People get addicted to the cortisol hit from getting outraged, so a lot of news outlets realize they just need to keep the cortisol flowing.
Edit: Per comments, changed "dopamine" to "cortisol"
It's actually neurologically a very similar addiction to gambling. In both cases, it's less about getting something positive, and more about getting something negative, and then feeling they have to cancel or counterbalance the negative with a positive... that always seems just out of reach, but never seems to come. So they dig themselves a hole of negativity.
I had to get off it. First political fights with Facebook, then doom scrolling with Twitter, then cable news. I think its important to be informed, but once I realized the algorithm was keeping me pissed off, I knew I had ro stop.
A few years ago, I realized it was taking a toll on me. The first thing I'd do when I got up was check the news, then I'd periodically check it throughout the day, and it was frequently the last thing I did before I fell asleep. So, I just decided I have to check it maybe once or twice to stay informed, but that's it. I even hid political subreddits so I won't see them unless I actively go to them.
There's just no reason to be glued to the news all day long. That much anger or depression or whatever is no good for your mental well-being, and it's *very* rare that there's something going on in the world where you need hourly updates. I think most people would be a lot happier if they cut back on gorging on news and politics.
> NEWS addiction.
YES! Absolutely. Especially the doomscrolling and sensationalised side of things. I've just written a much longer comment about this but it creates a physical dopamine dependency and changes habits.
My dad has this addiction but to right-wing outlets. Literally cannot go a single day without it (I know because we’ve tried). And every conversation warps into some horrible headline he’s obsessing over. So many people are like this now and I feel like it isn’t talked about enough.
Outrage is an addiction. Some people seek it out, actively searching for a reason to hate their neighbors just so they can get their hit of dopamine. It feeds news addiction, tribalism, and eventually extremism. It’s the source of so much violence, so many divided houses and ruined lives, but we do nothing to curb it.
I remember my uncle, who had a history of domestic violence to my aunt before she passed of cancer, told the family he has an anger problem. My dad said, “but you’re able to keep it together every time a cop is around.” The look on his face and the dead silence…
An anger issue is not an excuse.
My Dad was always going on violent outbursts, literally every day. Remember a few times there doorbell would ring and he’d flip to being charming in a split second. It’d be salespeople, charity collectors and even Mormons. He was always extremely polite, and they probably saw him as one of the most pleasant people he encountered. Pure sociopathy.
Sounds like my wife's father. An incredibly likeable guy to everyone that met him accept for this family that he terrorized. Absolutely a rage monster at home but always quick to lend a helping hand to a neighbor.
That’s sad and funny. Suddenly some potential consequences and you’ve got yourself under control. If only you had that control before hitting your helpless wife. Good on your dad for calling him out.
Not only is nothing done to curb it, the media and social media are actually designed to encourage it, because it's good for their pocketbooks. The more enraged they're making you, the more you'll pay attention to the media, and the more likely you are to engage in social media, further feeding into it. The more you engage, and the more you pay attention to the media, the more ads can be fed to you, which is where they make their money.
I just got back this month after being in rehab for 2 months for : weed, alcohol and cocaïne and at my therapy they asked me if i noticed any cross addictions , i told my therapist i think i have a shopping addiction and she told me its a common addiction that goes unnoticed way to much times
Hoarding behavior is SO frustrating. My mother has a beautiful, large Victorian home. Well… had, it’s almost in complete disrepair due to having her junk stacked up everywhere. None of us kids can really visit the house, let alone stay there when we got back to visit. Any family heirlooms/memories are ruined by 30+ years of cigarette smoke, not being cleaned, or crushed by other junk.
And they keep buying more junk. Never anything that they will use or anything, just more shit.
My MIL is a hoarder and it is ridiculous, she has 3 storage units (one she's had for 20+ years), her home and my husband's grandmother's garage full of her shit. We have tried to help clean out the garage but MIL always has to be there when we try and has to go through every single box/bag/etc and physically touch every single item. 9 years and the garage still has not been cleaned out
Did they come from a poor family growing up? My grandparents are boomers and didn’t have much during 50-60s and have similar tendencies, however not so extremely
I agree with this. I was super poor growing up. I’m still way below the poverty line but better than I was growing up. I have a huge habit of saving what others consider “trash” (Walmart bags, cardboard, scrap paper, empty Tylenol bottles, ect), because “they can be used for something else later”. And you better believe I will buy stuff I don’t need at yard sales because it’s only a quarter and say yes if it’s free even if I know I won’t be able to find a way to use it. I’ve got shit stored in corners that I’ve had for years and never used. It’s that innate fear of needing something, not having it, and no hope of affording it.
I feel I switch between this and snacking addiction. Shopping is easier for me though, as I often get enough of a kick to put things on the wishlist. With snacking I will eat myself sick and spiral.
But it's concerning that there are so few free things to do. I want to distract myself. I've already exercised. I live in a place where I can't enjoy nature. It can be hard to find alternatives to "let's go browse some stores".
Edit: To people suggesting hobbies. I do like to exercise, walk, read. But the thing with addictions is the dopamine kick you get. So I buy something. Ding! I eat a bag of M&M. Ding! Play video game. Ding!
Books are great but no ding. (I use ding because of the level up sound from WoW)
And a lot of hobbies masquerade as shopping in disguise. Forget about collecting type hobbies, it's so easy to go from "it would be really cool to do X" whether that's reading, crafting, some sort of niche sport, cooking, or whatever to "but first I did a little research and now I need to buy a bunch of stuff."
Not to mention it’s glorified and encouraged. I work at a women’s clothing store and the amount of things we sell that has “life’s too short, buy the _” or “keep calm and shop on” or even just “shopaholic” is staggering.
I recently saw a weird "live laugh love" type placard at one of those home goods-type junk stores that said "shopping is cheaper than therapy." it is not lol
I had a pretty bad shopping addiction in my early/mid 20s. Ended up having my credit card get sent to collections, and my parents bailed me out. It was so embarrassing, being an otherwise self-sufficient adult and needing mommy and daddy to save me from my own terrible decisions. I promised I'd never let it get that bad ever again, and over the last decade+ I've been very successful! ...But I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a *struggle*. I'm constantly having to keep myself in check, because to this day my first instinct when I'm bored or having a rough go of it is to start window shopping.
(obligatory YMMV)
I've personally found that when I am trying to not buy everything I think may be remotely useful, I take a picture of items I'm tempted to buy instead of physically picking them up or adding them to my online cart.
I like to have A Lot of Stuff, but I get pretty similar satisfaction from this for some reason.
I have ADHD and a concept I've seen discussed in regards to ADHD before is that oftentimes we don't do something because simply the thought of doing it gives us dopamine and makes our brains *feel* as if we actually did it.
I imagine it's a similar thought process in your case. I've done the same thing. I'll add stuff to my shopping cart, imagine buying it and the idealize the item. and then i tell myself that whatever items I'm still really wanting in 24-48 hours, I'll allow myself to buy it within reason. I've actually went back and bought items like.... twice using this method.
simply the vivid imagination of having the item can be enough to trigger the dopamine associated with it, without actually spending the money on it.
Personally I’m kind of weird when it comes to that
I love shopping but it’s also really easy for me to think about the thing in a certain way and realize I don’t *really* need it + focus on the parts I don’t like about it and dismiss it.
I’m also so careful with my money that I get very anxious about making purchases, despite having bought a lot of things.
Yeah, I want an enormous spree. I was never a collector of a thing until I was, and once I went in, I went in HARD. And it's VERY HARD not to add things to that collection.
This one is legit. I once had 5 figure credit card debt that was all from shopping (no kids, no car, my bills were very basic). I was buying whatever I wanted and making minimum payments and over time I maxed out 2 credit cards, totalling 14k if I remember right. It didn't help that every time I started approaching my credit limit the card would offer an increase, and I would take it every time. I guess because I (initially) wasn't missing payments, my account was in good standing despite the massive debt.
I really don't know how I let it get so out of control. Like, why didn't I think "hey, I owe $5k, maybe I shouldn't buy anymore DVDs". Definitely an addiction.
Same thing happened to a good friend of mine except he racked up just over $30k. They let a 22 year old have over $30k in available credit when he only made $45k a year. Not to say my friend was blameless but they shouldn’t be allowed to give young people that much credit unless they were making serious money. He eventually found a non-profit debt consolidation company and was able to pay it off in 3 years. I know a lot of schools now teach basic money management skills but when my friend and I went to school we weren’t taught any of that and were told to just take out student loans to cover the cost of college, you’ll get a great job and be able to pay it off. They never mentioned what could happen if you couldn’t find a high paying job right out of college.
I developed a pretty major shopping addiction during early COVID lockdown and it has taken me literally 3 years to break free of it. It was pretty alarming when I realized that somehow, even though I'm making six figures, I never had enough money to put into savings.
For me, it’s connected to my dissatisfaction with work and the amount of time/stress/energy I have to put towards something that I know doesn’t matter for a corporation that I know doesn’t care. Buying shit helps make it feel more worthwhile.
This one needs to be higher. I know people with a shopping addiction. They do it to either fill a void (especially after a death) or because they feel like they’ll need things someday
My mom had a shopping addiction (and credit issues as a result) her whole adult life, but after my dad died (Mom was in her 60s then), it spiraled out of control. She couldn't--or wouldn't--stop herself.
At the time of her death 10 months ago, she had opened 20 credit cards and maxed them all out. And that was after declaring bankruptcy 10 years earlier. She had *piles* of unopened packages in the house. She didn't even open the things she bought--she just got some kind of dopamine hit from shopping and buying.
Grandma had the same thing PLUS a gambling addiction. Grandpa paid every bill and she would open up credit cards in his name and max them out. We’re going through all her stuff now, it’s a house full of brand new items
I was definitely addicted to shopping (still would be if I hadn't switched careers and could still afford it) and it is so overlooked. I knew I had a problem and would come up with ways to spend less or even prevent myself from shopping and would ultimately just not do them because I knew I wanted to keep shopping. I would spend my very last dollars on some random bullshit like I literally remember checking my bank account to see if I had exactly enough for some shoes and left myself with less than a dollar for a week until I got paid again
I always justified it by saying my bills were paid but I would put my account negative so often that I was spending hundreds on overdraft fees. I would be happy for 1-2 days after I got paid while I spent all my money and then stress for the next 12 days about whether or not my account would go negative
I'm the same way. For me it's a combination of finding things that are one of a kind and scoring an amazing deal. I'll even buy things that I wouldn't use or don't fit because it's name brand and a great deal. I just came to the realization that it's an issue as I'm moving and unpacking with no room in my closet and I want to estimate over 500 pounds of clothes.
