Addiction

[AYHJA]

I want to talk about addiction in a real sense...What is it, what must be present for behavior to be called addictive, is all addiction negative, you name it...Lets start here, at this next statement, because that's where the idea for this thread came from...

"I'm addicted to porn..."

I don't feel that I'm addicted to porn, but lets just assume that this is the case...To say that I'm addicted to porn means what..? What variables, situations, circumstances...Makes that statement true or false..? Is being addicted to porn the same as being addicted to cocaine..? Does an addiction necessarily mean obsessively consistent..? Am I addicted to eating..?

Just throwing some things out there, please feel free to elaborate on the subject in whatever way you see fit...

[happywonton]

This is a tough one. Addiction is to me is something that is done too much... to the point of not being able to carry on one day without doing something. I believe that it can be both physical and psychological wants that make a person do a certain action. Possibly the addiction gives drive into a person's curiosity or it might relieve stress by putting them into a euphoric state.

Let's say that I smoke weed. If I did, I would smoke that chronic because it made me feel relaxed and separated from the world. It helped me sleep and I would go on the next day feeling like my mind just had an orgasm. Then, when financially I couldn't smoke anymore, I stopped. I then felt like I went overboard with it because I constantly did it in excess amounts and that I felt as though I couldn't interact with anyone because I was so irritated by the fact that my mind didn't mentally ejaculate. Basically everything that happened in Half Baked.

Anyway, I just think that addiction can make someone autistic in the sense that they just repetitively overdo shit. I wouldn't say that eating is an addiction if the person eats normally. If you go out and OD it though, I would guess that would be classified as an addiction.

[Sir Jig-A-Lot]

my only true addiction is morning coffee,cigs & sex. everything else i'm into,i can take or leave. i've put it to the test.

[AYHJA]

Weed is an interesting thing...I used to smoke it, but never developed a real...Hmm, want for it...For 10 years roughly, I smoked Cloves...Once my asthma developed, I quit...I wasn't a pack a day, but 8 cloves a day would probably be about right, at least in the later years...I always told my mom I wasn't addicted, and that I could quit when I wanted to...But the fact that I was constantly smoking them I guess cast a shadow of doubt...

But when I quit, I quit...Cold turkey as one would say...I don't recall experiencing any kind of ill symptoms, or a really intense need to smoke...I just stopped...Maybe it was for health reasons, but I'm pretty sure that people that have other so called addictive habits like doing crack are aware that its not healthy, so that reason alone must not be sufficient for most...

I like coffee...But if I don't drink a cup for a few days, I'm not sitting around going, 'Jesus, I'm going to crack if I don't brew a cup..' Just the same, I like porn...But do I feel I'm addicted to it because I usaully peep it everyday..? No...But just the same, I could be addicted...I don't need porn to get it up...And am not thinking about it when I do get it up and am about to head to that wild pink yonder...

But I saw Kirk Franklin on Oprah with his wife talking about he was addicted to internet porn...And I just thought it was hilarious...He was like I was on the net looking at porn daily, I had issues, etc...And I was straight ROTFLCDR cause I'm like...Me and my whole site are fucked up, lol...

I think addiction is a word crafted by society that relates to immoral things...Cause there is plenty of shit we all do every day that we could do without and do them anyway...For people that are doing things in repetition that affect them both physically and mentally, I say those people are sick...If you smoke crack and can't stop, you're not addicted, you're sick...If you take that crack away and your ass starts sweating and shaking, you're sick...

I think both a physical and mental dependency working in symbiosis with one another have to be present before you can call something an addiction...

[Sir Jig-A-Lot]

well i figured out in my late teens the reason why so many people here in Australia get addicted to smokin' weed as compared to say NZ where i grew up. it was the spinner! the tobacco people here mixed with the ganj. most people in NZ don't mix. hence they can take it or leave it. in Oz, i saw a lot of folk smoking daily. most of them not being able to do shit when they got up w/out first having Breakfast Cones. bongs are way popular here (i personally call it Sucking The Devil's Dick). a lot of them were under the impression that by mixing up their mull with cigs it'd double their stash. yeah right! so since then, i've tried to kick a bit of knowledge on why they get addicted to it,& why smoking it Natural is way healthier & gives you a totally different buzz. i also noticed a lot of people here were letting the high master them,rather than mastering the high so everything is enhanced in a positive way. so they'd spark up & just wanna zonk out watching vids or gaming rather than getting a burst of energy & wanting to partay. such a waste of good pot. smoke it as Jah intended kids.

[trashtalkr]

I would have to say that addiction of any kind is unhealthy. I definitely believe that moderation is the key. Addiction for me is something that you cannot live without - you need it to function. So this could be porn, weed, money, coffee, even your family. And I would say that an addiction to anything is unhealthy. I may be totally devoted to my family, but to be addicted wouldn't be good

[raum]

you can think of addiction in 3 ways:

1. physical - a physical addiction is a tendency to feel need or want of an activity or sensation with little regard for the effects of it. Not inherently destructive unless chronic. like addicted to pain, or biting your nails.

2. social/psychological - the continuing of an action involving other persons or goods without regard or recourse for the effects of it, and the inability to stop without intervention. Like addicted to video games or porn, smoking, or even chewing gum.

3. chemical - the body suffers withdrawals, however severe, when deprived of a chemical it has allowed to become a stimulus or casual effector of regular body activity and functions.

These are not exclusive to one another, and many serious addictions include more than one aspect.

For example:

Addicted to Smoking is #2, Addicted to Nicotine is #3.

[Adtz]

Addiction has a negative connotation, generally speaking.

For instance, I'm addicted to oxygen -- I suffering physical and mental withdrawal symptoms very shortly after I stop getting it. Psychological symptoms set in very soon after. Meets all of the criteria, but is not normally considered an addiction per se.

Addiction means loss of control. That's what twelve step groups deal with. However, we have much less control over things in our lives than we imagine, so addictions are *very* common and rarely recognized.

In the end:

1) I have a bad habit
2) You have a problem
3) He's an addict

[cs_cdkey4]

I am addicted to technology.... especially mobiles....

I always want the newest one with the most features....

cant stop upgrading em.....

[5829]

Addiction to me is something that you do that is interferes with things that you have to get done.
For examples.
Spending too much time doing something like spending too much time on the internet so it interferes with work or neglecting family, etc.
Spending too much money so it interferes with paying bills, or doing without something else.
Chemical addiction usually combines both.

Necessity is something that you because you have to do. Such as breathing or eating. Working and paying bills so you have a place to live and something to eat.

So the difference between addiction and necessity is a difference of need.
Necessity is the need for survival. The basics of what you need to live.
But one of the necessary needs of life is the need of enjoyment.
Addiction is enjoyment overdone so that it interferes with the basics of life.



Now what is the difference between an addiction and a disease?
For example - Alcoholism some people consider it a disease, some an addiction.
For me an addiction is something that you can control. It is a choice.
Alcoholism is an addiction. You choose to drink. You choose not to drink.
Diabetes is a disease. Not something you choose and you need chemicals to control it.