okay i did the test you mentioned and this is what i got :


ADD Combined Type
Not Probable

ADD Inattentive Type
Probable

Cingulate System Hyperactivity
Probable

Limbic System Hyperactivity
Probable

Basal Ganglia Hyperactivity
Not Probable

Temporal Lobe System
Not Probable


ADD Inattentive Type
Girls with ADD are frequently missed because they are more likely to have the non-hyperactive form.
Additional symptoms for this subtype include: excessive daydreaming, frequent complaints of being bored, appearing apathetic or unmotivated, appearing frequently sluggish or slow moving or appearing spacey or internally preoccupied -- the classic "couch potato."



Okay.. this seems to "fit" me. I am most definitely always bored and unmotivated.

I did have the talk with my fiance.

I told him that my sexual addiction is coming back full force. He asked if i wanted to sleep with someone else. I told him Yes. <i wanted to be honest> He then asked if there was anyone in paticular. I told him No.

I then went on and explained about "medicating my emotions" and he says i should look up a therapist that deals with this specifically.

So, i guess we'll see what happens from here.

Those 3 probables are a different combination, it's ADD, ADHD and OCD. You know it might be worthwhile to mention to a counselor that you want to take a psychological profiling test for ADD. There are some overlapping similarities in the way OCD and ADD are perceived. Except OCD usually has compulsions and obsessions that repeat. Like thoughts that repeat over and over. Or compulsions like keeping things neat for no reason. Like I had to keep the house clean to control my anxiety. I would clean until I dropped dead to make my anxiety better.

So i have to ask this question.

If i am ADD, then, how does that link with sex addiction?

There are people who deal specifically with sexual addictions. I don't know if you have a religious preference or not, if you do, you may also want to find someone who also holds those same values. There are those who are American Association of Certified Christian Sexual Addiction Specialists - Certified. They have special qualifications for handling sexual addiction within a Christian culture.

There is also a place in Nashville, TN that holds a week long workshop for sexual addiction for both men and women. It's an excellent workshop and provides quick information and a quick fast pace counseling intro to sexual addiction recovery. The website is www.bethesdaworkshops.org

I can go on and on with information if you let me.

There have been studies that a large group of sexual addicts have ADD. Somehow ADD plays into the addiction and if the ADD is left untreated if caused the person with the sexual addction to fall back into the sexual addiction pattern.

I see now. Kinda like my sons ADHD. He likes to run around the house making goofy noises when he's unmedicated, but once i give him his ritalin it stops that behavior.

Also, i'm not part of any religious group.

I'm in Missouri, and the only SAA meeting i could find were about 4 hours away. I was pretty surprised that there wasn't more groups since there is so many large cities.

This is a quote from a study by Hull EM, Lorrain DS, Du J, Matuszewich L,
Lumley LA, Putnam SK, Moses J
Department of Psychology,
State University of New York at Buffalo,
14260-4110, USA.
Behav Brain Res 1999 Nov 1; 105(1):105-16
Titled Hormone-neurotransmitter interactions
in the control of sexual behavior

"The stimuli from a receptive female and/or copulation itself leads to the release of dopamine (DA) in at least three integrative hubs."

The component that is missing in ADD is significant levels of dopamine. Sex releases dopamine during an orgasm. So the thought is somehow for those with ADD the dopamine release reenforces the addiction.

So, just not have sex?

Will medication just help suppress the dopamine?

Is there a way to recover without medication?

<img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/eek.gif" alt="" /> Can't have you going around with the thought of not having sex at all. You can have sex, you just have to learn how to keep it in boundaries.

Actually the medication UPs the dopamine. When you take Ritalin, you are increasing DOPAMINE levels. Straterra is another ADD drug that increases DOPAMINE. Increasing the DOPAMINE stimulates the frontal lobe area of the brain that ADD affects and helps improve learning.

In fact you have to be careful with the amphetamine type drugs that you don't cause a dopamine induced psychosis, which antipsychotics work by lowering dopamine levels. It only happens if you are overdosing on high levels.

And yes you can recover without medication, there are people doing it, but it's a harder struggle. I know in my case I was recovering, but when I added my medication for OCD the struggle got easier.

yeah i was thinking you *needed* to supress the dopamine so you wouldn't get the *high*.. but i see what you mean.

Here is a book I would recommend and you can find it on Amazon.com

No Stones: Women Redeemed from Sexual Shame (Paperback)
by Marnie C. Ferree

What the brain is looking for is something to keep it stimulated. So what you do is substitute the medication to produce the dopamine instead of sex. Then in theory you should be able to reduce the negative behavior associated with the addiction since it is no longer a stimulant for the addiction.