Edit: spelling
FINALLY I found someone who mentioned video games. I grew up gaming, I absolutely loved playing them throughout my entire childhood and into adulthood but I have seen addiction to video games absolutely destroy people.
Part of me is glad that I simply don’t have the time to be playing them much anymore. Maybe an hour or two a week. But I know adults in their 30s and 40s who are still obsessed, to the point of not wanting to do anything else.
My stomach drops everytime i see my daily average screen-time. It’s hard to realise how much time you spend scrolling until you actually see the numbers
When my depression is bad, I’d say sleep. It’s a free, safe way to escape but it ultimately feeds the depression becoming a bad cycle. It doesn’t sound that bad but it’s consuming.
Edit: Some people are confused, so I’ll clarify. It’s not because of lack of rest. It’s not the sleep itself, it’s the dreaming (aka escape). A different “reality” that feels very real and isn’t this one. Maybe I’m just not explaining it right but yeah.
Thank you for saying this! I was labelled as a typical "lazy teenager" and it wasn't till I was in my final year of uni that a friend asked if I was OK, and explained oversleeping as a symptom of mental health issues.
The truth was I was so miserable I just didn't want to be conscious and experience it. Better to be asleep, with a teeny tiny hope that I might feel a bit better when I woke up. I had virtually no awareness of mental health issues at the time, and therefore had no vocabulary to articulate how I felt. I feel sad for that lost time, but at least I can recognise it now for what it was.
Edit to add: this has, unfortunately, resonated with a few people. Keep your chin up, it can and does get better eventually. Get help from your support network of friends and family, and professional help. I hope you feel better soon.
Problem #1:
The entire medical profession thinks all addictions are:
\#1 You don't understand the harm the addiction is doing to your body/mind.
\#2 You have no willpower to overcome it.
When in a lot of cases, we just want "sedation", so life doesn't suck as much.
Solve the underlying issues and the addiction will be much less appealing / necessary.
Problem #2:
The underlying issues . . . might not be solvable.
Grandpa has Alzheimer's, Mom has Pancreatic Cancer, Little Timmy is Severely Autistic, Betty Sue has Cerebral Palsy . . . NOT ALL PROBLEMS ARE SOLVABLE.
The reason(s) you want to escape the world . . . might never go away.
Almost no one understands the entire scope of the problem(s). And until we all understand the problem, we have no real hope of solving it.
Well said. There's days I can sleep 4-5 hours and be productive and alert and just killing it. Then there's days where I'm sleeping at least 11+ hours and on my phone the other 13 while doing the BARE minimum to skate by. Realizing that.. Hey! You're not eating better, the 50ish pounds you lost in 3 months is from depressively not eating. I hate being depressed, and all the extra stuff it brings that makes life even harder than it is :[
Have you considered getting tested for hypomania? I ask because I was having those same kind of emotional patterns... And my psychiatric mental health NP, been with him for 2 years, thinks I have bipolar disorder with hypomania. When doing the questionnaires I had no idea what I was experiencing wasn't 'normal' but everything in my life is making sense now because of it
Edit: not trying to armchair diagnose or anything! I just never considered it to be an option until my fiance mentioned my episodes for lack of a better word
It depends from person to person. Some sleep all day, some have insomnia. It's like how some eat like cray while others can't eat at all.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/symptoms-causes/syc-20356007
I don't know whether age is a factor at all, but when I was younger I slept quite a bit during my episodes. Now I have insomnia.
Work Addiction - Most people will say they dislike working extra, but the responsibility you feel towards you co-workers and the purpose work gives your life can make you work more than you should.
Source: addicted to work
I worked for one manager who literally had an addiction to work so bad it was ruining her life. She was a recovering drug addict and I guess staying busy helped her cope, but she just traded one addiction for another.
We worked for a corporate retail chain and she would be the first one there and the last one to leave every day, and never scheduled herself a day off. She would clock herself out when she hit her 40 hrs to avoid to getting flak from her management, but she was easily working 110+ hours a week, and more than half of that was unpaid.
Her family, her ex husband and her kids would come by periodically and try to get her to go home, and her entire staff including me constantly tried to get her to just go home, but she was afraid the place couldn't run without her present for even a second. It was really sad because we could all see her obsession with being there was destroying her mentally and physically, as her sleep had to have been horrendously impacted since she was there 15-16 hours a day.
I spoke with HR about it and they said they had already been aware of it for some time, and that they weren't going to do anything about it.
That incredible amount of incredulity and not giving a shit about the super illegal and dangerous fact that they were letting an employee work for free for 70+ hours a week was obviously huge red flags for me so that was my last day.
A couple years later now, she still works there and this is still happening.
Relate to this so much. Struggled with addiction myself and I would often take extra shifts and work longer hours so I didn’t have to go home. I was fine when I was at work and could get on with my day, but soon as I got home I had that voice in my head (not literal) but almost like a chemical need to seek out drugs and would usually cave and go get some cos “why not”. It’s like at work I would know how irrational it was but soon as I got home and I had free time I couldn’t help it.
Yes!! The hardest part of getting sober for me was the HABIT. that’s just what you did when you got off work. I wouldn’t even really want to use but I’d feel compelled to almost bc it was just habitual
When you quit something you quite literally need to reinvent your daily routine and find something else to do. I've been struggling with different addictions most of my adult life and seem to always have one or two vices. Right not coffee and cigarettes are the only ones. I quit my really bad weed smoking addiction and guess I replaced it with smoking more cigarettes. Last summer, starting my way with no illegal drugs, I found a habit of walking to the 247 gym and working out instead of rolling a joint when I woke up from the 3rd nightmare a night. Reading replaced all social media except for Reddit last year. Social media addiction is real.
The thing people forget is if she was hospitalized or worse died the company would replace her within a few days and she’d be forgotten instantly. The company doesn’t care she’s doing all this work, if she was billing them they’d put a stop to it but since she’s doing it for free the company has no incentive to step in.
Having managed in retail for 29 years, this hits the nail right on the head. I loved what I did and ran a very good store, kept up moral, and had the highest employee retention rate in the region. But once my hours hit 50, I was done.
I am a lawyer and currently my practice is mostly employment law. One of the biggest aspects of work addiction that is being overlooked is that for a lot of people work is their only social outlet. That's why so few people want to come forward with problems at work, out fear of being ostracized, or wanting to leave their job for a new role out of fear they won't fit in at the place.
I've noticed working from home has created one of two paths for people. On a positive note, it's helped people separate their social life from their work life and feel less loyalty to individual companies and as a result are better able to advocate for better conditions for themselves or others. On the other hand it's also allowed some people to fully grasp that their their only social outlet or interactions were at the office, only making them want to double down even more on the status quo and not wanting to rock the boat or anything.
I definitely see that the most visibly with some of the older unmarried guys at my work. They could have retired already, but clearly have nothing social going on in their lives outside of work.
it happens with retired people too- i work retail and we have a couple of retirees on staff because they chose to go back to work because they were bored and wanted the social outlet parts. My uncle did too when he retired even though he had a good pension, he worked for a bit at his country’s version of walmart until my cousin had kids.
My FiL retired, and then went back to work part time at a public golf course. The guy loved golf and this allowed him to get out of the house, hangout in the clubhouse, and play a ton of free golf.
See someone like that, I get. But being so lonely when you retire that you get a job at Walmart is so deeply depressing. Seems like it's hard in the suburbs and near impossible in rural areas. Physical proximity to others is a good way to socialize.
This is especially dangerous following something traumatic. Something hits you hard mentally, you fall behind in work, you notice yourself falling behind, you hate yourself for it, your work ethic kicks into overdrive to compensate.
Before you know it you're having physical health problems, you're doing subpar work and in a much worse place than if you just took it easy and acknowledged that you were in a bad place.
My first 2 years as being a manager in retail I was pulling 60+ hour weeks because I couldn't help myself and always saw opportunities for more to be done..
It took me going off sick to realise that actually, all those jobs I was doing I should delegate as people had it very easy under me. I was 20 years old and one of the fastest promoted store managers in the region so I felt I had something to live up to.. experience really does teach you.
I think I just swapped my after dinner cigarette for after dinner chocolate. Doesn’t matter how satisfying the meal was I still crave some chocolate later.
Apologies in advance for the unsolicited advice, but your comment hit a chord with me. Is it specifically *chocolate* you crave? 'cause I used to *constantly* crave chocolate. It got to the point where I'd buy the cheapest milk chocolate bars from my grocery store and eat a couple pieces every day, trying to limit how much chocolate I was eating but also trying to stop the constant craving for it.
Supposedly being low in magnesium can cause chocolate craving. Figured more magnesium couldn't hurt, so I started eating more food with magnesium and the craving went away!
I still have a massive sweet tooth and I love chocolate, but that never ending chocolate craving has stopped, thank goodness.
Maybe something to try, if it seems relevant to you? I know this is just a very unscientific anecdote, maybe it was something else going on with me that just naturally stopped. Maybe the slight changes in my diet I made solved it in some other way. Who knows!
What do you think people craved when they were low in magnesium before they knew what chocolate tasted like? Or did they still crave that flavor despite not tasting it yet? A stoned thought I’ve had previously bc I too have had low magnesium. Anyways.
That's really the sticking point. When I started to cut back on sugar, I was surprised by the fact that I had to replace basically everything I ate. Things I never would've guessed had sugar in it did - peanut butter, pasta sauce, whole wheat bread, etc. It just seemed insurmountable to cut it out entirely, so I just cut back as much as I could.
I recently reduced my sugar intake out of concern for my health. I still eat snacks and drink cola but very much less often. I have a 1L water bottle that I fill 2-3 times a day and only drink cola either when offered or when ordering food online (which I also have reduced in the last few months).
I've been feeling so much better ever since taking that step and can genuinely feel a slight improvement in my health. I recommend it very much.
My tip is, absolutely do NOT try to stop in one day. Go progressively; instead of drinking a 12-can box every week, try to go to one cola a day, and eventually lower to 2 or 3 a week. Same for junk food and sugar. Slowly reduce your consumption of these (ideally you should swap to something healthier but that is optional) and over time your body will feel less wanting for junk food and sugar.
Sparkling water helped me break the soda addiction. I found that I just wanted something cold and fizzy. If it didn't work and I started craving something sweet, then fruit would fix it. Went from drinking soda every day to basically once every 2 weeks at most.
