Addictions

[Cornelius loh Quatious]

After reading the latest bit on the Anime thread, I started wondering about just how much you have to be into something for it to be considered an "addiction." A friend of mine who's into Psychology said that addiction is usually characterized by having withdrawl symptoms when one goes without for extended periods of time.

Discuss:
Some addictions you have
What characterizes or defines an addiction
How to control your addictions
Whether your addictions need controlling

There was a particularly good episode of House in which the doctor (on a wager) went without painkillers for a week, after which is was quite obvious that he had an addiction. Nonetheless, he felt that there was no reason to bother doing anything about it, since he was still functioning as a member of society and was not being detrimental to society as a whole.

Does this mean that addictions are only bad if they disrupt your life or the lives of others? Does that even characterize them as addictions then?

I confess that I've battled (read: still battling) some addictions of my own, and it has been incredibly difficult to maintain it day after day. Can addictions be overcome with sheer force of will? Or is help (from clinics, therapists, or friends) necessary for long-term success?

Feel free to be as specific or as vague as you want. This isn't meant to single anyone out or embarass people. It's just to stimulate discussion on the subject, so don't feel compelled to bare your private life if you don't want to.  

[Astuta]

Will can over come everything, just depends on how strong yours is....

It's like when I lost my Green Day CD(sad I know) I got withdrawl symptoms because I was constantly playing it because it was in my CD player and I'm lazy. However, sheer will over came it and my friend was amazed that I knew all the words when I went round her house the other day(it's very sad...especially when you're singin word for word Jesus of Subrbia)

Also, I find my self with additions to certain games, normally RPGs...but that's the way I work....

Golden Sun(completed most of it in a week, then realised I forgot to beat the game...and went back to it)

SoA:Legends.....I was up on x-mas night beating that game too...

Yep I get into stuff to much, but I have limits, nothing has ever owned me....
I just had mild case of addition, where I have to complete stuff....or else I'll never be satisfied.  

[bloodlust_angelkel]

I have a bad caffeine addiction I have to drink it in order for me to stay up  

[Javinus]

I admit that I have a number of addictions, some being rather minor, and others considered to be detramental. I only recently have taken up smoking (a smart move on my part, I know), and I'm sure this will develop into an addiction soon, though I have been at this for a month and have not yet developed cravings. I can actually go a whole day without lightning one of those DeathSticks. I'm coming to believe that it's a psychological issue of availability and power over my own decisions. I have the money burning a hole in my pocket, I'm 21 years of age, thus making perfectly legal to do this. With many stresses of college and real life constantly pressing upon me, I have finally found an outlet of the pressure, or an escape, if you will.

But does this mean that addictions only relate to physical/chemical dependancy?

If it doesn't, then there's the whole issue (although minor in most cases) of materialistic addictions, such as Astuta's addiction to RPGs. I, myself, could have been considered "addicted" to Gundam Wing when I was in highschool, and no matter what efforts my stepmother did to prevent me from indulging myself into this anime, I simply could not go without my entertainment of the Gundam Guys (until I matured and grew out of it). Would that be considered an addiction? or merely an obsession?

Trying to maintain a long-distance relationship with my fiance' has its withdrawl symptoms, such as irratibility, laziness, nostalgia, longing, and a lack of performance when she does manage to visit twice a year. Does that state that I'm addicted to my fiance'? Or am I addicted to the sex she provides? I'm pretty sure there's no chemical dependancy in this situation, unless pheremones have something to do with it, and I simply don't understand those enough to consider them.

How do I control my addictions? For a chemical dependancy, such as my smoking, I perform the deed over moderation. I aim for only two cigarettes the whole day, and I limit myself at four maximum if the day is especially stressful. There is also the peer pressure I am surrounded by. I attend a very conservative campus, and many of my "friends" have sneered upon me for my choice of smoking. As for my non-chemical addictions, I find other things to become obsessed about, or I find things to make me busy and take up my time. Then I find that I no longer come home and immediatly log onto my MUD (though I have labeled it as addictive on numerous occassions, because it certainly is obsessive and habit-forming).

Do my habits need controlling? Some do, some don't. My smoking certainly needs controllling, being that it could lead to lung cancer and other physical complications. It's also expensive. As for the others, like the MUD I play, it depends on how detramental it is to myself and my lifestyle. If I find myself MUDding constantly instead of getting homework done or going to work so that I may pay my rent, then yes, it would need to be controlled.  

[NickCpointless]

i have a small drug addiction i dont seem to with out one joint a week sad hum but i havent sufferd any other addictions yet  

[gama100]

I'm not sure if you could call my things addictions, but i go through fixations. like I'll obsess over something for a long or short period of time. It can be a game, or a person, even a band. I don't know if any body else can relate cuz one of ym friends though ti was crazy. I cant help it though. I get obsessed almost, until I either somehow obtain my obsession or i get sick of trying for it, or i get sick of it completely.

Mayba someone else can relate, i'm not really sure if you would call these addiction or not.  

[Dilettante]

I think that an addiction has more to do with what you're willing to do to get it than whether or not you suffer withdrawal symptoms.

I drink a single cup of half-caf coffee every day, and when I go without coffee for a day, I get a mild headache and feel sleepy. This hasn't stopped me from going without - I usually take a nap or some asprin. Am I addicted to caffeine? Probably not, although there's always the possibility that I'm lying to myself ("I can quit whenever I want!"). But the proof, for me, is that when I've got a caffeine headache, I won't drink a cup of coffee that doesn't have sugar in it (too bitter), let alone coffee that's cold or diluted, flat Coke, or the like.

