In the U.S., about one in three adolescents experience some sort of physical or emotional abuse.
Dating isn’t always easy, and sometimes it can be seriously damaging.
Wonder why some people gravitate to messy unhealthy romantic situations that lead them down a path towards self-dis-empowerment? Learn about the addiction cycle.
What Is a Toxic Relationship
Before you can recognize if you are in a toxic relationship, you should know what it is.
If you’re in a toxic relationship, you will feel like you’re in a relationship with someone that doesn’t care about you or hurts you.
Instead of being healthy and loving, it’s the exact opposite. If you’re in a toxic relationship for a long time, it will damage your confidence and life over time.
Why We Become Addicted to Them
Now that we know what a toxic relationship is, you have to know how you can become addicted to them. If you have this knowledge, it is less likely that you will deal with it.
Becoming addicted to a toxic person can be as easy as becoming addicted to drugs, which you should find out more about.
Psychology says that sometimes being attracted to toxic relationships may start when we have had toxic experiences with our parents. We may not even realize it, but our relationship with our parents can drive us to seek familiarity with other toxic people.
For example, if your parents were physically or emotionally absent, you could end up seeking out someone who has the same qualities. If you had a helicopter parent, you may end up in a relationship with someone who tries to control every aspect of your life.
Signs You’re with a Toxic Person
If you think that you might possibly be addicted to toxic people and relationships, there are some signs that you should watch out for.
For example, if you are getting no emotional support from them, and you still stay with them and make excuses, you might be addicted to them.
Your partner may go missing for periods of time with no explanation and expect you to be okay with it. And even if you’re not okay with it, you likely won’t say anything about it.
Lastly, if you have experienced any emotional, sexual, or physical abuse, this is a sign that you are in a very unhealthy relationship.
How to Detox From Them
If you think you are stuck in this addiction cycle, here are some ways to break it.
You have to be picky with the type of people you let into your life. You want to make sure that it’s people who will let you heal and grow, rather than putting you down and damaging your self-esteem.
You should also do some investigating and ask yourself why you keep letting these people in your life. For example, ask yourself about what your parents were like. If they were toxic, find a therapist and try and seek closure from it.
You should also realize that every relationship you choose will be a reflection of what you feel inside. So you have to start changing your attitude and thoughts.
If you have a healthy relationship with yourself, you’re more likely to choose better people in your life.
Break the Addiction Cycle Today
Finding a healthy relationship and breaking the addiction cycle can be tough.
Even without having this difficulty, relationships are tough enough already.
Read this post to learn how to overcome some of those difficulties.
