Breaking the Cycle: Free Yourself from Sex Addiction, Porn Obsession, and Shame [Paperback]

George Collins MA (Author), Andrew Adleman MA (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2011

Anyone who has struggled with sex addiction knows that living with constant sexual compulsions can be extremely difficult. But summoning the courage to find help for this condition can be even more of a challenge. If addictions to pornography, strip clubs, massage parlors, prostitutes, phone sex, or chat rooms have made you feel trapped, this book can help you find a way to break free.

Written by a former sex addict who specializes in counseling people who suffer from sexually compulsive behavior, Breaking the Cycle presents a step-by-step plan to enjoying a life of productivity and purpose. You can free yourself from the powerful, compulsive urges that may have damaged your career, finances, or relationships with friends and family. The exercises in this book will show you how to regain control of your life and build meaningful intimate connections with others.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Breaking the Cycle by George Collins is a 911 call that can save your life and those you love from sex addiction, porn obsession, and shame. Honest, stark, hard-hitting and yet hopeful, Collins lays out the steps required to wrestle self-control back from your sexually compulsive impulses. In your darkest time, Breaking the Cycle brings the light you are looking for!”
—Don Elium, MFT, adjunct faculty at John F. Kennedy University and author of Raising a Son

“Prior to reading this book, I had been acting out my sexually compulsive behaviors for forty years. Each chapter is filled with specific experiences and emotions that I have struggled with in the past. As a result of the techniques described in this book, my addiction has faded away."
—Ralph, sex addict in recovery in Rhode Island

“This book offers a raw look into the world of sex addicts. George Collins’ courageous self-revelation of his own sex addiction has helped hundreds of men and women to find what is essential for rehabilitation inside themselves. His ‘I’ll pay you to just be honest’ conversation with the sex worker and client was itself worth the cost of the book!”
—Don L. Mathews, MFT, director of the Impulse Treatment Center

“This is gripping stuff, and a real page-turner of a book. The real-life stories have the ring of truth, and the dialogue is unmistakably real. The use of trenchant, memorable lines, like, ‘you can’t get enough of what won’t satisfy you,’ really get the message across.”
— Bob, sex addict in recovery in California

“Collins' take on the mental obsession leading to physical addiction and subsequent negative consequence is pure poetry for the troubled romantic soul. Even if you are NOT an addict, you will find this book a useful GPS to navigate new neighborhoods of abnormal thinking in people you know or will encounter someday. On a personal note, I am honored to be mentioned and I am grateful he didn't abbreviate First Thought Wrong even one time. Thank you, George, for taking First Thought Wrong from sexual to helpful, hopeful and safe.”
—Mark Lundholm, internationally recognized stand-up comedian and creator of The Recovery Board Game and the DVD series Humor in Treatment

From the Publisher

In Breaking the Cycle, sex addiction specialist George Collins offers a powerful, no-nonsense program for helping readers identify their unhealthy sexual patterns, overcome sex addiction, and start living more productive lives.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 232 pages
• Publisher: New Harbinger Publications; Original edition (October 1, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1608820831
• ISBN-13: 978-1608820832
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (48 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #21,442 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #9 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Addiction & Recovery > Sexual
  • #46 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Psychology & Counseling > Mental Illness

More About the Author

George Collins, M.A. is the founder and director of Compulsion Solutions, an outpatient counseling service specifically for the treatment of men who suffer from the results of sexually compulsive behavior. Counseling is also available for wives, couples and partners.

George earned a Masters Degree in Counseling Psychology (with a Transpersonal Specialization) from John F. Kennedy University. He is a professional member of the National Council on Sexual Addiction and Compulsivity. He is recognized as an acknowledged "expert" on sexually compulsive behavior. He participates in forums on pornography and sexual compulsion, and has been a guest on local, national, and international radio and television shows.

But George did not just go to college and read about sexually compulsive behavior. He lived "the life" and got over it. Who is better able to help you than a former sex addict?

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars THE BIBLE OF SEXUAL COMPULSION July 10, 2012

By Anonymous US Marine

Format:Paperback

I've read over a dozen sexual addiction books and about twice more on the topic of addiction. This book is hands-down THE BIBLE for anyone who is or was addicted to lusting and being lusted after (pornography, strip clubs, prostitutes, escort services, chat rooms, adult magazines, cruising, objectifying, etc.). George Collins has felt the dark and "Noir" side of sexual addiction and is here on the other side (recovery) to share his techniques on how it shall work for you. This is THE BOOK that is the template for your recovery back to who you are supposed to be.

I've spent half of my life avoiding and denying my internal pains with sexual compulsions. This book is NOT filled with scientific explanations and complicated ideas; it is easy to read, inserted with humor, and paced with a fluid flow. I've been married for two years, father of three children, a Marine of ten years, a veteran of Afghanistan, a graduate of a university, brought up in a broken home with two addicted biological parents, and grazed with other adults of behavioral and mental issues, a family history of alcoholism/addiction/objectification.... this book changed my life.

