Where you start depends on who you are right now.
The behavior is yours. Most of what follows is for you: therapy with the strongest evidence behind it, free peer groups, books, and helplines that connect you to treatment.
You’re the partner who just found out. Your help is separate from theirs: betrayal-trauma support and groups that exist only for partners and families.
You’re in crisis right now. Call or text 988—someone answers at any hour, and everything else here can wait until you’re safe.
What follows lays out each option: what it offers, which ones the evidence backs, and what a first step looks like.
- Therapy (CBT and ACT) is the strongest path. The most studied option, and the one with the strongest results.
- Free support groups exist worldwide. Peer meetings put you with people who have walked the same road.
- Hotlines and partner support are free and confidential. There’s help for you, and separate help for partners and families.
How to Know It’s Time to Get Help for Sex Addiction
The dividing line isn’t how often you think about sex. It’s whether you can stop.
Frequency is a poor signal. Most people who think about sex a great deal never develop a problem. Control is what separates a high sex drive from a compulsion.
The Sign that Matters Most Is Losing Control
If you’ve repeatedly tried to cut back or stop and couldn’t, act on that. The same goes if the behavior keeps damaging your relationships, work, or health and you keep going anyway.
Guilt doesn’t decide it. Feeling bad about sex is not the same as being unable to stop. It’s the loss of control that says it’s time for real support.
Where to Check if You’re Not Sure
You don’t have to diagnose yourself before asking for help. Two quick checks can bring the picture into focus.
- Warning signs. Compare your own pattern against the warning signs of sex addiction.
- Self-test. The sex addiction self-test is quick and private, and nobody sees the result but you.
Types of Sex Addiction Help that Exist
No single door is the right one. Different kinds of support fit different people, budgets, and moments. The main options compare like this:
| Resource | What it offers | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Therapy (CBT / ACT) | Structured sessions to spot triggers and build new responses | The most studied path, for anyone who can access a therapist |
| Online / teletherapy | The same approaches, delivered remotely | When cost, location, or privacy makes in-person care hard |
| Support groups | Peer connection and accountability | Reducing isolation; ongoing support alongside therapy |
| Medication (via a psychiatrist) | Off-label options that can lower compulsive drive | When anxiety, depression, or urges aren’t responding to therapy alone |
| Books | Background and self-understanding | Building motivation and reducing shame, alongside other help |
For what therapy involves session to session and how to find someone qualified, go deeper on sex addiction counseling.
Sex Addiction Support Groups and 12-Step Programs
Peer support offers something therapy alone can’t: being understood by people who have been there.
The names below sound interchangeable; the rooms aren’t. Each group runs on its own philosophy and tone, and knowing the differences keeps one wrong-fit meeting from writing off peer support altogether.
12-Step Programs
These are the most widely available communities, in person and online, built on shared accountability and a structured recovery framework. All of them run free meetings.
If a faith-based or 12-step format isn’t your fit, a different framework offers the same peer connection.
- Sex Addicts Anonymous (SAA). A 12-step program with in-person and online meetings worldwide.
- Sexaholics Anonymous (SA). Another 12-step option, with its own specific definition of sobriety.
- Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous (SLAA). A 12-step program for people whose patterns blur sex and romantic attachment.
Secular and Online Options
- SMART Recovery. A secular, evidence-informed alternative to 12-step, with meetings for behavioral addictions.
Whichever you pick, try more than one before deciding the format fails you, and let the group sit alongside professional care rather than replace it.
Across a review of 20 studies, CBT and acceptance-based approaches meaningfully reduced compulsive sexual behavior[1]. Treatment moves this problem. It also rarely travels alone: most people who struggle carry another mental-health condition with it[2], which is why good help looks at the whole picture instead of just the behavior. And none of it requires a diagnosis first.
Sex Addiction Hotlines and Crisis Support
No dedicated national sex-addiction hotline exists, but a live person who can help is reachable at any hour. If today has room for exactly one act, make it a phone call.
Free Helplines
Both lines are free and confidential, and both can point you toward treatment in your area.
- SAMHSA National Helpline (1-800-662-4357). Free, confidential referrals to treatment and support services, 24/7.
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Call or text 988 if you’re in crisis or having thoughts of harming yourself.
Why Crisis Support Matters Here
Compulsive sexual behavior carries real risk. In one clinical sample, nearly half of the people referred for treatment showed detectable suicide risk[3].
If thoughts of harming yourself are part of this, call or text 988 now. A trained counselor picks up at any hour.
Books About Sex Addiction
A book asks nothing of you: no appointment, no introduction, no one watching. Reading about the patterns behind compulsive sexual behavior can cut shame and build motivation, and these titles suit a general reader. They belong alongside other support rather than in place of it.
