A parasite latches on to a host and exploits it for valuable resources necessary for its survival.

If you suspect that you're in a parasitic relationship, then you must be worried that the person you're dating, much like a parasite, is sucking you dry, robbing you of emotional strength, money, time, and everything else that is valuable to you.

If you want to know if you are in a parasitic relationship, then you have to see if the following signs apply to you. And if you are, then you better get out ASAP.  

See if you're paying most of the time. This is another red flag. Sure, everyone gets strapped for cash from time to time, but if you find that you're the one always paying for dinner, movies, trips, gas, or even the big things, like the person's education, child support, rent and other bills, then you are definitely in a parasitic relationship. It's likely that the person you're dating doesn't even apologize for all this but takes it as a given that you will take care of him or her. If this is the case, then you need to get out pronto.

• The person might even say, "I'd love to go out to dinner, but you know I'm so broke this month." This is a way of tricking you into paying while making you think it's your idea.
• Even if you have tons of money to spare, this should still be a warning sign. If the person you're dating is so willing to take advantage of your money, he or she will also be just as willing to take advantage of your emotions.

See if your partner has to do everything with you. If you genuinely love doing absolutely everything with your partner, then you may be growing co-dependent. But if you feel like you could use a little more space while your partner is trying to do absolutely every little thing with you, from grocery shopping to eating every single meal together, then he or she may be a parasite. Having a close bond is one thing; feeling like you can't even take a shower by yourself is another.

• If every single time you step out of the house, even if it's just to pick up a prescription from the pharmacy or to get coffee, you hear your partner say, "I'll come, too!" then he or she may be a parasite.
• If you suddenly notice that your partner is always doing the things you used to love doing alone, from morning yoga to taking a walk after dinner, then he or she may be a parasite.
• If your partner also can't do anything by him or herself, whether it's to have a coffee date with a new acquaintance or to get an oil change, and is always asking you to come along, then you may be in a parasitic relationship.

See if you don't have any separate friends. Have you suddenly noticed that all of your friends have become your partner's friends? Before, he or she might have hung out with a few people you didn't know, but ever since you got serious, all of those outside friends have fallen off the radar. Your significant other now only hangs out with your friends, whom he or she has begun to call "our friends." He or she may even try to hang out with those friends without you. This is a dangerous thing.

• If you and your significant other suddenly have all of the same friends, then your relationship may be in trouble. This may be your significant other's way of ensuring you stay together forever. After all, who wants to deal with the awkwardness of breaking up when you have the exact same friends?
• If your significant other never had any other friends to begin with, this should also be another cause for concern. This is a sign that the person isn't capable of forming close bonds with people he or she isn't dating.

See if you're doing excessive favors for your partner. In a healthy relationship, partners take turns doing favors for each other whenever one person needs a little help. In a parasitic relationship, one partner is always doing favors for the other and getting nothing in return. If you find that you're giving your partner rides everywhere, cooking all the meals or picking them up, running errands for him, and basically taking care of all the little things he or she is too lazy to do, then you may be infected by a parasite.

• Though it may hurt, write two lists: one, a list of all the favors you've done for your partner, and two, a list of all the favors he or she has done for you. They don't match up, do they?

See if your partner is completely antisocial. This is another major problem. If any time you and your partner are out in public together, he or she refuses to talk to other people, wants all of your attention, and generally shows no regard for others, then you need to rethink your priorities. It's one thing if your partner is really shy, but another if he or she is rude to others or just flat-out acts like they don't exist. This is a sign that the person doesn't see a life outside of you.

• If you find that when the two of you go out, you have to constantly spend all of your time at your partner's side or he or she gets hurt or jealous, then you have a problem.

See if your partner is upset any time you do your own thing. In any healthy relationship, both partners should feel comfortable doing their own thing. This can mean hanging out with your own friends, getting some quality family time, or just reading, running, or pursuing your own hobbies on your own time. If your partner truly loves and cares about you, then he or she should be happy when you pursue your own interests and grow as a person on your own.

• If your partner is hurt, angry, jealous, or distant whenever you leave the house without him or her, even if you're just grabbing coffee with your cousin Sally, then he or she resents your individuality.
• If your partner checks in on you and asks when you'll be home every five minutes when you're out, then he or she may be a parasite.

See if other people have voiced concern about your relationship. When people voice concern about your relationship, it's natural to get defensive and to feel even more determined to prove everyone wrong by trying as hard as you can to make things work. But if you find that your friends, family members, and pretty much everyone in your orbit is worried that your significant other is taking advantage of you, then there may be some truth to what they're saying.

• When you tell these people they're wrong, you end up driving them away. Then your partner gets exactly what he or she wants -- even more of your time and attention.