Recognize Your Addictive Relationship

What do you think of when you hear the term 'bad relationship'? Most times, people will think of arguments and resentment. A bad relationship is not one that contains arguments, because truthfully, everyone will argue and there will always be a complication to overcome within a relationship.

Bad relationships usually start with attachment to someone who is unattainable. They may be committed to someone else or they are not interested in a long-term relationship, or are incapable of one. Bad relationships are lacking in what one or both partners need. This will eventually destroy self-esteem and create a dependency. This applies to careers as well as personal lives. Loneliness, rage, and despair are symptoms of a bad relationship, and one finds him or herself in this situation constantly, they may be looking at a problem with addictive relationships.

Once you have determined that you are in a bad relationship, remaining in it not only causes continual stress but also may even be physically harmful for either of the partners. Physical abuse dominates the relationship instead of love. The tension and constant stress will also take a toll on ones health, causing them to be frequently ill. Continuing bad relationships will degrade the quality of your life over time. In the addiction to bad relationships, moving from one to the other will create a morbid sense of familiarity that takes you away from the ability to have a healthy relationship. Even to the point of pushing it away when one comes along.

Look for these sings of an Addictive Relationship

Friends and loved ones have told you that you needed to end a certain relationship, yet you have done nothing to that regard.

Making excuses for staying in that relationship, no matter how inaccurate and invalid. The reasons will not be strong enough to counteract the harmful aspects of an addictive relationship.

Thinking about ending the relationship makes you feel guilty, scared, or nervous. These negative emotions cause you to cling to the relationship even more. This is a sure sign of addiction to the bad relationship.

Financial reasons, living arrangements, children, perceived disapproval are several factors that may influence your decision to remain in a bad relationship. In the end, none of these factors will allow you to keep your healthy, your sanity, and your life. The dangerous repetition of addictive relationships will continue to wreak havoc on your life and those of your children. At some point, every aspect of your life will be affected. Recognizing that you have a pattern of staying in bad relationships does not mean you will break the cycle of addictive relationships.

You will need to evaluate yourself, confide in a friend, and even get counseling if necessary. The pain you feel on a daily basis will not be removed until the cycle of addictive relationships is removed.