Personal Counseling > Addictive Relationships > Are You Addicted?

 :: The Basis of the Addiction :: Are You Addicted? ::
:: Strategies for Overcoming Relationship Addictions ::
:: When to Seek Professional Help ::
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Listed below are several signs of addiction. Consider whether they apply to you or someone you know:

• Even though you know the relationship is bad for you (and perhaps others have told you this), you take no effective steps to end it.
  
  
• You give yourself reasons for staying in the relationship that are not really accurate or that are not strong enough to counteract the harmful aspects of the relationship.
  
  
• When you think about ending the relationship, you feel terrible anxiety and fear, which make you cling to it even more.
  
  
• When you take steps to end the relationship, you suffer painful withdrawal symptoms, including physical discomfort that is only relieved by reestablishing contact.

If most of these signs apply to you, you are probably in an addictive relationship and have lost the capacity to direct your own life. To move toward recovery, your first steps must be to recognize that you are "hooked" and then try to understand the basis of your addiction. In this way, you gain the perspective to determine whether, in reality, the relationship can be improved or whether you need to leave it.

Need Additional Help?

The staff of the WSC Counseling Center is available for free workshops and offers individual counseling to help with these issues. For more information, call the Counseling Center at (402) 375-7321.

Wayne State College
Counseling Center
Student Center, Room 103

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Ron Vick, MA, LPC
Counselor / Academic Advisor
Int'l Student Advisor