It was a story that seemed to be culled from the steamy pages of a Jackie Collins novel. Take a billionaire Tory fundraiser, who just happens to be a peer, and throw prostitutes and sex orgies into the mix.

Get a tabloid newspaper to do an exposé of said lord and then have the contrite figure admit to sex addiction while battling to save his marriage.

Truth is often stranger than fiction. In April, the News of the World exposed the sex obsessions of Conservative peer, Lord Irvine Laidlaw of Rothiemay, reporting how he had flown high-class escorts to his hotel suite in Monaco.

Lord Laidlaw refused to lay low. In a letter to the newspaper, he claimed that he was suffering from sex addiction and that the public humiliation had forced him to seek help.

"I have been fighting sexual addiction for my whole adult life," he wrote. "Sexual addiction is comparable to the other, better known addictions, such as drugs, alcohol and gambling. Many people suffer different types of this disease. There is no cure for it, and self-help is rarely successful."

He said he would make a £1m donation to a British clinic that helps those who suffer from this form of addiction.

Laidlaw is not alone. All manner of celebrities have spoken about their addiction to sex.

Comedian Russell Brand wrote a book about his battles for normality while, in the very public break-up of actor Bill Murray's marriage, his wife has suggested that he is addicted to sex.

Previously, Hollywood stars Michael Douglas and Charlie Sheen spoke frankly about their problems with a misunderstood disease, mention of which often provokes sniggers of contempt rather than genuine concern.

But Dublin-based counsellor Beth Fitzpatrick says sex addiction is no laughing matter.

"It is a very real problem affecting a great deal of people in this country," she says.

"There is this idea that it's a fad dreamt up by famous people, but in fact, it is an addiction every bit as destructive as drugs, alcohol or gambling.

"People suffering from sex addiction, and it's nearly always men, often find they are watching online pornography for hours every day while others are using prostitutes all the time -- even men with wives or girlfriends. For people suffering from this form of addiction, sex becomes desensitised and it can really damage their lives and those of people close to them."

According to online health resource irishhealth.com, sex addiction in Ireland is on the increase, with an estimated 8pc of men and 3pc of women thought to be affected.

"I'm getting men of all ages and backgrounds who are coming to me as a last resort," says Fitzpatrick.

"Maybe their wives or girlfriends have found out and they have given them an ultimatum to get help -- or get out.

"And it's very much on the increase. When I first started out in this job many years ago, it was virtually unheard of for people to feel they were addicted to sex. The internet has played a huge part. Pornography to cater for all fantasises is readily available for free.

"I know of people who spend all night on the internet getting their fix and then they start incorporating one-night-stands and prostitution into their lifestyle.

"Those who want sex with a prostitute can get it quickly, no matter what part of the country they are in."

The 'Escort Ireland' website reveals that prostitutes can be solicited in all parts of the country, with over 300 plying their trade in Dublin alone. The typical going rate for full sex for 30 minutes is €150, rising to €250 for the hour.

Sex addiction has four defining criteria. First, the obsession with sex feels preoccupying and out of control and is pursued in spite of the harm it causes. Second, all attempts to curb it fail. Third, it has a psychological function, perhaps to anaesthetise something else that is going on in the addict's life. Fourth, sex addicts are generally miserable.

"We're not talking about happy sex here," says Eoin Stephens, a Dublin-based analyst who specialises in the area.

"We're talking about something that leaves the victim feeling distressed, helpless and guilty. We're talking about people on a self-destruct course and often they feel they can't get out of it.

"And unlike those with other addictions, there is a real taboo about talking to others about their problem. While a man might be able to confide in his wife about a gambling problem, it's difficult to imagine her being quite so understanding about the fact that her husband is watching porn all day or spending money having sex with prostitutes.

"A lot of these people can get into serious debt by going to lap dancing clubs and visiting prostitutes."

If the situation here mirrors that of the UK, then sex-based debt has become a sobering problem. One-in-four people who contacted a debt helpline in Britain last year admitted that some of their financial problems were caused by spending money on sex, a report showed yesterday.

The UK Insolvency Helpline said sex industry spending was now the third most common reason for people to get into debt, after spending on alcohol/drugs and having a shopping addiction.

"It's just like people who get into debt with a gambling addiction," Beth Fitzpatrick says. "The high they get with a win can be so intoxicating they want to spend again and again. It's the same with sex."

Treatments vary and are contentious, such as a 12-step programme adapted from Alcoholics Anonymous, but with abstinence for only 30 to 90 days (it includes a masturbation ban, which online forums suggest is usually broken).

A combination of drugs, sometimes to treat depression and/or anxiety, and therapy can help, but there is no cure and people remain at risk of repeating their behaviours.

"The success rate can be good, but we require clients to really work hard at coming to terms with their problem," Fitzpatrick says.

"If they're not serious enough about changing their ways, they will have great difficulty resuming a normal life."

Do you have a problem with sex?

Find out if you have a problem. Answer the following questions 'yes' or 'no' as honestly as you can.

1) Were you sexually abused as a child or adolescent?

2) Have you subscribed to or regularly purchased sexually explicit magazines?

3) Did your parents have problems with their sexual behaviour?

4) Do you often find yourself preoccupied with sexual thoughts?

5) Do you feel that your sexual behaviour is not normal?

6) Does your spouse (or significant other) ever worry or complain about your sexual behaviour?

7) Do you have trouble stopping your sexual behaviour when you know it is inappropriate?

8) Do you ever feel bad about your sexual behaviour?

9) Has your sexual behaviour ever created problems for you or your family?

10) Have you ever sought help for sexual behaviour that you did not like?

11) Have you ever worried about people finding out about your sexual activities?

12) Has anyone been hurt emotionally because of your sexual behaviour?

13) Are any of your sexual activities illegal?

14) Have you made promises to yourself to quit some aspect of your sexual behaviour?

15) Have you made efforts to quit a type of sexual behaviour and failed?

16) Do you have to hide some aspects of your sexual behaviour from others?

17) Have you attempted to stop some parts of your sexual activities?

18) Have you ever felt degraded by your sexual behaviour?

19) Has sex been a way for you to escape your problems?

20) When you have sex, do you feel depressed afterwards?

21) Have you felt the need to discontinue a certain form of sexual activity?

22) Has your sexual activity interfered with your family life?

23) Have you been sexual with minors?

24) Do you feel controlled by your sexual desire?

25) Do you ever think that your sexual desire is stronger than you are?

* If you answer 'yes' to 13 or more of these questions, it is likely that you have a sex addiction and should seek treatment.

The test was compiled by the UK-based Brunswick Therapy Services

- John Meagher