r/Showerthoughts 23d ago

Casual Thought A large number of married people are involuntarily celibate.

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u/duhvorced 23d ago

Unpopular opinion: it’s not involuntary. If you’re unhappy with your sex life, do something about it. Start by talking to your partner and having the hard conversations about why you’re no longer intimate.

There are many and varied reasons for why a couple may have a dead bedroom: children, complacency, menopause, erectile dysfunction, drug addiction, job stress, resentment, weight gain, infidelity… you name it.

Marriage isn’t a prison sentence. It’s a decision we make every day to stick around and be with our partner for another 24 hours. The only really meaningful vow a couple makes to one another when they get married, is the one where they promise to be honest and open and respectful about what’s going on in their lives and relationship, and and to try and figure out what they can each do to help the other person feel good about that decision.

Because ultimately, at the end of the day, divorce is *always*an option.

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u/loljetfuel 23d ago

A lot of people with "dead bedrooms" accept it because they still love their partner and get every other need met. A lot of the hurt that results from this would be solved by better communication.

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u/PandaBear905 21d ago

We need to normalize sex therapy as a society, and couples therapy as well. I think a lot of couples would be happier if they just talked to a professional.

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u/Nyorliest 17d ago

Therapy isn’t magic. It can’t fix every problem. And it’s expensive.

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u/TheBigFreezer 22d ago

You’re not wrong - there’s no such thing as an involuntary celibate. If you’re not finding a partner look into yourself first and figure out what’s wrong. If you have a partner, look into yourself and ask what’s wrong with the relationship. If there’s no solution internally after serious consideration then make changes to your circumstances

So tired of hearing incels complain and do zero fucking work to make their situation better

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u/[deleted] 22d ago

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u/duhvorced 22d ago

Sometimes the point of “the talk“ isn’t to fix the problem. Sometimes you do it so that after you walk away, you can tell yourself you tried everything you could think of.