I think the biggest difficulty in an addicted relationship is that we don't have a guidepost to go by in figuring out what a healthy relationship looks like especially if we didn't witness one growing up. The following is a brief description of the two and this can be the topic of discussion for tonight. In healthy relationships, both partners have consideration for each other’s unique individuality. Both are free to explore and satisfy their personal needs, desires, and curiosities. Each experiences the independence that goes with a foundation of trust and security in the relationship. They both look to create a set of standards and each makes conscious efforts with full intention to adhere to them. Conversely, in a relationship with an addicted partner, the balance mentioned is affected when one person becomes overly invested in the other person’s satisfaction and happiness spending a lot of time, energy, and effort accommodating their partner's wants or needs. This imbalance places their well-being on the back burner, and they lose sight of their own sense of fulfillment and their happiness becomes dependent on seeing their partners’ wants and needs satisfied. These develop in destructive patterns of placing the other’s happiness and prosperity above their own setting up an addictive cycle as they become even more dependent on the other’s well-being for validation of the relationship and their own self-worth. Frequently, these relationships involve one or both persons suffering from a form of drug or alcohol addiction, or mental health condition. The efforts made by the other are well-intended to care for the other person, but nonetheless, destructive to both. The addict also becomes dependent on the reassurance they get from their partner so have no reason to want to quit. The other, in addition to losing sight of their own needs and wants, individuality, and desires, often become victims of physical and/or emotional abuse and manipulation and yet frequently make excuses for the other person’s emotionally destructive actions. psychology,Personal,Love,Relationship,Family,