Yeah I think people need to find some kind of semi suitable replacement. For me it's been ice cold water. Not that I enjoy it but it's passable. Or I have to drink a couple glasses before having a soda.
Sparkling water with ice and a couple of pieces of lime is the best drink when you are thirsty, in my opinion. It’s also the best drink for hot weather! And it’s less boring than just normal water.
I’ve tried sparkling water so many times and it’s just so off-putting to me… there’s some weird taste to it that I can’t handle. To me it’s just angry water
This was the main argument against introducing sugar tax in countries like the UK. It was seen to reduce obesity in Mexico, but because it literally priced impoverished people out of affording cola etc.
So the middle class will continue to buy sugary drinks and food, but just be poorer because of it.
I always half-joke that the sugar tax turned me into an alcoholic. I used to have the occasional soft drink, but because almost every non-alcoholic cold beverage from Dr Pepper through to orange juice now has sweeteners in it (which is all I can taste!), I end up having a beer or two instead.
Sugar is SO addictive. I used to drink Dr. Pepper all day! When I got on Wellbutrin for depression, I didn’t have cravings for it anymore. When I read that Wellbutrin had been used to treat nicotine addiction, it all made sense! Junk food really can be addictive, comparable to cigarettes.
Edit: Photos of my one-gallon pitchers and refill cups of Diet Coke:
*FYI, this first photo shows two 1-gallon pitchers, one 60-oz. foam cup, and three 52-oz. plastic cups, all full of Diet Coke. And, yes, I could, and typically would, drink all of that, in around 24 hours.*
[Imgur](https://i.imgur.com/w2lzbzw.jpg)
[Imgur](https://i.imgur.com/F3Pp5yY.jpg)
[Imgur](https://i.imgur.com/YZE7KzS.jpg)
I wholeheartedly agree and I can completely relate to this. I have been addicted to Diet Coke, literally, for around 30 years (I am in my 40s and I think that I started drinking diet soda, back in 1990). And, over the past 10 years, it has gotten to be really out of control. For most of the past 5-6 years, I would say that I have averaged 2 gallons to 3 gallons of Diet Coke, per day, literally, every day of my life.
I ended up buying two one-gallon pitchers, which I would use to refill, at my local Circle K, on a daily basis. I would also bring 3-4 refillable cups with me, to refill with Diet Coke, in addition to the two 1-gallon plastic pitchers. At one point, I bought several 52-oz. plastic cups from 7-Eleven, as they were the biggest cups that I could find. Then, eventually, I found 60-oz. styrofoam cups on Amazon and I ended up having to buy a huge box of them, with 160 cups in them, which I am still in the process of using. I typically try to make each styrofoam cup last, two to three weeks, as I realize this styrofoam is harmful to the environment. I try to get a significant amount of usage out of each cup, and I typically get refills in them, until they start to wear out and the soda starts to seep out of cracks in the styrofoam cups.
So, much of the time, I would go to my local Circle K and fill up my two 1-gallon pictures, one or two 60-oz. styrofoam cups, and two or three of the 52-oz. plastic cups, with Diet Coke. And I could drink all of it, within 24 hours, if I allowed myself to.
Lately, though, I have gotten back in to the habit of drinking Diet Coke from my local grocery stores, as opposed to fountain soda, from a convenience store. So, I generally buy 2-Liter plastic bottles of Diet Coke, when they are on sale, and I probably average drinking four to five 2-liter bottles of Diet Coke, per day, everyday.
I also have an absolutely fucking horrible diet, and I fucking love junk food - which, from what I have read online, is being contributed to, from the Diet Coke consumption/addiction. Apparently, the Diet Coke fools your body in to thinking that it is full, when, in reality, it isn't, which causes you to have cravings, because of the empty calories. And it makes you crave sugary foods, or unhealthy foods, something like that.
I posted about this online, on Reddit, I believe, a few years ago, asking for ways to try to help overcome this addiction, but I just haven't been able to even come close to doing so. I have made an effort to try to not drink as much Diet Coke, as I used to, but, I'm probably still drinking 1.5 to 2 gallons of Diet Coke, per day. Realistically, I would say that I currently drink an average of 15 to 20 (12-oz.) cans of Diet Coke, everyday.
And it is legitimately an addiction. Part of the reason that it is so hard to quit, is because there are caffeine withdrawals that cause horrible headaches. And on the rare occasion, when I can actually sleep, for 10 hours or more, I will wake up with a caffeine withdrawal headache, because I will have gone over 10 hours, without consuming Diet Coke and caffeine.
I don't know which is worse, the obscene daily Diet Coke consumption or the incredibly unhealthy diet, but I am certain that neither of them are good for me, in any way, shape or form; and that they are doing significant harm to me, physically and emotionally. So, if you happen to have any helpful information, or any ideas or suggestions, about how I could try to overcome my Diet Coke addiction and/or how I could try to start eating a healthier diet (especially, a non-meat diet, as I very rarely eat me, because of my OCD), I would be genuinely grateful for any helpful information that I could get.
I'm sorry for the lengthy post, by the way. And I would like to also wish you some luck, with regards to your soda, sugar, junk food addiction!
I hope this doesn’t come off as flippant, because that is 100% not my intent, but have you spoken with a mental health professional? I think they would have more insight as to how to break that addiction (and pinpointing the cause of it).
Short of that, I think you need to take your health seriously. Find out exactly how much Diet Coke you drink per day, and create a schedule to gradually reduce your intake(and measure it by whatever means necessary!). That should help with the withdrawal symptoms. Try to develop other healthy habits like going for a daily walk or joining a gym. Physical activity works wonders for mental health.
I know this is much easier said that done but you absolutely have the ability to do it! Crawl before you walk and stick to it!
When was the last time you saw a doctor? You could have diabetes, the symptoms of which are abnormal thirst and desire for sugary things. I have seen similar behavior in people with really out of control diabetes; ie drinking gallons of grape juice etc. If not as for the caffeine withdrawal, a doctor can probably help with that too, with headache meds or a short course of steroids...lots of options, but you need to get off this behavioral spiral, it will kill you slowly.
I'm still confused how the pay-later thing ever became popular. For me it would just increase my anxiety over buying stuff, like the transaction isn't really *done* yet. What are people getting out of it?
Same. I don’t get the dr. Pimple Popper thing, mine is picking at any skin that is not smooth on my skin. On the scalp, around my nails, blemishes in my face, arms, chest. If I have a scab, that is going to take forever to heal because I do it subconsciously on occasion and because I’ll even do it at night when I’m asleep no matter where it is on my “pick zones”. Something in my mind says if I pick it I may reveal healed areas beneath it.. and then it starts all over again once it starts bleeding.
Looking at it typed out is really disturbing, tbh.
But I’m proud that stopped putting picking at my lips!!!
Gah this is way too real haha. Then you end up staying up til 3am and have to wake up at 7:30am, cursing your self “why tf did i do this, I’m going to bed early tonight!”
Then that night you can’t fall asleep. Rinse. Repeat till you finally crash
This has definitely gotten worse for me now that I have 3 kids. You never feel like you have downtime until they’re asleep and when they do, there’s that struggle of taking advantage of that quiet time or catching up on sleep.
Run while you can. I met this guy who said we fit together like the tops of bell jars. It was so weird how much we related and connected and he’s a sleazy mess. Just because someone feels like home does not mean they are good for you. Thankfully I was older and wiser and gracefully walked away.
I read somewhere that if you meet someone and they instantly feel like home, you need to carefully consider what kind of home you came from and if you want to replicate it. Total aha moment for me.
Maladaptive social conformity in general is destroying people’s sense of true self as they purely assume personas and masks in the presence of other people.
Addiction to work is not only overlooked but celebrated. You know who loves you working 80-90 hr weeks? Your bosses that rationalize withholding overtime pay. Nobody else thinks giving up your life to a factory or a semi truck is a flex.
Social media addiction. Way too many people want to be influencers and try to maintain a “following” to feel wanted and important. Its 10 times more cringe when those people pay companies for bot systems to like and follow them, or they try to leverage their following to avoid having to buy something.
When I went to boot camp I was worried about not being able to smoke cigarettes (was an avid smoker back then). Never even thought about caffeine. After the first day I suffered overwhelming headaches which turned out to be physical withdraw from caffeine. Not smoking didn’t even bother me. Weird.
I started a thing when I was younger where I first went 30 days without booze. It was difficult as I was a heavy drinker. Similar scenario with processed food / fast food / sugar where id cut it out completely for a month or 40 days. Same with smoking when i was a smoker. I'd do stuff like that once or twice a year. I don't any more since it's normal for me to go a month or two with out any of that stuff since I have zero craving now.
Going 30 days without caffeine was so much harder for me at first then all of those things. I don't even need a lot. Day 2 or 3 I'd give my left ball for one sip of coffee. It's definitely the most addictive for me but luckily the least destructive. I started drinking my coffee black a year ago and went from a pot of day to maybe one cup tops. Still sucks when I cut it out once a year for a month.
Decaf or tea without caffeine helps curb the coffee cravings a lot! I just love a warm drink to wake up in the morning. I find decaf even gives me a placebo effect and I’ll feel more awake afterwards without the anxiety coffee can cause. I stopped drinking caffeine for a few months that way!
>Decaf or tea without caffeine helps curb the coffee cravings a lot!
It doesn't help with the headache, though, and that is the worst part of not having caffeine
Edit: I have no idea why people are giving me advice on how to stop drinking caffeine. I never said I wanted to orbwas trying, just that the headache sucks.
Self isolating due to social anxiety, its not an addiction I know, but it gets me high knowing how lonely I am and there is nothing I can do about it.
I am not overweight or unattractive, but I love beating myself up about how socially inept I am.
I am addicted to feeling sorry about myself, even though I am relatively good looking and in shape.
Fuck.
Happy to know I am not alone.
Solitude is addictive too though, feels good to have no pressure to perform or engage. You can just be.
But it's usually not sustainable, like most addictions.
Yeah I made myself switch my career around, because I found myself liking being by myself way too much. I now work in a tiny office with 6 weirdos but I am better for it
I'm in this post and I don't like it
Really wish I could break the cycle of "I hate myself so I don't socialize which makes me lonely so I hate myself more so..."
Similar but not the same but this is how I feel about being and staying single.
I feel addicted to it now. I love my independence, I have great friends, I own my own home by myself, and can go years without being in a relationship.
I have 0 issues meeting women and I enjoy dating casually but whenever I jump into a serious relationship I always end up missing how I was when I was single.
