Dominique-Strauss Kahn, The IMF ; Does Sex Addiction come into it?

Dominique Strauss-Kahn was the managing director of the IMF (International Monetary Fund) and was reputed to have attacked a chambermaid at the Sofitel Hotel in New York. He was due to return to Europe to work on the monetary problems in the European Union but was instead arrested whilst waiting for the plane to take off. I am not sure what the trial will bring up but what has not been mentioned is that Dominique Strauss-Kahn (DSK) could possibly be a sex-addict. The need to have sex with so many people and in different situations is one of the signs. It has not been a recent habit and he has a history of  being referred to as a ‘great seducer’.

His wife herself had said that it was important “for a man in politics to be able to seduce” and seems rather proud of his reputation as a ‘ladies man’. People who help the addiction are called ‘enablers’. Enablers do it from habit, love, and a misconceived belief they are helping. If the enabler does not help the one with the addiction, the addict will often leave them for another who will enable them to continue with their addiction. For some reason in French culture, a ‘libertine’ seems to be looked on with amusement and possibly with honour.

Addictions are not confined to substance abuse; there are also activities that make addictions.  Gambling and the Internet are addictions. An addiction is anything that gets in your way and prevents you from having a more fulfilling life. It takes over and prejudicially affects your private and work life. Dominique Strauss-Kahn did not seem to find it affected his private life because his wife possibly excused it and accepted it within their relationship and social circles. The DSM-IV (Diagnosis and Statistical manual; American Psychiatric Association) in its present edition has no listing of sex addiction. However, It is expected that the next DSM-V (coming out in the next few years) will include it. If you are a sex addict, it is important to get help. As an addiction it appears erroneous, it seems a ‘safe’ addiction compared to say ‘heroine’ or ‘alcohol’ but its effects are just as devastating to those you love and to your own real sense of self-worth. Those with addictions are more likely to get into trouble with the police, have failed marriages and relationships, have problems in their work and career and have low-impulse control. Such poor inhibition control means they can also have problems in thinking in the long-term and handling finances (which is of concern if DSK is a sex-addict).

Many would rather live with the addiction, thinking it is their ‘high sex-drive’, which drives them. The truth usually is that the sex-addict does not know how to handle stress (and has many other co-dependency issues from childhood to overcome) and the more stress there is the more they crave sex. Most addicts live in secrecy, hiding the addiction, working routines to get the next hit, persuading others to help them in it, living with people who enable an addiction and the loss of control which seems to spiral to uncontrollable levels. This situation has at least brought up such behaviour to public scrutiny. Anything that helps in discussions on the area is a good thing. Awareness it is an addiction may help us all stop ‘enabling’ other sex addicts.

©2011  Yaz