An actress is sharing her journey in navigating living as a love and sex addict in a new novel.
Brianne Davis has racked up a number of Hollywood credits, including leading roles on History Channel series “Six,” Netflix/FOX’s “Lucifer,” Hulu’s “Casual,” FOX’s “Rosewood,” HBO’s “True Blood,” and CBS’ “The Mentalist.” She has also done directing and producing within the industry, but writing was something that she hadn’t tried her hand at until her husband suggested that she take a 90-day writing class.
“I remember saying, ‘Are you crazy, I’m dyslexic!’ But he kept bringing it up, so I said, ‘Fine, I’ll take it,'” Davis recalled. “I started writing and the story just spilled out of me.”
What came out of the class were the beginnings of Davis’s new novel, “Secret Life of a Hollywood Sex & Love Addict.” The book was originally meant to be a memoir detailing Davis’s own journey as a love and sex addict, however as she wrote and rewrote and made edits, it began to make more sense to write it as a novel.
“Writing it in the vision of a memoir was so small, it wasn’t including all aspects of being a sex addict,” said Davis. “By making it a novel, I could put in more experiences with the disease.”
“Secret Life of a Hollywood Sex & Love Addict” follows Roxanne (who Davis says is indeed named for the famous song by The Police), an actress based in Hollywood who hits rock bottom in her sex and love addiction. The novel follows her first year of recovery starting with being confronted by two men and continuing to watch her come to the other side of her disease.
“It’s really entertaining, you get to see her go through all of her ups and downs,” said Davis. “She goes through nine months of withdrawal, has a botched threesome, and has some of the worst moments in her recovery.”
For Davis, it was very important for the book to convey information about sex addiction in a way that was not clinical and wanted to make it more relatable for readers, even those who don’t suffer from this addiction.
“11 years ago when I first came into sex and love addiction recovery, everything I read was so clinical. I would pick up a book, read a page and be exhausted. I couldn’t retain the information,” said Davis. “I wanted people to be entertained. These are all true stories some are from my own life, but all the names have been changed. I wanted to make it easier for a normy or someone without addiction can understand. After reading it, I want them to say, ‘Oh my god, I understand this addiction now.’ I just want to make it more acceptable.”
Davis has been very open about her sex and love addiction for years. She currently runs a podcast entitled “Secret Life Podcast” that dives into her guests’ deepest, darkest, and sometimes silly, secrets and Davis continues to explore her own addiction alongside her guests.
She is often questioned about why she is so open about this addiction and her path to recovery. But for Davis, it’s paramount to be upfront about her experiences.
“I’ve had people say, ‘Why are you telling people?’ It’s not like I got caught, but I wanted to be a voice for those who found they had a problem and admitted their mistake,” said Davis. ” I almost blew up my life from this disease. I would not be married or have a kid if I didn’t confront this. Let’s blow open the doors to this addiction so real people who have this problem can get help. I’ve had multiple people I know commit suicide, and do drugs and alcohol because of the disease. The pandemic amplified loneliness, now I have recovered and can help beyond.”
“Secret Life of a Hollywood Sex & Love Addict” is going to be the first of three books by Davis, who hopes that anyone who reads the book will understand that sex and love addiction is not only a real condition but should be taken seriously. She wants help get rid of the stigma behind the addiction itself while helping those who suffer from it or from any other addiction.
“I want them to understand that this disease is not a made-up disease. It’s one of the leading causes of death in society, there more people in jail and more people murdered over love. I just spoke at a jail in LA and every single inmate was in for sex and love addiction,” said Davis. “I am a storyteller and I love telling stories and educating people so they know they are not alone. A 12-step program is not for everyone, so this can open your eyes to addiction and disease. I had a friend read it and she realized she had an addiction to food — she started going to a 12-step for food, which she used to numb her feelings. Sex addicts use people like alcoholics use a bottle. I wanted to bring an awareness that I don’t think is out there yet.”
“Secret Life of a Hollywood Sex & Love Addict” is now available for purchase on Amazon.
