Can you become addicted to sex?

It is possible for some people to become addicted to sex. This addiction is similar to substance abuse, as an addiction is caused by the powerful chemical substances that are released during sex.

Dopamine is an excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitter synthesized in many areas of the brain. It is a precursor for noradrenaline and adrenaline.
Dopamine also acts as a hormone when it is released from the hypothalamus, inhibiting prolactin production from the pituitary gland.

In the CNS dopamine is involved in the regulation of pleasure and reward, memory, motor control, sleep, mood, attention and learning.
Dopamine is released by rewarding experiences such as food, sex and (some) drugs. Lowered dopamine has been associated with loss of satisfaction, social withdrawal, apathy, reduced motivation and attention.

Other chemical substances that that has the effects on  mood disorders, hormones, sleep,pain perception, appetite, and cognitive function are Serotonin,GABA,Glutamate,Noradrenaline and Adrenaline.

Low or high levels of neurotransmitters are observed in various mental health disorders.

  

Dopamine causes the positive reinforcement(it makes you feel good--It causes you to feel pleasure.

Anything that cause an increase in dopamine will likely results in intense pleasure and the desire to repeat the experience.

It is that type of reward effect, that pleasure effect that we can attribute to drugs so that addiction partly can be explained by increasing in dopamine in the mesolimbic system and also some behaviours that are observed in psychosis.

Since drugs that can increase dopamine function will potentially be drugs of abuse but also drugs that will cause reinforcement and at high doses psychosis.

The same effect will be seen in sex that regular intense stimulation during sexual intercourse cause the rise of dopamine in the brain,which will eventual cause intense pleasure and the desire to repeat the experience.You can make someone sexual addicted to you!!

Being addicted to something means that not having it causes withdrawal symptoms, or a "come down". Because this can be unpleasant, it's easier to carry on having or doing what you crave, and so the cycle continues. Often, an addiction gets out of control because you need more and more to satisfy a craving and achieve the "high" you feel.
If you think you may have a sexual addiction, there is plenty of support available to you.

 references:

1. Caplan pharmacology 
2.  http://psychcentral.com
3.  http://www.nhs.uk
4.   http://www.emed.com.au/384 

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