Rachel Resnick has written a heroic and heartbreaking memoir about sex and romance addiction.
Janet Fitch, author of White Oleander and Paint in Black, described Resnick’s book perfectly when she said, “Reading Love Junkie is like watching a sleepwalker taking a stroll on a freeway. All you can do is pray.”
Rachel puts it ALL out there in this beautiful memoir, and she’s going to help a lot of people in the process.
The book comes out next month but is available for pre-order on amazon. Rachel recently participated in a smart discussion about sex and love addiction on NPR.
As I was listening to the discussion, I was surfing through Facebook profiles. I came across one of a guy I used to date, noting that it was essentially a shrine to somebody he is currently involved with (counting down the days until they’re together, commenting about how “in love” he is, and already making future plans for holidays). When he’s not like this, he’s in a depressed state. In fact, we ended our relations because of his depression, which was likely due to the fact that the situation was no longer new and exciting.
As interesting as the polls were concerning attitudes towards living near an addict, I’m curious how many people have been involved in some capacity beyond friendship with a love/sex addict. I’m willing to bet most of us have.
I’m left wondering how often two love/sex addicts end up with each other in a dangerous emotional cycle, and how often one of the lovers is drawn into the situation unaware (especially in the case of an older addict drawing in less-emotionally-developed younger boys).
Another thought, betraying my bias, since I don’t identify as an addict:
I noticed that I suggested the role of predator for the older addict, while it’s likely, as was the case with the person I used to date, that both are unaware of the situation.