Addicted to One Person

Becoming attached to one person can feel like an addiction because the brain treats romantic connection as a powerful reward. Brain imaging studies show that romantic attachment activates the same dopamine based reward circuits involved in substance addiction. These circuits drive focus, craving, and motivation, making one person feel uniquely important and hard to replace.

When the relationship ends or contact is lost, the brain experiences withdrawal. Dopamine levels drop, stress hormones rise, and areas linked to craving and pain become more active. This is why breakups can cause insomnia, anxiety, loss of appetite, and intrusive thoughts. These reactions are real, measurable, and neurological rather than imagined or exaggerated.

Over time, the brain can rebalance as new routines and sources of reward form. Neuroplasticity allows attachment circuits to slowly detach and reorganise. Understanding this process helps explain why letting go takes time and why intense attachment is not weakness. It is the brain responding to loss in the same way it responds to any powerful reward being removed.