Love addicts seek perfect romantic relationships, become dependent on partners, and confuse love with lust. External factors like emotional abuse or stress can contribute to addiction. Fear of rejection and worry are early signs. Recovery involves understanding that perfection is unattainable and building healthy relationships.
Those who are addicted to love have an ongoing desire for the perfect romantic relationship. When a love addict doesn’t find the kind of perfection he craves in a romantic partner, he usually ends the relationship quickly. Shortly thereafter, they typically find a new partner and continue the pattern. During a relationship, love addicts become very dependent on their partners, even obsessed. People with a love addiction may also confuse love with lust and become addicted to sex.
In some cases, people become addicted to love due to external factors. These factors can include emotional abuse, particularly in the form of neglect. Those experiencing stress in their personal or professional lives might also turn to love as a coping mechanism.
Many people looking for the ideal romantic relationship try to control every aspect of their relationships. While they may think it’s an effort to achieve a perfect relationship, it could also be a subconscious fear of being emotionally hurt. This fear is often associated with the fear of rejection; often love addicts want to leave a relationship before someone leaves them.
Worry can be an early sign of a love addiction. The person may spend a significant amount of time each day daydreaming about the ideal romantic partner and perfect romantic situations. This daydreaming can often lead to increased sexual arousal and frustration. In an effort to alleviate this frustration, the person may begin requesting his or her lover play out these fantasies.
Over time, people addicted to love may want to stop their actions, but feel helpless. This behavior can fuel anxiety about whether they will ever be able to maintain a long-term relationship. Addiction to drugs or alcohol can also be a contributing factor.
Typically, a love addict needs to figure out what they can realistically expect from a partner. Sometimes a period of sexual abstinence is also recommended to enable the person to successfully separate feelings of love from sexual desire. The recovery process for people who realize they are addicted to love often has to do with gaining a true understanding that romantic perfection is usually unattainable. Various therapists and support groups can help with this realization, so love addicts can start building healthy relationships.
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