- Out of the Shadows by Patrick Carnes. A foundational text on sexual compulsivity.
- Unwanted by Jay Stringer. Focuses on the roots of unwanted sexual behavior.
- Treating Trauma from Sexual Betrayal and similar partner-focused titles. For the person on the other side of it.
Earlier in the process? Start with how to get help for sex addiction, and see sex addiction recovery for what the road ahead can look like.
Sex Addiction Resources for Partners and Families
If someone else’s behavior brought you here, what you’re carrying is its own injury, with its own help. You are not responsible for fixing them, and you deserve support aimed squarely at you.
Help Written for Partners
Discovering a partner’s hidden sexual behavior can produce a genuine trauma response, not just hurt feelings. Begin with support built for your side of it.
- Betrayal trauma. Betrayal trauma is written for you, not for the person who caused the harm, and it’s the place to start.
- Partner support groups. S-Anon and COSA exist specifically for partners and families affected by another person’s sexual behavior.
What the Evidence Says About Treating Sex Addiction
The field is young, and that’s worth knowing going in. A 25-year review found a near-absence of high-quality treatment trials, and no single standardized protocol has been established[4].
Here’s what holds up anyway: CBT and ACT carry the strongest support[1], and most people who engage with care improve.
In practice, the missing protocol means a good clinician tailors the approach to you rather than running a fixed script. Read it as a reason to find the right fit, not a reason to wait.
Get Started with Therapy for Sex Addiction
You don’t need the whole plan before you move. The strongest help for compulsive sexual behavior is therapy, and a good counselor works on exactly what’s described here: the loss of control, the emotions underneath the behavior, the cycle that keeps turning. Pick one door and open it, whether that’s a therapist, a group, or the self-test.
If any of this lands, the next step doesn’t have to be a big one. You can find treatment now and get matched with a therapist who understands compulsive sexual behavior. If other addictions are part of the picture too, our treatment centers directory can point you to the right level of care. Whatever you choose, reaching out today is a real step forward — and one you can make right now.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best resources for sex addiction?
The most evidence-backed path is therapy: a review of 20 studies found CBT and acceptance-based approaches meaningfully reduced compulsive sexual behavior[1]. Around that core, peer support groups (SAA, SA, SLAA, SMART Recovery), teletherapy, and, where appropriate, medication through a psychiatrist round out the options. Most people who struggle also have a co-occurring condition like depression or anxiety[2], so the strongest help addresses the whole picture.
Are there free resources for sex addiction?
Yes. Sex Addicts Anonymous (SAA), Sexaholics Anonymous (SA), SLAA, and SMART Recovery all run free meetings, in person and online. Many therapists offer sliding-scale fees, and community mental-health centers provide low-cost counseling. Starting with a free support group is a real start, not a placeholder.
Do sex addiction support groups actually work?
They offer real value: community, accountability, and the relief of being understood by people who have lived it. Rigorous outcome studies on 12-step programs specifically are limited, so they belong alongside professional care rather than in place of it[4]. Groups differ in tone and approach, so trying more than one is wise.
Where can the partner of a sex addict get help?
Partners need and deserve their own support, separate from the person who caused the harm. Discovering hidden sexual behavior can set off a genuine trauma response, known as betrayal trauma, and there is help written specifically for partners. Peer groups like S-Anon and COSA exist for exactly this, and a therapist who works with betrayal trauma can help you stabilize regardless of what your partner does.
Is there a sex addiction hotline?
No single dedicated national sex-addiction hotline exists, but help is reachable. SAMHSA’s National Helpline (1-800-662-4357) offers free, confidential referrals to treatment, and the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is there if you’re in crisis, which matters: nearly half of the people in one treatment sample showed detectable suicide risk[3]. Support groups like SAA also list meeting and contact information online.
How do I take the first step toward getting help for sex addiction?
You don’t need everything figured out first. The simplest starts: sit in on a free meeting (SAA, SA, SLAA, or SMART Recovery), take a self-test to see where you stand, or make one call to SAMHSA’s National Helpline (1-800-662-4357) for a referral to a therapist. Any one of those counts, and you can keep it private. If you’re the partner rather than the person struggling, your start looks different: begin with betrayal-trauma support written for you.
Get Treatment Help
If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction, getting help is just a phone call away, or consider trying therapy online with BetterHelp.
Exclusive offer: 20% Off BetterHelp*Following links to the BetterHelp website may earn us a commission that helps us manage and maintain AddictionHelp.com. *Get 20% off your first month of BetterHelp. Offer valid for new BetterHelp users only. Offer cannot be combined with insurance.
- Fact-Checked
- Editor
