Still, for them to admit it, they have to get out of it first and seek sex addiction treatment. Many who have become involved in the porn world may feel that they are too far gone to get out of it. This isn t true. They can also get into addiction treatment and recovery. They can find the peace they have been searching for with the proper education and support. Sex Addiction as a term first appeared in the mid-1970s when a group of people in Alcoholics Anonymous got together to apply the principles of 12-step programs to issues of compulsive sexual behaviors. Research has shown that sexual addiction and substance abuse are often correlated. An estimated 40-64% of sex addicts also suffer from substance abuse disorders. It can be an auto-exacerbating cycle that results in more pain. To the Partner: My goal is to teach you how to become aware of your emotionality and identify what emotion is driving your mind state. My job is to help you use compassion so that you can surrender to what has happened to you and through compassion find an identity that is separate from partner betrayal. Feelings of confusion, betrayal, abandonment, and even anger and hate, are normal responses under these circumstances. At this point, the spouse faces a choice in her response to her partner s addiction and actions. Her response will determine whether she grows emotionally and spiritually, or whether she emotionally stagnates. Not only does television media inundate viewers with a sex sells approach to advertising, but the internet provides a wide array of sexual options at one s fingertips. These factors certainly present added layers in the creation of a solid and effective recovery/treatment plan. What does treatment look like? In his book In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters With Addiction, Dr. Gabor Mat described childhood adversity and addiction, noting that early experiences play a crucial role in shaping perceptions of the world and others. A 1998 article by Vincent J. Felitti and colleagues in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine explained that adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs (e.