The following are some of the best love addiction books to help you on your healing journey.
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What Is Love Addiction?
Love addiction is a type of behavioral addiction that involves an obsessive preoccupation with romantic love, sex, and relationships.
It is characterized by a strong emotional dependency and obsessive fixation on one’s partner that leads to compulsive behaviors in pursuit of their approval and attention.
People with love addiction often experience intense feelings of loneliness and emptiness when they are not in a relationship, and may have difficulty setting boundaries or ending unhealthy relationships.
This addiction can negatively impact a person’s mental health, relationships, and overall quality of life.
Treatment for love addiction typically involves therapy, support groups, and developing healthy coping mechanisms.
What Are The Signs of Love Addiction?
Love addiction is a behavioral addiction that involves the obsessive and compulsive pursuit of romantic love, sex, and relationships. The signs of love addiction include:
1. An intense and overwhelming desire to be in a relationship.
2. A pattern of jumping from one relationship to another without taking time to heal or reflect.
3. Preoccupation with finding the “perfect” partner.
4. Feeling a sense of emptiness or inadequacy when not in a relationship.
5. Ignoring red flags and staying in unhealthy or abusive relationships.
6. Feeling an intense fear of abandonment or rejection.
7. Experiencing withdrawal symptoms when not in a relationship or when a relationship ends.
8. Neglecting other areas of life, such as work, hobbies, or friendships, for the sake of a relationship.
9. Compulsively checking the phone or social media for messages from a romantic partner.
10. Using sex as a way to feel loved and validated.
If you or someone you know is experiencing these symptoms, it may be a sign of love addiction and seeking professional help can be beneficial.
Love Addiction Books
1. Facing Love Addiction
By Pia Mellody, Andrea Wells Miller, J. Keith Miller
In “Facing Love Addiction”, authors Pia Mellody, Andrea Wells Miller, and J. Keith Miller offer readers a compassionate and practical guide to understanding and overcoming love addiction.
Through personal stories, insights from addiction experts, and proven therapeutic techniques, the authors explore the ways in which love addiction can manifest in romantic relationships and how it can be healed.
They also provide tools for readers to identify unhealthy patterns in their own relationships and develop healthier boundaries and self-love practices.
Related: Love Addiction Test (+ Resources For Love Addiction)
2. Love Addiction Workbook
By Dr. Howard C. Samuels
The Love Addiction Workbook is a comprehensive guide designed to support individuals on their journey to recovery from love addiction and empower them to build healthy, long-term relationships.
Written by Dr. Howard C. Samuels, an experienced therapist specializing in addiction and relationship issues, this evidence-based workbook provides readers with a wealth of tools and strategies to overcome love addiction and create fulfilling connections.
Dr. Samuels approaches the topic of love addiction with compassion and understanding, offering practical exercises and insightful guidance that will resonate with anyone seeking to break free from destructive relationship patterns. Drawing on his extensive clinical expertise, he explores the underlying causes of love addiction and provides effective techniques to help readers regain control over their lives and find lasting love.
The Love Addiction Workbook is filled with actionable exercises, thought-provoking reflections, and real-life examples that encourage self-exploration and promote personal growth.
Through step-by-step instructions, readers will learn how to identify unhealthy relationship dynamics, set boundaries, develop self-esteem, and practice self-care. Dr. Samuels guides readers through the process of healing, helping them cultivate self-awareness and self-compassion to create healthier, more balanced relationships.
Related: Top 5 Tips On How To Recover From Love Addiction
3. Letting Go of Your Ex
By Cortney Soderlind Warren PhD
Letting Go of Your Ex: CBT Skills to Heal the Pain of a Breakup and Overcome Love Addiction is an insightful and practical guide for anyone struggling with the aftermath of a breakup.
Written by Cortney Soderlind Warren, a licensed psychologist with years of experience helping clients overcome relationship issues, this book offers a step-by-step approach to healing the emotional wounds of a breakup and moving on to a better future.
Using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) techniques, Warren provides readers with the tools they need to identify and challenge the negative thoughts and behaviors that often accompany a breakup.
Through exercises, activities, and real-life examples, she teaches readers how to overcome common obstacles such as rumination, loneliness, low self-esteem, and love addiction. She also emphasizes the importance of self-care, setting boundaries, and developing healthy coping strategies.
Related: Best 5 Stockholm Syndrome & Trauma Bonding Books
4. Is It Love or Is It Addiction
By Brenda Schaeffer D.Min M.A.L.P. C.A.S.
Is It Love or Is It Addiction by Brenda Schaeffer is a groundbreaking book that challenges our perceptions of romance and intimacy.
With her extensive knowledge and expertise as a therapist, Schaeffer explores the complex dynamics between love and addiction, shedding light on the blurred lines that often exist between the two.
In this insightful and compassionate guide, Schaeffer offers practical tools and strategies to help individuals navigate the intricate world of relationships.
Drawing from real-life stories and personal experiences, she provides valuable insights into the addictive nature of love and the potential pitfalls that can arise from unhealthy patterns and dependencies.
Schaeffer’s gentle and patient approach encourages self-reflection and self-awareness, guiding readers towards a deeper understanding of their own emotional needs and desires. She emphasizes the importance of establishing healthy boundaries, fostering genuine connections, and developing a solid sense of self.
Related: How to Recover From Codependency And Savior Complex?
5. Addiction to Love
By Susan Peabody
Addiction to Love: Overcoming Obsession and Dependency in Relationships, written by Susan Peabody, is a compassionate and insightful guide that offers support, guidance, and encouragement to those struggling with the often painful cycle of addiction and dependency in their romantic relationships.
