Love Is A Drug

Love Addiction (or a type of Attachment or Relational Disorder) made its way into mass media when Tiger Woods came out to say that he had been unfaithful to his wife, Elin, and it was because he was addicted to love and sex. The world had not really become familiar with what love and sex addiction looked like until Tiger and one of his mistresses, , each presented their stories separately.

Rachel appeared on Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew. She was candid and open about her need for love and sex, and what that meant for her life. She realized she was more in love with the idea of being in love, than she ever was in love with one particular person.

Rachel’s Addiction

Rachel believes she has a disease that needs to be treated, so she got help. She learned that she was trying to fill a void in her life, and love was what she thought would fill it. In rehab, she acquired tools for changing her thought processes so that she can change her behaviors.

It is no secret that addiction is running rampant in the United States, and around the world, and people are not just addicted to drugs and alcohol. Gambling, shopping, eating, love, and sex have become equally prevalent and damaging to people’s lives. The same high people get from drugs & alcohol, can be scored from behavioral addictions like sex, food and gambling.

Rachel Uchitel

How does one go about identifying an addiction to love?

Here are some signs that you have a love addiction, or an attachment or relationship disorder. These warning signs will help you in identifying whether your are going through a rough time, or experiencing a disorder that would benefit from treatment. If you can relate to most of these, then you may have identified an addiction to love in yourself.

• You feel that meeting “the one” will make you happy forever, and you will never have to worry about being sad or lonely,
• Love stories in movies, music, and books preoccupy you, and take you off into a world of fantasy that you want in your real life,
• You have talked yourself into liking a partner, even when you really are not that into the person, because you do not want to be alone, or you want love now,
• There are things you want to change about someone immediately, and that makes more sense than admitting it’s not the right person for you,
• You have stayed with someone for much longer than you knew you should, or even wanted to, because you really did not want to be alone,
• You expect a lover to make you feel lovable and loved, you do not do that for yourself,
• And think about this: in your adult life, what is the longest amount of time you have been completely single and unattached from any potential love interest?

Finding help for a love addiction now will help you make better decisions in the future, so that you can have the relationship you want and deserve.

Dr. Priya Chaudhri, Ph.D. works as a clinical director at The Control Center providing behavioral addiction treatment for people addicted to love and relationships learn more here.