Just like anything that feels good, love can bring on its own set of addictions. Those feel-good hormones are kicking around, making anyone drunk on its intensity – and for the most part, love is considered a positive experience. But, let’s be real here when we use the term ‘ love addict’, it’s not just a cutesy term like “chocolate addict” where we use it to emphasize our love for chocolate; a real love addict is someone who endlessly searches for their soul mate at all costs.
They border on the obsessive and are motivated by fear. Love addicts can’t just be alone, they need someone to make themselves feel safe or whole. Many times love addicts are born out of abuse – whether from a childhood of neglect or abuse – trauma is almost always the root cause for a love addiction to develop.
If you find yourself dating a love addict, it might be time to make a change. Love addiction should be treated like any other addiction; giving them more love isn’t going to “cure” them of this disease – would you give heroin to a heroin addict? Luckily, there are many resources out there that can help someone seeking support. Here are a few signs that someone you know might have an addiction to love.
- A love addict throws themselves into a relationship at all costs. They forgo any and all responsibilities to others or themselves, and they often put their own health and wellbeing in jeopardy.
- They cannot be alone and fall in love very quickly. This means that getting to know the other person has commonly pushed aside, and the love addict “falls in love” with the idea of the other person. This can start the cycle of obsession, obsessive thoughts.
- When they are not in a relationship they are constantly looking for one. They put a lot of emphasis on their self worth whether or not they are in a relationship, and they are desperate to find one.
- The partners they tend to choose are emotionally unavailable, and/or physically or emotionally abusive. Or on the other hand, they choose partners that are needy and demand a great deal of attention – but do not reciprocate. Unhealthy attachments are made, which makes getting out of the situation that much harder.
While signs and symptoms of love addiction can vary from person to person – typically the addict never gets past the initial stages of falling in love.
Emotional boundaries aren’t established and dependency is created. The good news is that this is a treatable disorder with the right help.
Contacting recovery centers that deal with love and sex addictions are the first step in finding assistance.
If you find yourself in a relationship with a love addict, tread lighting if you plan on confronting or an intervention. Keep the level of your expectations rather low, because they might not be open to help.
Remember that this kind of addiction is deeply rooted in trauma, most likely from childhood, reaching out to a professional before confronting is the safest course of action.
Now as you are done with the love addiction, logon to gomarry.com and find the true lover to value your feelings and needs.