Sex Addiction on the Rise among Indian Youth

Addiction is defined by the American Society of Addiction Medicine as,

A primary, chronic disease of brain reward, motivation, memory and related circuitry

Like most chronic diseases, addiction also involves cycles of relapse and remission for the oft hapless addict.

Sex addiction – often called as nymphomania or hypersexuality – is a term used to describe those people who are unable to control their sexual thoughts, behaviours, and urges. Why some people end up developing sexual addiction while others don’t is a question which has no concrete answer as yet, and it remains a mystery, though there are a few hypotheses regarding them out there.

There is no singular reason for the rise of sexual addiction. However, here we will try and shed some light on the topic and point out some of the theories regarding the growth of sexual addiction among the Indian youth:

The rise of the Internet

The Internet has brought the world closer, made instantaneous communication possible across the globe, and had many other far-reaching effects for the good of society. However, along with all its benefits, it also has its traps.

Now, almost everyone has easy access to the Internet, whether they stay in the largest metropolises, or in far flung cities. Soon, even rural villages will have continuous access to the web. Due to this, a majority of the people now have access to X rated websites, erotic online magazines, stories, and forums for discussing their sexual needs and ‘exploits’ as well.

Not only that, now people can also pay websites to watch people perform deviant sexual acts live on their webcams. Once people fall into this pit, it is difficult to climb out of it, especially if they get addicted to it. Soon, they may even start preferring the company of porn videos over their actual partners. For single folk desperate for affection and love, it may be worse, as they may begin to live vicariously through the acts of the on-screen performers.

Easily available Porn

This ties into the above point. Earlier, before the Internet was an all-encompassing phenomena, it was much more difficult to get porn. People would have to walk out of their homes to the blue or red light districts of the city to get their hands on porn magazines and erotica, and get their fix. For most, the effort required to do that daily would be too much, while others may have even found it embarrassing to be spotted in the public in such ‘improper’ places, perusing such magazines. Now, however, if a person has internet then all manner of porn is just a click away. Some researches even claim that internet sex is the ‘crack cocaine’ for sex addicts.

Psychological

This is often associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), bipolar disorder, narcissistic personality disorder, and the like, in which people cannot keep themselves away from the lure of sexual gratification once they are lured into it.

 Social

People with low self-worth and insecurity find porn and sex a good escape from having to deal with painful emotions. Some may find it easier to deal with porn or one night stands as a release instead of having meaningful relationships. Another sadder aspect of this is that some people who may have been sexually abused, may in turn becoming abusers themselves if not given proper help, and they may look at sex – especially BDSM – as an outlet for themselves.

Sex is supposed to be a good, pleasurable activity for both the partners involved in it, but addiction is rarely a good thing, and care must be taken to stay away from the perils of addiction, lest it be harmful in the long run.