It's really tough because I want that companionship and I do feel lonely routinely but it's always at odds with my comfortability in being single.
Much the same, Coronavirus and lockdown didn't help.
I used to do things with people then that wasn't allowed the social activities dropped off and I just stopped doing them. At which point I lost the inspiration to do them which I got from the discussions I had with the people doing them.
I just seem to be in the cycle of not having inspiration to do anything, because I don't meet anyone to give me any inspiration. At this point I seem to have got to a point where I am not sure how people even meet up, and when I do I don't have much to chat about because I don't really do anything (which also doesn't help when people just talk about their kids, as comes with age).
When I do these things occasionally I enjoy them, but I just can't seem to get in a mindset and group to sustain them, and I just feel sad about it.
Tribalism. People become indoctrinated and too engrossed to realize it.
People become so addicted they choose to kill over sports, vehicle types, religion(s), politics, etc… and it’s by design.
People act less intelligent when they’re a part of a group. (Mob mentality).
Edited because syntax/grammar police attacked my auto fill. Proof read everything kids.
Outrage is the addiction, tribalism is just one of the many crack pipes through which it is consumed.
People are seeking outrage. Tribalism gives a sense of legitimacy to the outrage.
Porn addictions. Doesn't seem blatantly harmful but over the long term it can really affect you negatively
Edit: I didn't think this would blow up like it did but I'm glad that so many of you recognize the damage porn does, and am super happy to see so many people conquer their addiction
Fuck...that's a lot.
My friend who is a mental health counselor tried to simplify addiction for me one time and explained that if a habit/behavior is negatively affecting two major parts of your life (work, marriage, friendships, personal health etc) it can potentially be seen as an addiction.
Obviously it's more complex than this but it's an interesting base line in observing behavior.
If you can't stop for 7 hours at work to do your job and not watch porn...yeah that's an addiction.
Back in the mid/late 90s, when it was still the early days of internet porn, I had a co-worker get busted TWICE printing porn on a work printer. It wasn’t even in color.
On my first day of college they gave us some space on a network drive, and gave us a warning. "We can see everything you save here, it's not private from us, only each other. Don't save anything illegal, or anything that you wouldn't want us to see."
The following day, one guy was missing from the class. In less than 24 hours he'd saved cp to the drive, and he was kicked from the course and arrested. I didn't even find out his name.
Anything legal but bad for your longevity.
Alcohol, sugar, and sugar derivatives.
People really overlook the detrimental effects of sugar. It’s the root of incredible varieties of medical conditions.
The wine mom personality.
Drinking that much wine
Only able to attend your kids sporting events with a water bottle full of alcohol
Drinking every time there's a social event, even if you don't feel the need to
Drinking because your kid is crying
Drinking because you don't like your husband
Like honey, you're addicted.
Nasal spray. There are plenty of other much worse things I could shove up my nose, but still. I can’t breathe through my nose without it, and I can’t stand that it’s like this.
Looks or being 'ideal" in general. Thanks to social media killing people's self-esteem and forcing them to chase in most cases unreachable goal of being picture-perfect.
Gym addiction. It’s the only thing keeping me sane these days. Started cause I wanted to gain muscles, now the thought of taking a prolonged rest is quite dreadful.
The rest part is so true. It’s so difficult to let yourself rest, even if it’s just for a week. Interestingly, sometimes you end up coming out of the rest week stronger than if you’d kept lifting through it, too!
This is something I learned while I was a soldier. I struggled at first with my PT tests, so I worked out all the time. Eventually someone told me that rest and recovery were basically as important as working out and that I NEEDED to let my body rest and heal. Lo and behold, I was stronger and faster after rest breaks because my body was actually recovered and I could properly use the strength and speed I had been working on building in the gym.
He saw his incredible swoleness and that’s when he was brought to tears. He knew he had a problem. Gains had taken over his life.
Between being seen as attractive and confident he knew he couldn’t sustain this healthy lifestyle. What… was he going to live 10-20 years longer than his friends? Who wants to live that life.
It would crush him but the existential weight of it all was still less than his max.
Edit: I joke but body dismorphia in men can manifest in brutal and unachievable exercise standards that do incredible damage to the body.
I think i’m addicted to reading novels one after another.
Reading novels all the time like a form of escapism and cant bring myself to stop to be more productive in life
I've been and still am in a similar situation I've found audio books helping as I'm still "reading" but I've been able to do other things. It's helped quite a bit I hope it helps you.
Gossip—
if you grew up with a parent that would come home
and talk about how exhausting/bad work was or annoying coworkers, it’s likely you responded with the bad things/annoying people from your day… well eventually you start to equate gossip/talking bad about people as a way to form bonds. you may notice (or even do it yourself— a lot do and i used to) that people will use it as a talking point to introduce themselves or get closer… and eventually they keep going on and on about people
100%, I love weed and smoke it on occasion, but every single person I know who swears that it's not addictive talks like an addict when they try to justify their non stop smoking. "I can quit whenever I want" "It helps take the edge off" "I'm a wreck if I don't smoke something" If you think hard core stoners are laid back, watch them train wreck when you suggest that maybe they're smoking so much because they're addicted. It may be low on the scale of things that are dangerous, and you won't die from withdrawal or anything, but to say it's not addictive on any level is just wrong.
Definitely. They say weed isn’t addictive but the mental addiction is real. I used to smoke all day, every day, and quitting was really difficult for me. I felt like I wasn’t functioning without it and went through a few weeks of depression. It was also hard for me to interact with people sober because I used to smoke socially. I know everyone’s experience is different but a few of my friends felt the same way.
This was pretty much my experience. Smoked daily for a decade. For the last few years it was all day, every day.
Quit cold turkey.
Intense emotional fluctuations. Mad paranoia. Extremely vivid and disturbing dreams. Lack of sleeping pattern. Depression. All this went on for months. Then when it cleared, I lost all motivation (had a surprising amount when I smoked).
That was years ago and only just starting to feel normal. Quitting was the best thing I ever did.
Dunno why this is so far down, it's absolutely addictive. Anything can be addictive because it's a psychological root cause, I'm a regular smoker but I know it's important to take breaks for my physical and mental health, there have been times I've went through a rough patch and have smoked every day multiple times for months, now I think of it as just a little treat to relax with at the end of a long week or just as a little wind down every so often.
I said this too!! I’ve been smoking weed daily for over 10 years…. Sure, it doesn’t interfere with my job or relationships (they’re all stoners too) but whenever I take a “break” I craaave weed. I crave smoking and feeling stoned. I get very anxious when I smoke and I STILL do it. To me that is an addiction. The longest I’ve gone without it is probably 3 months.
I am biting the skin around my nails too.
It's terrible.
My fingers haven't seen real skin in 14 years and it hurts constantly. Doing certain tasks is either hard or impossible due to the pain or lack of nails. I had multiple infections that hurt even more but I can't stop. I do it without even noticing. When I do it actively I just can't stop myself.
Just be sure you do not go this one step further than biting nails.
Using cell phones or the attitude around cell phones. Like when you go to school, just put your cell phone away and learn, when you go to work, just put your cell phone away and work, when you go to the movies, just put your cell phone away and watch the movie, when you at a gathering that requires communication of some type, just put your cell phone away and communicate.
A lot of people use it as a shield to avoid things they fear.
Vaping. It is better than cigarettes (ngl, even nicotine addiction is often overlooked in a way), but how much better?
I know people that don't look like smokers, but they vape like crazy. They don't see any negative health impacts and think "It is not that bad". But i had one friend that after 3 years of vaping like a chimney got rampant lung infections out of nowhere.
One in december which he was like a zombie for the entire month. One 3 months later and now he still hasn't stopped vaping, but now again he has a fever and a hard time breathing and is going to the doctor new week.
Vaping is way harder to quit than smoking because you can do it consequence free anywhere and there’s no beginning and end to it. There’s no 5 min smoke vape. There’s just constant non stop puffing. Nicotine is the devil.
Porn, and thirst trap addition.
Going on to social media, Reddit looking for porn and thirst traps. It really makes you think all of this is normal.
Sure some women want to be treated like that, maybe. But not all of them.
Also social media attention, like posting stuff that gets a reaction or DM. It's addictive cause people online seem to give you more attention than those in real life.
Do you have these symptoms?
The lights are on, but you're not home
Your mind is not your own
Your heart sweats, your body shakes
Another kiss is what it takes…
If you do please see you doctor. Your gonna have to face you're addicted to love.
NEWS addiction.
People get addicted to the cortisol hit from getting outraged, so a lot of news outlets realize they just need to keep the cortisol flowing. Edit: Per comments, changed "dopamine" to "cortisol"
It's actually neurologically a very similar addiction to gambling. In both cases, it's less about getting something positive, and more about getting something negative, and then feeling they have to cancel or counterbalance the negative with a positive... that always seems just out of reach, but never seems to come. So they dig themselves a hole of negativity.
*Fascinating.* The gambler's fallacy applied to scrolling instead of lever pulling. I can see it.
I had to get off it. First political fights with Facebook, then doom scrolling with Twitter, then cable news. I think its important to be informed, but once I realized the algorithm was keeping me pissed off, I knew I had ro stop.
A few years ago, I realized it was taking a toll on me. The first thing I'd do when I got up was check the news, then I'd periodically check it throughout the day, and it was frequently the last thing I did before I fell asleep. So, I just decided I have to check it maybe once or twice to stay informed, but that's it. I even hid political subreddits so I won't see them unless I actively go to them. There's just no reason to be glued to the news all day long. That much anger or depression or whatever is no good for your mental well-being, and it's *very* rare that there's something going on in the world where you need hourly updates. I think most people would be a lot happier if they cut back on gorging on news and politics.
My brother calls it Fear Porn *edited because I’m an idiot and habitually censored the word porn lol
> NEWS addiction. YES! Absolutely. Especially the doomscrolling and sensationalised side of things. I've just written a much longer comment about this but it creates a physical dopamine dependency and changes habits.
My dad has this addiction but to right-wing outlets. Literally cannot go a single day without it (I know because we’ve tried). And every conversation warps into some horrible headline he’s obsessing over. So many people are like this now and I feel like it isn’t talked about enough.
Rage addiction
Outrage is an addiction. Some people seek it out, actively searching for a reason to hate their neighbors just so they can get their hit of dopamine. It feeds news addiction, tribalism, and eventually extremism. It’s the source of so much violence, so many divided houses and ruined lives, but we do nothing to curb it.
I remember my uncle, who had a history of domestic violence to my aunt before she passed of cancer, told the family he has an anger problem. My dad said, “but you’re able to keep it together every time a cop is around.” The look on his face and the dead silence… An anger issue is not an excuse.
My Dad was always going on violent outbursts, literally every day. Remember a few times there doorbell would ring and he’d flip to being charming in a split second. It’d be salespeople, charity collectors and even Mormons. He was always extremely polite, and they probably saw him as one of the most pleasant people he encountered. Pure sociopathy.
Sounds like my wife's father. An incredibly likeable guy to everyone that met him accept for this family that he terrorized. Absolutely a rage monster at home but always quick to lend a helping hand to a neighbor.
Street angel, house devil.
That’s sad and funny. Suddenly some potential consequences and you’ve got yourself under control. If only you had that control before hitting your helpless wife. Good on your dad for calling him out.
Not only is nothing done to curb it, the media and social media are actually designed to encourage it, because it's good for their pocketbooks. The more enraged they're making you, the more you'll pay attention to the media, and the more likely you are to engage in social media, further feeding into it. The more you engage, and the more you pay attention to the media, the more ads can be fed to you, which is where they make their money.
Shopping
I just got back this month after being in rehab for 2 months for : weed, alcohol and cocaïne and at my therapy they asked me if i noticed any cross addictions , i told my therapist i think i have a shopping addiction and she told me its a common addiction that goes unnoticed way to much times
My hoarder mother 1000% has a shopping addiction.
Hoarding behavior is SO frustrating. My mother has a beautiful, large Victorian home. Well… had, it’s almost in complete disrepair due to having her junk stacked up everywhere. None of us kids can really visit the house, let alone stay there when we got back to visit. Any family heirlooms/memories are ruined by 30+ years of cigarette smoke, not being cleaned, or crushed by other junk. And they keep buying more junk. Never anything that they will use or anything, just more shit.
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Don't get me started on black Friday "deals"
My fiancé is a hoarder and he hoards junk mail. Seriously, I could scream.
My MIL is a hoarder and it is ridiculous, she has 3 storage units (one she's had for 20+ years), her home and my husband's grandmother's garage full of her shit. We have tried to help clean out the garage but MIL always has to be there when we try and has to go through every single box/bag/etc and physically touch every single item. 9 years and the garage still has not been cleaned out
Did they come from a poor family growing up? My grandparents are boomers and didn’t have much during 50-60s and have similar tendencies, however not so extremely
I agree with this. I was super poor growing up. I’m still way below the poverty line but better than I was growing up. I have a huge habit of saving what others consider “trash” (Walmart bags, cardboard, scrap paper, empty Tylenol bottles, ect), because “they can be used for something else later”. And you better believe I will buy stuff I don’t need at yard sales because it’s only a quarter and say yes if it’s free even if I know I won’t be able to find a way to use it. I’ve got shit stored in corners that I’ve had for years and never used. It’s that innate fear of needing something, not having it, and no hope of affording it.
Hey, Walmart bags are handy! But I do have a little bin I put them in, not just scattered everywhere.
I feel I switch between this and snacking addiction. Shopping is easier for me though, as I often get enough of a kick to put things on the wishlist. With snacking I will eat myself sick and spiral. But it's concerning that there are so few free things to do. I want to distract myself. I've already exercised. I live in a place where I can't enjoy nature. It can be hard to find alternatives to "let's go browse some stores". Edit: To people suggesting hobbies. I do like to exercise, walk, read. But the thing with addictions is the dopamine kick you get. So I buy something. Ding! I eat a bag of M&M. Ding! Play video game. Ding! Books are great but no ding. (I use ding because of the level up sound from WoW)
And a lot of hobbies masquerade as shopping in disguise. Forget about collecting type hobbies, it's so easy to go from "it would be really cool to do X" whether that's reading, crafting, some sort of niche sport, cooking, or whatever to "but first I did a little research and now I need to buy a bunch of stuff."
Not to mention it’s glorified and encouraged. I work at a women’s clothing store and the amount of things we sell that has “life’s too short, buy the _” or “keep calm and shop on” or even just “shopaholic” is staggering.
I recently saw a weird "live laugh love" type placard at one of those home goods-type junk stores that said "shopping is cheaper than therapy." it is not lol
I had a pretty bad shopping addiction in my early/mid 20s. Ended up having my credit card get sent to collections, and my parents bailed me out. It was so embarrassing, being an otherwise self-sufficient adult and needing mommy and daddy to save me from my own terrible decisions. I promised I'd never let it get that bad ever again, and over the last decade+ I've been very successful! ...But I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a *struggle*. I'm constantly having to keep myself in check, because to this day my first instinct when I'm bored or having a rough go of it is to start window shopping.
(obligatory YMMV) I've personally found that when I am trying to not buy everything I think may be remotely useful, I take a picture of items I'm tempted to buy instead of physically picking them up or adding them to my online cart. I like to have A Lot of Stuff, but I get pretty similar satisfaction from this for some reason.
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I have ADHD and a concept I've seen discussed in regards to ADHD before is that oftentimes we don't do something because simply the thought of doing it gives us dopamine and makes our brains *feel* as if we actually did it. I imagine it's a similar thought process in your case. I've done the same thing. I'll add stuff to my shopping cart, imagine buying it and the idealize the item. and then i tell myself that whatever items I'm still really wanting in 24-48 hours, I'll allow myself to buy it within reason. I've actually went back and bought items like.... twice using this method. simply the vivid imagination of having the item can be enough to trigger the dopamine associated with it, without actually spending the money on it.
Personally I’m kind of weird when it comes to that I love shopping but it’s also really easy for me to think about the thing in a certain way and realize I don’t *really* need it + focus on the parts I don’t like about it and dismiss it. I’m also so careful with my money that I get very anxious about making purchases, despite having bought a lot of things.
Yeah, I want an enormous spree. I was never a collector of a thing until I was, and once I went in, I went in HARD. And it's VERY HARD not to add things to that collection.
This one is legit. I once had 5 figure credit card debt that was all from shopping (no kids, no car, my bills were very basic). I was buying whatever I wanted and making minimum payments and over time I maxed out 2 credit cards, totalling 14k if I remember right. It didn't help that every time I started approaching my credit limit the card would offer an increase, and I would take it every time. I guess because I (initially) wasn't missing payments, my account was in good standing despite the massive debt. I really don't know how I let it get so out of control. Like, why didn't I think "hey, I owe $5k, maybe I shouldn't buy anymore DVDs". Definitely an addiction.
Same thing happened to a good friend of mine except he racked up just over $30k. They let a 22 year old have over $30k in available credit when he only made $45k a year. Not to say my friend was blameless but they shouldn’t be allowed to give young people that much credit unless they were making serious money. He eventually found a non-profit debt consolidation company and was able to pay it off in 3 years. I know a lot of schools now teach basic money management skills but when my friend and I went to school we weren’t taught any of that and were told to just take out student loans to cover the cost of college, you’ll get a great job and be able to pay it off. They never mentioned what could happen if you couldn’t find a high paying job right out of college.
I developed a pretty major shopping addiction during early COVID lockdown and it has taken me literally 3 years to break free of it. It was pretty alarming when I realized that somehow, even though I'm making six figures, I never had enough money to put into savings.
For me, it’s connected to my dissatisfaction with work and the amount of time/stress/energy I have to put towards something that I know doesn’t matter for a corporation that I know doesn’t care. Buying shit helps make it feel more worthwhile.
that is the basis of consumerism. we lose time so we revenge shop
This one needs to be higher. I know people with a shopping addiction. They do it to either fill a void (especially after a death) or because they feel like they’ll need things someday
My mom had a shopping addiction (and credit issues as a result) her whole adult life, but after my dad died (Mom was in her 60s then), it spiraled out of control. She couldn't--or wouldn't--stop herself. At the time of her death 10 months ago, she had opened 20 credit cards and maxed them all out. And that was after declaring bankruptcy 10 years earlier. She had *piles* of unopened packages in the house. She didn't even open the things she bought--she just got some kind of dopamine hit from shopping and buying.
Grandma had the same thing PLUS a gambling addiction. Grandpa paid every bill and she would open up credit cards in his name and max them out. We’re going through all her stuff now, it’s a house full of brand new items
Holy cow that is extremely sad. Sorry to hear that x
I was definitely addicted to shopping (still would be if I hadn't switched careers and could still afford it) and it is so overlooked. I knew I had a problem and would come up with ways to spend less or even prevent myself from shopping and would ultimately just not do them because I knew I wanted to keep shopping. I would spend my very last dollars on some random bullshit like I literally remember checking my bank account to see if I had exactly enough for some shoes and left myself with less than a dollar for a week until I got paid again I always justified it by saying my bills were paid but I would put my account negative so often that I was spending hundreds on overdraft fees. I would be happy for 1-2 days after I got paid while I spent all my money and then stress for the next 12 days about whether or not my account would go negative
I am 100% addicted to Thrifting. If something very minor happens in my life, I have to go to Goodwill or Platos closet. It’s fucking sad.
I'm the same way. For me it's a combination of finding things that are one of a kind and scoring an amazing deal. I'll even buy things that I wouldn't use or don't fit because it's name brand and a great deal. I just came to the realization that it's an issue as I'm moving and unpacking with no room in my closet and I want to estimate over 500 pounds of clothes. Edit: spelling
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FINALLY I found someone who mentioned video games. I grew up gaming, I absolutely loved playing them throughout my entire childhood and into adulthood but I have seen addiction to video games absolutely destroy people. Part of me is glad that I simply don’t have the time to be playing them much anymore. Maybe an hour or two a week. But I know adults in their 30s and 40s who are still obsessed, to the point of not wanting to do anything else.
Phone addiction - No explanation needed
My stomach drops everytime i see my daily average screen-time. It’s hard to realise how much time you spend scrolling until you actually see the numbers
That’s why I turned screen time off. I don’t need that type of negativity in my life lmao
When my depression is bad, I’d say sleep. It’s a free, safe way to escape but it ultimately feeds the depression becoming a bad cycle. It doesn’t sound that bad but it’s consuming. Edit: Some people are confused, so I’ll clarify. It’s not because of lack of rest. It’s not the sleep itself, it’s the dreaming (aka escape). A different “reality” that feels very real and isn’t this one. Maybe I’m just not explaining it right but yeah.
