'I felt so alone': My HELLISH marriage to a sex addict. Get this subscriber article only in the Morning Mail newsletter
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Arriving home from work, my husband greeted me in the kitchen with a warm hug, before leading me to our bedroom. There, we had sex for the second time that day... and the umpteenth time that week.
Considering we'd been married for 30 years, you might well be impressed that the flames of passion were still burning to such an extent. After all, the days of being unable to resist one another typically dwindle after the first few years.
The truth is, however, Michael was a sex addict. Far from being exciting, fulfilling or flattering, his insatiable hunger for intimacy left me in physical pain and destroyed my self-esteem – and ultimately our marriage. Only now, two years after I finally summoned the courage to leave Michael, do I feel able to speak out about my experience, albeit under a different name to protect our three adult children.
I'd felt so alone for so long, mistakenly thinking there was something wrong with me for not reciprocating Michael's enthusiasm. Reading something like this would have helped me understand that it wasn't my fault – and that there was a way out.
It's a topic, though, that has long triggered sniggers. Many celebrities have spoken out about their own sex addiction, with many people assuming the label is just a convenient excuse for repeated infidelity or reckless behaviour. But I can tell you it's certainly a bona fide condition and, sadly, it's no laughing matter.
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