It may not be as obvious when it comes to sex addiction because it's not a substance, but each addiction has a similar effect on the brain.I was not aware of that correlation, but I looked into and you seem to be right.
Men Talk about Sex Addiction, Recovery, and the #MeToo Movement
Introduction When the #MeToo Movement took off in October of 2017, one group of men immediately saw themselves in the stories women told. Whether personally guilty of sexual harassment or not, they…
www.donnabevanlee.com
''
At the heart of this split is objectification: the need to depersonalize any others involved in the addiction, whether they be willing partners, participants whose consent is compromised in some way, images on a screen, or pure fantasy. Much philosophical ink has been spilled on the nature and dynamics of objectification, but what’s important in sex addiction are three features:
- the other is reduced to his/her/their physical body;
- the other becomes solely an instrument of one’s own pleasure;
- the other’s subjectivity and boundary integrity become irrelevant.
Objectifying the partner not only protects the addict against vulnerability but creates and maintains a power asymmetry that soothes the vulnerabilities of the past–at least for a while.
The problem with objectification is that, at some level, addicts realize they’re exploiting and dehumanizing other people. They push that awareness away, along with the feelings of guilt it arouses, but the awareness always rebounds, stronger than ever. Also constantly rebounding are the other unacceptable feelings: pain, sorrow, loneliness, fear, and shame. Eventually, all of these feelings become overwhelming.
Over time, avoiding feelings and objectifying others dehumanizes the addict.''
Last edited: