Can we finally stop calling it "drugs and alcohol" and just acknowledge that alcohol is a drug?
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How to know if you’re addicted
131–140 of 213 posts
Re: How to know if you’re addicted
#132In my mid twenties, I had two addictions - pornography and Marijuana. The first was significantly harder to kick than the later. Maybe I'm merely a weak person, but I felt I slowly succumbed to these things after years of casual use and some major relational setbacks in my life post college. I got psychological help but was not encouraged to stop doing these things, just to practice moderation. Ultimately, I was forc…
> I was forced by circumstance to have to stop
Could you elaborate?
Re: How to know if you’re addicted
#133Earlier quoted context omitted.
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.
- OK, enough reddit for now, let's do something productive like work
- closes tab
- starting a compiler run
- ctrl-t types old.reddit.com
- my man, what are you doing there? bangs head
Much more often than I'd like to admit
Re: How to know if you’re addicted
#134Earlier 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…
Yeah, I know exactly what you mean. If the game has a timer anywhere, it's a deliberate habit-forming design. They're spaced reward schedules intended to make you come back.
The job-like feeling is real. Before they even realize it, people start organizing their own schedules around some stupid phone game. Setting alarms to wake up at 3 AM because that's when the timer resets and they can play again.
Re: How to know if you’re addicted
#135The 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…
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 consequences. It's everywhere, a large number of people do it, it's relatively inexpensive in comparison to other vices, the time horizon for negative impacts is VERY long, and it's in general socially acceptable (depending on where you live).
Re: How to know if you’re addicted
#136Earlier quoted context omitted.
One of the most common addictions now is cellphone addiction. But especially since the pandemic it's hard to do anything without a cell phone. You need your QR codes everywhere for testing or showing you're tested, show your vaccinations, check in to restaurants, etc.
I have a horrible case of internet addiction and have for decades but one thing I never really got sucked into was phones. My phone lays untouched 99% of the day and even when I'm out I simply use it for maps and phone calls and messaging (infrequent, hate text messaging). I think it's the form factor with no keyboard and a tiny screen? Just not enjoyable for some reason for which I'm actually very thankful.
Internet browsing on the phone is also less of a pleasant experience, versus with a desktop web browser.
Reddit for mobile is deliberately designed to make you use the app that I wish not to use (you often can't expand threads without moving to the app); YouTube ad blocking is much clunkier, versus seamless on a desktop browser; and it's more difficult to navigate (e.g. there are more taps to use the "find in page" function, versus Ctrl/Cmd+F on desktop).
It also helps that I've deliberately made the apps on the phone less engaging to use (I've avoided TikTok, and configured remaining social media apps like Instagram to avoid subscribing to content that is too interesting or designed to capture attention, so there is far less of a pull to use them).
Re: How to know if you’re addicted
#137Earlier 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 don't dispute any of that. I once fell into the mobile game trap myself, it's really bad. I've posted many times here on HN about how these games are deliberately designed to form habits in players and I think they should be illegal. The thing is I've personally seen opioid addicts do literally anything for a drug. Not for pleasure, just to avoid the pain of abstinence. One guy killed his own mother because she tri…
I think you are spot on but many people haven't experienced opiate (or benzo) addiction or talked to ex-addicts. It's really something else.
Re: How to know if you’re addicted
#138In my mid twenties, I had two addictions - pornography and Marijuana. The first was significantly harder to kick than the later. Maybe I'm merely a weak person, but I felt I slowly succumbed to these things after years of casual use and some major relational setbacks in my life post college. I got psychological help but was not encouraged to stop doing these things, just to practice moderation. Ultimately, I was forc…
> I was forced by circumstance to have to stop Could you elaborate?
I took a contracting job where I'd travel for two or three weeks at a time, often working long hours. This would usually take me from a spot where weed was recreationally available and ubiqutous to impossible and impractice to get. The two vices ran together for me.
After sobering up while away, I realized how much of a drag these things had been on my well being and resolved to just give them up, or at least try.
Re: How to know if you’re addicted
#139It’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 addiction than I’d like to admit.
Re: How to know if you’re addicted
#140That 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…
Were there withdrawal symptoms in your case? If so, what were they? Years ago I read that withdrawal symptoms are an essential part of the definition of addiction, but probably "addiction" has become a somewhat broader concept since then. The article says you "might" also experience withdrawal symptoms, and I don't think I've heard of people addicted to gambling, for example, suffering from any specific withdrawal sy…
I couldn't sleep for the first few days because although my body was tired, my mind was expecting to watch some sort of carnal entertainment.
I also felt an uncomfortable rush of blood in my left temple everytime I wanted to indulge again, but that could be purely psychological, I don't know.