With wisdom gained from personal experience and her professional expertise as a certified chemical dependency counselor, Peabody delves into the complex dynamics of addiction to love. She explores the various forms this addiction can take, including obsessive longing, clinging, possessiveness, and an insatiable need for validation from a partner.
Through poignant anecdotes, practical exercises, and effective strategies, Addiction to Love provides readers with the tools needed to break free from the destructive patterns that keep them locked in unhealthy relationships. Peabody helps readers uncover the underlying causes of their addiction and teaches them how to develop healthier coping mechanisms and self-esteem.
This empowering book also guides readers through the process of healing and building fulfilling, loving relationships based on trust, respect, and mutual support. Peabody’s compassionate approach encourages self-reflection and personal growth, allowing readers to develop a deeper understanding of themselves and their own relationship patterns.
Related: Codependent Relationship Quiz (+FREE Codependency Worksheets)
6. How to Break Your Addiction to a Person
By Howard Halpern
In “How to Break Your Addiction to a Person”, Howard Halpern offers a powerful and practical guide for those struggling with a love addiction. Love addiction is a real and debilitating problem that affects countless individuals, leaving them feeling powerless, lonely and desperate.
In this book, Halpern draws on his 30 years of experience as a clinical psychologist to provide readers with the tools necessary for breaking free from destructive relationship patterns.
Halpern outlines the different types of love addiction, including addiction to unavailable partners, to abusive partners, and to partners who are highly dependent. He also helps readers recognize the signs of addiction, such as obsessive thoughts, intense emotions and an inability to let go of an unhealthy relationship.
Using case studies and exercises, Halpern provides practical advice and strategies for breaking the addiction, including setting boundaries, building self-esteem, developing new interests and coping skills, and finding healthy relationships.
Related: Top 8 Tips On How To Break Codependency In A Relationship
7. Exaholics
By Lisa Marie Bobby
Exaholics: Breaking Your Addiction to an Ex Love is a comprehensive and compassionate guide for people struggling with painful feelings and behaviors related to an ex-partner.
Written by licensed psychologist and relationship expert Lisa Marie Bobby, this book offers practical strategies and exercises to help readers navigate the challenges of letting go, moving on, and building a healthier life after a breakup.
Drawing on her years of clinical experience and research, Bobby explores the science of love addiction and attachment, as well as the emotional and psychological responses that can keep people stuck in unhealthy patterns with an ex-partner.
She provides exercises for emotional regulation, mindfulness, and self-compassion, as well as strategies for creating healthy boundaries, identifying and changing negative thought patterns, and developing a vision for a fulfilling future.
Related: Top 10 Signs Of Trauma Bonding & How To Heal A Trauma Bond
8. Crazy for You
By Kerry Cohen PsyD LPC
In “Crazy for You: Breaking the Spell of Sex and Love Addiction,” author Kerry Cohen PsyD LPC delves into the complex world of sex and love addiction, offering insight, guidance, and support for those seeking to heal from these destructive patterns.
With compassion and expertise, Cohen explores the gripping spell that addiction can weave, and how it manifests in the realm of sex and love. Through personal anecdotes, therapeutic techniques, and the latest research, she provides a roadmap to understanding the underlying causes and effects of these addictions.
Drawing from her own professional experience, as well as from the stories of those who have battled sex and love addiction, Cohen outlines practical strategies to break free from the cycle of destructive behaviors. She encourages readers to explore the root causes of their addiction, building self-awareness and fostering self-compassion along the way.
“Crazy for You” offers a gentle and patient approach, guiding readers through the journey of recovery step by step. It addresses the shame and guilt often associated with sex and love addiction, creating an atmosphere of acceptance and understanding.
Related: 7 Stages Of Trauma Bonding (+FREE Worksheets)
9. Escape from Intimacy
By Anne Wilson Schaef
In “Escape from Intimacy,” Anne Wilson Schaef takes a deep dive into the concept of love addiction, exploring how our cultural and personal beliefs about love and intimacy can be harmful and addictive.
She examines the various ways in which people use sex, romance, and relationships as a means of escape from their own emotional pain and wounds, and suggests that these behaviors can actually prevent us from truly connecting with ourselves and others.
Drawing on both personal experience and professional expertise, Schaef provides practical insights and tools to help readers identify and break free from their love addictions. She encourages readers to examine their own patterns of behavior, including their beliefs about love, gender roles, and power dynamics in relationships.
Related: What Do Boundaries Sound Like? + 35 Boundaries Examples
How Love Addiction Books Can Help
Love addiction books can provide a useful resource for anyone looking to overcome patterns of behavior that may be negatively impacting their relationships.
Some specific ways that love addiction books can help include:
1. Education: Love addiction books can provide education about the underlying psychological and emotional issues that contribute to love addiction. This can help individuals better understand their own experiences and behaviors.
2. Self-Awareness: Love addiction books can encourage introspection and self-awareness, helping individuals identify patterns of behavior that may be causing problems in their relationships.
3. Strategies for Change: Love addiction books offer practical strategies and tips for overcoming love addiction, including techniques for building self-esteem, setting boundaries, and developing healthy relationships.
4. Inspiration: Reading about others’ journeys of recovery from love addiction can be inspiring and motivating, providing hope for those struggling with similar issues.
Conclusion
Love addiction books can provide valuable tools and insights to help individuals overcome patterns of behavior that may be negatively impacting their relationships. They can help individuals understand the root causes of their love addiction, identify unhealthy patterns of behavior, and develop healthy coping mechanisms.
