How Do You "Rehab" from Something Normal and Natural

General Questions
#1

So David Duchovny just got out of rehab for sex addiction. Forgive me if I’m wrong, but isn’t one of the goals of rehab that of never partaking in the addictive behavior (gambling, smoking crack, etc.) again? But sex is normal and natural, and though a celibate life is not unheard-of, it would be pretty unreasonable to expect that of someone who isn’t a priest/monk/nun/whatever.

And take food addiction. You can’t NOT eat. But if you’re addicted to food, you still need to have it to stay alive, addiction or no. At the food rehab clinic, the patients line up for their three meals each day, even though they’re food addicts. The crack addicts next door aren’t lining up for their three rations of crack each day.

What is the basic concept behind rehab for food or sex addiction?

#2

The goal of rehab isn’t to never touch the stuff again. It’s to prevent it from becoming a problem in your life. For substance or, say, gambling, abstinence is just a tactic to accomplish that. For food and sex, it’s counseling to recognize and avoid situations where those things can harm your life.

#3

They are lining up for their rations of methadone, though.

#4

I think the primary idea is understanding how to recognize genuine needs and how to recognize compulsive behavior.