Humans don't come with an operator's manual.  So categorization is up to the subjective evaluation of the observer.
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A practical self-evaluation would be if you think some behavior is disrupting other higher priorities in life.  Fixation is certainly a human characteristic that varies in intensity between individuals and time.
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Evaluation of others is a bit trickier, since whose priorities are we talking about?  

Wade Boggs http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wade_Boggs  
Red Sox + NY Yankees Hall of Fame 3rd Baseman, etc..  
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He claimed that he was a sex addict but others questioned if that was an actual medical condition. He had some other habits, superstitions ... or were they addictions:  
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"Boggs was known for his superstitions. He ate chicken before every game (Jim Rice once called Boggs "chicken man"), woke up at the same time every day, and ran sprints at 7:17 pm. His route to and from his position in the field beat a path to the home dugout. He drew the Hebrew word "Chai" (meaning "life") in the batter's box before each at-bat, though he is not Jewish. He asked Fenway Park public address announcer Sherm Feller not to say his uniform number when he introduced him because Boggs once broke out of a slump on a day when Feller forgot to announce his number."
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Boggs is not on these lists:
http://www.ranker.com/list/famous-celebrity-sex-addicts/celebrity-events
http://cafemom.com/entertainment/190876-celebrities-sex-addiction/318189-jada_pinkett_smith
http://popcrush.com/celebrities-struggled-sex-porn-addiction/
http://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/celebrity/12-celebs-who-battled-sex-addiction/ss-AA17fV86
http://www.seasidepalmbeach.com/addiction-blog/surprising-celebrity-sex-addicts/

from being the child of an addict and having my own self-diagnosed addiction issues is that it is only a concern, if it begins to have adverse impact on other facets of your life.

I have had longtime friends go overboard by going broke seeing all the providers several times a week. I know people who use their retirement funds to play in this hobby lifestyle until they have no more money. It’s sad. Just, like alcoholism sex addiction requires serious help. First you have to admit you have a problem. Denial is usually the outcome. If you’re married you have to tell your wife. It happens a lot & people don’t know it’s very common. Sex addiction a real.

-- Modified on 3/3/2024 2:02:05 AM

Self evaluation is key. I monitor this frequently and force myself to take breaks from the hobby several times per year. It makes me appreciate it all that much more when I return to it, keeps me centered and makes the likelihood of any addiction far less likely. It's not always easy to step back, but I have found it is a must for me and it seems to work perfectly.

At the end of the day, it’s subjective, but my measure is when it is negatively impacting other parts of your life. If you are going to debt for sex, you’re an addict. If you are missing important things in your life and allowing it to impact your job, you’re an addict. If you struggle to think of anything else at all times, you’re an addict. I can keep going, but you get the point.

Sure thing, just like gambling, substance abuse  etc...

On the other hand you don't owe your kids an inheritance.

After giving my kids a privileged childhood, then paying for college and grad school, it's up to THEM to SHOW ME I did not waste my money.  If they do that, I will leave them SOMETHING when I die in proportion to how much success they have achieved on their own AFTER the twenty-some years of me providing each of them the tools to succeed.  The rest goes to various charities I have earmarked to receive something of my legacy.    

You use the word "success" but you don't define here how you measure it. I HOPE  you acknowledge that MONEY is NOT the sole measure of success. Maybe one kid is a doctor saving lives for chump change in a poor clinic in a remote location. Maybe one kid is a doctor who stopped seeing patients after one year of practice and became an 8-figure hospital adminstrator filing false insurance claims to boost his annual bonus. (Heather Bresch, who lied about her MBA degree, jacked up the price of the EpiPen to pay herself a multi-million dollar annual salary at Mylan. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heather_Bresch )
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Do you know how hard it is to get a book published? One kid might be a great writer who can't get published (and never get a big payday); another kid might write pablum pieces, find a helpful, well connected agent and publisher and sell a lot of crappy books.  
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Mozart died a pauper and was buried in a common grave. Herman Melville died a pauper; Moby Dick only sold 3000 copies during his lifetime. Edgar Allen Poe died a pauper. Ad infinitum ...
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I'm not asking for details. I'm just ASSUMING that your measure of "success" has some adapability to it.  
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If you will be transferring assets to me post mortem, please have your lawyer contact my lawyer ASAP to arrange the details.

witnessed the upbringing of my kids, you would know that they have no interest in being famous AFTER they are dead as in some of the examples you posted.  They have the same perspective as I do that it's okay to have a legacy, but the whole point of success is to be able to enjoy the fruits (which can take multiple forms, as you suggest) of that success while they are still among the living.  They also know if success is to last, it must be on the right side of the law. They are keenly aware that money is ONE way to keep track of success.  (I have NOT told them yet that it is also a good way to pay for all of the providers you have time to see.  Lol)  

This is the correct answer. The check is "does doing X have any negative impact on your life, and do the people that know you agree?"

You say money is not the sole measure of success.  But of course, you can only speak for yourself.

So if police arrests you for prostitution, do you have an addiction or are you just unlucky/stupid for giving your personal information to get verified?  

I’ve asked myself this before and probably a fair question for anyone that frequents escorts.   I don’t walk around horny all the time, and even with a provider I don’t necessarily get turned on unless there is kissing or other foreplay involved.  So it’s hard to say I’m a sex addict, but I had a recent spell where I realized I had slept with like 10 women in a month ( 4 escorts, a stripper, and 5 civvies), and I wondered whether this was normal or if I had a problem lol.  

Nah, if it's not  harming you financially or otherwise , the pleasure is yours.

Yeah, the financial part is probably the root of the issue,then come other factors.

The force is strong in you, Master Kenobi!

If you can pull 5 civies a month, I'd cut out the for-hire girls and save a ton of money.

You ever had sex with several different partners in half a day, for many nuts, then came back home and felt like it wasn't enough and you'd, uh, masturbate for many more nuts?  

I can somewhat relate to that though not I’m not quite that prolific.  I do think that sex with escorts has ruined me for civilian sex. There’s no comparison with rare exception.  

I agree that banging escorts above my station has skewed my prospective on civilians.  Is rimming mainstream for civilians?  

Exactly

There are  a few surveys out there  that points to 'frequent ejaculation ' may result in a  reduction  or delay in the onset of prostate cancer.

I believe the first indication is asking your question on a sex/review board.  
So yes you have a problem

As others have stated, I think that when you engage in behavior that negatively impacts your life and that of those close to you then you likely have a problem.  

OR you just can't stop.  Bad addictions are hamful to yourself.  

Sounds like those persons have dia issues . Addict status probably.

She must not have dated him  long enough  before they got married, or he was good at masking his addiction before marriage.  
Maybe he needs to be in a polygamous marriage  or find a woman that is into  swingers club. If these cannot satisfy his urges,then he is definitely a first class addict.

Maybe you just have a high sex drive. If you don't  do anything crazy to get your fix, then you're  good to go in my opinion. Need to find someone to satisfy you. Maybe  a few rounds  instead of a one and done.

First.......Is the person contacting a Provider 5 or more times in a week?!!

When I was in my 20s and 30s, I used to be of the opinion that a preoccupation with sex was do to a lack of occupation with sex....now that I am 56 and in the twilight of my life, I am not so sure ...