Some of the common, key characteristics of addicts are:
Poor socialization skills
Inability to relate to others
Avoiding relationships
Sex addicts are warm, loving, kind, and exciting at one time and cold, manipulative, detached, and harsh at another time without any apparent reason for their differing moods.
Often, during the good periods, they are filled with guilt and shame over their acting out and tend to overcompensate, trying to make up for not being available or caring while they were acting out.
In their bad moods, they are "in their addict" and seem only to care about themselves and their own satisfaction.
Addictions also tend to reinforce certain personality characteristics like:
In the Twelve Step programs this is called "His Majesty the Baby," - a person who wants what he wants when he wants it.
This change in personality may be quite subtle and gradual, but over time, those who know the person will begin to see him or her as "no longer himself/herself," or, at least some of the time, as apparently someone other than the person they know and care about.
=
Sex addicts are actually very lonely people.
See also:
External websites: