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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

#111

Post by nunez »

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.

I don't know about that. I know that anecdotes != empirical data, but, anecdotally, I've seen video games and gambling destroy several peoples careers, relationships, etc.

One dorm-mate was kicked out of college because he spent ALL of his time playing WoW (World of Warcraft) and failed all of his classes. (Side note: I remember being scared to go near that game from hearing so many similar stories at the time.) I've known many people who remain unemployed and do nothing but play video games.

Re: How to know if you’re addicted

#112

Post by nunez »

Cthulhu_ wrote: post #35
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?

Probably because they're considered less harmful to your physical health and society as a whole.

`s/less harmful/socially normalized/`

Getting blasted by/constantly engaging with tweets all day and endless scrolling on Instagram/TikTok/Facebook are just "things that people do" nowadays. I've seen countless couples on dates where they spend a great deal of their time using their phones instead of talking to each other, for example.

My inner curmudgeon remembers when my parents would scold me for spending all of my time on the computer when 56K was all the rage. I was mostly writing websites, looking at PC parts, and browsing Slashdot, mind, but spending all night after school doing it instead of hanging out with friends (that I didn't have or want; I was aggressively bullied back then) was abnormal and concerned them.

Re: How to know if you’re addicted

#113

Post by nunez »

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?

The author lists them pretty clearly towards the middle of the article.

Re: How to know if you’re addicted

#115

Post by IAmGraydon »

specproc wrote: post #10
sumosudo wrote: post #2

Remove the offending substance and see how long or to what extent you would go to get it back.

With alcohol, its not so much about the urge to drink when you stop, but how bad your withdrawal symptoms are. I pretty much gave up in my mid thirties when I stopped for two weeks to deal with some life admin and found myself in withdrawal. I've had a few spells off the wagon since, but now realise something is properly broken in me. Even small amounts of alcohol trigger hideous hangovers and anxiety. The only count…

Were you drinking all day every day? I have a glass or two of bourbon most nights and can do a week break with no sign of withdrawal. Alcohol is definitely very addictive, but you do have to go pretty hard to get withdrawals.

Re: How to know if you’re addicted

#116

Post by PuppyTailWags »

champagnois wrote: post #59
matheusmoreira wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Social media addiction can lead to severe mental health issues, eating disorders, depression, and even suicide. Video game addiction often leads to children and adults completely destroying their professional or academic lives. In many cases, a child grows up to find a balance between working just enough to afford their videogame habbit. I have read stories of an adult who was so addicted to a simple cellphone game t…

I remember a time where I was playing a phone game to get some sleep (the mindless stimulation works for my brain, which has hyperactivity issues). There were time-limited events that gave bonuses for completion. One of the things I distinctly remember was that there were teams you could join, followed by team vs team competition for rewards at the end of the week. Competitive teams then had minimum floors of activity... It became like a job to keep track of your own contribution for... for... some bonuses at the end of the week? I remember becoming disappointed/unhappy that the game was asking more from me than I wanted to give (10-30 min of playing before being calm enough to sleep) and quitting. Now I only play phone games without a team/online component, like the stupid merge games or bubble games.

Re: How to know if you’re addicted

#118

Post by skulk »

nunez wrote: post #111
matheusmoreira wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

I don't know about that. I know that anecdotes != empirical data, but, anecdotally, I've seen video games and gambling destroy several peoples careers, relationships, etc. One dorm-mate was kicked out of college because he spent ALL of his time playing WoW (World of Warcraft) and failed all of his classes. (Side note: I remember being scared to go near that game from hearing so many similar stories at the time.) I've…

It's interesting that for some people, the pursuit of real-life activities is a fair opportunity cost of spending time on a computer (I won't claim I'm not one of them). Has there ever in history been a diversion that is able to keep people inside their homes for months on end?

Re: How to know if you’re addicted

#119

Post by champagnois »

PuppyTailWags wrote: post #116
champagnois wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Social media addiction can lead to severe mental health issues, eating disorders, depression, and even suicide. Video game addiction often leads to children and adults completely destroying their professional or academic lives. In many cases, a child grows up to find a balance between working just enough to afford their videogame habbit. I have read stories of an adult who was so addicted to a simple cellphone game t…

I remember a time where I was playing a phone game to get some sleep (the mindless stimulation works for my brain, which has hyperactivity issues). There were time-limited events that gave bonuses for completion. One of the things I distinctly remember was that there were teams you could join, followed by team vs team competition for rewards at the end of the week. Competitive teams then had minimum floors of activit…

I grow concerned with the increase in addiction research among technology companies. The language is disguised as user retention, engagement, social, gamification, etc.

I do not have a solution to this problem and it is a problem that I myself would contribute to if I was trying to design an app that people would use. Greater addiction mechanisms trend toward wider market adoption which leads to a higher value for shareholders. The current system of incentives to a company makes this focus inevitable.

Re: How to know if you’re addicted

#120

Post by laurex »

I have more than a passing interest in neuroscience and psychology and I’m still on the fence a bit but truthfully I do think most descriptions of addiction make my relationship with my phone at least in the realm of applying the addict label. There’s the idea in neuroscience of not liking a behavior but still doing it compulsively with a unconscious hope of repeating a high that becomes harder and harder to access as tolerance builds up. I find myself with my phone in my hand as though by magic sometimes. And yes, I’m writing my comment on my phone right now.
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