Health chiefs are accused of failing Lancashire's sex addicts as it emerged dozens of people in Preston have the controversial condition.
In the past year, experts have privately treated more than 60 men and women from Lancashire suffering from sex addiction.
And they believe hundreds more people could have the affliction, which hit the headlines amid lurid stories about golfer Tiger Woods' private life.
Reformed sex addict Danny James, 27, from Freckleton, near Preston, who has bedded more than 500 women, said: "Sex addiction led to the breakdown of a long-term relationship and ruined my business.
"I think a lot of people think sex addiction isn't a real problem and that those who say they have it are just greedy or weak.
"Sex addiction is treated like a joke, but it is a real problem and it took over my life."
While celebrities such as Woods check into rehabilitation clinics for sex addiction, many people view the condition with cynicism, saying it is simply a convenient excuse.
But one Lancashire therapist today revealed sex addiction is very much a real problem and that he alone saw around 65 sex addicts for treatment last year.
Steve Pope, a psychotherapist and counsellor who lives in Garstang, said: "Human beings can be addicted to anything; alcohol, drugs, gambling, shopping, sports, shopping...and sex.
"If someone has an addictive personality, they can potentially get addicted to anything.
"As an act, sex results in an adrenaline rush and if it is a clandestine relationship, there is adrenaline through the build-up.
"There is a lot of excitement in the chase, then the physical meeting and then the actual act.
"All the happy chemicals are released – adrenaline, endorphins and serotonin."
Experts claim about 6% of the population are sexually addicted and Steve criticised the NHS for failing to provide specialist services to treat sex addiction.
He said: "The NHS does not offer specific services aimed at sex addicts and I think this is a real failing.
"It is sad that the NHS does not cover all forms of addictions.If it is not alcohol or drug-related, the NHS seems blissfully unaware of the problems affecting society at large."
And it is not just men who suffer from the condition.
Steve counselled one 31-year-old Preston woman who was addicted to sex and would go out every night to find a sexual partner.
He said: "She was an intelligent girl who had had hundreds and hundreds of partners.
"Even though she knew she could die – either from picking up a sexual disease or from getting herself into a dangerous situation – she just couldn't stop.
"Knowing she was putting herself in potentially dangerous situations actually heightened the adrenaline and thrill for her as it made her feel she was living life on the edge.
"In the space of six months, she had 127 sexual partners and came to us for treatment after things got completely out of control and she ended up having sex on Preston's Moor Park with seven strangers in one night."
Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust, the mental health trust for the area and NHS Central Lancashire, the Primary Care Trust covering Preston, Chorley and South Ribble, both confirmed they do not offer a specific sex addiction service.
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