Gerry: a man with no prior sexual addiction history arrested after trying to meet a girl online. From Shadows of the Net
by Patrick Carnes, 2001
Gerry is had no history of problematic sexual behavior before discovering the realm of cybersex. In his mid-forties, Gerry came to treatment as part of a sentencing agreement after he had been arrested for trying to meet a teenage girl whom he'd first contacted online. Here is Gerry's story:
I was a man whose children were grown up and out of the house. I was unhappy in my marriage and dissatisfied with my job. I felt that, given my age, I should have had more responsibility and been making more money in my career. One night, I stumbled upon a cybersex site. I began playing around just to see what was out there, and in a matter of weeks I couldn't stay away. Gradually, my Internet use increased from thirty minutes to an hour, then two hours or more every night. I began spending fifteen to twenty hours a week online, surfing porn sites and visiting chat rooms where I tried to hook up with young girls. Before I knew what had happened, I was obsessed with cybersex activities. After my arrest, I admitted that I knew the "girl" (who was actually an adult male FBI agent) I was trying to meet was under eighteen, but I was so flattered by the thought of her wanting to meet me that I arranged the rendezvous anyway. I knew I was taking a chance but just couldn't stop myself."
