What is an Addictive Relationship?
An addictive relationship is an unhealthy situation in which you suffer cravings for the attention and presence of another person. It can lead to feelings similar to drug withdrawal if these needs are not met, including low self-esteem, helplessness, lack of self-confidence and passive behavior. Unfortunately, it can be hard to tell if you’re stuck in an addictive relationship. Here are twelve signs that something might be wrong. 1. You need a relationship to feel happy. If you’re not in a relationship, you may feel depressed, and that depression lightens when you start a new connection with someone else. 2. You feel strongly drawn to someone else, even when you think they might not be healthy to be around. You frequently act on these feelings. 3. When you know that the relationship you’re in is bad for you, you still have trouble ending it. You may feel unable to stop seeing someone, despite being aware that you’re in a destructive situation. 4. You try to change the other person in a
An addictive relationship, also referred to as codependency, is most simply defined as when one person is willing to give up who she is, what she believes in, or how she behaves, in order to please, or to keep, another person. (I use the pronoun “she,” because women are more likely to suffer from codependency, although it is also rampant in men.) There are common signs and symptoms in addictive relationships, these include: an all-consuming need for the other person; very loose or non-existing emotional boundaries; a overly dependent sense of responsibility for the other person; an inordinate amount of time spent thinking (or obsessing) about the other person; speaking for the other person, or not speaking up at all; or not holding the other person responsible for his or her own actions. If you think you or someone you care about might be suffering due to an addictive relationship take our Codependency Inventory for more information.
According to Terence Gorski in Why Do I Keep Doing That? an addictive relationship involves one person who is self-centered and extremely independent. This partner (let’s call him Selfish Sam – but it could just as easily be Selfish Sally) believes he’s entitled to whatever he wants whenever he wants it. He surrounds himself with people who support his opinions of himself. The other partner (we’ll call her Dependant Debbie but it could be Dependent Darren) is dependent and other-centered, and willing to mirror whatever the first partner wants. She’s simply a reflection of him. This is how addictive relationships work. About addictive relationships Gorski says, “It works until the other-centered person runs out of steam one night and doesn’t have enough energy to mirror back what is needed. The relationship is going to blow up. Addictive relationships do not necessarily have to have self-centered and other-centered partners, but it’s the norm.
According to Terence Gorski in Why Do I Keep Doing That? an addictive relationship involves one person who is self-centered and extremely independent. This partner (let’s call him Selfish Sam – but it could just as easily be Selfish Sally) believes he’s entitled to whatever he wants whenever he wants it. He surrounds himself with people who support his opinions of himself. The other partner (we’ll call her Dependant Debbie but it could be Dependent Darren) is dependent and other-centered, and willing to mirror whatever the first partner wants. She’s simply a reflection of him. This is how addictive relationships work. About addictive relationships Gorski says, “It works until the other-centered person runs out of steam one night and doesn’t have enough energy to mirror back what is needed. The relationship is going to blow up. Addictive relationships do not necessarily have to have self-centered and other-centered partners, but it’s the norm.” 7 signs of addictive relationships Dishone
