I did the addiction thing for years and look back at some of the crazy, obsessive stuff I did and am really, really embarrassed. There are some places I don't even want to show my face anymore. The only way I could end an addiction to a person was by replacing them with a new person, and even that didn't work all the time.

I finally got to the point where I just stopped dating for a year. During my off time, I made a list of red flags that indicated the relationship would go nowhere. I did not go on dates with anyone who had one of those red flags, no matter how charming they seemed.

It turned out okay for me. The first person I met who passed my test has been my boyfriend for six years now! Good luck -- it's very, very hard to give up these people.