Careless freedom, unexplained hand holding, unprotected hugs, your unquenchable thirst for THE one, a reckless sex drive coupled up with blissful abandonment. Unexpected consequences only hitting home years later, finally sobered up from being head over heels. Two kids and a mortgage later you think what happened? Your highs were encouraged relentlessly; Valentines cards, engagement parties, lavish weddings – and anniversaries all celebrating you finding your fix.

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A cocktail of chaos bubbled away in your heart. When you fell in love, your brain released cupid’s dose of chemicals; dopamine, oxytocin, and serotonin. Triggering the exact same neurotransmitters as some of the best class A drugs available today. The biochemical perspective supports why, much like substance dependence, you became addicted to the way love made you feel, leading to your obsessive and sometimes odd behaviour and then, almost inevitably…. your comedown.

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Heartbreak is the cold turkey which darkly mirrors the high. Jealous rages, violent outbursts, you can’t eat, you can’t talk; dangerously stalking your ex’s social media armed with a bottle of wine and a spiteful attitude. Don’t think about work, they can wait till your heart is mended. But no one wants to know, she’ll get over it; there’s plenty more fish in the sea. The best way to get over someone is to get under someone else. Really?

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Turns out Bryan Ferry and Robert Palmer were both right; Love is a drug and you might as well face it, you’re addicted.

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                                                                        Romantics Anonymous. Mondays 8pm, Trinity Community Centre.