Sex Addiction among Teenagers - Essay Example

Sex Addiction Among Teenagers Introduction Eric Griffin-Shelley defines "addiction" as "enslavement to an activity, person, or thing that is characterized by imbalance, lack of control, loss of power, distortion of values, inflexible centrainess to the person's life, unhealthiness, pathology, chronicity, progression, and potential fatality"1. Sexual obsessions are common among teenagers and young adults. The transition from childhood to adulthood is a very delicate period for adolescents in the present society. Since early childhood, children are increasingly getting exposed to television shows and movies that insist that "sex appeal" is a personal quality that people need to develop to the fullest. Teenagers are at quite vulnerable - not only from AIDS and other STDs- but also from this sort of mass-market gimmicks. Though it is not confined to any age group, sex addiction often seems to develop during teenage. Today, adolescents and even preadolescents are indulging in all kinds of sexual experiences, and they are doing it at ages younger than it was ever imagined. They are completely overwhelmed by a world obsessed with sex. With these influences, more and more teens are under the constant threat of being visited by the tragedy of teenage sexual addiction. While sexually addictive behavior may be confined to frequent thoughts about sex for some, for others it may be a step further and result in compulsive masturbation, extensive use of Internet pornography (cyber sex), or calling toll numbers to hear explicit sex talk (phone sex). For others, the addiction can lead to illegal activities such as voyeurism (observing others in nude or seminude situations from a secret vantage point, a Peeping Tom), exhibitionism (exposing ones genitals to others), inappropriately touching others, or even rape2. Sexual Addiction: Probable Causes Different studies have found that a phenomenal number of sex addicts have a background of emotional dissociation and abuse. Many of these abuse victims have a tendency to reenact their abuse by sexual obsessions and compulsions. A survey of over 1,000 recovering sex addicts (summarized in Dr. Carnes Don't Call It Love) indicates that almost all people (97%), surveyed felt that they were emotionally abused while 81% indicated that they had been sexually abused, and 72% said that they were physically abused as children3. Families with fixed and repressed attitudes about sex, or families mired and/or dissociated are susceptible to producing sex addicts. Often these addictions have a component in general, in which the addict is satisfying the frustrated or repressed sexual desires of a sexual abuser (during early childhood), of a parent or of another ancestor. Signs of Sexual Addiction As with any addiction or compulsive behavior like alcoholism or drug addiction, there are warning signs for sex addiction too. The following includes many of the warning signs that are visible in teenagers dealing with sexual addiction4: Frequently telling sexual jokes or making sexual comments or innuendos Engaging in sexual activity-especially with several partners Spending considerable time in activities that could lead to sexual activity such as cruising for potential partners or spending hours online in chat rooms trying to hook up with others Visiting pornographic websites or looking at pornographic magazines, books, or videos Neglecting obligations such as work, school, or family in pursuit of sexual activity Continuing to engage in illicit sexual behavior despite the negative consequences related to such activities Escalating the scope or frequency of sexual activity to achieve a desired effect, such as more frequent visits to Web sites or sex with more partners Frequently isolating themselves from parents and friends and not informing others of their whereabouts Getting angry if someone shows concern or questions them about sex or their use of pornography Feeling irritable when unable to engage in some sort of sexual activity for a long period of time Making telephone calls with an 800 or a 900 prefix Becoming increasingly dishonest with other people Sex: From Liking to Addiction Liking sex a lot doesn't mean one is addicted to it. One doesn't get addicted to sex just because of having sex.The problem arises when one lets sexual nature to dominate and gain control over the personality itself. It becomes an addiction when it begins to clash with important day-to-day activities- when one can't stop from doing it even when the want to stop is there, and when it causes somebody to do things that put one at risk in some way. Teen sex addicts might resort tos a variety of sexual behaviors as part of their addiction- excessive masturbation, excessive indulgence in pornographic material, have sex with multiple partners or have unsafe sex, and molest younger children.Chances are high that teen sex addicts will miss school because they stayed up all night looking at pornography and masturbating.Without proper knowledge of playing it safe, they might end up having unprotected sex , placing themselves at risk of sexually transmittedinfections, including HIV. They might get in trouble at home, work or school because of their sexual behavior.They might have trouble maintaining relationships because of it. Just like alcoholics, often find that over time they need to drink more and more alcohol, sex addicts often find themselves engaging in more and more risky behavior as time goes on. Addiction or Mere Surge in Hormone levels However, in most teens, what many teenagers might construe as sex addiction is in reality only the results experienced due to normal surges in hormone5 levels, which are previously unknown and not experienced. For instance, they have never experienced dreams and sexual thoughts about other people as consistently as they do now. Every teenager will find one's sexuality aroused- this implies that they will they will undergo many personal changes including- a new personal sexual appetite, an increased interest and curiosity about other people's bodies, more thoughts about sex than one ever imagined, frequent sexual arousals, masturbation, fantasies etc. However, the reality is that all this is normal and is common to every teenager. Teenagers also nurture their personal cultural beliefs about what is normal sexual behavior. While most teenage girls tend to equalize sex with love, other teens- particularly boys- believe that sex is a casual activity and minimize risks or serious consequences. That is, of course, what they understand from media depictions. The not so frequent portrayals of sexual risks such as disease and pregnancy trivialize the importance of sexual responsibility. Marketing Sexual Content to Teens Regular marketing of sexual content to younger children, pre-teens, and teens exerts undue influence on their sexual activity and beliefs about sex. According to the fact sheet, Marketing Sex to Children6, released by Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood7, there is a massive bombardment of sexual content and messages upon