Representative Anthony Weiner has taken a leave of absence to go into treatment. It would be reasonable to presume it is for sex addiction.
Is there such a thing as sex addiction? Many men would say no.That’s because they think sex addiction is about being a highly sexual person who wants to have lots of sex. There is nothing illegal about that unless it is with an underage girl.
But sex addiction is not really about sex. It’s about obsessive behavior. It’s about doing something over and over, even though it presents a risk to your job and family stability. It’s like a tic you can’t control. You know the action doesn’t serve your goals or fit into your values, and that it provides only a brief jolt of serotonin, adrenaline, and dopamine. That, in turn, is often followed by shame. But you keep doing it, like a ritual that relieves stress and decreases pain even while it is causing stress and pain.
Speculation is that Weiner will be visiting Tiger Woods’ alma mater, the Gentle Path program at Pine Grove Behavioral Health and Addiction Center in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Director Patrick Carnes is the author of Out of the Shadows: Understanding Sexual Addiction.
What is wrong with Weiner’s habit of sexting and tweeting naked pictures of himself? Even if he wasn’t married, it would have created a scandal as inappropriate behavior for a member of Congress. But as a newly married father-to-be it seems even more crass. Yet what is the damage other than to his wife?
