Celebs turn to sex rehab too easily
By Tatiana Sánchez
When David Duchovny stepped out of the Hollywood shadows and announced he would be entering rehab to treat a sex addiction, no one quite knew how to handle the news. Sex rehab was something quite unheard of, but it was the "Californication" star who threw the concept onto the Hollywood radar. Since then, there has been no shortage of celebrity sex addicts heading to rehab.
Tiger Wood's squeaky-clean image was more than shattered when his Thanksgiving-time "accident" turned scandal broke out, and his 12 or so mistresses came forth. He continued the celebrity sex rehab tradition in January when he checked into Pine Grove for his addiction.
It seems the latest celebrity to get caught with his hand in the cookie jar is none other than Jesse James, who allegedly cheated on his Oscar-winning wife Sandra Bullock with none other than a pornstar.
When news hit that James also entered a rehab facility in the midst of his highly publicized sex scandal, I immediately thought to myself, "Excuse me? Is this a joke?"
While I genuinely feel that there are certain individuals who do suffer from sex addiction and should be treated as such, one thing is clear to me: celebrities are signing up for sex rehab not only to preserve their Hollywood images, but to evade facing the consequences of their infidelities.
Woods' decision to enter a rehab facility was not surprising; it seemed like the next logical step for him to take. As more of his pornstar, piercing-laden mistresses stepped forth, it was obvious the guy needed help.
But the fact that Jesse James has chosen to follow in Woods' footsteps makes me think that sex rehab has become just another Hollywood trend. It has simply proven to be a cop out for celebrities who want to cheat.
Whatever happened to dealing with your problems head on? If a person commits an act of infidelity against their spouse, they should be ready to face the consequences that may ensue if they are caught, without having to make a run for the door. Or, in this case, rehab.
Last I checked, if it's your mess, you have to clean it up.
As I mentioned before, I honestly feel that sex addiction is a serious disorder from which many Americans do suffer. Some individuals truly do use sex as an outlet to deal with emotional stresses.
According to Dateline NBC, medical experts estimate that compulsive sexual behavior is a disorder that 16 million Americans are currently battling. Sex rehab is a safe haven for these individuals who have been eaten up by their addiction and is in many ways their last hope to cure this disorder.
As sex addiction is becoming a greater problem for everyday Americans, I wonder why it is acceptable for celebrities to claim they suffer from this disorder. In reality, they probably just have a tough time being monogamous. Let's be logical: people who cheat compulsively don't necessarily have an addiction to sex. Perhaps they are simply lousy lovers, unfaithful spouses or compulsive liars who have a hard time being sexually involved with only one person.
The very last line of David Wygant's article, "Sex Rehab: The Newest Hollywood Trend?," which ran in The Huffington Post, reads, "I paint too much, so I'm going to paint rehab. I talk too much, so I'm going to talker rehab. I blog way too much, so I'm going to blog rehab. Instead of all this rehab, maybe we need to just start looking deep inside ourselves."
The simplicity of Wygant's message is so wise, yet so difficult for many to comprehend. When we spend so much time doing a particular thing, we jokingly say we are "addicted." But what's the real reason we spend so much time engaged in these activities, and what does it say about our current state of being and our life experiences?
It's simple to take the easy way out of a difficult situation and avoid its consequences and responsibilities. But it is wiser, better and much more noble to face these consequences and deal with these demons before they eat away at us.
Tatiana Sánchez is a senior English major and opinion editor for The Santa Clara.