How I Became A Sex Addict
Essentials|January 2020
For Laurie Jade Woodruff, 30, recovery was like weaning herself off a drug
Kara O'Neill
How I Became A Sex Addict

As my friends and I sipped the last of our drinks, I followed them to the club’s exit. ‘I’ll sort my own lift out,’ I called as they piled into a taxi. Thankfully, they were all too tired to question me further and waved me goodbye. It was 2012 and, aged 23, I had the same routine after every night out. When friends started making plans to go home, I had other things on my mind – and until I satisfied the craving, my desire to have sex would become all-consuming.

That same night, I ended up googling the nearest sex club and finding three strangers to sleep with. I was a single woman and it was just a bit of fun, I told myself. But, in truth, there was a lot more to it than that. I couldn’t go more than a few days without having sex, and I was always looking for my next fix.

GETTING HOOKED

I lost my virginity at a young age, but it was when I enrolled in a psychology course at university in 2010 that promiscuous sex felt more acceptable. I loved the freedom of being able to go home with a different man every night, and while there was the occasional jokey comment from friends, I never felt I was being judged for it. In 2013, I got a job working at a magazine – but in a female-dominated office, I wasn’t meeting any men, and because I was earning an intern’s salary, I couldn’t afford to go out clubbing.

So, to make a bit of extra cash, I decided to start modeling on the side. Posting pictures from shoots on my social media pages, I was flattered by the hundreds of messages that I got from men. I’d send flirty replies to those I liked the look of, and if they lived nearby, I’d suggest we meet up for sex. It just felt so easy.

RISKY BUSINESS

This story is from the January 2020 edition of Essentials.

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This story is from the January 2020 edition of Essentials.

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