Love Addiction
In general terms, love addiction is defined as a condition where a person creates fixations and compulsions in their love interests. Sounds harmless, right? Wrong. A love addict craves the emotional highs associated with getting the attention of their love interest, but can also suffer emotional lows when the romantic feelings are not reciprocated.
Love addiction can also create certain emotional distress, which in turn can contribute to other serious problems such as compulsive behaviors and obsessions with love, romance, and sex. Luckily through treatment, a love addict can be taught to deal with their emotions, and as a result make meaningful relationships in their future.
Love Addiction Symptoms
Individuals who struggle with love addiction very often idolize their love interest, only seek the ‘honeymoon’ phase of a relationship, or simply become clingy and very dependent on their partner. Other more common symptoms of love addiction include the following:
- A ‘need’ to be in love: needing to be in love often.
- Putting the love interest on a pedestal.
- Obsessing over their love interest.
- Experiencing euphoria, cravings, and a constant need to be with the love interest.
- An inability to be alone.
It is in fact quite normal to idolize one’s love interest when starting off a romantic relationship. For the love addict, however, idolizing their love interest goes to the extreme where in some cases the love interest is emotionally unresponsive, unaffectionate, and even abusive.
Causes Of Love Addiction
The research being done on love addiction is ongoing, but it has been noted that genetics, trauma, and upbringing can play a role in love addiction, and addiction in general.
People that lack self-esteem, for example, may incessantly seek validation and approval from their love interest. This need to ‘fill the emotional void’ can stem from experiencing neglect during one’s childhood, along with feelings of low self-worth, or a lack of self-acceptance. Love addicts find value and excitement only in love, and this can become a problem as they can develop an unhealthy codependency in their relationships.
When it comes top sexual activity, a love addict simply becomes addicted to the release of chemicals during intercourse. This can cause an obsessive and unhealthy need for constant contact and attachment to their partner. Again, childhood trauma such as abuse, rejection, and neglect play an important role in developing the symptoms of love addiction in certain individuals as they reach adulthood.
Love Addiction And Substance Abuse
People seek love because of the intense feelings and chemical-highs (dopamine) released by the brain, however, this can cause further emotional and mental problems for those with addictive personalities.
Those individuals who suffer from love addiction have a constant need for validation and approval from their partners, and if this is not the case, they can quickly spiral into feelings of anxiety and depression. Being consumed by the thought that their relationship is falling apart, a love addict can begin to neglect one’s own job performance and wellbeing. As a result, these feelings of rejection and betrayal can become painful to the point where the love addict fills this emotional void with drugs and alcohol.
If you or a loved one suffer from intense feelings associated with love addiction, or if you find that drugs and alcohol have become your coping mechanism in dealing with love addiction, please contact us today to find out how we can help you heal and live a happy life.
