Sexual Addiction Warning Signs

• Have you become preoccupied with sexual thoughts or romantic daydreams? 
• Do you spend increased time viewing pornography or engaging in sexual behavior?
• Do you have difficulty stopping your sexual behavior when you know it is inappropriate?  Have you made efforts to quit certain sexual behaviors and failed?
• Do you conceal your sexual behavior from your significant other?
• Do you feel irritable or restless when you have tried to cut down or stop engaging in sexual behavior?
• Do you use sexual behavior to escape from problems in real life?
• Do you use sexual behaviors to relieve dysphoric moods (such as feelings of helplessness, guilt, anxiety, depression) or do you feel degraded or depressed after sex?
• Have you ever jeopardized or lost a significant relationship because of sexual behaviors or has your sexual activity interfered with family life?
• Have you ever worried about your significant other finding out about your sexual activity?
• Have you ever participated in a sexual activity in exchange for money or gifts?
• Have you visited online chat rooms to find sex partners or engaged in phone sex?

Pornography Addiction Warning Signs

• Increased time spent online focused on sexual or romantic material
• Preoccupied with online sexualized content
• Increased time spent online and/or increased interest in collecting internet pornography
• Conceal or lie about amount of time spent online
• Minimizing use or impact of use upon others (lying to partners about use, spending less time with family, friends, etc.)
• Engaging in romantic or sexual fantasy with partners online, while also involved in marriage or other primary relationship.  Not considering these relationships to be a violation of primary relationship.
• Unsuccessful attempts to cut down, control or limit internet use and/or failure to avoid using the internet in appropriate locations (such as work, library, public sites).
• Feeling irritable or angry when access to pornography is interrupted (such as when family complains about time spent, work demands interfere with use, or internet response time is slow).
• Engaging in fantasy relationships online which are secret, illegal, or illegal if acted upon
• Viewing child pornography
• Using online fantasy to escape from problems in life
• Use online sexual, fantasy, or romantic material to relieve dysphoric mood (such as feelings of depression, guilt, helplessness, anxiety, etc.)

Cybersex Addiction Warning Signs

• Do you routinely spend time in sex chat rooms and instant messaging with the sole purpose of finding cybersex?

• Do you feel preoccupied with using the Internet for cybersex?
• Do you frequently use anonymous communication to engage in sexual fantasies not typically carried out in real-life?
• Do you anticipate your next online session with the expectation that you will find sexual arousal or gratification?
• Do you move from cybersex to phone sex or even to real-life meetings?
• Do you hide your online interactions from your significant other?
• Do you feel guilt or shame from your online use?
• Do you accidentally become aroused by cybersex at first and now find that you actively seek it out when you log online?
• Do you masturbate when having cybersex or looking at online pornography?
• Do you feel less interest with your real-life sexual partner only to prefer cybersex instead?

For more information, or to speak with a counselor 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, please call 1-800-432-5005.