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'It's a national epidemic': Why Americans are being diagnosed as sex addicts in record numbers
By DAISY DUMAS
Sex addiction is on the rise, say experts, with more than nine million Americans suffering from the disorder.
In total, nine million, or three to five per cent of the U.S. population, meets the criteria for addiction, says the Society for the Advancement of Sexual Health.
Tami VerHelst, vice president of the International Institute for Trauma and Addiction Professionals, told the magazine that 'Where it used to be 40- to 50-year-old men seeking treatment, now there are more females, adolescents, and senior citizens,' sex addicts are now old, young, male and female.
She has seen 'grandfathers getting caught with porn on their computers by grandkids, and grandkids sexting at 12.'
In fact, Steven Luff, co-author of Pure Eyes: A Man’s Guide to Sexual Integrity, went so far as telling the magazine that sex addiction is 'a national epidemic.'
The reasons, say Newsweek, are largely focused on the liberation of porn - which is thought to lead to seeking real sex - afforded by the internet.
Internet Filter Software Review has calculated that in the U.S., 40 million people a day log on to 4.2 million pornographic websites.
'Where it used to be 40- to 50-year-old men, now there are more females, adolescents, and senior citizens'
Other technologies, too, are making casual, quick sex, often sought by addicts, easier.
Whether it is the highly controversial but hugely successful Ashley Madison, which links those looking for extra-marital affairs to willing partners, or even Grindr, which uses smart phones and GPS to quickly link members of the gay community in the same geographical area, the potential for fast - and free - sex is richer than ever.
While technology may address accessibility, it is not clear how it is linked to Mr Weiss's belief that that sex addiction boils down to simply 'being wanted.'
Mr Luff, who is also the leader of X3LA sexual-addiction recovery groups in Hollywood, agrees: 'Sex is the perfect match for that. "I matter right now. In this moment, I am loved,"' he said.
The 'epidemic' is hitting popular culture, says the magazine, with the TV series Bad Sex and 'full-frontal debasement' of movie Shame coming to cinemas in December.
The messy public debacles of Tiger Woods and Dominique Strauss-Kahn have also driven the disorder further into the spotlight - though Bad Sex's Chris Donaghue, a sex therapist, is quick to note that philandering does not equal addiction.
But while figures creep up, there seems to be little offered in the way of solutions.
It is hoped that by raising awareness of the problem, more sufferers of the disease will come forward for treatment.