Why Do People Still Cling to Toxic Relationships?
By CrimsonSpork
@Manasha (2924)
Pondicherry, India
October 29, 2025 12:25am CST
You ever wonder why some people just won’t let go of a toxic relationship? Even when it’s full of manipulation, guilt trips, and gaslighting? It’s like they know it’s breaking them, yet they keep going back for more.
Maybe it’s fear of being alone, or maybe they’ve been convinced they can’t do better—a classic result of emotional manipulation. But honestly, what’s the point of holding on to something that only drains your peace and self-worth?
Have you ever stayed in a toxic relationship or watched someone else stuck in one? What do you think keeps people trapped in that cycle?
3 people like this
3 responses
@MarieCoyle (50187)
•
17h
My best friend had an extremely verbally abusive husband. He treated her so badly. He wasn't always that way, but he drank a lot and then she paid the price. They both worked full time the entire length of their marriage. She wanted to leave but she was scared. She said as soon as the youngest was out of school, she was leaving. But it didn't work that way. He had a stroke and guess who had to take care of him. He couldn't drink anymore...and he got even meaner. I have to say that she misses the way he used to be, before he got nasty, but she doesn't miss the person he became. It can get complicated. She is one of the best people I've ever known and she deserved better.
1 person likes this
@AmbiePam (105222)
• United States
29 Oct
I’ve never been in a toxic relationship, but my best friend used to be in one. I think her problem was thinking she was rescuing him along with her desire not to be alone. She rescues animals, and it felt like she was trying to save him from himself. But he was terrible to her, and it brought out the worst emotions in her. Thankfully, after about two years she dumped him, and threatened a restraining order if he didn’t quit the threatening texts. Fearful for his job, he left her alone.
@Manasha (2924)
• Pondicherry, India
18h
That sounds like such a tough situation for your friend. It’s so easy to see how someone with a nurturing side—like her, with her rescue instinct—would try to fix someone who’s broken. But it’s like trying to save someone who doesn’t even want to be saved, and that kind of emotional labor can be incredibly draining.
1 person likes this
@Manasha (2924)
• Pondicherry, India
18h
@Jim Bauer I think you’re right—it really does go deep. A lot of it ties into trauma bonding and the way our brains get conditioned to associate love with pain or inconsistency. When someone’s constantly torn down and then given small doses of affection, it creates this addictive emotional cycle that’s hard to break. It’s not logic that keeps people there—it’s attachment, fear, and the hope that things will go back to the way they once were.