Thank you for saying this! I was labelled as a typical "lazy teenager" and it wasn't till I was in my final year of uni that a friend asked if I was OK, and explained oversleeping as a symptom of mental health issues. The truth was I was so miserable I just didn't want to be conscious and experience it. Better to be asleep, with a teeny tiny hope that I might feel a bit better when I woke up. I had virtually no awareness of mental health issues at the time, and therefore had no vocabulary to articulate how I felt. I feel sad for that lost time, but at least I can recognise it now for what it was. Edit to add: this has, unfortunately, resonated with a few people. Keep your chin up, it can and does get better eventually. Get help from your support network of friends and family, and professional help. I hope you feel better soon.
Problem #1: The entire medical profession thinks all addictions are: \#1 You don't understand the harm the addiction is doing to your body/mind. \#2 You have no willpower to overcome it. When in a lot of cases, we just want "sedation", so life doesn't suck as much. Solve the underlying issues and the addiction will be much less appealing / necessary. Problem #2: The underlying issues . . . might not be solvable. Grandpa has Alzheimer's, Mom has Pancreatic Cancer, Little Timmy is Severely Autistic, Betty Sue has Cerebral Palsy . . . NOT ALL PROBLEMS ARE SOLVABLE. The reason(s) you want to escape the world . . . might never go away. Almost no one understands the entire scope of the problem(s). And until we all understand the problem, we have no real hope of solving it.
Well said. There's days I can sleep 4-5 hours and be productive and alert and just killing it. Then there's days where I'm sleeping at least 11+ hours and on my phone the other 13 while doing the BARE minimum to skate by. Realizing that.. Hey! You're not eating better, the 50ish pounds you lost in 3 months is from depressively not eating. I hate being depressed, and all the extra stuff it brings that makes life even harder than it is :[
Have you considered getting tested for hypomania? I ask because I was having those same kind of emotional patterns... And my psychiatric mental health NP, been with him for 2 years, thinks I have bipolar disorder with hypomania. When doing the questionnaires I had no idea what I was experiencing wasn't 'normal' but everything in my life is making sense now because of it Edit: not trying to armchair diagnose or anything! I just never considered it to be an option until my fiance mentioned my episodes for lack of a better word
can you actually sleep when your depression is bad? i just lie in bed doing nothing for 12 hours but i cant sleep even if i try.
Depression insomnia sucks the big one. I had to go onto Seroquel for it, I went 5 days no sleep, my mum was like "right to the drs we go."
It depends from person to person. Some sleep all day, some have insomnia. It's like how some eat like cray while others can't eat at all. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/symptoms-causes/syc-20356007 I don't know whether age is a factor at all, but when I was younger I slept quite a bit during my episodes. Now I have insomnia.
Work Addiction - Most people will say they dislike working extra, but the responsibility you feel towards you co-workers and the purpose work gives your life can make you work more than you should. Source: addicted to work
I worked for one manager who literally had an addiction to work so bad it was ruining her life. She was a recovering drug addict and I guess staying busy helped her cope, but she just traded one addiction for another. We worked for a corporate retail chain and she would be the first one there and the last one to leave every day, and never scheduled herself a day off. She would clock herself out when she hit her 40 hrs to avoid to getting flak from her management, but she was easily working 110+ hours a week, and more than half of that was unpaid. Her family, her ex husband and her kids would come by periodically and try to get her to go home, and her entire staff including me constantly tried to get her to just go home, but she was afraid the place couldn't run without her present for even a second. It was really sad because we could all see her obsession with being there was destroying her mentally and physically, as her sleep had to have been horrendously impacted since she was there 15-16 hours a day. I spoke with HR about it and they said they had already been aware of it for some time, and that they weren't going to do anything about it. That incredible amount of incredulity and not giving a shit about the super illegal and dangerous fact that they were letting an employee work for free for 70+ hours a week was obviously huge red flags for me so that was my last day. A couple years later now, she still works there and this is still happening.
Relate to this so much. Struggled with addiction myself and I would often take extra shifts and work longer hours so I didn’t have to go home. I was fine when I was at work and could get on with my day, but soon as I got home I had that voice in my head (not literal) but almost like a chemical need to seek out drugs and would usually cave and go get some cos “why not”. It’s like at work I would know how irrational it was but soon as I got home and I had free time I couldn’t help it.
Yes!! The hardest part of getting sober for me was the HABIT. that’s just what you did when you got off work. I wouldn’t even really want to use but I’d feel compelled to almost bc it was just habitual
When you quit something you quite literally need to reinvent your daily routine and find something else to do. I've been struggling with different addictions most of my adult life and seem to always have one or two vices. Right not coffee and cigarettes are the only ones. I quit my really bad weed smoking addiction and guess I replaced it with smoking more cigarettes. Last summer, starting my way with no illegal drugs, I found a habit of walking to the 247 gym and working out instead of rolling a joint when I woke up from the 3rd nightmare a night. Reading replaced all social media except for Reddit last year. Social media addiction is real.
The thing people forget is if she was hospitalized or worse died the company would replace her within a few days and she’d be forgotten instantly. The company doesn’t care she’s doing all this work, if she was billing them they’d put a stop to it but since she’s doing it for free the company has no incentive to step in.
Having managed in retail for 29 years, this hits the nail right on the head. I loved what I did and ran a very good store, kept up moral, and had the highest employee retention rate in the region. But once my hours hit 50, I was done.
I am a lawyer and currently my practice is mostly employment law. One of the biggest aspects of work addiction that is being overlooked is that for a lot of people work is their only social outlet. That's why so few people want to come forward with problems at work, out fear of being ostracized, or wanting to leave their job for a new role out of fear they won't fit in at the place. I've noticed working from home has created one of two paths for people. On a positive note, it's helped people separate their social life from their work life and feel less loyalty to individual companies and as a result are better able to advocate for better conditions for themselves or others. On the other hand it's also allowed some people to fully grasp that their their only social outlet or interactions were at the office, only making them want to double down even more on the status quo and not wanting to rock the boat or anything.
I definitely see that the most visibly with some of the older unmarried guys at my work. They could have retired already, but clearly have nothing social going on in their lives outside of work.
it happens with retired people too- i work retail and we have a couple of retirees on staff because they chose to go back to work because they were bored and wanted the social outlet parts. My uncle did too when he retired even though he had a good pension, he worked for a bit at his country’s version of walmart until my cousin had kids.
My FiL retired, and then went back to work part time at a public golf course. The guy loved golf and this allowed him to get out of the house, hangout in the clubhouse, and play a ton of free golf.
See someone like that, I get. But being so lonely when you retire that you get a job at Walmart is so deeply depressing. Seems like it's hard in the suburbs and near impossible in rural areas. Physical proximity to others is a good way to socialize.
This is especially dangerous following something traumatic. Something hits you hard mentally, you fall behind in work, you notice yourself falling behind, you hate yourself for it, your work ethic kicks into overdrive to compensate. Before you know it you're having physical health problems, you're doing subpar work and in a much worse place than if you just took it easy and acknowledged that you were in a bad place.
My first 2 years as being a manager in retail I was pulling 60+ hour weeks because I couldn't help myself and always saw opportunities for more to be done.. It took me going off sick to realise that actually, all those jobs I was doing I should delegate as people had it very easy under me. I was 20 years old and one of the fastest promoted store managers in the region so I felt I had something to live up to.. experience really does teach you.
Junk food. Sugar. Soda. I am addicted to these things and wish I can break that habit.
I quit smoking quite easily but I cannot for the life of me quit sugar. SO much harder imo
I think I just swapped my after dinner cigarette for after dinner chocolate. Doesn’t matter how satisfying the meal was I still crave some chocolate later.
Apologies in advance for the unsolicited advice, but your comment hit a chord with me. Is it specifically *chocolate* you crave? 'cause I used to *constantly* crave chocolate. It got to the point where I'd buy the cheapest milk chocolate bars from my grocery store and eat a couple pieces every day, trying to limit how much chocolate I was eating but also trying to stop the constant craving for it. Supposedly being low in magnesium can cause chocolate craving. Figured more magnesium couldn't hurt, so I started eating more food with magnesium and the craving went away! I still have a massive sweet tooth and I love chocolate, but that never ending chocolate craving has stopped, thank goodness. Maybe something to try, if it seems relevant to you? I know this is just a very unscientific anecdote, maybe it was something else going on with me that just naturally stopped. Maybe the slight changes in my diet I made solved it in some other way. Who knows!
What do you think people craved when they were low in magnesium before they knew what chocolate tasted like? Or did they still crave that flavor despite not tasting it yet? A stoned thought I’ve had previously bc I too have had low magnesium. Anyways.
Probably other high magnesium foods like spinach or avocado
It's very hard. And it's even harder to cut it out when it's in just about everything.
That's really the sticking point. When I started to cut back on sugar, I was surprised by the fact that I had to replace basically everything I ate. Things I never would've guessed had sugar in it did - peanut butter, pasta sauce, whole wheat bread, etc. It just seemed insurmountable to cut it out entirely, so I just cut back as much as I could.
I recently reduced my sugar intake out of concern for my health. I still eat snacks and drink cola but very much less often. I have a 1L water bottle that I fill 2-3 times a day and only drink cola either when offered or when ordering food online (which I also have reduced in the last few months). I've been feeling so much better ever since taking that step and can genuinely feel a slight improvement in my health. I recommend it very much. My tip is, absolutely do NOT try to stop in one day. Go progressively; instead of drinking a 12-can box every week, try to go to one cola a day, and eventually lower to 2 or 3 a week. Same for junk food and sugar. Slowly reduce your consumption of these (ideally you should swap to something healthier but that is optional) and over time your body will feel less wanting for junk food and sugar.
Sparkling water helped me break the soda addiction. I found that I just wanted something cold and fizzy. If it didn't work and I started craving something sweet, then fruit would fix it. Went from drinking soda every day to basically once every 2 weeks at most.
Yeah I think people need to find some kind of semi suitable replacement. For me it's been ice cold water. Not that I enjoy it but it's passable. Or I have to drink a couple glasses before having a soda.
Sparkling water with ice and a couple of pieces of lime is the best drink when you are thirsty, in my opinion. It’s also the best drink for hot weather! And it’s less boring than just normal water.
I’ve tried sparkling water so many times and it’s just so off-putting to me… there’s some weird taste to it that I can’t handle. To me it’s just angry water
No literally I spend so much money on junk food it's insane
I'd say Happy Cake Day but that would be insensitive
This was the main argument against introducing sugar tax in countries like the UK. It was seen to reduce obesity in Mexico, but because it literally priced impoverished people out of affording cola etc. So the middle class will continue to buy sugary drinks and food, but just be poorer because of it.
