Rihanna is one of the most successful female recording artists on the planet; she has also made a name for herself in the fashion industry as well. It appears though, that despite her success, things are not going well for her in her private life. She recently gave an interview with Grazia magazine where she said that she plans to seek help for her addiction problems. Rihanna is not talking about alcohol or drugs here, as her problem seems to be love. She plans to enter the Centre for Relationship and Sexual Recovery in Nunnelly, Tennessee.
Is Rihanna Addicted to Love?
The relationship between Rihanna and Chris Brown has received a great deal of attention in the media. The relationship has been very volatile, and even the couple’s close friends feel that they need to keep away from each other. The problem is that Rihanna seems to be completely obsessed with him, being seemingly unable to let go of the relationships. People who know her feel that if she is not able to make a clean break, it could all end very badly. Like all addicts, Rihanna seems unable to stop doing the thing that is causing her misery – this is why she is now seeking help.
Is Love Addiction a Real Addiction?
Most people will associate addiction with alcohol and drugs, but it is also possible to become addicted to maladaptive behaviours. Love addiction refers to a situation where people become addicted to the feelings produced by being in love. Although it is referred to as being addicted to love, it is actually more like an obsession where the individual becomes overly attached to the other person. This object of their obsession is like this person’s drug, and they will continue with the obsession even when it is obviously causing them great harm. The relationship between Rhianna and Chris Brown does seem to contain many of the hallmarks of this type of addiction.
The symptoms of love addiction can include:
- staying in a relationship when it is obviously harmful
- having an obsessive need for love and intimacy
- feeling very vulnerable in relationships
- making promises to change but seem unable to keep these promises
- being attracted to people who are obviously bad for them
- avoiding healthy relationships because these are viewed as boring
- using the pain of a chaotic relationship to hide their own inner demons
- having experienced a lack of love while growing up
- looking for somebody to fix them
- appearing very needy in relationships
- going to extreme lengths to save the relationship
- struggling to get over relationships that have ended.
Can Rihanna Be Helped with Her Love Addiction?
It is only really in the last decade or so that options have come available to help people overcome love addiction. It is now possible to seek treatment in specialised rehabs, and there are 12 Step programs to help people deal with this type of problem. Like all addictions, the person has to be fully committed to change in order for the treatment to work. If Rihanna has any ambivalence about recovery from this obsessive behaviour, it could prevent her from taking the steps she needs. It is good to see that she is taking steps to end her problems. It is also great that she is highlighting this type of addiction so that people in similar situations can also seek help.
