Sex and substance abuse are not new concepts for the human imagination to wrap around. Still, not all individuals may be overly familiar with either subject or the ramifications behind their existence in a person. Ordinarily, the discussion on sex and sexual conduct is under immense complex flux.

Many ways in which individuals utilize sex can be highly optimistic, sound, healthy, and life-giving, others of which can prove devastating, life-endangering, shameful, and leave people feeling worthless and dirty. Sex is a powerful tool that can either build a person up or tear them down. And the occurrence of one good sexual encounter does not mean the complete absence of an adverse interaction later on. The term sex can refer to either the gender of an individual or the act of reproduction; in this article, sex is in the context of procreation actions exclusively.

Meanwhile, substance use disorder or addiction refers very specifically to a form of chronic disease that can lead to, affect, or worsen mental illnesses, physical wellness, social well-being, financial stability, sexual safety, and more. Substance abuse is a compulsive disorder that causes severe difficulty in avoiding impulsive and excessive use of drugs or alcohol.

Addiction is when a substance use disorder, left untreated, spirals out of control, leaving its victims as virtual slaves to their impulses and the effects of drugs or alcohol. Not all instances or tendencies of substance abuse will lead to a use disorder or addiction. But for more than 30 million individuals in the United States, addiction, substance abuse, and sex alters the way they live their lives forever.

How Sex and Substance Abuse Intertwine

Substance use disorders distort almost every aspect of an individual’s life. From job performance to relationship engagement, physical wellness, emotional and mental stability, all aspects of personal and professional life suffer at the hands of addiction. Still, even though addiction affects every part of life in essentially the same ways, the side effects and symptoms associated with each different form of substance use disorder may vary significantly based on the individual.

In early stages or cycles of substance abuse, individuals may seem relatively high functioning, if not almost manic, in their approach to life and engaging with the world. Of course, the side effects an individual experiences as a direct result of drug or alcohol use in comparison to the symptoms that manifest after the high has worn down present differently. For instance, a direct link between sex and addiction during and after drugs and alcohol exists. And all of those experiences will vary significantly.

Typically, individuals before developing substance use disorders will engage in safer sex practices and hygiene rituals. But when alcohol or drug abuse introduces itself into an individual’s life, the likelihood of that person engaging in unsafe sexual practices increases drastically. A person who may have otherwise refrained from engaging in sexual acts with others may seek out physical exertion of this kind as they ride the high substance use has given them. Typically, this results in the individual throwing all caution and safe sex practices to the wind in favor of following wherever their impulses lead them. Unsafe sex practices may include:

  • Engaging in intercourse in unsafe, unsanitary, or inappropriate locations
  • Having intercourse with a stranger
  • Not using any form of protection during intercourse
  • Engaging in intercourse while under the influence

Individuals riding a drug or alcohol high may engage in other unsafe sex practices as well, leading to a variety of different high-risk scenarios where users may contract several sexually transmitted, life-altering diseases, including HIV. Yet, even though the high of drug or alcohol use results in many people experimenting with intercourse in high-risk circumstances, libido, infertility, congenital disabilities, menstrual issues, and erectile dysfunction, as well as others sex issues have a high chance of following in the wake of addiction.

The combined presence of both sex and substance use disorders can significantly impact a person’s life. Addiction can even influence the impulse control of an individual, so thoroughly they may become addicted to intercourse as well as alcohol and drug abuse, causing a whole new set of risks and treatment issues to arise.

The Implications of Sex in Addiction Treatment

According to researchers, as the frequency of substance use disorder rises, the likelihood of an individual engaging in unsafe sex and having various intercourse partners also elevates, whether the user is male or female. Sex and addiction run together more commonly than the public may genuinely expect. But the good news is, even though sex can prove detrimental to a person’s health when conjoining with addiction and substance use disorders also remain massively life-changing, healing and recovery are still possible.

Of course, addiction affects each individual differently. And thus, addiction treatment must be made suitable to each individual. But what researchers are finding now is that the presence of intercourse and its frequency in a client’s life as they struggle with substance abuse may influence how they must receive addiction treatments. Rehab looks different for everyone, addiction affects each person differently, and sex may complicate the process of recovery and healing.

Recent reports found that substance abuse progresses in men and women differently. Individuals who engage in frequent intercourse as a side effect of their addiction may have a more challenging time releasing certain aspects of their addictive personalities to heal in inpatient rehab. Sexually borne diseases may also add further complexities to doctors, nurses, and therapists use in professional rehabilitation centers to treat a client.

As professionals will need to coordinate treatments to be mutually conducive to all aspects of healing, one therapy does not complicate the procedures. These reasons do not mean that treatment is impossible, just that a recovery plan may prove to need greater concentration and planning for the healing methodologies used in rehab to work efficiently.

For some rehabilitation centers, the added complexity in addiction treatment may overcomplicate their processes. But the staff at St. John’s Recovery Place (SJRP) know how to handle complexity. At SJRP, the team recognizes the difficulties of struggling with drug or alcohol addiction; there is no judgment in their hearts as clients come to them for help in healing. Instead, the SJRP team works especially hard to embrace men and women ages 18 and older, from every walk of life, to help them feel secure in their recovery choice, knowing they are seen, heard, and that the facility is working with their best interest in mind.

The treatment facility in Crescent City, Florida, offers different traditional and alternative therapies for clients to utilize. And accepting more than 30 other insurance policies, SJRP ensures every potential client the opportunity to financial support in rehabilitation. If you or a loved one is struggling with the effects of sex and addiction, it is crucial you know healing can be yours.

Call St. John’s Recovery Place at 1-833-397-3422 to learn more about how the quality staff and treatment innovations can be helpful to your recovery today. You no longer have to be a slave to your impulses. Your opportunity for healing is just around the corner.

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