Love Addiction: What to Look for

Live as if you were going to die tomorrow. Study as if you are going to live forever.

Common symptoms of love addiction include:

• Use the intensity of romance as a way to escape stress and other forms of emotional discomfort.
• Mistaking sexual or romantic intensity for love and genuine, lasting intimacy.
• Strive to maintain the sexual/romantic intensity of existing relationships.
• When you are not in a relationship, you can feel hopeless and lonely.
• Using sex, seduction, and manipulation to attract or keep a partner.
• Use anonymous sex or porn to avoid “needing” someone.
• Give up one relationship forever and find another.
• Giving up personal interests and beliefs to attract or retain a romantic partner.
• Skip the commitment to find a new relationship or repair an existing one.
• Seek new connections in relationships.
• Pretending to be interested in unpleasant activities to attract or retain a romantic partner.
• Choose partners who are emotionally difficult, addictive, verbally abusive, physically abusive, etc.

today’s task
Examine your sexual and romantic history for signs of love addiction. Share what you discovered in therapy or 12-step meetings.