After identifying a growing need in society, the Calgary Counselling Centre has unveiled a recovery program for people struggling with challenges related to pornography and sexual encounters.
“This is about an ongoing addiction that, for most people, has gone on most of their lives,” explained Kim Busch, a register sex addiction therapist at the centre. “An addiction is not just somebody that is casually involved in pornography, masturbation or even hooking up or affairs. It’s somebody that got into a pattern of coping using this type of activity.”
“They end up spending an inordinate amount of time, either mentally or actually online, focused on this behaviour. Usually it affects work, families, and the biggest one is relationships or marriages.”
The number of Canadians that suffer from sex addiction is difficult to confirm as many addicts choose not to disclose their personal battles. A recent study in the United States estimates the number of American sex addicts to be between 18 million and 24 million.
‘Beginning Recovery’, the centre’s group-based recovery program, will give sex addicts a cost-efficient, social support group experience that promotes a goal of 90 days sobriety.
“The goal is not to stop having sex,” said Busch. “The goal is to have healthy sexual relationships, in a healthy way, with people you want to be with.”
One man who has enrolled in the recovery program, who requested that his identity be withheld, said that he was embarrassed by his addiction but wanted to speak out to dispel a number of myths.
“This addiction is something that does not belong to predators, deviants or bad people,” said the recovering addict. “It’s something that happened without even realizing that I was ever doing something wrong.”
“I was using pornography just the same way you’d use a bottle of beer or a cigarette. You would use it to deal with life’s little problems.”
The unnamed gay man says he has struggled to find another gay man facing the same addictions. “The gay community really normalizes and justifies casual sex and pornography and I don’t think most of them realize how addictive of a cycle that is.”
The sex addict struggled during his initial attempts to find help but the Calgary Counselling Centre provided an outlet for his concerns.
“If I’m going through a really tough time, I can pick up the phone and make an appointment and go in and have someone listed to me with no judgement.”
The addict believes the program will help him develop a healthy approach to sex. “I have faith that this is going to be exactly what I need.”
The Beginning Recovery program is scheduled to begin on October 24. For additional information visit Calgary Counselling Centre.
With files from CTV's Alesia Fieldberg
