Love addiction

Bouncing from one person to the next?

Do you know someone who always seems to be in a relationship, someone who remains single for about half a second before shacking up with the latest and greatest thing they've ever met? Then you've met a relationship/ love addict before. Wow. Sometimes this behaviour is simply due to luck and opportunity, but very often it's a sign of something else going on with the person.

Why do people go from one relationship to another?

Insecurity and low self esteem. If you don’t think much of yourself and feel insecure in general, you may constantly seek out a partner to try and make you feel a bit better about yourself.
Fear of being alone. If you are always with someone else, you never have to deal with loneliness or any of your personal problems/issues.
Unwillingness to work on relationships. You may move on from a relationship at the first hint of trouble and keep repeating this pattern.
A way to avoid intimacy. If you jump from relationship to relationship, you may never form any real attachments to anyone. You also never have to grieve anyone, as you will be in an exciting new relationship almost as soon as your old one ends.
Childhood trauma. If you never received love or security as a child, you may NEED to be in a relationship as a way to get love, attention and security. Therefore, you can’t bear to be without one, even for a short time.

Pros:

It’s exciting! New relationships are full of hearts, flowers, long talks, passionate kisses and excitement.
You never have to be alone. This is a BIGGIE for many people.
You get to test the water and have lots of relationships before you commit to someone. When you do commit, you won’t wonder ‘What if?’ or worry that you haven’t explored other possibilities.

Cons:

You avoid your own issues. This can end up biting you in the ass. For example, if you do end up alone for even a short period of time, you may become VERY depressed. In extreme cases, you may even become suicidal when you are without a relationship.
It can get messy. If you constantly jump from partner to partner, there may be issues/feelings with your exes, which may cause problems in your new relationship. Or you may still feel ‘in love’ with an ex, while you are in a relationship with your new partner. Messssssy.....
You are more likely to pick someone out of fear of being alone than because you want to be with them. Thus, the person may not be right for you at all.
You stay in an unhappy relationship because you don’t want to be alone. In extreme cases you may find yourself suffering physical or mental violence and yet still be unable to leave for fear of being without a partner.
You never get truly close to anyone. True love has to come from choice and not from a desperate need.

How to give coupledom a break for a while:

Reflect. Think about why your last relationship broke up before you move onto the next one. There may be important lessons there. Also, you need time to grieve one person before you can really develop feelings for someone else.
Work on your own life; your hobbies, your work, college etc. These keep you occupied and are good for your self esteem.
Go to the professionals. Get some therapy to try and figure out why you do what you do.
Attend a support group like Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous.

Further Information:

Toxic-relationships

Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous

Relationship counselling