Love Addiction: The Fine Line Between Passion and Obsession

Nowadays various factors like media, and cultures, portray love as beautiful and as a strong force but just think what happens when it becomes an unhealthy obsession? Imagine just starting a day by thinking about a person who may not reciprocate. This isn’t a fairy tale, but it is scary; it’s called love addiction. Like other addictions, love addiction can also be devastating and painful which affects an individual’s overall well-being. 

Love addiction, also known as pathological love, characterizes an unhealthy obsession with a person. It includes frequently thinking about them, messaging them often,  stalking them on social media, controlling their actions and so on. It not only happens in romantic relationships but also with friends, parents, peers and also with strangers.

Here the person finds themselves in a place with emotional ups and downs, an overwhelming need for validation and affection. “Unlike a healthy relationship, where mutual respect, love, and support exist, love addiction marks an imbalance in these three, often leading to codependency and emotional manipulation.” So relieving from love addiction requires conscious effort and professional help. Therapies, support groups and self-care practices like maintaining a healthy boundary, pursuing hobbies, fostering self-love etc. help a person cope with love addiction. Take a step towards building a healthier you! 

What is Love Addiction

Love addiction is a pattern of behavioral condition in which an individual undergoes an obsessive and excessive romantic relationship which often leads to negative consequences in a person’s overall mental health. Doctors and mental health professionals often do not diagnose this condition as a clinical disorder, but they discuss it in psychological and self-improvement areas. Love addiction occurs not only within romantic relationships but also with family, friends, peers,  and even with an unknown person. 

When discussing the prevalence rate of love addiction, is 3 to 10 %. Research has shown that love addiction can be more prevalent in cultures that give importance to romantic relationships. Another study revealed that when an individual experiences insecure attachment and has avoidant attachments, they are more likely to develop addictive behaviours in relationships.

Symptoms of Love Addiction

Love addiction can distinctively take place in various situations but the key symptom is an unhealthy obsession with the other person which causes obsessive and compulsive behaviours such as Calling them frequently, Stalking them on social media, Ignoring other work and waiting for their messages, Always want them to pay you attention and Try to control them. This symptom severity differs from person to person and it is all about how they are expressing it. 

Love addiction can also exist in many ways. 

• Rely on their partner to increase their self-esteem. 
• Staying in an unhealthy relationship because of fear of staying single  
• Emotionally dependent on their partner through which they improve their self-worth.
• Fear of abandonment leads to showing controlling behaviour to other people.
• Just focusing on relationships while ignoring their personal life, career, health and well-being.

Causes of Love Addiction

Studies regarding the causes and triggers are limited, but there are certain factors, such as trauma and genetics, believed to be the root of the development of love addiction. 

1. Childhood Trauma: People who had any kind of traumatic experience like bullying, lack of love, neglect etc. will tend to develop insecurity. This leads to consistent validation and love from others. So when they get into a relationship they become dependent on their partners for everything. 
2. Having lower Self-Esteem: People who have low self-esteem may get into relationships and get addicted because they feel valued, and this love boosts their self-worth. 
3. Fear of Abandonment: Fear of being left alone may be the person glued to their relationship even if it is toxic. This fear is rooted in their experience such as losing something, being neglected, rejections and so on. 
4. Emotional Dysregulation: Individuals who have difficulties in managing emotions may be involved in romantic relationships and use it as a way to regulate their feelings. They use their love to distract themselves from the emotional pain going on. 
5. Unrealistic Romantic Ideals: Nowadays people are getting influenced by media, technologies etc. of what love looks like. And try to maintain it which contributes to love addiction. This made them obsessed with finding and maintaining a perfect  

Treatments for Love Addiction 

In love addiction, the treatments involved in focusing both emotional and psychological context. 

1. Psychotherapies 

a) Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT): It involves identifying the negative thought patterns that contribute to love addiction and replacing them with positive and healthy behaviours. 

b) Psychodynamic therapy: It focuses on emotional issues such as past traumas, childhood neglect, etc. which act as a fuel for their addiction. 

c) Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT): It involves regulating emotions and teaching them ways to manage emotions 

2. Support Groups  

Joining in support group provides the person non-judgmental space where they can share their feelings, emotions and experiences without the fear of being judged. By this knowing other person has also faced these problems make them comfort and reduce the feeling of isolation. It has many advantages such as getting encouragement, shared experiences, learning from others, commitment to change and building social connections. 

3. Self-Care Routines 

b) Regular exercise  

c) Good sleep quality  

a) Healthy diet and Hydration 

d) Emotional self-care activities like journaling, mindfulness meditation, and positive affirmations  

Other Ways to Cope Up with Love Addiction

1. Setting boundaries: Setting and maintaining a healthy boundary in relationships and personal life helps to boost our energy level and well-being. 

2. Reading: Spending time reading articles, newspapers, and magazines, which keep your mind engaged and hold to it. 

3. Digital detoxification: Taking a small break From all digital devices which helps you to  reduce stress and avoid comparison with others  

4. Volunteer work: Join in volunteer work that provides you with a sense of fulfilment and keeps you away from those obsessed thoughts. 

5. Travel: Spending time in a new place makes you feel different and helps to analyze your  new self  

6. Nature: Spending time with nature like gardening, walking in a greener space, and sitting in the park keeps your mind refreshed. 

It is a condition in which the person is obsessed with a person in an unhealthy way. It can happen in romantic relationships, friendships, families etc. The symptoms of its include obsessive and compulsive behaviours such as calling, texting and thinking about them frequently, stalking them, ignoring personal life and waiting for them and trying to control their actions. This can also exist in ways such as emotional turmoil, becoming dependent on them for anything, fear of abandonment, relying on relationships to increase self-esteem and staying in the relationship even if it is toxic. 

There are no proper studies regarding the root cause of love addiction but there are various factors that can contribute to love addiction. It includes childhood trauma, neglect and lack of Affection, lack of self-worth, fear of being alone and staying single, difficulties in regulating emotions and having unrealistic romantic ideals that can contribute to it. 

Treatments for love addiction include psychotherapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy which helps to remove negative thoughts, psychodynamic therapy which solves emotional issues and dialectical behaviour therapy which helps in emotional regulation, support groups and self-care practices such as healthy diet, hydration, exercise, and good sleep quality. There are also many ways to cope with love addiction which include setting boundaries, reading books,  digital detoxification, volunteer work, travelling and spending time with nature. Start your journey towards uplifting your life with a healthy approach.

FAQs

1. How one can identify they are addicted to love? 

Staying in a toxic relationship, sacrificing your own self for your partner, cannot stop thinking about them, fear being alone and controlling their actions. 

2. How does being in healthy love differ from love addiction? 

Healthy love has an emotional connection, mutual respect for each other, supporting each other  goals, and mutual give and take in a relationship  

3. What are the treatments for love addiction? 

1. Psychotherapy 

• Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) 
• Psychodynamic therapy 
• Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) 

2. Support groups  

3. Self-care routines 

• Healthy diet and hydration 
• Regular exercise  
• Good sleep quality  

4. How one can support someone with a Love addiction? 

Be supportive, and empathetic and listen to their problems. Also encouraged the person to seek mental health professional help.