Is Sex Addiction Really An Addiction?

DALLAS (KRLD) - When Tiger Woods apologized on national TV earlier this year...the world was watching. And when he checked himself into rehab for sex addiction, he opened the doors for other celebrities and common folks to fess up. In fact it's estimated upwards of 5 percent of Americans are sex addicts.

The problem is neither the government or the American Psychiatric Association recognizes it as a real mental health disorder like drug and alcohol addiction. But Don Giordano, who co-founded the Holistic Drug Treatment center in Miami, says a sex addict functions the same as any other addict. He says they're obsessive compulsive and they do it in spite of adverse consequences an to medicate themselves from feeling.

Giordano, who is a recovering addict himself, says although addicts act out differently, there is the lack of dopamine is the one physical common denominator among all of them.

But critics say sex addicts lack the the essential characteristics of substance addiction, which includes the ability to build up a tolerance or go through withdrawal if they're deprived of sex. Giordano strongly disagrees. He says they can't stop themselves from having sex, and even if they stop it's short lived. They go back to the same old habits.

Treatment has become a thriving industry doubling the number of certified sex therapists to 900 since 2007. But Giordano says therapy alone isn't enough. His center treats the clients holistically with counseling, nutrition, relaxation techniques and spiritual support. He says you can't discriminate when it comes to addiction. He says if you've got a cocaine addict or a meth addict, you've got a sex addict.

KRLD's Phyllis Smith speaks with Don Giordano:

If you want more information about sex addiction, follow the links: www.sexhelp.com and www.holisticdrugrehab.com