10/20/2008 8:24:00 AM -
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Every addiction costs the addict something. You can probably talk all day about emotional, relational, social and vocational losses that occurred due to your sexual addiction. Determining the cost, in financial terms has helped many sex addicts put in perspective the immense damage that their sexual addiction has caused in their life.
The knowledge of the estimated financial damage due to sexual addiction has helped some addicts say "no" to acting out. The average cost over the lifetime of many addicts from the onset to when recovery began is approximately $250,000 dollars. Most of us wish we had that amount on hand today! To list the cost of your addiction, you may want to consider several things:
- Cost of actual pornographic material purchased
- Cost of professional sex services
- Cost of legal fees (including divorce)
- Divorce loss
- Child support
- Missed opportunities (college, job promotions)
- Working in a job under your abilities
- Loss of creativity and energy over years
- Guilt spending (spend to make you or partner feel better)
- Geographical moves (running from addiction)
- Emotional/financial immaturity due to addiction
- Losses by trusting untrustworthy people (scams/investment)
- Other
When you see a person you want to objectify or act out with, some addicts have found it helpful to take the total cost of what their addiction has cost them and visually place it over that person's head similar to a cartoon caption. It will definitely decrease the temptation to act out!
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