Always Turned On: Sex Addiction in the Digital Age

by Robert Weiss, Jennifer P. Schneider

Overview

Technology has significantly changed our world. Sexual imagery and encounters can now be accessed anywhere, anytime, using portable electronic devices. Users can generate a stream of graphic pornography, a wide variety of virtual sexual activities, and casual, anonymous, or paid-for sexual encounters with a click or a tap. Simply put, we have greater access to highly stimulating sexual content, and potential sexual partners, with much less built-in accountability. Porn addicts are especially vulnerable to the lure of digital technology and the seemingly endless array of stimulation it provides. Research suggests that cyber-porn addicts spend at least eleven or twelve hours per week online viewing porn.

Today, all forms of sex addiction are technology driven—from porn websites to webcams to casual sex hook-up apps found on smartphones. Sex addicts organize their lives around the pursuit of sexual activity with self or others, spending inordinate amounts of time viewing and masturbating to porn or planning, pursuing, and engaging in sex acts. At the same time, they neglect important relationships, work, and personal responsibilities. Overwhelming feelings of guilt, shame, and remorse invade when the acting out ends.

While it's complicated, recovery is possible. Always Turned On shows readers how to turn those temptations off while providing practical long-term solutions for recovery.

Robert Weiss, MSW, is a therapist, international speaker, and regular blogger on Psych Central and the Huffington Post.

Jennifer P. Schneider, MD, PhD, is a physician, international speaker, and the author of nine books.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780985063368
Publisher:	Gentle Path Press
Publication date:	02/17/2015
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Robert Weiss: Robert Weiss, MSW, LCSW, CSAT, is founding Director of The Sexual Recovery Institute (SRI), Los Angeles and Director of Sexual Disorders Services for Elements Behavioral Health, which includes The Ranch in Nunnelly, TN, Promises Treatment Centers, and The Sexual Recovery Institute. A UCLA MSW graduate and trainee of Dr. Patrick Carnes, Mr. Weiss is author of Cruise Control: Understanding Sex Addiction in Gay Men (2005) contributing author of Mending A Shattered Heart: A Guide for Partners of Sex Addicts (2011) and co-author (with Dr. Jennifer Schneider) of both Untangling the Web: Sex, Porn and Fantasy Addiction in the Internet Age (2006) and Cybersex Exposed: Simple Fantasy to Obsession (2001) along with numerous peer reviewed articles and chapters. He is a media expert to CNN, The Oprah Winfrey Network, ESPN, Dr. Drew and The Today Show among many others. Mr. Weiss also has provided clinical training in the assessment and treatment of sexual addiction for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the US military, and behavioral treatment centers throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia. He is a frequent speaker at large national and international addiction conferences. He writes a regular blog on www.robertweissmsw.com, and has nearly 4,000 followers on Twitter.

Jennifer P. Schneider: Jennifer P. Schneider, M.D., Ph.D., is a physician certified in Internal Medicine, Addiction Medicine and Pain Management. She is the author of 9 books and numerous articles in professional journals. She is a compassionate professional committed to educating others in her fields of specialty. She is a nationally recognized expert in two addiction-related fields: addictive sexual disorders and the management of chronic pain with opioids.

Aside from her own practice, her professional activities include writing; lecturing at conferences; serving as an expert witness in legal settings; and appearing as a media guest on television and radio. She is the author of Back from Betrayal (2004), and Sex, Lies, and Forgiveness (2001) and co-author of Cybersex Exposed (2001), Disclosing Secrets (2002), The Wounded Healer (1997), and Surviving Disclosure (2012).

Table of Contents

Authors' Note xiii

Preface xv

Introduction: Digital Technology and Our Ever-Changing World 1

Chapter 1 Sex, Tech, and Addiction 9

Chapter 2 Pleasure Seeker or Addict? Understanding the Differences 27

Chapter 3 The Consequences of Sex Gone Awry 49

Chapter 4 Sexual Addiction: An Equal Opportunity Disorder for Women Too 65

Chapter 5 Love and Romance Addiction in the Digital World 73

Chapter 6 To the Cybersex Widow and Widower 87

Chapter 7 Kids, Family Life, and Cybersex Addiction 103

Chapter 8 From Disconnection to Intimacy: The Healing Process 121

Chapter 9 Getting Help, Getting Well 137

Chapter 10 Single People and Sexual Healing: The Dating Conundrum 157

Chapter 11 Marriage, Long-Term Relationships, and Sexual Healing: Rebuilding the Bond 167

Chapter 12 Moving Beyond the Problem 177

Resources 185

Resources for Addicts 185

Resources for Spouses and Families of Addicts 192

Resources for Therapists 194

Appendix: Activity Resources 197

The Sexual Boundary Plan 197

Developing a Dating Plan 208

Notes 215

Other books Robert Weiss Jennifer Schneider 219

About the Authors 221