Special Praise for Real Hope, True Freedom
“Dr. Milton Magness and Marsha Means’s new book, Real Hope, True Freedom: Understanding and Coping with Sex Addiction, provides an important resource for individuals and families caught in the snares of sexual addiction. Rich with examples taken from the lives of addicts and their families, supported by the latest scientific research, attentive to the role of faith and spirituality in recovery, and organized through a series of candid and frequently asked questions from those living with sex addiction, this book is essential material for a wide range of readers, from sex addicts themselves, to their spouses and families, to those in the pastoral and counseling professions who seek accessible resources for their congregants and clients. Ultimately, because this book offers understanding and insight into an often unspoken, yet epidemic addiction in our society, the reader discovers that real hope and true freedom can come from breaking the cycle of addiction and committing to a disciplined and lifelong recovery process.”
Mark A. Heckler, PhD
President, Valparaiso University
“In Real Hope, True Freedom, Milton S. Magness and Marsha Means provide an incredibly balanced, state-of-the-art book that enriches the field of sex addiction. Therapists, clergy, and clients are given brain research, in addition to helpful tools for spiritual and sexual health, and recovery models that are very practical.”
Ralph H. Earle, MDiv, PhD
Author, President and Founder
Psychological Counseling Services, Ltd.
“There is a tremendous amount of useful information in Real Hope, True Freedom, much of it presented in Q&A format—questions posed by individuals dealing with their own or a loved one’s sexual addiction, and answered by the authors. As such, the book can be read start-to-finish, or piecemeal as questions arise, allowing individuals with pressing issues to find an immediate answer before looking at sex addiction as a whole or at topics that may be more secondary to them. Though Magness and Means are Christian-based in their approach, the material in this book applies equally to pretty much anyone dealing with sex addiction, regardless of his or her belief system.”
Robert Weiss, MSW
Author of Sex Addiction 101: A Basic Guide to Healing from Sex, Porn, and Love Addiction
“No question we live in a sexually saturated culture. This has contributed to many problems and aided the deterioration of our homes and lives. What God has intended as something beautiful, man has tangled into a mess. Dr. Magness is an expert in helping to untie these knots. As you read this book allow him to guide you on the path to purity and clarity.”
Gregg Matte
Pastor, Houston’s First Baptist Church
“Milton and his co-author Marsha take sex addiction beyond telling the world that sex addiction is a treatable problem. The book’s power lies in identifying real client questions that appear in treatment and then answering them in a language both therapist and client can learn from. Well done.”
Brenda Schaeffer, PhD
Author of Is It Love or Is It Addiction?
“Is there hope? Absolutely! Magness and Means provide much-needed answers to the tough questions every sex addict and partner ask in the early stages of discovery, disclosure, treatment, and recovery. Real Hope, True Freedom is an essential guidebook on the path to healing and wholeness.”
Vicki Tidwell Palmer, LCSW, CSAT
Author of Moving Beyond Betrayal: The 5-Step Boundary Solution for Partners of Sex Addicts
Central Recovery Press (CRP) is committed to publishing exceptional materials addressing addiction treatment, recovery, and behavioral healthcare topics, including original and quality books, audio/visual communications, and web-based new media. Through a diverse selection of titles, we seek to contribute a broad range of unique resources for professionals, recovering individuals and their families, and the general public. For more information, visit www.centralrecoverypress.com.
© 2017 by Milton S. Magness
All rights reserved. Published 2017.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.
| Publisher: | Central Recovery Press |
| 3321 N. Buffalo Drive | |
| Las Vegas, NV 89129 |
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Magness, Milton S., author. | Means, Marsha, 1948-
Title: Real hope, true freedom: understanding and coping with sex addiction / Milton S. Magness, DMin, and Marsha Means, MA.
Description: Las Vegas: Central Recovery Press, 2017.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016032625 (print) | LCCN 2016034071 (ebook) | ISBN 9781942094319 (e-book)
Subjects: LCSH: Sex addiction--Treatment--Popular works. | Sex addicts--Family relationships. | BISAC: FAMILY & RELATIONSHIPS / Marriage. | PSYCHOLOGY / Psychopathology / Addiction. | PSYCHOLOGY / Interpersonal Relations.
Classification: LCC RC560.S43 M23 2017 (print) | LCC RC560.S43 (ebook) | DDC 616.85/833--dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016032625
Photo of Milton S. Magness by Gittings. Used with permission.
Photo of Marsha A. Means by Juan Ezequiel Nuñez. Used with permission.
Every attempt has been made to contact copyright holders. If copyright holders have not been properly acknowledged please contact us. Central Recovery Press will be happy to rectify the omission in future printings of this book.
Publisher’s Note: This book contains general information about sexual addiction and its effects on relationships. The information is not medical advice and should not be treated as such. Central Recovery Press makes no representations or warranties in relation to the information in this book. If you have specific questions about any medical matter discussed in this book, you should consult your doctor or other professional healthcare provider. This book is not an alternative to medical advice from your doctor or other professional healthcare provider. Our books represent the experiences and opinions of their authors only. Every effort has been made to ensure that events, institutions, and statistics presented in our books as facts are accurate and up-to-date. To protect their privacy, the names of some of the people, places, and institutions in this book have been changed.
Author’s Note: The approach used in this book reflects the treatment model that is used at Hope & Freedom Counseling Services as well by Certified Hope & Freedom Practitioners (CHFP) who have been trained in the Hope & Freedom treatment model.
Cover design and interior design and layout by Sara Streifel, Think Creative Design.
To Gerald and Gayle
Who have worked tirelessly to help men and women