It is very unfortunate that teen sex addiction has become more common now than it was in the past. Many in our society don’t believe that sex addiction is a real addiction, because they believe that sex is a natural instinct and it is what ‘people do’. This mindset has to change if we are to play our part in dealing with this growing epidemic.
Scientists and researchers have conducted various studies to prove that sex addicts’ brains are similar to those of drug addicts. This and the behavioral similarities among the two addictions should be enough to convince even the biggest cynics among us. We have designed a program specifically to help teen sex addicts, and we have dealt with enough of them to know that their sexual behavior is far from the cultural norms.
The Stages of the Addiction
Like with every other addiction, sexual addiction has different stages of deviancy. After their first experience or exposure, they progress to more severe and ‘exhilarating’ acts, to satisfy their uncontrollable urges. These urges can often lead them into life threatening situations. Below we have listed the 3 stages of sex addiction; this information will help you recognize the extent of your child’s addiction:
Stage 1
Some signs we will mention in this stage may be present in some normal teens, but some of the compulsive behavior does lead many teens towards sex addiction. Most of the time, teen sex addiction can stem from exposure to pornography or porn addiction. To nip this addiction in the bud, the teens should be enrolled in our Sexual Compulsivity Track.
Collecting or viewing pornography for extended periods of time, chronic masturbation, cybersex, sexting, and other compulsive sexual behavior, is said to be the signs of a budding sexual addiction. This progresses to having sexual relationships with multiple partners, and when the teen’s urges still aren’t satisfied, they move on to more extreme sexual behavior.
Stage 2
After partaking in the behaviors mentioned above, the teens can move onto more risky sexual behavior. They may get involved in some activities that could incur legal charges. They will look for extreme pornographic material, like exhibitionist or voyeuristic. And when they cannot satisfy their urges with just watching this material, they will commit such sexual acts in public places for the thrill of it.
They can often portray deviant sexual behavior in social settings. They will act or try and touch someone inappropriately. There is also a phenomenon known as frotteurism – touching or rubbing your genitals against an unwilling and unsuspecting victim in public places – that can take root in teens, but it isn’t very common.
Stage 3
In the last stage of sexual addiction, the teen will forgo any and all cultural and legal boundaries and try to satisfy their urges without considering the ramifications. They may try to coerce a younger sibling or acquaintance to perform sexual acts. They may start to view more extreme pornographic material such as rape and torture, and eventually, they may try to act out their fantasies.
We can help teens in any of these stages of sex addictions. Our Sex Offenses Track has been specifically designed to help teens with extreme sexual deviancy issues. If you require any further information about any of our therapy programs, then get in touch with us (800.584.4629) and find out how to enroll your child into our wilderness therapy.
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