Don't Call It Love Recovery From Sexual Addiction

by CARNES, PATRICK

• ISBN13: 9780553351385
• ISBN10: 0553351389
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1992-03-01
• Publisher: Bantam

Summary

"Dr. Patrick Carnes is a creative, pioneering, and courageous human being. His books are changing the lives of thousands!" "I lost three marriages, all because of affairs." "I became suicidal because of multiple intense involvements." "I spent money on sex when I needed it for children's clothes." "I lost promotion opportunities and a special scholarship because my co-workers found out about my sex life." Every day they face the possibility of destruction, risking their families, fiances, jobs, dignity, and health. They come from all walks of life: ministers, physicians, therapists, politicians, executives, blue-collar workers. Most were abused as children--sexually, physically or emotionally--and saw addictive behavior in their early lives. Most grapple with other addictions as well, but their fiercest battle is with the most astounding prevalent "secret" disorder in America: sexual addiction. Here is a ground-breaking work by the nation's leading professional expert on sexual addiction, based on the candid testimony of more than one thousand recovering sexual addicts in the first major scientific study of the disorder. This essential volume includes not only the revealing findings of Dr. Carne's research with recovering addicts but also advice from the addicts and co-addicts themselves as they work to overcome their compulsive behavior. Positive, hopeful, and practical, "Don't Call It Love is a landmark book that helps us better understand all addictions, their causes, and the difficult path to recovery.

Author Biography

"This clear,  helpful, well-organized guide... points the way  toward healing twisted relationships and reclaiming  healthy sexuality."--<i>Publishers  Weekly</i>

Table of Contents

Introduction	1	(8)
Part I Anatomy of an Addiction
The Signs of Addiction	9	(30)
Powerlessness: The Eleven Behavioral Types	39	(34)
Unmanageability: Costs and Consequences	73	(34)
Vulnerable Children: The Legacy of Abuse	107	(36)
Addictive Partners: Mirrors of Obsession	143	(38)
Part II Transformation of an Illness
The Stages of Recovery	181	(29)
The Tasks of the First Year	210	(49)
Years Two and Three: Rebuilding	259	(40)
Three Years Plus: Working a Program and Healthy Sex	299	(29)
Three Years Plus: Family of Origin and Child Abuse	328	(21)
Family Renewal	349	(34)
From Boundaries to Frontiers: Toward a New Culture	383	(7)
Notes	390	(4)
Appendix A: Self-Assessment Surveys	394	(20)
Appendix B: Selected Data Sets	414	(13)
Index	427