Woman's sex addiction almost killed her

A woman who was addicted to sex said that the pursuit of increasingly risky encounters almost led to her taking her own life.

Jace Downey, from Austin Texas described how her addiction took over all her time, from her job to her personal life.

She tells Barcroft TV:

I was meeting strangers in all sorts of different places, and of course not telling anyone where I was going, because then I would have to tell them what I was doing.

Engaging in things in public - illegal activities that could have taken away my job.

I was watching porn at work and my office had windows everywhere. How would I have explained that to anyone had they walked by my office and saw that?

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It's just madness to me now, it seems insane… loss of job, loss of income, loss of health.

She says she “lost her soul” to the addiction, which came to a head in 2014 when she began thinking about taking her own life.

I thought "If I make it look like I just died, okay, that might look unfortunate, but nobody is left with any of the guilt or burden". So I was honestly checking off a to-do list when it was like a voice outside of me said, "If sex interacts with brain chemicals like drugs do, can it be addictive and damaging?"

Eventually she sought help, and signed up to a sex addict recovery program. There she learnt to meditate, and it was during one session memories of a childhood trauma resurfaced.

Picture: (Barcroft TV screengrab )

Downey abstained from sex for over a year, and began a documentary project called Suddenly Celibate, in which she spent two years travelling around the US and meeting with relationship and sex addiction experts.

Soon after she met William Kane, her boyfriend.

Picture: (Barcroft TV screengrab )

Now, she's come out on the other side of her trauma, and works as a self development coach.

I help really amazing people who are ready to say, "Yes, these things have happened, but I don't want that life. I want more, I want better, I can be more," and I'm like, "Heck yeah you can", and I will help you get there.

You can watch the entire video, below:

To contact the Samaritans free of charge call 116 123; email jo@samaritans.org; or visit samaritans.org

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