My aunt, on the other hand, drinks close to a dozen cups of coffee each and every single day. Whenever she goes for close to 24 hours without coffee, she gets nauseated, suffers migraine, and starts to see the world spinning around her. Scary stuff. I figure that if she were in withdrawal, she'd drink coffee that had scary green flecks in it if she had to. (I don't know this, I'm just using conjecture) She wouldn't do something antisocial to get it, though - she wouldn't steal your mug if you had the last cup of coffee and she was in withdrawal. She'd probably just go home early. The fact is, though, that (lack of) coffee can make a big difference in her life, and that to me is a sign of addiction.

Someone posted in 'Life Issues' recently asking if she was addicted to sex because she liked to have sex at least once a day. My response was to tell her that the number of times didn't matter as much as her behavior. Would she cheat on her boyfriend to have sex? Would she have sex with someone who repulsed her? Would she have sex in public and risk getting arrested? Does she ever wake up the morning after and wish she hadn't had sex? All of these suggest addiction more than a healthy libido. My point here is that one person who has sex every day can be normal, while another, having sex just as often, can be an addict. One person drinking half a cup of coffee...well, you get the idea. biggrin

Will alone can often overcome an addiction, but it can take a lot of will, more than most people possess. The withdrawal, the cravings, all of that conflicts with the pleasure you get from it. Ever wonder why smokers come up with all kinds of rationalizations for smoking? They don't want to go through the rigors of quitting - most of them have tried, and failed. It often takes a wake-up call to muster up the will needed to deal with an addiction seriously - and even that can fail. Sure, right after you've hit someone while driving drunk, you may swear off alcohol for life - but two months later, when you're aching for a drink and someone offers you a free beer, it's hard to turn it down, and then you're right back where you began. Having the support of family, friends, even co-workers is essential. A support group can help you stay on the wagon. For some addictions, that's harder than others.

Caffeine has a physical addiction (unlike, say, pornography), but if you abstain from caffeine entirely for about 2-3 weeks it gets flushed out of your system and any further cravings are entirely psychological. Alcholism, on the other hand, will stay with you for the rest of your life. Even if you give up alcohol entirely, the smell or taste of alcohol - even a miniscule amount - can be enough to take you right back to where you started. It's a lifetime's work to remain abstinent in such cases, and you need family to help, not hinder you in that goal.  

[Malekhi]

good question.

for starters, my main addiction is sugar, and yes for me it is bad because it makes me very ill. its extremely hard for me to give it up tho, even tho i know what will happen to me if i keep eating it. last three times i tried to give it away i landed myslef some killer withdrawal headaches that lasted days!! but as soon as i had a sugar hit i felt better.

to me, addiction (in it's tightest definition) is something your mind fools you into believing that you cant live without and when you try to break the habbits that this misinformation causes, the body responds with what your friend describes as withdrawal symptoms. the way i see it... eveything is controlled by the mind, even those dreadfull headaches that i had. sheer will power is supposed to be the key to evercoming this powerful trick the mind has initiated, but alot of the time this is simply no the case. trust me... i know!! i have known all year that sugar is VERY bad for me, and yet still i cant manage to stay away from it. the longest was a week. at the moment my goal is a month, and then from there i will bump it up gradually. i beleive that is how i will overcome my addiction.

it is very hard to do it on your own. anyone who has an addiction can tell you that, and thats why support is the most valuable thing one can have when try to overcome an addiction.

i have also found that it can be a viscious circle trying to break an addiction like mine. you start out addiment that nothing will stop you from achieving your gaol of no sugar for one whole month, but as time goes on and you energy starts to fade, your mind starts to play trics on you. bit by bit it steals your will power and you feel so depressed that you "just need a little pick-me-up" and youll be ok. problem is it never stops at one, and eventually youre back to where it all began.

but to answer another of your questions, no i dont think addictions are nececcarily bad, unless they pose a threat to someone.  

[Hiitachin Kaoru]

I don't know if this qualifies as an addiction but, I'm addicted to books. I have to read before I go to bed or I can't fall asleep, I read in the morning or I'm really cranky. If its possible to get high of a good story I definitly do it. I think you can get withdrawal form finishing a good series, especially a long one.  

[riu_xa]

I guess this can be an addiction. I love blood. I'll only drink my own blood though. A while ago I had the addiction of cutting myself so that I could drink it. I've overcome the cutting but I still can't get rid of my urge to drink blood.  

[locke317]

kithlyn

I don't know if this qualifies as an addiction but, I'm addicted to books. I have to read before I go to bed or I can't fall asleep, I read in the morning or I'm really cranky. If its possible to get high of a good story I definitly do it. I think you can get withdrawal form finishing a good series, especially a long one.

Same thing for me as well. If I am reading a good book, I will stay up all night to finish it, then regret staying up the next day when I am tired. Also, I get really depressed when a good series ends, and I want more of the series. When I am reading, I completely ignore my surroundings.  

[le-half-blood-princess]

my addiction is food. it'a a hard addiction cos you can't just give up food, you can't go cold turkey cos you need it to survive! my addiction for junk food in particular is responsible for my bulging waistline. genetically i'm overweight, but i could have gotten down to a healthy weight years ago if i didn't stuff myself with so much chocolate. i just crave it, i need it. i've cut down as part of the diet i'm on, i'm determined to lose weight, but i still have to let myself have one thing everyday or else i'll crack and just pigout and binge and overeat. it's just a vicious addiction, i know it's bad for me but it's so good! i stare down at my jelly rolls and grab onto my inch thick love handles, yet the spoon still goes into the ice cream tub....  

[PoP.x.Sickle]

im addicted to Nickleback music! and as far as i am concerned, an addiction is defined as something that you crave, or it has some kind of unhealty effect on you if you go without it for a while.  

[Higher_Than_You]

I ******** with drugs.

Can't get enough of nothin.  

[imbellis]

im addicted to gaia lol