Little minds are tamed and subdued by misfortune; great minds rise above it.
Sex and porn addicts aren’t the only addicts prone to cross and co-occurring addictions. The simple fact is that whatever the addiction – sex, drugs, alcohol, gambling, eating, spending, or anything else – the motivation is the same. The addict wants to feel better, which actually means the addict wants to feel less (i.e., to control what he or she is feeling). And addictive substances and behaviors all happily oblige by altering brain chemistry in ways that temporarily distract the addict from stress, emotional discomfort, and the pain of underlying psychological conditions like depression, anxiety, attachment deficit disorders, and unresolved early-life or severe adult-life trauma. Whatever will get the addict emotionally numb is potentially addictive.
Task for Today
Take a look at not just your sexual behavior, but your use of alcohol, drugs, food, gambling, spending, etc. Do you use any/all of the above for purposes of escape?