Relational Issues

Issues like love addiction or avoidance can be life-disrupting and lead to substance use

Treatment Trauma Relational Issues

Relational Issues: What You Need to Know

Young adults may experience trauma in the context of intimate relationships, affecting the way they view the world and themselves. If a loved one is addicted or has mental health issues, the young adult’s home life may be very chaotic and stressful. Young adults who endure verbal, emotional, or physical abuse may subsequently have low self-esteem and a lack of understanding about what healthy relationships look like. This may cause them to become codependent, establish unhealthy behavior patterns, and experience more adverse events in relationships. They may even seek out alcohol or drugs in order to cope or fit in, which can put them on the path to addiction.

Effects of Relational Issues

When young adults experience severe relational issues early in their lives, they can develop attachment disorders, codependence, mental health issues, and even addiction. A lack of love and affirmation can hinder their physical, emotional, and mental development. They may be drawn to unhealthy attachments and not be able to establish proper personal boundaries. As a result, they may experience higher levels of abuse in relationships.

Relational issues may also foster excessive alcohol and drug use. Stress and anxiety from relationship violence, trauma, abuse, or an obsessive need to be in a relationship can compel a person to self-medicate with substances.

Fortunately, young adults with relational issues can learn to identify and overcome these challenges. Processing trauma, becoming educated on healthy relationships, and forming healthy attachments can help them heal and become relationally adept. Discovering why their relational issues exist, as well as why they may be drawn to unhealthy partners — and even prone to substance use — can empower them to establish new patterns and make appropriate changes.

If left untreated, relational issues may develop into conditions such as the following:

• Love addiction. This is an attachment condition in which individuals feel they cannot function unless they are in a relationship. On occasion, it may be common to feel sadness, anxiety, or a sense of inadequacy due to a lack of romantic relationship, but love addiction involves a compulsory need to be in a relationship at all times.
• Love avoidance. This is an inability or refusal to show love for someone for fear of being hurt. Such individuals avoid intimacy in order to protect themselves from rejection, loss, and the types of pain that can accompany intimate relationships.
• Sexual anorexia. This condition is characterized by the lack of desire for a sexual relationship due to the fear of intimacy.
• Pornography addiction. This is an addiction model of compulsive sexual activity with concurrent use of pornographic material, despite negative consequences to physical, mental, social, or financial well-being.

Treatment of Relational Issues

At the Claudia Black Young Adult Center, we focus on building safe communities for young adults to interact with their peers, family therapy, trauma resolution, thorough assessments, and 12-Step groups.

Our assessments allow us to create an accurate picture of what each young adult needs so we can construct the best possible treatment plan. For young adults with relational issues, we get to the root of what has caused their attachment conditions and any substance use disorders. We guide them through the process of healing by helping them process trauma through therapies like EMDR and Somatic Experiencing. Then we equip them to identify unhealthy relationship patterns and discover how to form healthy attachments. An emphasis on connecting with peers and family — as well as 12-Step involvement — fosters positive relationship development.

The Stats on Relational Issues 

• Young adults who experience violence in relationships are more likely to enter subsequent relationships of lesser quality.
• Individuals who experience relationship violence are at a higher risk for developing physical and psychological health issues.
• Research indicates that among individuals with compulsive sexual behaviors, 22% experienced physical abuse and 31% experienced sexual abuse as a child.
• In one study, binge drinking young adults were six times more likely to report recent sex after drinking.
• 29% of young adults reported that their drinking resulted in less safe sexual behavior.

Individuals who experience relationship violence are at a higher risk for developing physical and psychological health issues.

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Help for Relational Issues

Relational issues can be life-disrupting and contribute to addiction or mental health conditions. The Claudia Black Young Adult Center can help individuals suffering from relational issues and attachment conditions regain control over their lives. We offer a comprehensive treatment program that focuses on healing the whole person. A wide range of relational issues are addressed every day in our programs, and our experienced staff looks forward to helping you begin your healing journey.

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Our experienced, compassionate Admissions team is here to help 24 hours a day and will treat you with the dignity and respect you deserve. Let our specialists help you create a road map to get you where you want to go: a healthier, more balanced, fulfilling place in life. When you call, you’ll be led through a series of questions to determine if the Claudia Black Young Adult Center is the right fit for your needs, and how soon your treatment can begin.

If you are interested in treatment for yourself or a loved one, call or fill out our convenient Admissions form!

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