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BREAKUPS & ENDINGS

Don’t Let Polyamory Be Your Excuse Not To Break Up

Adding more love doesn't fix a broken relationship. If it's not working, polyamory isn't the answer — it's the delay. Time to be honest.

✦ BY LEANNE YAU
APRIL 30, 2025
Don’t Let Polyamory Be Your Excuse Not To Break Up

Photo by Leeloo The First on Pexels

Two things can be true:

Polyamory gives you more flexibility in relationships, because you don't have to end one perfectly good connection to be with someone else, and different people can meet different needs so everyone can be their most authentic selves. AND -

Polyamory shouldn't stop you from ending relationships that need to be ended. There's a BIG difference between a relationship that isn't meeting some needs but is still fulfilling in other ways, and a relationship that is dysfunctional and draining across the board. SOME people use polyamory as a way to quiet quit a dysfunctional relationship because they're too scared to just break up, and use other relationships to escape from their problems.

Polyamory can be great for keeping some relationships together, but it is not a band-aid for a hot mess of a relationship. Don't invite other people into your mess just because YOU are in denial that the mess is there - it's not fair to anyone involved, especially not your other partners! As for how to tell the difference between a relationship that needs restructuring and one that needs ending, that's a very personal and nuanced question that is specific to you and your situation.

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Original Post: Poly Philia

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