Tiger Woods' tawdry affairs may be a sign of sex addiction. That's the conclusion of TV's Dr. Drew Pinsky.
PInsky says, "Ultimately there are signs that there is some sort of intimacy disorder."
When asked if Tiger Woods is a sex addict, Pinsky says, "You've got to suspect addiction."
He says the symptoms of sex addiction in Tiger Woods are clear:
"We are seeing behaviors that makes us all shake our heads and don't make any sense. That's sometimes addiction, and sexually acting out, acting out in ways that seem inappropriate sexually can of course be a part of addiction as well," exclaims Pinsky.
Dr. Drew hosts the cable TV show Sex Rehab, which follows the progress of sex addicts as they struggle to recover. He predicts a long road of recovery ahead for Tiger and his wife, Elin.
"It takes a lot of work and a lot of time and both people have to be equally committed but they could end up in a very healthy situation."
Dr. Drew says if he could talk one-on-one with Tiger Woods, he would say,
"What I would say to Tiger is it's okay. You're a human being. It's okay to be a human being. You're not a god, you're a human being, and there's a reason this happened. Commit to his family and let's work this through."
But Dr. Drew says sex addiction may not be Tiger's only problem. There have been reports that at the time of his now notorious SUV accident, he was using prescription painkillers, and the powerful sleeping pill, Ambien.
A neighbor said that when they came across Tiger Woods he was not only out, he was snoring.
"We had heard the story of pain medication and boy, when people get strung out on opiates, even for a short period of time, you get some very strange behaviors," says Pinksy
Meanwhile, the Tiger Woods scandal is lifting the lid on a broader scandal in golf: groupies. A new report says despite the sport's staid image, professional golfers are besieged by groupies.
Crystal McCrary Anthony is the ex-wife of basketball star Greg Anthony. She co-authored the book Home Court Advantage. She says groupies can tempt any athlete, even Tiger Woods.
"They're almost lying in wait for the athletes who come to town," says Anthony.
She continues, "Shame on the women who did have an affair with him, because they know he's married. They know he has two small children at home."
I am a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and a keen observer of the human condition. I have written and published a collection of short stories--Soul Songs.