Confessions of a Serial Love Junkie

Behavioral addiction is just as potent as substance addiction, and recovery requires a life-long commitment to wellness. I am a serial love addict, surviving one day at a time after being recently discarded.

Love addiction (also known as pathological love) refers to a “pattern of behavior characterized by a maladaptive, pervasive and excessive interest towards one or more romantic partners, resulting in lack of control, the renounce of other interests and behavior, and other negative consequences.” Even though love addiction is not recognized by DSM-5 as a specific diagnosis, there is enough data to support its characterization as an independent mental disorder.

In recent years in numerous studies, there appears to be abundant behavioral, neurochemical, and neuroimaging evidence to support the claim that love can be an addiction in much the same way as substance abuse. Love activates regions of the brain that control the release of dopamine which is a neurotransmitter with the “yummy feel-good” effect. These regions of the brain are the same ones that are associated with drug addiction, so it goes without saying that they have similar etymology, manifestation, and treatment.

I have had three relationships in my life, all dysfunctional and addictive in nature, and the last one almost killed me. In fact, I’m still not out of the…