Don't give up on love.

The survival of our species is dependent on sex, not love. I'd even go so far as to propose that love is detrimental to the species since often people in love also choose monogamy, hardly conducive to procreating as much as possible with as many as possible.

While being emotionally abused and neglected as a child has made its mark on you, it does not, in and of itself, prevent you from ever knowing or feeling love.

There are all kinds of love, "unconditional" being the most elusive of all.

Most romantic relationships fail. It's the nature of the beast. The truth is the head over heels, "in love," completely obsessed, can't keep your hands off each other love fades and you're left with a different kind of love after. The things that matter then, are things you can identify in another person now... kindness, appreciation for one another, respect, etc. Some people start there and the love grows later.

Next time you're having one of those superficial relationships, and you connect physically, take a risk, don't push them away, let them in.