Informative and very helpful. Very recommended and I see why. It's a core resource to understanding sex addiction.

An excellent resource for sexual addiction. Read this one for my sexual addictions class and gained a lot of knowledge about addiction in general.

Wonderful explanation of this disorder and codependency.

Interesting description of sexual addictions, strongly coloured by the year the original version of the book came out - 1983

Couple notes:
- The book's examples of males who were dysfunctionally sexually active were nearly all married and with family. However, the females were either with or without family. So it seems that the author felt that male promiscuity was negative only when it affected a family, whereas female was negative at a lower threshold
- The author felt that prostitution was generally socially accepted, about on the same level as porn. In the interim decades imo prostitution has come to be viewed far more negatively, definitely far more so than porn. It is interesting to see the contrast

Overall the book is an interesting read, however it would not be written today and is partially a historical document

Out of the Shadows by Patrick Carnes was one of the old books from my college/graduate school days (I can't remember exactly which) that I am no revisiting to see if it was worth keeping a hold of. This was a difficult, but also an interesting read for me. As the subtitle of the book indicates the book is about understanding sexual addiction and that is no small topic to tackle.

Carnes tries to get you to see things from the viewpoint of the addict. To see certain behaviors as part of an addiction that the perpetrator doesn't have complete control over. This is very challenging to do, particularly for some of the behaviors listed in the book like rape, incest, child molestation. Not that Carnes is suggesting that these behaviors aren't terrible, just that if the person is a sexual addict the addict is also a victim in the circumstances as well. This is challenging to accept, but also makes some sense to me.

I found it to be an interesting book to be reading in the era of #metoo and an increased awareness of sexual harassment/abuse and rape. It makes me wonder how many men and women who have acted this way do so because they can't really control their behaviors and are stuck in addiction. I don't for a minute think that this is the sole cause, but it does make me wonder. I simply found it very interesting trying to understand the internal beliefs of a sexual addict and what may lead to their behaviors.

The worst thing about this book is that it is a bit outdated. I think it would be interesting to have an updated version. My edition was last updated in 2001 and there have been significant leaps in the internet and the way that it shapes our sexuality and most likely addictions as well. More focus on that could be interesting.

Another slight negative is that this book doesn't really give much research. I don't think that this book was really intended to in the first place though. This was more meant as an introductory piece for people to understand some of the basics about sexual addiction, not to be a full fledged research piece. I can understand wanting to know more, but I think that was beyond the scope of this work.

So overall, I thought the book was well done and did a good job of opening my eyes to the reality of sexual addiction. It's not an easy topic by any means so it's not necessarily an enjoyable book. It is however one that serves a purpose and I think it serves it well. It could be useful to have another update, but I think what it says is still plenty useful for understanding the topic.

EVERY ADULT should read this book.
Because sexual addiction is a hidden epidemic. In order to protect others from being victimized, we need to be able to recognize addiction.

An addict may be unable to stop his/hers compulsive behaviour on his own. But with support it is possible.
So it is the responsobility of the addict to pick up this book and seek help!

I would have given this book five stars, but I felt it didn’t contain enough information or emphasis on the protection of children from further victimization.

At the age of 41 I was newly sober and for the first time in my life facing my demons with a relatively clear mind. One of those demons was sexual abuse and the sexual acting out engendered by it. Carnes book is the bible on sexual addiction. I have been an alcohol and drug counselor since '95, and this book has proved valuable to many of my clients who are ready to read it.

a deep dive into the psychology of the addict. Understanding addiction in general and sex addiction in specific.

Great book

This is an excellent source of information. It is an important source for understanding many forms of addiction. The book lays the basic steps to recovery.

Out of the Shadows: Understanding Sexual Addiction. Carnes helps us understand persons driven by the dark edges of relationships that are harmful. And there are suggestions on how to help such persons.

I gave this book more than one star because it does a good job of explaining addiction in general. Other than that, it is presumptuous, outdated and judgmental. The claims made by the author appear to be based on very little other than case studies of prison inmates. I feel this book could be dangerous as it only perpetuates shame for one’s sexuality on the one hand and an excuse for consequential behavior on the other. “It’s not my fault. I’m addicted.”

An incredibly insightful look at an often overlooked problem. This was published in the early 80's but speaks into our world today.