Cruise Control: Understanding Sex Addiction In Gay Men

Sex addiction is a problem pervasive in the gay community. It can often be dismissed as typical guy behavior, or the norm in the gay community so it is often undiagnosed. Social worker Robert Weiss brings the issue to light in a helpful guide, "Cruise Control: Understanding Sex Addiction in Gay Men." He not only offers insight into sex addiction in gay men but also helps provide treatment options.

Weiss' book offers, for all intents and purposes, an idiot's guide to sex addiction. He shows the steps in identifying sexual addiction, breaks down the potential roots, sources and behaviors of the addiction, discusses the steps to treatment and helps with aftercare options. It's doubtful there is a more thorough book out there to help sex addicts.

Weiss has an elucidative but economic style. He can clearly, directly and thoughtfully explain pretty deep emotional and identity-driven issues in such an easily digestible format. He uses bulleted lists, examples from recovering addicts and do/don't lists to make sex addiction recovery easy to understand.

Sex addiction is not just reserved for chronic masturbators or "Law & Order: SVU." Weiss puts a face to the disease with both a scientific, knowledgeable and logical approach but with emotional sensitivity. After all, sexual addiction can be currently affecting your friend, your boyfriend or even yourself. With the technological advancements of gay cruising websites and phone apps, the lines and boundaries of the problem are not so clear-cut.

"Cruise Control" covers the ABC's of sex addiction. It spans the symptoms, causes, treatment, impact, ties to other addictions and the distinction between sex and love addiction. He also includes important chapters that focus on finding healthy relationships, selecting a good therapist and a special chapter for couples.

The greatest part of the book is the "Activity Appendix." This do-it-yourself section includes a helpful quiz to diagnose sex addiction and a sample sexual boundary plan and dating plan. This allows sex addicts to use this invaluable resource as a physical part of their treatment.

Many mistake sex addiction with alcoholism and drug addiction. Unlike quitting something harmful to your body, sex is something you need in your life. Battling sexual addiction is not about abstinence but rather about deep emotional analysis, behavior modification and moderation. Weiss helps the reader in understanding this, but unlike some do-it-yourself fad books out there, it also provides you with the appropriate resources to seek out to truly succeed.

"Cruise Control: Understanding Sex Addiction in Gay Men" swiftly leaves the self-help section in order to provide a palatable, thoughtful and informative guide to identifying and battling sex addiction in our sex-crazed, Internet obsessed age.

"Cruise Control: Understanding Sex Addiction in Gay Men"
Robert Weiss, LCSW, CSAT-S
$18.95
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