Do Sex Toys Cause Addiction? One Question, Four Answers!
You might have heard that you can get addicted to sex toys, but it’s nothing more than a misconception based on pure ignorance!
1. It’s been researched!
According to the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists (AASECT), there is not sufficient evidence to support the perception of sex addiction or porn addiction as a mental disorder. AASECT also does not find the sexual addiction training and treatment methods and educational pedagogies to be adequately informed by accurate human sexuality knowledge. The use of sex toys, by interpretation, is also not addictive.
2. Easier doesn’t mean other ways won’t work!
Sex toys can provide an orgasm more easily and quickly than manual stimulation. Due to that, we might prefer using them to seek pleasure. A personal preference isn’t the same as an addiction. Do avoid labels like addiction scare and worry people unnecessarily!
3. Desensitization vs. resensitization!
There is the long-held fear that the use of sex toys will cause one’s body including the clitoris for clitoris owners to become dependent on that. The term they’re actually looking to say is desensitization – where the body’s sensitivity will decrease. The reality is our bodies are adaptable. When you quit using vibrators for some time, the body will restore its sensitivity to lower intensity vibrations, for instance by hands.
4. No cap to pleasure!
We fear too much pleasure, too many orgasms, and dependency on sex toys as if we think too much of something is not good. The truth is that our bodies are capable of infinite possibilities of pleasure and we are the one who get in our own way and limit ourselves. Our inability to recognise and accept pleasure into our life is what limits us.
I invite you to explore your body – with or without sexual aids, because it is yours to reclaim, and enjoy. Pleasure is our birthright, and when we can open ourselves to pleasure, joy, and orgasms – we begin the process of finding our way both to ourselves and heal ourselves.
References:
AASECT Position on Sex Addiction. (2021). AASECT. https://www.aasect.org/position-sex-addiction
Bleasdale, C. (2019, November 27). Can you be Addicted to a Vibrator or Become Dependent on a Sex Toy? Minna. https://minnalife.com/blogs/news/vibrator-addiction-dependency
Kassel, G. (2019, October 10). Will Using a Vibrator Too Often Desensitize My Clitoris?Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/healthy-sex/overusing-vibrator-sensitivity
A born and bred Singaporean Chinese, Dr. Martha Tara Lee is Relationship Counselor and Clinical Sexologist of Eros Coaching. She has a doctorate in human sexuality, masters in counselling and two other degrees. In practice for 12 years, Dr. Lee is also the appointed Resident Sexologist for sexual wellness boutique PinkLifestyle.com and Clinical Sexologist of Singapore Cancer Society. She was recognised as one of ‘Top 50 Inspiring Women under 40’ by Her World in July 2010, and one of ‘Top 100 Inspiring Women’ by CozyCot in March 2011. She is the author of Love, Sex and Everything In-Between (2013), Orgasmic Yoga: Masturbation, Meditation and Everything In-Between (2015), From Princess to Queen: Heartbreaks, Heartgasms and Everything In-Between (2017), and {Un}Inhihibited (2019).