The Dangers Of Addictive Relationships
Before you can correct your addictive relationship and create healthy personal boundaries between you and your spouse, you need to understand the dangers of relationship addiction. While this may come across as genuine fondness or deep attachment, the fact is that love addiction can cause just as many adverse reactions as drug addiction or alcoholism.
In an addictive relationship, you are completely codependent on your spouse. Every decision you make, every thought that you have, and every plan that you execute is run through the other person in the relationship. This will not only cause you to lose the sense of your own identity, but it may lead you to make poor decisions on your own in the future. Addictive relationships may also turn into controlling, overbearing situations, where one spouse obtains complete power over the other. This balance is sure to put distress on you and your relationship as a whole.
Perhaps the biggest point to take from this is that relationship addiction is not love – it’s an addiction. You aren’t happy with the person you are with, but rather with the idea of being connected to another human being. This may cloud your judgment and force you to stay in a relationship that was not meant to be. In the end, you will both be hurt, sad, and torn apart by the environment you have created.
The Benefits Of Relationship Boundaries
By establishing healthy boundaries in your relationship, you can ensure that there is an equal balance of power, joy, stress, and responsibility between you and your partner. There is no jealousy over spending time with friends or family members if both of you are able to do so on your own accord. If something goes wrong with the relationship in the future, you do not have to worry about it completely destroying your life. You will be strong enough to pick up the pieces and move on.
Setting boundaries in your relationship will also allow you to assess what your true feelings are for your boyfriend, girlfriend, fiancé, or spouse. What connections do you actually hold, and what do you like about the other person? How do you interact with one another when the addiction is not taking over your mind? With a clear head, you will be able to make the right decisions about progressing with the relationship you are in.