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How to know if you’re addicted

psyche.co

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Re: How to know if you’re addicted

#71

Post by scottious »

sleepingadmin wrote: post #11

Recently gave cannabis a break. Been using for years as a medical user. If flower, I would smoke Felt like I wasn't anywhere near overdoing it, but when looking at cannabis withdraw symptoms... can confirm. Certainly had a problem. Still wondering if i can even go back.

Withdrawal symptoms usually last a few weeks for me. Head over to reddit.com/r/leaves if you need support for quitting.

I've struggled with this a lot over the years. I'll quit for 6 months, get rid of all my paraphernalia then find myself starting up again. I keep telling myself that I'll use it more responsibly this time, but then I end up doing it every day.

Re: How to know if you’re addicted

#72

Post by shimonabi »

pqs wrote: post #40
GenZRiseUp wrote: post #12

That is a really beautifully designed website. I was addicted to pornography. The way I knew was by trying to stop for at least a week, if I could accomplish that, then it wouldn't be a problem. I couldn't make it past one day. I thought, maybe access was the issue - so I deleted my browsers, and within a day was reinstalling them just to watch porn. I was watching during classes, and I would go late to events just s…

I should try to not randomly browse the web for one week. I'm not sure whether I'm able. Ups. It is so easy to jus type Ctrl-T and then news.ycom TAB.

Sometimes I catch myself when I unconsciously type the address of a web site.

I think I've been addicted to the internet for 20 years.

Re: How to know if you’re addicted

#73

Post by colinmhayes »

IAmGraydon wrote: post #17
aurbano wrote: post #13

Is it just me or it's actually hard to find an answer "how to know if you're addicted" in the article? I skimmed the article and thought I found it when I got to the section titled "Key points – How to know if you’re addicted", in the middle of the article; but again this section didn't give a list of things to look out for... Maybe I missed it?

> Addiction can be defined as a persistent, compulsive need to use a substance, despite the negative consequences to you or others. If that describes you, you likely have an addiction.

How do you define that though? My cannabis use is certainly persistent, but is it compulsive? Maybe I'm just in denial, but it's hard for me to say. I've certainly stopped many times, but find I enjoy life less sober, so I end up smoking again. When does partaking in an activity you enjoy become an addiction? I feel like my urge to read late at night has caused me more problems than my marijuana use because of the many sleepless nights it's caused.

Re: How to know if you’re addicted

#74

Post by mikepurvis »

anonymouse008 wrote: post #49

I’d like to throw this out there to see what comes back; has anyone thought about coding and development being an addiction? In my experience, it has fit all of the characteristics of a deeply addictive loop… There’s a strong period of hard effort for variable reward - and much of the time that reward is just the dang thing compiling. I know without a doubt I’ve hurt myself doing this more than I should and am curren…

I would agree with this, but I think for me it's more of an undiagnosed ADHD thing, where I have periods of fabulous productivity where I'm up all night for days riding an endless wave of dopamine, and then other times where it's weeks of feeling stalled and unmotivated even when the next steps should be fairly clear.

Re: How to know if you’re addicted

#75

Post by ModernMech »

matheusmoreira wrote: post #44
JimWestergren wrote: post #28

Why such a focus of substances and no mention of the more common addictions such as video games, porn and social media?

They don't cause the severe dysfunction found in substance abuse. Opioid addiction for example is among the ugliest things in existence. Video games, gambling, social media addictions are all bad but not to the same degree.

> They don't cause the severe dysfunction found in substance abuse.

Big disagree. I'm not going to say opioid addiction isn't a worse thing, but I watched a friend fail out of college because he played WoW all day every day. For a whole year he barely left his room. It definitely wasn't healthy.

I remember at one point I was playing Everquest all night in high school. My friend had an account and let me use it when he was sleeping, so I'd play from 9:00pm to 6:00am, then go to school, then repeat. I hardly ever slept, which was definitely not healthy. There's a reason they called it Evercrack.

Re: How to know if you’re addicted

#76

Post by leetcrew »

k3liutZu wrote: post #48
leetcrew wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I guess, but if there truly are zero negative consequences, it's not really a problem that needs to be solved. I have a compulsion to have one or two cups of coffee every morning. is it useful to describe myself as a coffee addict?

> is it useful to describe myself as a coffee addict? I don't know whether it's useful, but it suits the definition. We do enjoy this coffee, we do drink it regularly, and we do crave it when we don't have it. I'd say addiction sums it up.

I disagree. word definitions are not handed to us by god; we get to choose useful ones. to me, the "negative consequences" bit is what makes "addiction" more specific than "habit", which can be of bad, neutral, or even good quality.

maybe exercise would have been a better example. there are people who damage themselves through compulsive overtraining, but there is often a compulsive element to moderate exercise. a person with a solid 5x1hr/week regimen will often feel bad if they miss a day and be very reluctant to do so. but this is not a bad thing at all; it is a very healthy habit.

Re: How to know if you’re addicted

#77

Post by wpietri »

pqs wrote: post #40
GenZRiseUp wrote: post #12

That is a really beautifully designed website. I was addicted to pornography. The way I knew was by trying to stop for at least a week, if I could accomplish that, then it wouldn't be a problem. I couldn't make it past one day. I thought, maybe access was the issue - so I deleted my browsers, and within a day was reinstalling them just to watch porn. I was watching during classes, and I would go late to events just s…

I should try to not randomly browse the web for one week. I'm not sure whether I'm able. Ups. It is so easy to jus type Ctrl-T and then news.ycom TAB.

For me, a well-established habit can be different than addiction, but they're definitely related. What I look for is a) whether I'm using X to avoid discomfort, and b) whether using X helps create or sustain that discomfort.

As an example, I play casual computer games to take breaks. So popping open my current favorite can be a habit. But I've had friends addicted to WoW, such that they were spending enough time in it that it was making their lives worse. The more they played, the worse their personal problems got, causing them to seek more relief through WoW.

Re: How to know if you’re addicted

#78

Post by ModernMech »

JimWestergren wrote: post #28

Why such a focus of substances and no mention of the more common addictions such as video games, porn and social media?

If you want an addiction that no one ever talks about, addiction to money would be a big one. That's seen more or less as a virtue in our society though.

Re: How to know if you’re addicted

#79

Post by wpietri »

pdenton wrote: post #65

The worst of the bunch is tobacco. The effect is basically nothing, but it hurts ones health and wallet. I've done cocaine, marijuana, mdma, speed, xtc pills, and some research chemicals. Protips: don't smoke, and never combine any two drugs. If you really want a certain substance, do at least the first session with someone sober to keep an eye on you. Never accept drugs from strangers and don't give in to peer press…

For some costumes, I have held an unlit cigar in my teeth. The effect for me is noticeable and strong, like caffeine but more so. I really liked it! Which is why I will never take up regular use of it.

Re: How to know if you’re addicted

#80

Post by dylan604 »

lelanthran wrote: post #34
rhino369 wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>The way I knew was by trying to stop for at least a week, if I could accomplish that, then it wouldn't be a problem. Not being able to stop for a week shows you are an addict. But being able to stop for week doesn't really show you aren't one. Most addicts do quit for weeks or even months at a time.

> Not being able to stop for a week shows you are an addict. But being able to stop for week doesn't really show you aren't one. Most addicts do quit for weeks or even months at a time. Correct. "Not doing $X anymore" doesn't mean you aren't an addict. "Being able to turn on/turn off doing $X" means you aren't an addict. If you haven't had a drink in years, but having a single one means that you now cannot do without…

"There's no such thing as an ex-Marine", so are Marines addicts?
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