How I Became A Sex Addict

For Laurie Jade Woodruff, 30, recovery was like weaning herself off a drug

- Kara O'Neill

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