People who are addicted to love spend an inordinate amount of time thinking about the person they love. They want to be with that person as much as possible, go out of their way to do things for that person, and often value their love above even themselves.
For example, a partner lacking self-esteem may lean on their partner to give them that. Additionally, people may develop love addiction as a way to fill a void left over from childhood trauma, low self-worth, or a lack of self-love. Like other types of addictions, it can stem from abandonment fears.
Typical signs of love addiction include: Mistaking intense sexual experiences and new romantic excitement for love. Constantly craving and searching for a romantic relationship. When in a relationship, being desperate to please and fearful of the other's unhappiness.
The Avoidant Love Addict type is the partner Typical Love Addicts most commonly and repeatedly fall for in relationships. They become dependent on their partner's neediness and are only attracted to people who they can control.
The love addict's experiences intense emotional withdrawal from the fantasy and experiences depression, rage, panic and shame. The love addict experiences boundary failure, dependency, and has problems containing self in moderation.
No single personality type sets someone up for addiction, but there are a few personality traits common among people who have a substance use disorder: an inability to handle stress, impulsivity, unaccountability and a lack of empathy.
I believe love is mutual self-less giving that is based on a deep trust. The characteristics of addiction are craving of a person, severe mood swings if unable to feel secure in the relationship, inability to function normally, obsession of your partner and severe withdrawal symptoms if your lover leaves you.
Why do good people find themselves stuck in toxic relationships? Therapists often speak of something called “love addiction,” where a person craves the sense of fulfillment and validation that comes from being in a relationship, no matter how destructive.
With care and understanding and therapy-based treatment, even the most obsessive love addict can enjoy a healthy and fulfilling romantic relationship.
Get Professional Support
Overcoming love addiction on your own can be challenging. It's best to seek professional help. Treatment will help you identify the causes of your love addiction, learn what triggers your behaviors, and teach you how to cope with any unhealthy thoughts or feelings.
While love addicts require constant emotional reassurance and attention as proof of a loving relationship, the love avoidant person often feels that their love is proven simply by supporting their partner on an economic and physical level. For the emotionally avoidant person, love becomes an obligation.
To recover, a love addict needs to learn what healthy love is. They also need to learn about their particular brand of dysfunction when it comes to their love addiction. That way, they can get their intimate connection needs met without falling into obsessive behaviors.
People with love addiction often put up with all kinds of unhealthy behaviors, such as cheating or physical or verbal abuse by their partner. Codependent individuals convince themselves they can change their partner. It's important to know you can walk away or get support if you are in an abusive relationship.
Do you crave connection with your beloved, only to be disappointed, rejected or hurt, over and over? If so, you may be addicted to a toxic relationship. I want you to know: you are not alone, and there is a path out.
Because love addiction isn't a recognized form of mental health condition, there are currently no medications typically used for its treatment. However, if it co-occurs with other disorders such as anxiety or depression, your doctor could prescribe medication to treat symptoms of the co-occurring condition.
Although it's not true that too much love will kill you, it can lead to unhealthy—and at times damaging—dynamics between partners. For example, love may cause obsessive or controlling behaviors in some cases. You may also reach a point where your needs go unmet because you're so focused on your partner's needs.
The brain plays a vital role in addiction, especially when it comes to relationship addiction. The brain spikes in dopamine and specific neurotransmitters stimulate the reward system the same way drugs do. The brain activity acts very similarly to that of a drug addict.
According to Gaba, the difference between healthy love versus “love addiction” is that those who experience the latter tend to focus more on the beginning stages of love when emotions are intense. These feelings of euphoria may lead to infatuation and even obsession.
It may seem counterintuitive that someone addicted to love would cheat on a partner, but it happens more than you might think. Love addiction and cheating too often go together.
Love: Relationship deals with all aspects of reality. Toxic love: Relationship is based on delusion and avoidance of the unpleasant. Love: Self-care by both partners; emotional state not dependent on other's mood. Toxic love: Expectation that one partner will fix and rescue the other.
Many people with narcissism may also have an addiction to alcohol, sex, drugs, or social media. However, not everyone with narcissism has an addiction and vice versa.
However, in terms of substance addictions, some of the more common types of addiction include: Alcohol addiction. Prescription drug addiction. Drug addiction.
The addiction components model operationally defines addictive activity as any behavior that features what I believe are the six core components of addiction (i.e., salience, mood modification, tolerance, withdrawal symptoms, conflict, and relapse) (Griffiths, 2005).