In a message dated 3/3/01 9:20:22 PM Eastern Standard Time, littles@lycos.co.uk writes:
<< Ah, but... supposing you work in an office where everyone eats a lot of chocolate? Gradually you start eating more and more too... and let's just hope you're smart enough to recognise how much is too much, and what's causing you to eat too much, or you're going to need to go on a serious slimming diet. >>
Food and sex are two addictions that have something in common, that set them apart from addictions to things like cigarettes, drugs and gambling. They are natural functions that can not be quit 'cold turkey.' You can live without cigarettes, recreational drugs or gambling. If you stop eating, you die. If you stop having sex of any kind, you are not behaving in a natural fashion. Therefore, it's much more difficult to manage these, as they are simply a matter of managed degree of addiction. In the case of food, you have, at least, a visible means of telling when you've reached an unhealthy level of use. But the level of our sex lives is frequently subject to judgement that has nothing to do with physical health. The "normality" of sex is often dictated by ephimerial social mores based on a certain religion (and the society that sets laws according to that religion). The truth, however, is that once you are practicing safe sex and indulging with only consenting adults, there really isn't anything unhealthy about sex (unless you adventure with positions that your back will punish you for, later!).