1) Some of us also have a very strong sense of accomplishment about accruing those days, one by one, of abstinence from a particular thing. I was recently quite upset when I found out that I may have unknowingly eaten sugar, after several months of not having had any. It meant so much to me, all those days (I count them) of being "clean". I don't object morally to sugar, but it's not something I want in my body. I felt violated as much by the person whom I believe misled me as I did by the substance. 6) Manipulators know this very well, and often use it to gain the benefits of implied deeper intimacy. I hate to generalize, but my experience is that men do this more often in romance, women more often in friendship. If someone is inappropriately earnest with you, beware: They are either a parasite or an emotional wreck who will complicate your life, and not in a pleasant way.