children: In 2003, 83% of the episodes of the top 20 shows among teen viewers contained some sexual content, including 20% with sexual intercourse 42% of the songs on the top CDs in 1999 contained sexual content -- 19% included direct descriptions of sexual intercourse On average, music videos contain 93 sexual situations per hour, including eleven "hard core" scenes depicting behaviors such as intercourse and oral sex Girls who watched more than 14 hours of rap music videos per week were more likely to have multiple sex partners and to be diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease Before parents raised an outcry, Abercrombie and Fitch marketed a line of thong underpants decorated with sexually provocative phrases such as "Wink Wink" and "Eye Candy" to 10-year-olds Neilson estimates that 6.6 million children ages 2-11 and 7.3 million teens ages 12-17 watched Justin Timberlake rip open Janet Jackson's bodice during the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show. Setting aside TV, movies, and music, which may be controlled to a large extent, one most important and probably the biggest source of sexual content, which lies uninhibited, is the Internet. It caters to teenagers' desires by providing endless information on sex as well as a constant supply of people willing to discuss sex. With their identities remaining unknown, teens find it safer to search for information on sex. Links to porn content comes to them automatically through porn spam on their e-mail inbox or by being compelled to click on a link to a porn site. These sites conjure up a highly twisted image of normal relationships before their immature minds. In fact, pornography is directly related to sexual abuse, rape, and sexual violence. Excessive exposure to "hard-core" pornography tends to desensitize teens to "soft" porn and taking recourse to highly compromising images of bondage, rape, sadomasochism, torture, group sex and violence. Teen Sex Addiction: A Dangerous Trend Chances are high that sex addiction will have negative and long-lasting consequences on addicts, on those in relationships with them and on society. Obsessive sexual behavior causes severe stress to the addicts, their families and society as a whole. For the addicts, their lives are sex-centered. They exhibit socially unacceptable behaviors such as compulsive sexual relationships, voyeurism, indecent phone calls, incest, obsession with pornography, and tend to indulge in crimes such as rape, child molestation and violence. A report published by the Alan Guttmacher Institute, New York, reveals that every year 3 million teens, i.e. about 1 in 4 sexually experienced teens acquire an STD8. The same report notes that in a single act of unprotected sex with an infected partner, a teenage woman has a 1% risk of acquiring HIV, a 30% risk of getting genital herpes and a 50% chance of contracting gonorrhea. Teen sex addiction is a valid reason for teenage pregnancy. Every year, almost 1 million teenage women- 10% of all women aged 15-19 and 19% of those who have had sexual intercourse- become pregnant9. However, currently there has been a decline in teenage pregnancy. The major cause for this decrease has been attributed to effective use of contraceptives. Treating Sex Addicts Like treating any other addiction or compulsive behavior, treating sex addiction among teens, too, is not an easy task. The foremost step invariably involves separating the teenager from harmful sexual content. The next is making the addict face the guilt, shame, and even depression associated with sex addiction once it has been identified. It takes time and, most importantly, trust upon trained healers for the addict to fully recover from the emotional trauma. There are a number of therapies used for combating sex addiction. In some therapies, the addicts are persuaded to abstain from compulsive sexual behavior, following different curative steps and regularly attending support group meetings. There are other therapies that train addicts to stop sexual thoughts by sublimating sexual behavior with some other activity. There are group therapies, which consists of a health-care professional working with a group of between six and 10 sex addicts. Exposure to other addicts makes them realize that they are not the only ones suffering from the problem, thus making it easier for for confronting the denial and rationalizations. Medication is construed as another proper therapy for treating sex addicts- the addicts are provided with proper doses of antidepressants and other medicines, which are effective in stabilizing their psychological state. Conclusion For teenagers, it might not be easy to get help for sexual addiction, more because they consider it embarrassing to tell someone about this kind of problem.Furthermore, they might not have adequate knowledge or understanding of sexual addiction and don't know how to help. As such, discussing sex with teenagers should not be avoided. In fact, avoiding the topic will make things worse. It will definitely not make the questions and curiosity fade into oblivion; it will probably result in an increased level of curiosity, which could lead to experimentation, promiscuity, and possibly addiction in many students. While discussing matters pertaining to sex in a youth group setting, parents should be kept informed about the topics under discussion. Teenagers should be given adequate information about human reproduction, contraception, and sexually transmitted diseases.However, there is evidence that conventional sex education, as offered in the US, no doubt, increases knowledge about sex, but has little or no effect on whether or not teens initiate sex or use contraception. At home, it is very important for parents to maintaining a warm and loving relationship with their children. It is a fact that parents who are involved in their children's lives, and impart their religious and moral values to their children are successful in preventing immoral and addictive behavior. It is more important for teenagers to be inspired by real-life examples of people who understand and deal responsibly with their sexual natures. Teenagers need to understand that satisfying sexual relationships- like other relationships- require careful thought and wise action. Above all, it is imperative that teenagers be taught about the serious consequences of sex addiction. References Eric Griffin-Shelley (1997), Sex and Love: Addiction, Treatment, and Recovery, Praeger, Westport Flippin, Tan, Sexual Addiction and Your Students, http://www.lifeway.com/lwc/article_main_page/0,1703,A%253D162183%2526M%253D200554,00.html accessed on 04/24/06 Sexual Addictions, , accessed on 04/24/06 http://www.commercialexploitation.org/factsheets/ccfc-facts%20marketingsex.pdf http://www.commercialexploitation.org/ AGI, Sex and America's Teenagers, New York: AGI, 1994 p 38 AGI, Teenage pregnancy: overall trends and state-by-state information, New York: AGI, 1999, Table 1; and Henshaw SK, U.S. Teenage pregnancy statistics with comparative statistics for women aged 20- 24, New York: AGI, 1999, p. 5. Read More