Being in love, in essence, is an emotion that we all deserve to experience at least once in our lifetime. Moreover, it’s a feeling that we all strive for – being someone special to that one person, spending our time with them, etc.
However, like anything else, being or falling in love can, sometimes, manifest in a deleterious manner. It can make you act in an irrational and strange way, which might be detrimental to them and their loved ones.
This situation is known as love addiction – and it’s nothing like the traditional drug addiction that you may have heard of.
While you can go to Pinnacle Recovery to completely cure the latter, the former needs to be taken care of in a different manner. Love addiction, in essence, is a psychological disorder and, therefore, should be treated by a professional psychologist.
What Is Love Addiction?
Love addiction, as we’ve said before, is a mental disorder that stimulates the needs and expectations of an individual from their relationship. Therefore, it becomes almost impossible for them to maintain a healthy connection with their partner.
This type of addiction is usually more common amongst people in long-term relationships. However, in some cases, it can occur amongst friends, parents-children, and even strangers.
But is love addiction truly a mental disorder?
Well, yes. You have probably seen many people not considering love addiction as a mental problem. Nonetheless, individuals, who are suffering from this issue, believe that whatever they’re experiencing is pretty accurate and debilitating.
For example, a person dealing with this problem tends to have an unhealthy level of fixation with their loved ones. Thus, in most cases, they seek to manage or control them.
Like any other addiction, someone, who’s addicted to love, exhibits uncontrollable impulses or behaviors too.
Nevertheless, with proper care and treatment, the symptoms of this problem can be taken care of to some extent. For example, your behavioral issues will start disappearing after some point.
Your “level of expectations” will also decrease, which, in turn, may help you control your impulsive attitude extensively.
What Are The Symptoms Of Love Addiction?
Being a psychological disorder, the symptoms of love addiction may vary from one person to another. The issue of unhealthy fixation with your partner is, indeed, the most common one amongst the rest. However, that’s not where it ends.
Love addiction can manifest itself through the following mannerisms –
- Feeling uprooted or lost when you don’t have someone with you.
- Being overly dependent, especially emotionally, on your partner.
- Becoming obsessed or depressed with a love interest when your particular romantic interests aren’t being reciprocated.
- Seeking romantic interests constantly with people who aren’t good enough for you.
- Prioritizing the relationship with your partner over your friendships or the bonding with your parents.
- Finding it impossible to leave toxic or unhealthy relationships.
- Making bad decisions in life due to the affection you have towards your love interest or partner.
- Obsessively thinking about your love interest or partner in a way that disrupts your everyday lifestyle.
- Feeling despondent when you are not in a relationship or don’t have a partner.
Like the types, symptoms of love addiction can also vary to some extent in severity.
For example, some signs, such as calling or texting frequently, are pretty harmless, especially from a general point of view. However, other issues, like stalking your love interest or spending the whole night in front of their house, can be a little extreme.
Causes Of Relationship Addiction
In truth, relationship addiction is somewhat new in the world of psychological study. Therefore, doctors don’t know too much about this issue at all. Due to this reason, it has not been possible for anyone to find the causes that can prompt this disorder.
However, according to some specialists, the following factors can increase the risk of love addiction massively –
- Living through a specific childhood trauma of losing someone.
- Having low self-respect and even lower self-esteem.
- Dealing with incidents of abandonment that happened in your past.
- Experiencing a sense of sexual or emotional abuse in the past life.
Aside from this, being in a toxic relationship can also prompt you to become addicted to finding something or someone new. Hence, if you are currently living in such a situation, make sure to walk out of the toxicity as soon as possible.
How Do You Treat Relationship Addiction?
Treating the core problem of relationship or love addiction can be a little tricky, as it’s not universally recognized as a mental condition. Hence, it will require more research to determine the actual cause of the disorder and solve the same.
Nevertheless, when it comes to treating this issue, most people opt to undergo cognitive-behavioral therapy. With this treatment, your doctor will try unearthing your past and uncover the complex thought patterns that are affecting you.
In some cases, love addiction may also occur alongside another psychological condition. In that case, your psychiatrist will try to treat that problem prior to taking care of this one.
Finally, the doctor may also prescribe you mood stabilizers and antidepressants to reduce your anxiety and impulsiveness.
Coping With Love Addiction – A Guide
Tackling your symptoms of love addiction can be a little tricky. However, if you follow the below-mentioned tricks, it might be beneficial for you –
- Learn to stay alone and enjoy your time.
- Keep an eye on recurring patterns and avoid them.
- Talk with your family members and friends when in trouble.
- Invest sometime in yourself – for example, go to a park, listen to music, etc.
- Opt for a support group if you think telling your problem would be enough for you.
A Word From Us
Although it may not seem so, dealing with love addiction is not rare. Many people, especially in the modern era, are suffering from the same. Thus, if you are trying to work out the same, just remember – you are not alone.
Yes, it can be pretty challenging, especially from an emotional perspective. Nonetheless, the good news is that if you are determined and hyperactive, you can treat this condition pretty effectively. Just make sure to take the help of a professional, and you’ll be fine.
