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I'm an addict

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Re: I'm an addict

#431

Post by bitexploder »

seti0Cha wrote: post #337
bitexploder wrote: post #210

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A fair response to my blithe and confident answer. In general, though, we have figured enough out to understand our origin well enough to rule out religious theories in our existence. To reduce things the way you did is a denial of progress at some level, while couching it in caution against trusting science too far. Our first bridges sucked, now they are better. Our first stabs at cosmology were not much better than…

You're engaging with religion only as an explanatory mechanism for physical occurrences, whereas the weight of the argument for and against religion are on philosophical and logical grounds. It's not a strawman, as many people have used God to fill the gaps in our understanding of the physical world, but it's entirely irrelevant to the really interesting discussions on the subject. If you want to see what religious p…

I mean, I grew up in a very religious environment and have met and had long discussions with religious scholars. You can couch it in as much sentimentalism and philosophy as you want, but to me it almost always falls apart when you dig to the real roots of religious scholarhsip and philosophy. Ultimately these people decide to have some level of faith in a thing that is contradictory to all evidence we have. It is an interesting thought experiment, but I can't find any principled reasoning behind it all at the bottom. Yes there are a lot of religious scholar types who will agree with all of science, and they continuously reform their belief system and philosophy around the scientific evidence. It is like having a belief system that wobbles and wiggles like Jello. Not to say that science has all the answers and is purely axiomatic, but at least that is its goal. Religious scholarship has a completely different agenda in my opinion and starts from a very different place when it tries to reason and I fundamentally disagree that it is a "really interesting discussion" beyond how people get sucked into believing it all. Without being dismissive, I do think I have a basic grasp of those arguments and I find them wholly lacking. A lot of it comes down to things their parents taught them and their inability to get rid of their deep seated beliefs about the nature of existence.

Re: I'm an addict

#432

Post by TimTheTinker »

upupandup wrote: post #422

I'm curious to know whether OP has experienced full on addiction to substances, gambling or sex. Because what he's describing does not seem to be any of those things, more about complaints that Youtube's recommendation algorithm is causing him to stay on that platform for hours. I don't know what other "pleasures' he is alluding to but I could infer here and say OP is male and he is probably referring to internet por…

You're largely right, but I think you're underestimating the cognitive deficits that come with ADHD, particularly executive function.

The key to breaking through mental barriers as an ADHD-sufferer is usually not more will-power or less laziness, though one must at least want to change. The key is externalization -- that is, building external cues, props, and guardrails into one's life to help one stay on task in the moment - whether that means doing work or resting. We have trouble doing both proportionately.

Some people say they've had great success taking time every Sunday evening to review the past week and make adjustments -- whether that be putting a post-it note on the computer, installing a browser extension, setting a series of reminders, or any number of innovative ideas. Whatever helps you externalize the decisions you'll need to make in the moment.

Re: I'm an addict

#433

Post by sirsinsalot »

loves_mangoes wrote: post #426
sirsinsalot wrote: post #418

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree, I think I was making the distinction between doing X due to reasons you're happy with and that are considered normal and doing X due to anxiety. Those two X's are not the same, and it isn't useful to compare them even though they appear comparable or similar or the same. The key bit is the anxiety (however small or large, frequent or infrequent) that makes the distinction.

Okay, I see what you mean with the clean hands analogy now. I've definitely seen people on social media for example using OCD as an exaggeration for completely normal, even positive things. I agree it's not very useful to use labels for behaviors that are considered normal and don't have any negative cause or impact (whether that's anxiety or something else). My understanding is that a good part of the diagnosis of m…

I think we focus too much on the "what you can see" and "how it impacts others" rather than "how does this feel to the person experiencing it" when we describe these things.

It really muddles the picture and distorts what's really important; the experience of anxiety/stress/irrationality/impulsivity/attention issues/ ... to the person feeling it.

Re: I'm an addict

#434

Post by [deleted] »

alex_suzuki wrote: post #430
katzgrau wrote: post #193

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They're just cliche ideas for how to fill the time. Anyone one who tries to break an addiction suddenly finds themselves with a lot of free time they don't know how to fill. But on that note, have multiple kids AND get a pet. You'll never have a free minute again.

I would strongly argue against having kids as a solution for any of life‘s problems. Kids are an incredibly demanding venture and can exacerbate existing problems. Speaking from experience here.