For decades, I thought that my life and mind were unchangeable. I thought I was doomed, isolated with no hope for the rest of my life. Get to know this book and George's state of mind; and you break the chains that bind you.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Wanna heal? - READ THIS BOOK September 26, 2011

By Alive

Format:Paperback

This book changed my life. The author is a former sex addict -- this isn't a sing-songy kum-by-ya, let's hug a tree book. It's a real, in your face, no-b*llsh!t, mash-up of: (1) his journey from a raging sex addict to a nationally recognized expert, healer, and therapist; (2) simple PRACTICAL tools HE used that will profoundly accelerate YOUR recovery (and change your life); and (3) The perfect blend of Science and Spirituality -- to explain exactly what is exploding in your head and body (knowledge is information).

It changed me and it can do the same for you.

GOOD FOR SPOUSES TOO - My spouse learned a lot about me (the good, bad, ugly, and beautiful) in reading this book. It saved our marriage. George, me, my wife, and two kids thank you. YOU are a burrito: a cool guy, teacher, scientist, sage, healer, and blessed man all wrapped up in ONE.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars If you are looking for help this book is a cornerstone of recovery December 1, 2011

By Grateful for this book

Format:Paperback

As a sex addict I had reached my lowest point in my life. My wife had discovered my addiction that I had been hiding for so long. I was on the verge of losing her and our son. My business was going through shattering changes. I was looking for help and I found George Collins. Everything that he preaches, teaches, whatever you want to call it is in this book. I was lucky enough to work with him one on one because he is based here in the SF/Bay Area. If you are not lucky enough to see him one on one what he writes about in his book are the steps that I have taken to get myself out of the shithole I put myself in. The title of his book summarizes exactly what a sex addict like me and probably you if you are reading this and looking for help is what i was feeling but did not even know how say it.

If you are sinking in your obsession and shame and you know it then reading Collins book along with seeking a group or counselor to work with like Collins will go along way to start helping you deal with this problem. As Collins states in this book each one of us has neurosis to deal with why heap more on the problem by trying to escape reality with sex addiction. Sex and love is a beautiful thing and I have been lucky enough to experience it in my life and i lost it as i became more and more entrenched in an unhealthy addiction to porn and then prostitutes. What Collins has written in this book is exactly the same tools he has used to help me recover some of my life as a man, husband, father, and businessman. You cannot go wrong in reading this book and use it as one of the building blocks that I as an sex addict needed to start and continue my recovery.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Ex-wife of a sex addict January 11, 2012

By Rose

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I really needed help dealing with my ex-husband's sexual compulsions. I called George Collins. What a great move that was! I worked with him and his wife Paldrom to help me deal with this. George encouraged me to try to have some compassion. I tried to do this, but found it difficult. Both George and Paldrom educated me on this addiction. I read Breaking the Cycle. After reading this book, I was finally able to feel the compassion George mentioned. This book is not only great help for the addict, it is a great help for anyone who knows, lives with, or has left a sex addict. The final chapters also helped me understand what my ex-husband's sex addiction did to me as a woman. I can not thank George and Paldrom Collins enough.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Riveting, shocking, a must-read/must-do for those afflicted December 12, 2011

By a friend - Sandy

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Best book I've ever read on getting free of addictions of any kind. I knew George Collins in the early 90's. He's lived every page and offers up the remedies, no holds barred. If it speaks to you, buy it, read it, and do the exercises. George did, and he's free!

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Sex Addiction Unmasked November 9, 2011

By Michael Cartmell

Format:Paperback

All too often the topic of sex addiction is discussed with nervous laughter. The occasional celebrity infidelity is treated with voyeuristic intrigue and a certain envy. Unfortunately, our interest is too frequently limited to salacious details. Perhaps, our uncertain response is due our discomfort in attempting to integrate our inherent understanding that such addictions may be catastrophic with the locker room titillation which most of us men experienced as young teenagers.

In "Breaking The Cycle", the author addresses the enormous cost of sexual addiction to individuals, families, and society. He does so in an empathic manner, which allows us to peer beneath the curtain of ersatz sensuality and appreciate the emotional and psychic torment, which underly such sexual disorders, and their consequent spiral into disaster. I so admire the author's candor in his description of his own battles with addiction. His incredible work as author and counselor displays the sort of redemption we read about only in novels.

I readily commend this work to professionals and lay persons who have even the slightest interest in the topic. Having read it, I genuinely believe, those who suffer such addictions will be far more capable of identifying similar struggles in themselves. Equally important, and as the author makes brilliantly clear, such self-awareness offers the clearest path to warmer and more intimate relationships.