If I keep you thinking too much your ADD is going to kick in any moment now. And as you can tell my OCD has kept me locked in on the subject for a while. <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

It didn't kick in.. i had to go to work <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> i am thoroughly interested in what you have to say though.

I joined a saa meeting chatroom today. I guess we'll see how that plays out. My fiance wants me to go to a doc asap. I'm not sure if i'm ready yet though.

I think i'm good at figuring problems out. I have always wanted to be a therapist. Its easier to tell others how to work on thier problems or the steps to take. Hopefully with the support of my fiance i can get this habit kicked.

I had a long talk with one of my *temptations* today. He said he would back off. I told him that i needed a friend, not the temptation of sexual advances. He realized he was being selfish.

Its a process, one step at a time. <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I know about those *temptations* and it's good that you talked to them. You need to avoid them like a plague if you intend to be married and be faithful, which is the purpose of being married. Otherwise you could stay single and then it's not a problem, but you loose the enjoyment of being married.

Patrick Carnes also write a lot of books on Sexual Addiction. He is actually the person who founded the theory that a person could be addicted to sex like any other type of substance or action. He has some good reading material and even a website. His website is www.sexhelp.com

I wonder if a womans nurturing is part of this too?

It seems i'm more attracted to guys that are single with no kids. My fiance had no children. He expressed to me that he did want at least one. He never found the right woman and he told me he wanted a child with me. So we got pregnant after some serious discussions.

This emotional act could probably be classified as something other than the sex addiction, like my feeling of being needed and unconditionally loved since that was missing.

I should also say that during/after my parents divorce, i basically raised my brother. My mom worked from early morning to late evenings and then would go out with her friends to the bar or wherever. I'm sure she was trying to deal with her own problems, but she left 2 young kids alone. I expressed to her several times that i didn't like being home alone at night. I was scared. But she shrugged it off saying something like "oh, you'll be okay".

The feeling of being needed and desired IS part of the sex addiction. So i guess all of the above would play into it.

I am feeling so much relief right now. You are so full of information and i'm glad i found this site. Thanks!

Again you are talking about abandonment when you are discussing how your mother would leave you alone at nights. It's scarey being left as a child....I remember those feelings. My mother was divorced and I would be left to watch my baby brother.

And yes, the feeling of being needed and desired is a very strong component of sexual addiction. There is a core belief that no one really needs or desires the addict because of the abandonment issues, so they are always seeking to fulfill that void.

i understand that.

Dear Michie,

In my book you are normal.
You are not frigid.
Good for you.

A sex addict is someone who actually acts on these fantasies.

Your fears that you might act on these fantasies will probably subside once you have married and your man has actually made that commitment--that special promise that simply cohabitating and breeding together does not create.

If you want "more" from your lover--you can get more. I have been with my H for 30 years and I get more and more from him every year--more sex, more excitement, more fun, more pleasure. That is all part of the fun--learning together how to get more.

Good luck and enjoy the ride!

Pieta-

I can understand where you are coming from.

Just because i haven't actually "acted out" on my fantasies doesnt' mean i dont have a problem. I will act out on them soon. And my problem isn't actually a "fantasy" so to speak. I seek out men that i want to have sex with. I made a sex date for this friday. Luckily the guy backed out because i would have went through with it. Not to mention all the online sex stuff i have done-secretly.

So yes, i have actually acted out.

I dont even know if i will be getting married. My fiance and i had a huge fight, because he wants to buy a RC Race Car for a hobby. $200. We dont have that kind of money to just spend on a hobby. He defends himself saying that he works 40-60 hours a week and that he should be able to buy himself something. I say- If you are wanting to work more hours than you have to, then you should be wanting to do it for our wedding. We dont have a single dollar saved up. I dont know what kind of wedding i want until i know how much we can save. He says i should get a second job. He blew up at me saying he was going to buy it because he *can*. I said well i'm going to F** any man i want, because i *can*. I know that was hurtful. Regardless, he decided he wasn't going to buy the car. I just dont feel like he's into getting married as he should be. He put the ring on my finger, he should at least help do some research. I've given him ideas. Told him what those ideas will cost. Of course he says *I* dont know what i want, i go back and forth on ideas. But he's never given me any positive input on what he would like to do. Its always "whatever you want to do".

I dont know... I feel he's a little selfish and self centered. Like he should be put up on a pedestal because he's been working his [censored] off for quite some time. I have birthed 2 kids. The 2nd, had put me through ******. I believe i'm going through pre-menopause and i occasionally get disabling back pain. I work part time because i dont feel i can handle the stress.. but at least i'm trying. I could just not have a job at all. But here i am, looking for a 2nd job.