If anyone needed an excuse to isolate, Coronavirus provide the perfect reason.  If you suffer from compulsive or addictive sexual behavior, it can be a double-edged sword.  You may wonder about whether you can see partners during this time, or if Coronavirus is like HIV in any way.  I’ll answer these questions and more, so please read on!

Coronavirus Has Put Us in Unprecedented Territory

It’s been at least 100 years since the US has been so severely impacted by a pandemic, and it’s affected everyone in some way.  It’s affected just about everything we do and has put a tremendous burden on our decision-making processes.  Things that we wouldn’t think twice about doing in the past, are now potentially agonizing decisions.  Do I go out to the grocery store or not?  If I see my partner, will I contract Coronavirus?  So many questions can go through our mind, and it can serve to drive us to old behaviors that we know aren’t good for us.  

Coronavirus and Social Distancing:  The Double-Edged Sword

Social distancing is essential at present to keep us from spreading the disease, but it can have a lot of emotional side effects that can be harmful.  It can make us feel more lonely or anxious, and these can be huge triggers for compulsive or addictive sexual behavior.  If I can’t see others in person, I have to talk to them on the phone or get on Zoom to talk to them and see them.  If you’ve had problems with looking at porn or getting into chat rooms and engaging in behaviors you have felt bad about in the past, then having these be only a click away can seem very dicey to you.  You have a lot of company in this respect because many shadowy behaviors occur online, and if that’s the only way to interact with people, then you may always feel like you are potentially going down a slippery slope!

Some Ways to Cope with Coronavirus to Help With Sex Addiction

1.  Have one or more people you are accountable to for maintaining some boundaries for your behavior.  These could be part of a support group or just a friend who also wants to avoid some addictive or compulsive behavior.

2.  Make sure you’re getting enough sleep, adequate nutrition, and exercise.  These are pretty straightforward, but taking care of obvious triggers is one of the best ways to protect against infection, but to also ensure you aren’t engaging in unhealthy behaviors

3. Try to take setbacks in stride.  If you’ve been seeing sex workers and you are now having problems with porn use or sexual imagery, then this could possibly be seen as a less severe form of acting out behavior, depending on the content and theme of what you’re watching, of course.  

4. Find some ways of maintaining some significant human contact.  Engaging in facetime with friends and family can be very important to avoid emotional isolation and keep at least some minimal contact with others going on. 

5. Limit time using electronic media, if possible.  If you can limit your intake of news and other media, this will help with being able to not retreat into compulsive behavior.  Going for a walk, doing something with art, music, or something else creative can take you mind off of how bad things are in the outside world.  Make your living space a safe place for you as much as is humanly possible.  

What I Can Do To Help During Coronavirus

I have been helping men recover from sex addiction my entire career in social work and with the added versatility of being able to meet via online therapy, as well as in person after the pandemic is over.  I even had one client remark that doing therapy online has created new options for being able to work on particular issues he is trying to address.  The key is your willingness to try and recover.  Some folks may not be in situations conducive to recovering from sex addiction, but there are practically always work-arounds or ways to cope such that you don’t make a bad thing worse.  I support you in getting the help you need to remedy the situation, and offer free 45-minute screenings over the phone to help ensure that I am a good match for you in terms of being able to help you.  You can call the number at the top of the page or fill out the form below and I will get back to you ASAP to get something scheduled.  I have an essential array of tools that I can share with you to get your life back on track and help free you from the clutches of addictive sexual behavior.  It’s up to you to summon the courage to reach out for help, but it does get better when you take the step to trust others to help you.  

Visit our page on sex addiction therapy to learn more about how Scott can help you cope with sex addiction.

About the author:  Scott Kampschaefer, LCSW is a private practice therapist in Frederick, Maryland.  He has an extensive background in working with depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder at a clinic for older adults with these disorders in Austin, Texas.  He now works with adults and adolescents 14 and up in private practice. His e-book is entitled Life’s Lessons from the Young and the Old and is available for purchase on Amazon.