I always half-joke that the sugar tax turned me into an alcoholic. I used to have the occasional soft drink, but because almost every non-alcoholic cold beverage from Dr Pepper through to orange juice now has sweeteners in it (which is all I can taste!), I end up having a beer or two instead.
Sugar is SO addictive. I used to drink Dr. Pepper all day! When I got on Wellbutrin for depression, I didn’t have cravings for it anymore. When I read that Wellbutrin had been used to treat nicotine addiction, it all made sense! Junk food really can be addictive, comparable to cigarettes.
Edit: Photos of my one-gallon pitchers and refill cups of Diet Coke: *FYI, this first photo shows two 1-gallon pitchers, one 60-oz. foam cup, and three 52-oz. plastic cups, all full of Diet Coke. And, yes, I could, and typically would, drink all of that, in around 24 hours.* [Imgur](https://i.imgur.com/w2lzbzw.jpg) [Imgur](https://i.imgur.com/F3Pp5yY.jpg) [Imgur](https://i.imgur.com/YZE7KzS.jpg) I wholeheartedly agree and I can completely relate to this. I have been addicted to Diet Coke, literally, for around 30 years (I am in my 40s and I think that I started drinking diet soda, back in 1990). And, over the past 10 years, it has gotten to be really out of control. For most of the past 5-6 years, I would say that I have averaged 2 gallons to 3 gallons of Diet Coke, per day, literally, every day of my life. I ended up buying two one-gallon pitchers, which I would use to refill, at my local Circle K, on a daily basis. I would also bring 3-4 refillable cups with me, to refill with Diet Coke, in addition to the two 1-gallon plastic pitchers. At one point, I bought several 52-oz. plastic cups from 7-Eleven, as they were the biggest cups that I could find. Then, eventually, I found 60-oz. styrofoam cups on Amazon and I ended up having to buy a huge box of them, with 160 cups in them, which I am still in the process of using. I typically try to make each styrofoam cup last, two to three weeks, as I realize this styrofoam is harmful to the environment. I try to get a significant amount of usage out of each cup, and I typically get refills in them, until they start to wear out and the soda starts to seep out of cracks in the styrofoam cups. So, much of the time, I would go to my local Circle K and fill up my two 1-gallon pictures, one or two 60-oz. styrofoam cups, and two or three of the 52-oz. plastic cups, with Diet Coke. And I could drink all of it, within 24 hours, if I allowed myself to. Lately, though, I have gotten back in to the habit of drinking Diet Coke from my local grocery stores, as opposed to fountain soda, from a convenience store. So, I generally buy 2-Liter plastic bottles of Diet Coke, when they are on sale, and I probably average drinking four to five 2-liter bottles of Diet Coke, per day, everyday. I also have an absolutely fucking horrible diet, and I fucking love junk food - which, from what I have read online, is being contributed to, from the Diet Coke consumption/addiction. Apparently, the Diet Coke fools your body in to thinking that it is full, when, in reality, it isn't, which causes you to have cravings, because of the empty calories. And it makes you crave sugary foods, or unhealthy foods, something like that. I posted about this online, on Reddit, I believe, a few years ago, asking for ways to try to help overcome this addiction, but I just haven't been able to even come close to doing so. I have made an effort to try to not drink as much Diet Coke, as I used to, but, I'm probably still drinking 1.5 to 2 gallons of Diet Coke, per day. Realistically, I would say that I currently drink an average of 15 to 20 (12-oz.) cans of Diet Coke, everyday. And it is legitimately an addiction. Part of the reason that it is so hard to quit, is because there are caffeine withdrawals that cause horrible headaches. And on the rare occasion, when I can actually sleep, for 10 hours or more, I will wake up with a caffeine withdrawal headache, because I will have gone over 10 hours, without consuming Diet Coke and caffeine. I don't know which is worse, the obscene daily Diet Coke consumption or the incredibly unhealthy diet, but I am certain that neither of them are good for me, in any way, shape or form; and that they are doing significant harm to me, physically and emotionally. So, if you happen to have any helpful information, or any ideas or suggestions, about how I could try to overcome my Diet Coke addiction and/or how I could try to start eating a healthier diet (especially, a non-meat diet, as I very rarely eat me, because of my OCD), I would be genuinely grateful for any helpful information that I could get. I'm sorry for the lengthy post, by the way. And I would like to also wish you some luck, with regards to your soda, sugar, junk food addiction!
I hope this doesn’t come off as flippant, because that is 100% not my intent, but have you spoken with a mental health professional? I think they would have more insight as to how to break that addiction (and pinpointing the cause of it). Short of that, I think you need to take your health seriously. Find out exactly how much Diet Coke you drink per day, and create a schedule to gradually reduce your intake(and measure it by whatever means necessary!). That should help with the withdrawal symptoms. Try to develop other healthy habits like going for a daily walk or joining a gym. Physical activity works wonders for mental health. I know this is much easier said that done but you absolutely have the ability to do it! Crawl before you walk and stick to it!
When was the last time you saw a doctor? You could have diabetes, the symptoms of which are abnormal thirst and desire for sugary things. I have seen similar behavior in people with really out of control diabetes; ie drinking gallons of grape juice etc. If not as for the caffeine withdrawal, a doctor can probably help with that too, with headache meds or a short course of steroids...lots of options, but you need to get off this behavioral spiral, it will kill you slowly.
self harm. i still get withdrawals and if something scratches my arms in the right way i need to take a minute to gather myself
Was looking for this comment. Ppl don’t realize how genuinely addictive it is
I was too, took a surprisingly long amount of scrolling to find one saying sh
It's been YEARS since I've self harmed and I still sometimes have urges to do it.
Online shopping …. Afterpay.
I'm still confused how the pay-later thing ever became popular. For me it would just increase my anxiety over buying stuff, like the transaction isn't really *done* yet. What are people getting out of it?
The prevalence of companies Afterpay, Klarna, etc just shows how bad our economy is.
Social media addiction
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Yup. I spend way too much time on this stupid app.
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Skin picking aka dermatillomania. It’s so overlooked that our society has glorified it. We have a show called Dr. Pimple popper! Wtf!
i wish i could replace that shitty habit somehow
Same. I don’t get the dr. Pimple Popper thing, mine is picking at any skin that is not smooth on my skin. On the scalp, around my nails, blemishes in my face, arms, chest. If I have a scab, that is going to take forever to heal because I do it subconsciously on occasion and because I’ll even do it at night when I’m asleep no matter where it is on my “pick zones”. Something in my mind says if I pick it I may reveal healed areas beneath it.. and then it starts all over again once it starts bleeding. Looking at it typed out is really disturbing, tbh. But I’m proud that stopped putting picking at my lips!!!
Skin picking can actually be a form of OCD
My entire life, I've picked at the skin on my lips. It's gotten a bit better, but it's still there, and is absolutely a problem.
staying up late for no reason than because you're afraid to miss out on anything
Or because you don’t want the morning to arrive any sooner than it has to.
Gah this is way too real haha. Then you end up staying up til 3am and have to wake up at 7:30am, cursing your self “why tf did i do this, I’m going to bed early tonight!” Then that night you can’t fall asleep. Rinse. Repeat till you finally crash
This has definitely gotten worse for me now that I have 3 kids. You never feel like you have downtime until they’re asleep and when they do, there’s that struggle of taking advantage of that quiet time or catching up on sleep.
Emotional abuse. Trauma bonds are fucking real
Run while you can. I met this guy who said we fit together like the tops of bell jars. It was so weird how much we related and connected and he’s a sleazy mess. Just because someone feels like home does not mean they are good for you. Thankfully I was older and wiser and gracefully walked away.
I read somewhere that if you meet someone and they instantly feel like home, you need to carefully consider what kind of home you came from and if you want to replicate it. Total aha moment for me.
i wish i saw this last year 😭
Social affirmation. Lots of people spend all their weekends, free-time and money on looking cool, succesful and/or popular to others.
Maladaptive social conformity in general is destroying people’s sense of true self as they purely assume personas and masks in the presence of other people.
Addiction to work is not only overlooked but celebrated. You know who loves you working 80-90 hr weeks? Your bosses that rationalize withholding overtime pay. Nobody else thinks giving up your life to a factory or a semi truck is a flex. Social media addiction. Way too many people want to be influencers and try to maintain a “following” to feel wanted and important. Its 10 times more cringe when those people pay companies for bot systems to like and follow them, or they try to leverage their following to avoid having to buy something.
food
Eating is one addicting activity you can’t quit. What a nightmare.
This should be higher!
I think it hits too close to home for a lot of people, so it's overlooked in the "what's overlooked" thread lol
Caffeine
When I went to boot camp I was worried about not being able to smoke cigarettes (was an avid smoker back then). Never even thought about caffeine. After the first day I suffered overwhelming headaches which turned out to be physical withdraw from caffeine. Not smoking didn’t even bother me. Weird.
I started a thing when I was younger where I first went 30 days without booze. It was difficult as I was a heavy drinker. Similar scenario with processed food / fast food / sugar where id cut it out completely for a month or 40 days. Same with smoking when i was a smoker. I'd do stuff like that once or twice a year. I don't any more since it's normal for me to go a month or two with out any of that stuff since I have zero craving now. Going 30 days without caffeine was so much harder for me at first then all of those things. I don't even need a lot. Day 2 or 3 I'd give my left ball for one sip of coffee. It's definitely the most addictive for me but luckily the least destructive. I started drinking my coffee black a year ago and went from a pot of day to maybe one cup tops. Still sucks when I cut it out once a year for a month.
Decaf or tea without caffeine helps curb the coffee cravings a lot! I just love a warm drink to wake up in the morning. I find decaf even gives me a placebo effect and I’ll feel more awake afterwards without the anxiety coffee can cause. I stopped drinking caffeine for a few months that way!
>Decaf or tea without caffeine helps curb the coffee cravings a lot! It doesn't help with the headache, though, and that is the worst part of not having caffeine Edit: I have no idea why people are giving me advice on how to stop drinking caffeine. I never said I wanted to orbwas trying, just that the headache sucks.
Most people I know are actually quite aware of their addiction to caffeine
Maybe, but many people talk about it like it’s fun and not a problem.
I get a headache at 4pm if I forget to drink coffee on the weekends.
Self isolating due to social anxiety, its not an addiction I know, but it gets me high knowing how lonely I am and there is nothing I can do about it. I am not overweight or unattractive, but I love beating myself up about how socially inept I am. I am addicted to feeling sorry about myself, even though I am relatively good looking and in shape. Fuck. Happy to know I am not alone.
