to each individual.

[LADoug1]

To the original post regarding porn/sex addiction for this man I love great porn and see my escort once a week. My porn porn viewing depends on my need to jo. I'm so much happier and feel so good about myself. My porn viewing and seeing an escort once a week is within my budget and doesn't interfere with my job. As for my personal relationship my partner and I don't have sec anymore. I'm not dead yet.

 

It shows you're not addicted. Everything in moderation and contoured to each individual.

[LADoug1]

I'm always puzzled when I encounter an unusual hostility to AA - wondering what's beneath it.

 

I don't read these posts about AA hostile. They are simply a way to challenge a highly regarded and often ineffective solution. Posts imply it works for some but that other solutions

can be much more effective.

[LADoug1]

I'm always puzzled when I encounter an unusual hostility to AA - wondering what's beneath it.

 

I don't read these posts about AA hostile. They are simply a way to challenge a highly regarded and often ineffective solution. Posts imply it works for some but that other solutions

can be much more effective.

[LADoug1]

And we know primary care physicians (PCP) know the most about treating addiction. Lol

I agree that PCPs shouldn't treat addictions or prescribe psychopharmacology medications. This is the role of trained mental health professionals. But a well trained PCP will know when to make the referrals. Sadly most don't have the training to know this.

[LADoug1]

And we know primary care physicians (PCP) know the most about treating addiction. Lol

I agree that PCPs shouldn't treat addictions or prescribe psychopharmacology medications. This is the role of trained mental health professionals. But a well trained PCP will know when to make the referrals. Sadly most don't have the training to know this.

[LADoug1]

I'm glad you found a properly trained PCP regarding mental health care. Despite rigorous training they are in the minority. I know this from a lifetime battle with depression and other psychological challenges.

 

It is also a challenge to find competent mental health professionals. I know this from experience as well. Mental health care especially psychiatry is an inexact science. It took me over 20 years to find professionals who could help me. Maybe I'm hard to treat or just plain unlucky but this is just my own personal experience but I strongly suspect I'm not in the minority.

 

Here's one tip: try to find professionals who work WITH you and not ON you. It's a collaboration.

[LADoug1]

I'm glad you found a properly trained PCP regarding mental health care. Despite rigorous training they are in the minority. I know this from a lifetime battle with depression and other psychological challenges.

 

It is also a challenge to find competent mental health professionals. I know this from experience as well. Mental health care especially psychiatry is an inexact science. It took me over 20 years to find professionals who could help me. Maybe I'm hard to treat or just plain unlucky but this is just my own personal experience but I strongly suspect I'm not in the minority.

 

Here's one tip: try to find professionals who work WITH you and not ON you. It's a collaboration.

[+ OliverSaks]

I could imagine someone feeling hostile towards AA when it was pushed on him as some panacea (would we have all of this addiction left in our country if the program, and getting people to it, was the answer?)

 

AA fails as a person-centered, harm reduction strategy. It helps some people, surely, but it is entirely dogmatic in its approach and hasn't been updated in 50+ years. No one would stand for a medical treatment that hasn't undergone an update in so long of a period for diabetes or heart failure - why do we let this stand for our most vulnerable, ill , addicted patients?

 

I see these patients every day - and will for the next 30+ years if I don't meet an untimely death. This is not above my pay grade.