Addiction isn’t only for drugs. Most of us are addicted to something – our phones, food, Netflix… even other people. In fact, falling in love is a form of addiction! Plenty of studies have shown that it lights up the same parts of your brain as drugs would… how’s that for intense? If you think you might know someone whose brain is lighting up for you, look out for these 12 signs someone is addicted to you. If you can check off a few of these signs or more, you’re definitely someone’s addiction.
1. They abandon commitments for you.
The beginning stages of addiction include a lack of interest in activities that used to be important. The addicted person will cancel their plans to be with you. They might dump their weekly trivia nights to watch a movie with you instead or let their grades slip because they’re spending their free time texting you instead. It’s not that this person suddenly stopped liking their hobbies, but that you have become their new hobby.
Check out: 10 Psychological signs someone likes you
2. They ignore your negative behaviors.
Another key part of addiction is participating in risky behavior. Anything that puts them, their money, or their living situation in jeopardy can be classified as risky. In the context of relationships, this could be when a person sticks around even if you hurt them. Hopefully, you’re not a jerk, but if you are, this person is determined to be around you even if they are hurt in the process. This is bad, but this is a huge giveaway sign that someone is addicted to you.
3. They see all of your posts the minute you upload them.
An addicted person can’t wait for their next fix of you. If they can’t see you every waking moment of the day, they’ll be looking for the next best thing – your presence on social media. The second you upload a picture, repost a story, or share a meme, they’ll be on it like honey. You’ll get a like, comment, or text from them related to your post at a moment’s notice.
4. They need to speak to you every day, even if it’s about nothing.
Addiction is a series of interactions within your brain related to actions and rewards. In this case, this person feels a jump of happy chemicals every time they interact with you because their brain registers you as a big, ol’, fat reward. This means they’ll want as much contact with you as possible. You’ll be receiving texts from this person throughout the day, every day, even if they don’t have much to say. We all have boring days with nothing to report, but this won’t stop an addicted person from dragging on a conversation with you.
Check out: 10 Signs you are emotionally connected to someone
5. They ignore other relationships for you.
Addicted people end up dumping more than just their hobbies for you – they also dump their friends and family. Suddenly, you’re even beating their best friend when it comes to who they want to spend time with. If you find yourself quickly moving up the ranks of this person’s favorite people list, this is a warning sign that they may be addicted to your company. As unhealthy as this is, it tends to happen when people start to fall in love. If you want them to stay healthy socially, encourage them to hang with their friends now and again instead of only with you.
6. They go crazy when you don’t talk to them.
When an addict can’t get what they want, they’ll start to show agitation. The same is true for when this person can’t get your attention. If you don’t respond quickly enough, they will double-text you. Then triple-text, then quadruple, then blow up your phone completely. This happens quite a bit when they are addicted. Or simply, they just worry too much about you.
7. They act desperate for your attention.
An addicted person will do anything for you, even if they look bad doing it. This means they could resort to begging or acting out a scene when trying to keep you close. So if it gets to the point, where their behavior is too extreme, you should know that something is up.
8. They try to distance themselves but always come back to you.
Within addiction, relapse happens often and is seen as a part of recovery. When someone is addicted to you, they may realize the extent of their behavior and want to stop it. They might succeed in distancing themselves from you for a while, but they always end up coming back.
Related: 10 Signs someone secretly likes you
9. They act extremely jealous.
An addicted person’s jealousy rages in person and online. Remember that social media stalking? This means an addicted person will also get jealous of your online activity. If you’re caught liking other people’s pictures or talking to someone they don’t know, you’ll be sure to hear about it. They will also show visible signs of anger or sadness if you’re giving your attention to basically anything or anyone other than them because they see it as a threat to your time together.
10. They are scared to be alone.
When someone is addicted to something or someone, they rely on that addiction to get through each day. This mentality leaves the person thinking that they couldn’t live without you. This fear of being alone creates a dependency on you that is unhealthy and destructive to both individuals’ independence. So when this happens, it could put a toll in the relationship.
11. They’ll revolve their routine around you.
The planets revolve around the sun, but this person revolves solely around you. Just like an addict trying to get a fix, almost everything they do is based on your schedule, your opinion, or your interests. This might be a good thing for you, but in the long run, you might not like it at all.
12. They’ll ask for your approval on all of their decisions.
To an addicted person, your opinion trumps theirs. Another dependent factor that they have. Instead of considering your advice, they will take your opinion as an order that dictates their decisions. To counter this, ask them what they would do in this situation and compliment them on their choice. The more supported they feel, the more independent they can slowly become.
Check out: How to show someone you love them (10 ways)
Conclusion:
Overall, being addicted to someone has its pros and cons. The pros are if you like someone who’s addicted to you, then the relationship would be fine, or that you both are addicted to each other. And the cons are that arguments could easily be triggered if the addicted person doesn’t get their way. Plus, overall addiction is a toxic trait to have in a relationship. Sometimes having or wanting someone 24/7 isn’t ideal and in the long run, it’ll just ruin the relationship. And like anything else in life, moderation is the key. So there you have it 10 signs someone is addicted to you.