Twelve steps to fidelity: Jesse James and Tiger Woods have entered treatment for sex addiction — what’s it all about?

Jesse James on Wednesday became the latest in a string of high-profile celebrities to enter rehab for a pathological inability to remain faithful to his wife. The Daily Caller engaged in some hard-hitting journalism to figure what the ado about sex addiction therapy is all about.

Let’s be clear — it’s not about sex.

“Sexual behavior is a symptom. It’s about the hunt, the chase — it’s about the process of losing yourself in the pursuit of the behavior. It’s not about the orgasm,” said Rob Weiss, director of the Sexual Recovery Institute in Southern California.

It turns out it really is a legitimate disorder — one from which Tiger Woods and David Duchovny have suffered — but therapy is not just for the rich and famous who need reputation repair. The public seems to think celebrities sign up to fix their image, and sex therapists say there’s no better reason to face your demons.

“Most of the people who come into treatment come in because they’ve experienced serious consequences. It’s amusing to me that they’re saying these people are going into treatment only to cover their reputations and I say, ‘Why not?’ That’s a great reason,” Weiss said.

“There’s no guy who comes in just because he wants to be a better person. They come in when they’re in crisis like any addict who wants help — it’s usually because their wives caught them.” Weiss has treated more than 1,000 sexually addicted males since 1991. “No one comes in and says … this has nothing to do with my wife.”

Weiss says 85 percent of his male clients are heterosexual.

“The bottom line is that 7 out of 10 are in their mid-30s, have some kids, been married eight or nine years and their wives found out they have secret lives — either porn or prostitutes or multiple affairs. And she usually found out over a period of time,” Weiss continues.  “Your wife don’t come after you with a golf club because you lied to her once — it’s the 19^th time and she’s fed up and afraid because there are children and health issues. That’s when 75 percent of the guys come in.”

About 10 percent of sex addicts seeking treatment are women, and Weiss explained that while women come in with all the symptoms of sexual addiction, they don’t identify themselves as addicts. “Where men will be on porn sites women will be in chat rooms — they’re often thinking about it more relationally. Even though she’ll go out and have casual sex, she will still think about it in terms of, ‘Oh, he was a nice guy’ — she’ll still believe her problem is picking the wrong guys.”

The common thread that defines all sex addicts is compulsion.

“We define sex addiction as having to do with things like loss of control — the person has said they’re not going to do it anymore and they do it anyway. We also define it in terms of negative consequences — if they’ve been caught but keep going back. The third criteria is preoccupation — someone who’s always thinking about where can I get it, hanging out in places to meet girls, where they can readily hit on people and so on.”

Here’s an online test to see if your sexual behavior qualifies you for treatment.

The Sexual Recovery Institute treats 130 men a week – and it all starts the same way: confronting the denial and distortions they’ve lived by. Patients have to admit the reality of what they’re doing.