Secrets of a Hollywood Sex and Love Addict
Ask an Expert: Essential Summer Sleep Tips to Beat the Heat
Ask an Expert: The Vital Post-Surgery Steps You Need to Follow
Cult Expert Rick Ross Identifies Popular Groups That Could Be Cu…
Ask an Expert: Why Colorectal Cancer Rates are Rising in Young P…
See Burn Victim’s Transformation after Treatment!
Woman Is Healing Her Scars from the Inside Out!
3 Things to Discuss before Your Divorce
How Does a Fracturing Laser Treatment Work to Treat Burn Scars?
Why the Butt Lift Is the Latest Surging Plastic Surgery Trend
Actress Shares the Joy of Working during Lockdown
Childhood Burn Victim Returns after Years of Scar Treatment
Actress Eva LaRue on Grieving Her Pandemic Losses
Who Is the Ideal Patient for a Non-Surgical Butt Lift?
Jim Gray Shares What Makes Someone the Greatest Athlete of All T…
Ask an Expert: 5 Reasons There Is Blood in Your Stool
The Doctors' Favorite Products to Elevate Your Next Bathroom Tri…
Kamala Harris and Nicole Kidman’s Hair Stylist on the ‘Look’ Eve…
4 Relationship Issues That Could Lead to Divorce
Signs Divorce Could Be a Good Option
The Doctors are joined by actress Brianne Davis who opens up about her battle with sex and love addiction, how she got sober and transformed her life for the better.
Brianne, who believes sex and love addiction is due to low self-esteem, fear of abandonment, and the fear of intimacy, says she began dealing with this at the age of 12 and says it is a high she has been chasing her entire life.
As an adult, the actress says she juggled multiple men and relationships and each man believed she was their exclusive girlfriend. She was never fully committed to one relationship and says once she began dating one guy, she found ways to step outside of the relationship. Fearing this would play out for the rest of her life, she sought treatment from a therapist and is now sober in Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous.
Brianne is now married and has a child and says to others, "If you are struggling, you are not alone. There is a way out of the darkness. You do not have to go back to something that was deadly for you."
The actress explains her addiction was not just about sex, but more about the high of falling in love, having power and control over another person, which she says filled the emptiness she was experiencing.
"Whenever I would get something, I would always want more. It's that disease of more... more love, more attention, more flirting, more intrigue, just more," she tells The Doctors, adding, "I [was] in love with falling in love."
Psychotherapist Dr. Mike Dow explains cognitive behavioral therapy can be successful when treating sex and love addiction. In addition to unpacking someone's past and their genetic makeup, he also says being mindful of what someone is adding to their life as they work on their addiction is key. He notes replacement therapy can be beneficial and he has a seen great success with patients who are "trading something into their life" in place of sensation-seeking behaviors that Brianne described.
Dr. Dow also notes most addicts seek out dopamine, and this sensation can be found in other healthier ways with activities that are new to the individual, for instance, a trip to a new place or speaking in front of a large crowd.
If you believe you are dealing with a sex and love addiction, speak to your healthcare provider or therapist and learn more about Brianne's recovery in her book, "Secret Life of a Hollywood Sex and Love Addict."
Watch: What Is the Difference Between Sex and Love Addiction
Watch: How a Love Addiction Affects Your Brain
