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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

#181

Post by openknot »

coolso wrote: post #164
openknot wrote: post #128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sleeping pills may be better than getting no sleep at all, but cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBTi) may be a better treatment approach than medication [0]. A problem with sleeping pills is that they reduce sleep quality, so you aren't as well-rested versus sleeping without them. From an interview with Matthew Walker, a professor of neuroscience and psychology [1]: "The quality of sleep that you have when…

Hopefully non-non-drowsy antihistamines aren’t considered “sleeping pills”?

It looks like Benadryl and other sedating antihistamines count as sleeping pills. The interviewee Walker appears to be referring to a passage from the book he wrote (mentioned in another comment I wrote in this thread), which references a study called "Effectiveness of non-benzodiazepine hypnotics in treatment of adult insomnia: meta-analysis of data submitted to the Food and Drug Administration." [0]

According to Encyclopedia Britannica, non-benzodiazepine hypnotics include antihistamines: "Hypnotic agents (nonbenzodiazepines) include chloral hydrate, some sedating antidepressants, and sedating antihistamines, such as diphenhydramine (Benadryl) and hydroxyzine (Atarax)." [1]

[0] https://www.bmj.com/content/345/bmj.e8343

[1] https://www.britannica.com/science/nonbenzodiazepine-drug

Re: How to know if you’re addicted

#182

Post by mushbino »

clpm4j wrote: post #167
goldcountry wrote: post #124

Can we finally stop calling it "drugs and alcohol" and just acknowledge that alcohol is a drug?

I think the fact that they're grouped logically is enough, for the most part. It seems widely acknowledged that alcohol is not good for you, but there is a psychological distinction between doing shots at your local dive bar and a glass of Pinot with dinner. I think the spectrum of alcohol use is just broader than most other drugs except for maybe cannabis and psilocybin.

There isn't a chemical distinction that separates alcohol from other drugs, only social constructs.

Re: How to know if you’re addicted

#183

Post by clpm4j »

mushbino wrote: post #182
clpm4j wrote: post #167

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the fact that they're grouped logically is enough, for the most part. It seems widely acknowledged that alcohol is not good for you, but there is a psychological distinction between doing shots at your local dive bar and a glass of Pinot with dinner. I think the spectrum of alcohol use is just broader than most other drugs except for maybe cannabis and psilocybin.

There isn't a chemical distinction that separates alcohol from other drugs, only social constructs.

Right, and social constructs carry more weight in cultural/societal norms which is why I doubt anyone will ever say I'll have a glass of drugs with dinner tonight even though a lot of people know there isn't a technical, chemical distinction.

Re: How to know if you’re addicted

#184

Post by [deleted] »

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.

[deleted]

Re: How to know if you’re addicted

#185

Post by specproc »

IAmGraydon wrote: post #115
specproc wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Every hannover hangover is withdrawal, there's just a scale of severity.

I was drinking daily. Two to three on a quiet day, regularly scaling up to the point its it's difficult to count. I wasn't he heaviest drinker I knew.

Re: How to know if you’re addicted

#187

Post by nicbou »

oceanplexian wrote: post #139

It’s a lot harder than you would think. I’m not a big drinker, not even a daily drinker, maybe once or twice per week.. and decided to do a month without drinking for fitness reasons. After two weeks it was hard to resist the urge every time I’d see people drinking on a TV show, or at the airport, or with dinner at a restaurant. While it may not be a full blown addiction it made me realize I’m much closer to addictio…

I had to stop drinking because of a rabies vaccine. Even though I usually stick to a single beer and prefer it that way, I found it really hard. Alcohol is ingrained in our culture and habits. I felt the same as you.

Re: How to know if you’re addicted

#188

Post by [deleted] »

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…

[deleted]

Re: How to know if you’re addicted

#189

Post by fragmede »

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.

you can hit shift-delete to delete the omnibar entry to make it that much harder

Re: How to know if you’re addicted

#190

Post by daniel-cussen »

actusual wrote: post #135
throwaway98749 wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I disagree. As an addict (weed, alcohol, cocaine, and tobacco if you go that way), cocaine is much harder to quit than tobacco. But actually, telling that drug X is harder to quit that drug Y is a lie. For each person, each drug will be different. Maybe you struggle with tobacco, but that does not mean that its the worst. There's no worst, they're all equally bad.

The measure of "harder to quit" actually takes into account more than ones physical ability to actually give something up, all else equal. Social acceptance, availability, the time horizon for negative health impacts, and money all count toward how hard something is to quit. Nicotine is actually the hardest thing to quit when taking into account all of the factors that lead to continued use in the face of adverse con…

It's not the nicotine. It's the rest of the stuff they put in it, like cadmium for instance, the addictive metal.
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