Priest Claims Sex Addiction

According to The National Council on Sexual Addiction and Compulsivity, sexual addiction is defined as “engaging in persistent and escalating patterns of sexual behavior acted out despite increasing negative consequences to self and others.” Other sources state that sexual addiction describes the behavior of a person with an unusually intense sex drive or an obsession with sex. These addicts often rationalize their behavior and blame others for their problems, denying that they have a problem at all.

A story in August 2011 out of Louisville gives a glimpse at a person who has this sort of addiction. The Rev. James R. Schook is a Roman Catholic priest who told church officials back in 1985 that he was a sex addict. They sent him to a treatment program at that time. Unfortunately, the church officials thought that he was involved with men, in a consensual way, and not with boys. But two teens have stepped forward now and accused this priest of sodomy with them back in the 1970’s. Rev. Schook has pleaded not guilty. The church said that his admission in the 1980’s led to treatment, not removal from his position, because there weren’t any claims that he had done anything illegal at the time.

Another aspect of sexual addiction is that it is usually more about power and taking risks for excitement than it is about sexual gratification. It’s a very disturbed need for power, dominance, control or revenge or a wrong expression of anger. It ends up being not related to love, per se, but rather as viewing individuals as things to be used.

It’s a similar compulsive behavior to other addictions such as drug, alcohol and gambling. The only difference that is recognized is that the sexual drive is a natural force that can be powerful and in some cases, sexual addiction is prompted by a need to have sex which is not being gratified in any other way.

As with all accusations, the jury will have to listen to the case to see if the former teens bringing the charge are telling the true story or if the priest is. Going to his superiors and facing his problem with treatment was the right thing to do, and hopefully it has helped. We’ll have to wait until the trial to determine whether his addiction led him further astray.