Sex addiction. Not my business!

I do not take addiction lightly. I do not take illness lightly. My last published piece was a chapter in the “Voice of Multiple Sclerosis” book in which I discussed how a close family member has lived triumphantly- despite the disease- for the past 40 years. I’m no stranger to mental illness. Depression runs deep in my family. I truly believe that illness impacts the entire family and certainly has in my family. So what gives me the right to question sex addiction and those speaking about it? Nothing!

So let me join the millions of Americans who have an opinion on everything- just look at the comments at the end of on-line articles.  Everyone is an expert – on everyone else’s life. So like them, I feel an unjustified right to offer my two cents on someone else’s life. Ironically, I'd rather not know so much about the personal lives of those in the media.

I listened to a snippet of an interview with Steve Phillips, former ESPN analyst and self-declared recovering sex addict. In the interview, he discusses damaging his wife in a terrible way, which is why I admire him going on interviews to discuss it further because I’m sure his wife just relishes in NOT letting this fade away in the media. Hopefully he’ll find a SLEW of talk shows to continue discussing his past errors and all the ways he has damaged his family so they can continue to be reminded on a daily basis in an incredibly public way. I understand the twelve-step (journey to recovery) method and perhaps this is his way of sharing his addiction to move toward healing, but I am pretty sure there’s a caveat about not harming others in the process. Allow me to quote Step 9: "Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others". I'm not sure how media is not harming all those in Steve's family. I'll bet going grocery shopping and going to school is pure joy for his family. 

I think we’re all familiar with another “sex addict” who plays golf. Nothing would make me happier than to NOT know about his addiction. In fact, I don’t want to know about any of these well-known people’s addictions unless the purpose is to inform others to help them. However, I seriously doubt this is the goal of the media or those who continue to appear on the media circuit and share their crises. I sincerely hope Steve and his family find some peace, but suspect the whole process could start sooner if he were talking with his family instead of Matt Lauer and all of America.