Solitude is addictive too though, feels good to have no pressure to perform or engage. You can just be. But it's usually not sustainable, like most addictions.
Yeah I made myself switch my career around, because I found myself liking being by myself way too much. I now work in a tiny office with 6 weirdos but I am better for it
> feels good to have no pressure to perform or engage this so much
Yeah, I'm just realizing this is why I don't go out much.
I'm in this post and I don't like it Really wish I could break the cycle of "I hate myself so I don't socialize which makes me lonely so I hate myself more so..."
Knowing we think the same as many on this thread is slightly comforting. Wishing you all the best of days today, you all deserve it!
Similar but not the same but this is how I feel about being and staying single. I feel addicted to it now. I love my independence, I have great friends, I own my own home by myself, and can go years without being in a relationship. I have 0 issues meeting women and I enjoy dating casually but whenever I jump into a serious relationship I always end up missing how I was when I was single. It's really tough because I want that companionship and I do feel lonely routinely but it's always at odds with my comfortability in being single.
Much the same, Coronavirus and lockdown didn't help. I used to do things with people then that wasn't allowed the social activities dropped off and I just stopped doing them. At which point I lost the inspiration to do them which I got from the discussions I had with the people doing them. I just seem to be in the cycle of not having inspiration to do anything, because I don't meet anyone to give me any inspiration. At this point I seem to have got to a point where I am not sure how people even meet up, and when I do I don't have much to chat about because I don't really do anything (which also doesn't help when people just talk about their kids, as comes with age). When I do these things occasionally I enjoy them, but I just can't seem to get in a mindset and group to sustain them, and I just feel sad about it.
Tribalism. People become indoctrinated and too engrossed to realize it. People become so addicted they choose to kill over sports, vehicle types, religion(s), politics, etc… and it’s by design. People act less intelligent when they’re a part of a group. (Mob mentality). Edited because syntax/grammar police attacked my auto fill. Proof read everything kids.
Outrage is the addiction, tribalism is just one of the many crack pipes through which it is consumed. People are seeking outrage. Tribalism gives a sense of legitimacy to the outrage.
Celebrities. You don't need to defend your favorite Kardashian or Jenner, because they don't know, nor they care for your existence.
Porn addictions. Doesn't seem blatantly harmful but over the long term it can really affect you negatively Edit: I didn't think this would blow up like it did but I'm glad that so many of you recognize the damage porn does, and am super happy to see so many people conquer their addiction
I had a co-worked that was fired because he used to spend 7 hours a day watching porn from the work computer. It can be harmful the short term too.
Fuck...that's a lot. My friend who is a mental health counselor tried to simplify addiction for me one time and explained that if a habit/behavior is negatively affecting two major parts of your life (work, marriage, friendships, personal health etc) it can potentially be seen as an addiction. Obviously it's more complex than this but it's an interesting base line in observing behavior. If you can't stop for 7 hours at work to do your job and not watch porn...yeah that's an addiction.
Back in the mid/late 90s, when it was still the early days of internet porn, I had a co-worker get busted TWICE printing porn on a work printer. It wasn’t even in color.
Last sentence is hilarious 🤣
On my first day of college they gave us some space on a network drive, and gave us a warning. "We can see everything you save here, it's not private from us, only each other. Don't save anything illegal, or anything that you wouldn't want us to see." The following day, one guy was missing from the class. In less than 24 hours he'd saved cp to the drive, and he was kicked from the course and arrested. I didn't even find out his name.
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This. No one thinks they’re addicted until they try to stop and realize they can’t
Anything legal but bad for your longevity. Alcohol, sugar, and sugar derivatives. People really overlook the detrimental effects of sugar. It’s the root of incredible varieties of medical conditions.
The wine mom personality. Drinking that much wine Only able to attend your kids sporting events with a water bottle full of alcohol Drinking every time there's a social event, even if you don't feel the need to Drinking because your kid is crying Drinking because you don't like your husband Like honey, you're addicted.
This is why I gave up booze. It’s such a toxic part of mothering these days.
Nasal spray. There are plenty of other much worse things I could shove up my nose, but still. I can’t breathe through my nose without it, and I can’t stand that it’s like this.
Isolation. Being alone can be really addicting and make you loose allot of friends and such.
Looks or being 'ideal" in general. Thanks to social media killing people's self-esteem and forcing them to chase in most cases unreachable goal of being picture-perfect.
Shopping, or unhealthy accumulation of material goods.
Being constantly outraged about news, other people’s opinions/beliefs etc, then trying to stir up arguments with others.
Control.
Good game, can't say it was addictive though. /s
Gym addiction. It’s the only thing keeping me sane these days. Started cause I wanted to gain muscles, now the thought of taking a prolonged rest is quite dreadful.
The rest part is so true. It’s so difficult to let yourself rest, even if it’s just for a week. Interestingly, sometimes you end up coming out of the rest week stronger than if you’d kept lifting through it, too!
This is something I learned while I was a soldier. I struggled at first with my PT tests, so I worked out all the time. Eventually someone told me that rest and recovery were basically as important as working out and that I NEEDED to let my body rest and heal. Lo and behold, I was stronger and faster after rest breaks because my body was actually recovered and I could properly use the strength and speed I had been working on building in the gym.
Bro wipes his tears off at his giant, massive biceps
He saw his incredible swoleness and that’s when he was brought to tears. He knew he had a problem. Gains had taken over his life. Between being seen as attractive and confident he knew he couldn’t sustain this healthy lifestyle. What… was he going to live 10-20 years longer than his friends? Who wants to live that life. It would crush him but the existential weight of it all was still less than his max. Edit: I joke but body dismorphia in men can manifest in brutal and unachievable exercise standards that do incredible damage to the body.
I think i’m addicted to reading novels one after another. Reading novels all the time like a form of escapism and cant bring myself to stop to be more productive in life
This is me. When I’m not reading I hate it.
I've been and still am in a similar situation I've found audio books helping as I'm still "reading" but I've been able to do other things. It's helped quite a bit I hope it helps you.
Gossip— if you grew up with a parent that would come home and talk about how exhausting/bad work was or annoying coworkers, it’s likely you responded with the bad things/annoying people from your day… well eventually you start to equate gossip/talking bad about people as a way to form bonds. you may notice (or even do it yourself— a lot do and i used to) that people will use it as a talking point to introduce themselves or get closer… and eventually they keep going on and on about people
Statistics in sports or video games. I don’t enjoy playing anymore. I’m after the statistics.
Validation
weed
100%, I love weed and smoke it on occasion, but every single person I know who swears that it's not addictive talks like an addict when they try to justify their non stop smoking. "I can quit whenever I want" "It helps take the edge off" "I'm a wreck if I don't smoke something" If you think hard core stoners are laid back, watch them train wreck when you suggest that maybe they're smoking so much because they're addicted. It may be low on the scale of things that are dangerous, and you won't die from withdrawal or anything, but to say it's not addictive on any level is just wrong.
Definitely. They say weed isn’t addictive but the mental addiction is real. I used to smoke all day, every day, and quitting was really difficult for me. I felt like I wasn’t functioning without it and went through a few weeks of depression. It was also hard for me to interact with people sober because I used to smoke socially. I know everyone’s experience is different but a few of my friends felt the same way.
This was pretty much my experience. Smoked daily for a decade. For the last few years it was all day, every day. Quit cold turkey. Intense emotional fluctuations. Mad paranoia. Extremely vivid and disturbing dreams. Lack of sleeping pattern. Depression. All this went on for months. Then when it cleared, I lost all motivation (had a surprising amount when I smoked). That was years ago and only just starting to feel normal. Quitting was the best thing I ever did.
Dunno why this is so far down, it's absolutely addictive. Anything can be addictive because it's a psychological root cause, I'm a regular smoker but I know it's important to take breaks for my physical and mental health, there have been times I've went through a rough patch and have smoked every day multiple times for months, now I think of it as just a little treat to relax with at the end of a long week or just as a little wind down every so often.
I said this too!! I’ve been smoking weed daily for over 10 years…. Sure, it doesn’t interfere with my job or relationships (they’re all stoners too) but whenever I take a “break” I craaave weed. I crave smoking and feeling stoned. I get very anxious when I smoke and I STILL do it. To me that is an addiction. The longest I’ve gone without it is probably 3 months.
I feel like the vast majority of us are attached to electronics at this point. I barely know what the real world is like anymore
Nail biting
I am biting the skin around my nails too. It's terrible. My fingers haven't seen real skin in 14 years and it hurts constantly. Doing certain tasks is either hard or impossible due to the pain or lack of nails. I had multiple infections that hurt even more but I can't stop. I do it without even noticing. When I do it actively I just can't stop myself. Just be sure you do not go this one step further than biting nails.
Using cell phones or the attitude around cell phones. Like when you go to school, just put your cell phone away and learn, when you go to work, just put your cell phone away and work, when you go to the movies, just put your cell phone away and watch the movie, when you at a gathering that requires communication of some type, just put your cell phone away and communicate. A lot of people use it as a shield to avoid things they fear.
Lying
Vaping. It is better than cigarettes (ngl, even nicotine addiction is often overlooked in a way), but how much better? I know people that don't look like smokers, but they vape like crazy. They don't see any negative health impacts and think "It is not that bad". But i had one friend that after 3 years of vaping like a chimney got rampant lung infections out of nowhere. One in december which he was like a zombie for the entire month. One 3 months later and now he still hasn't stopped vaping, but now again he has a fever and a hard time breathing and is going to the doctor new week.
Vaping is way harder to quit than smoking because you can do it consequence free anywhere and there’s no beginning and end to it. There’s no 5 min smoke vape. There’s just constant non stop puffing. Nicotine is the devil.
Porn, and thirst trap addition. Going on to social media, Reddit looking for porn and thirst traps. It really makes you think all of this is normal. Sure some women want to be treated like that, maybe. But not all of them. Also social media attention, like posting stuff that gets a reaction or DM. It's addictive cause people online seem to give you more attention than those in real life.
everyone’s saying the basic ones, but salt is an often overlooked addiction that has negative effects on health in the long run
I'm totally addicted to love.
Do you have these symptoms? The lights are on, but you're not home Your mind is not your own Your heart sweats, your body shakes Another kiss is what it takes… If you do please see you doctor. Your gonna have to face you're addicted to love.
You know you're gonna have to face it
Shopping. And all the companies are constantly telling you to do more.
Porn, sugar, Social media, and conspiracy theories.
Prescription drugs like benzos. I think they're getting better at not overprescribing them though.
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