The possibility of relapse is a real and understandable situation that people recovering from sex addiction must face. While having a relapse episode is not uncommon, the event leaves you feeling discouraged, embarrassed, and demoralized. Succumbing to former temptations while fighting your sex addiction can be avoided by following the tips below.
Take Advantage of Available Treatment
While undergoing treatment, get help for anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, or other emotional obstacles and mental health disorders. Statistics indicate that many people who struggle with sex addiction have a history of physical or sexual abuse. Come to terms with these events and gain control over your past. Avoiding these matters often leads to an increased risk of relapse. Likewise, get help for substance abuse problems. Sexual addiction often accompanies alcohol or drug abuse. When you give in to these habits, inhibitions lower, in turn increasing your chances of giving in to sexual desires.
Manage Stress
Stress is unavoidable, but how you deal with it can make the difference between staying on the road of recovery or falling back into addiction. Reducing the emotional and physical impacts of stress requires effective coping strategies. These may include learning relaxation techniques through routine exercise, guided imagery, meditation, or yoga. Adopt one or more of these methods and practice them regularly when you feel the pressure of everyday life.
Alter Lifestyle Patterns
Once you've completed a treatment program, avoid locations or situations where you used to fulfill sexual urges. In short, avoid temptation. This may mean not entering adult chat rooms, reading pornographic material, or visiting porn websites. Stay out of bars, night clubs, and strip clubs. It's important to resist the urge to test your inner strength by thinking that revisiting may prove that you have successfully overcome the addiction. Substitute new habits for old ones by focusing time and energy on a new hobby, participating in a sport, or volunteering. Follow your treatment plan; attend follow-up meetings as directed by your therapist and take medications as prescribed.
Educate Yourself
While individuals learn a great deal about themselves and their addictions during treatment, learning should be an ongoing process. Delve deeper into the benefits of treatment protocols, discover how others overcame the addiction, and learn about a variety of coping techniques for dealing with cravings. The more time you spend learning about your addiction and how it affects you personally, the greater the control you have.
Establish a Support Network
Develop and focus on relationships with people who have your best interests in mind. These people may include family members, close friends, co-workers, or therapists. The stronger the support system, the less likely it is that you'll relapse. However, if a setback should occur, resist the urge to give up. Determine to get back on the right path, remember goals, and allow supporters to provide the encouragement.
