Is sex addiction a real disease?

That's the central question raised in this interesting piece from Time magazine. An excerpt:

In the 20th century, we changed our thinking about alcoholism: what was once a moral weakness came to be understood as an illness resulting in large part from genetics. Sexual acting out seems different, though. Is excessive lust really just another biochemical accident?

In recent years, I've listened to a handful of acquaintances attribute breakups to a partner's battle with sex addiction. Women describe the scenario in terms of a medical ailment interfering with an otherwise stable relationship.

On some level, it's a cultural shift: Just a few years ago, many of those women would attribute their relationship's flaws to their own weaknesses.

Now, though the breakup is just disturbing, it's a result of somebody else's biochemistry.

Here's a question from the aforementioned article's headline:

Is sex addiction a real disease or an excuse for men to cheat?