[deleted]

Re: I'm an addict

#435

Post by Robotbeat »

bsedlm wrote: post #341
Robotbeat wrote: post #289

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don’t want to guilt anyone here, but just sitting there and consuming oxygen and therefore calories is a significant environmental impact. Feeding humans, especially fresh fruits and vegetables or meat, has a pretty large environmental impact. (Staples like grains and such don’t because they’re storable and calorie-dense on a per-acre metric.) And humans can have a positive impact on the environment. We can plant t…

reminds me of church of euthanasia's "save the planet kill yourself" from the older internet. the point is that it's the least we can consume, in contrast with a more capitalist friendly "go sit at a cafe to buy a drink" or even a scholarly-ambitious "read a book, or newspaper or learn something, don't just sit there". both of which are much worse.

But that just wastes the big climate impact that was invested to grow you to adulthood. Now is the time to reinvest in the Earth. Humans can definitely have a net-negative carbon footprint if they work at it.

Re: I'm an addict

#436

Post by AlwaysRock »

Jim_Heckler wrote: post #408
AlwaysRock wrote: post #327

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> "a little ADHD" Yikes. What a bad take. Many people experience some of the side effects of ADHD may be a true statement. But saying everyone has a little bit of this debilitating mental disorder makes light of something that is not an easy thing to deal with for many sufferers. That's like saying everyone has a little cancer because sometimes we all get colds which people going through chemo may be more likely to g…

> Many people experience some of the side effects of ADHD may be a true statement. I think that's exactly what they meant, since they put it in quotes and then go on to say that ADHD proper is when those complications are debilitating.

Sure. Then they should have said that. It feels odd to write an untrue thing to represent a different thing that may be true and expect everyone would understand your intention.

Re: I'm an addict

#437

Post by guerrilla »

anonymoushn wrote: post #291
burner22 wrote: post #286

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I feel seen. My mechanism for remaining focused and getting through work has been to consume harder illicit substances, mostly cocaine. It's effective but definitely not sustainable long time and I'm not too sure where from here.

Desoxyn 5mg is highly reviewed by people who have it prescribed for ADHD.

Generic name: methamphetamine hydrochloride

Ummmm??? Maybe not a best first step to working on ADHD Problems...

Re: I'm an addict

#438

Post by mantas »

pixl97 wrote: post #212
mantas wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem is that many people otherwise don't have motivation. Why strive for anything? Especially when the very bare minimum for survival is already covered by community.

It may be hard to accept that the universe exists for no reason at all. You can fall in to a nihilistic trap where nothing matters. Or you can fall into a fantasy trap and say it matters for reasons that are not true. I would rather follow a more humanistic path, that we define our own existence, and that we should attempt to minimize our own suffering.

The problem is if enough people go full-nihilist, society crumbles.

Same for minimising one's suffering. A healthy society requires a lot of sacrifice from individuals, even with today's technology.

Re: I'm an addict

#439

Post by gunfighthacksaw »

Robotbeat wrote: post #289
bsedlm wrote: post #249

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I hold unto my right as a mammal to be inefficient and sit drooling looking at trees. yes, I even like framing this as an environmental conservation activity. I'm doing nothing at all (only consuming oxygen, no content, no nothing) as a conscious action to save the environment.

I don’t want to guilt anyone here, but just sitting there and consuming oxygen and therefore calories is a significant environmental impact. Feeding humans, especially fresh fruits and vegetables or meat, has a pretty large environmental impact. (Staples like grains and such don’t because they’re storable and calorie-dense on a per-acre metric.) And humans can have a positive impact on the environment. We can plant t…

> Staples like grains and such don’t because they’re storable and calorie-dense on a per-acre metric.

So you’re saying that I should have some potato chips on hand for when I’m being lazy? You seem wise.

Re: I'm an addict

#440

Post by solitus »

Mattasher wrote: post #171

For years I've tried to explain to people that working in tech, especially over time, is like having a job as a beer taster while living above a bar and hanging out with your drinking buddies all evening at that same bar, where an attractive bartender puts cocktails in front of you all night for free, all while trying not to become an alcoholic. Any addict who said their plan for sobering up was to live like this wou…

I agree, sometimes I feel like I should become an electrician. When I have to do manual work, I do manual work. When I have to code...it can go in many directions.
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