29 Mar Separating Love and Sex: Why Some Partners Stay After Infidelity
Sex addiction is, at its core, a complex and complicated issue where sex and love are often confused. Once sex addiction has been identified, recognising that sex and love are completely separate factors can be key to saving a relationship.
Why Sex and Love Are Separate Issues in Sex Addiction
Sex addicts use sex as an emotional outlet and a coping mechanism in just the same way alcoholics use alcohol to numb their emotional pain. For addicts, sex is rarely intimate which is why it’s often referred to as an ‘intimacy disorder’. It almost always involves some level of emotional disconnect.
A sex addict may truly love their partner but still act out by cheating because for them, it’s has nothing to do with love or intimacy, it’s simply their drug.
How Can Understanding This Help Heal Relationships?
The behaviour of a sex addict is often unpredictable, reckless and destructive which is why infidelity often occurs when a sex addict is in a relationship. Sometimes, no matter how strong the foundations of the relationship are, cheating still happens because the addict is acting on impulses rather than logic. As painful as this type of betrayal can be, understanding the differences between sex and love when it comes to sex addiction is important for both partners in the healing process.
Should I Stay?
If you are the partner of a sex addict and are wondering if you should stay in the relationship after infidelity has occurred, it can be helpful to know that moving forward and repairing the relationship is completely possible. It just takes some work!
Get Help & Advice
Sex Addiction Australia has played a hand in helping repair the relationships of many couples battling with sex addiction.
Contact us today for confidential couples counselling in Sydney.