While we all yearn for romantic relationships and ever-lasting love, the sad reality is that most relationships are bound to fail. Recent data has shown that almost 50% of all marriages and romantic relationships in the U.S. end in divorce or separation.
An individual who has been traumatized as they leave unhealthy relationships often has low self-esteem and turns out to be a so-called "love addict." Today, Transcend Recovery Community gives you a closer look at this condition and discusses the behavior and specific love addiction treatment available for everyone.
Love Addiction Explained
Love addiction is a mental health disorder, similar to other addictions like hypersexuality, characterized by obsessive romantic relationships, often with a compulsive need to be in a relationship.
Love addicts depend on others for their happiness and emotional well-being. They will often go to great lengths to keep their relationships going, even if they know they're causing harm to themselves and may face negative consequences. It can lead to destructive behaviors like stalking, risky sexual activity, or manipulating someone into staying with them.
Even if a long-term relationship ends, love addicts may feel like they have lost part of themselves and become depressed or suicidal, and may even succumb to substance addictions.
Signs, Symptoms, and Causes of Love Addiction
Here are some of the signs of an individual addicted to love:
- You often have persistent thoughts and a strong desire for your romantic partner every single time.
- You feel as though your life would be incomplete without this person even if they are emotionally unavailable.
- You've stopped doing things that used to make you happy, like hobbies or sports, because they don't involve your romantic relationships.
- You often find yourself doing things for this individual that make them happy, even if it's not something you would normally do for yourself or someone else.
There are many causes of love addiction, but they can generally be categorized into two: environmental and genetic.
Environmental Causes of Love Addiction
Environmental causes of love addiction include things like childhood trauma and neglect, abuse, parental abandonment, etc. These experiences can lead an individual to feel as though they do not deserve love or that no one will be there for them when they need it. This leads to a tendency to attach themselves to others that do not reciprocate the same level of love and affection.
Genetic Causes of Love Addiction
Genetic causes include inherited traits from family members who have experienced similar issues. There may also be a genetic component to sex drive, which would explain why some people are more likely than others to experience sexual addiction or other compulsive behaviors associated with sex.
A love addict often has low self-esteem and may be a victim of abusive relationships. Their yearning for a stable long-term relationship will make them feel desperate and develop unhealthy feelings or even behavior mistaken for falling in love.
How to Recover from Love Addiction
Love addiction is a serious affliction that can have devastating consequences on the lives of those who suffer from it. If you or someone you know struggles with a toxic romantic relationship, it's important to seek love addiction treatment as soon as possible.
There are many treatment programs available for love addicts and their families.
Some of the most popular therapies include intensive inpatient therapy, where they live in a facility for a fixed period, and outpatient therapy, where patients are allowed to stay at home while they are treated for their addiction.
The most effective therapy programs for love addicts are based on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) principles. CBT helps people identify their behaviors and how those behaviors affect their feelings and behavior. From there, they can develop strategies and make positive changes through time.
Can Transcend Recovery Community Assist Love Addicts?
Transcend helps people addicted to romance to work on their weaknesses and recover eventually from the hurt. We provide supplemental support during treatment by providing sober living residences (such as women's sober living and luxury sober living).
You can also work closely with a mental health companion post-rehab to help you on a seamless transition back into society.
Any individual deserves the chance for better mental health and to lead a meaningful and productive life. Contact us to find out how we can help you.
