Addiction

[Rollerderby]

Does anyone have any advice on how to deal with addiction? Some people say addiction can be dealt with on your own, and it's just a matter of rising above your need. What say you guys?

[misombra]

what do you think about it?

are you having experience w/ somebody who is addicted?

[vashti]

What kind of addiction?

I don't believe in sex addictions, for example.

[ecojeanne]

i deal with addiction with a blanket no not doin' that anymore. once you allow once in a while knowing it's an addiction then you're fcked

i've been addicted to excercise- literally was excercising all day every day and even broke exercising machines, porn-watched it every day until i knew it was out of my control, shopping when i had the money(tbh became an extreme, i bought every colour in every style focussing on a certain item: coats year/shoes year/dresses year....all specifically different years of my life) the lottery and scratch cards-it broke me, i became obsessed with pasta and became allergic coz i ate everyday..i'm kinda realising i have some flaw in my personality that way
basically i get a thing into my head and i don't realise until i'm consumed by it 24hrs a day and i realise i'm addicted again.

you just have to say no in your mind.

[Yggdrasil]

I say it depends on the kind of addiction and the personality of the person trying to overcome the addiction.

Some people will need support, other people have enough will power to overcome certain addictions by themselves (such as for example quiting smoking cold turkey).

If it comes to hard or prescription drugs, I definitely would recommend seeking professional help, because those are very hard on the body and cold turkey quits can lead to death.

If it comes to habitual addictions, such as for example gambling, again, same thing in my opinion, some people may need support, others may have enough will power to overcome those themselves.

I guess, what I am trying to say is: there is no clear cut answer here. It depends on a variety of factors.

The common factor I believe in overcomming any addiction is the will and the commitment to overcome the addiction, with or without support.

[Petit Papillon]

I wasn`t smoking whole 24 hours,heh envy me

Not that I wanted to, I just couldn`t cause I needed for money to appear on my account and today I felt to lazy to go and pay cash out
BUT the thing You should envy me is that I wasn`t spasming because of it... Pretty normal one-day-detox And nooow it`s time to buy cigarretes

[vashti]

i deal with addiction with a blanket no not doin' that anymore. once you allow once in a while knowing it's an addiction then you're fcked

i've been addicted to excercise- literally was excercising all day every day and even broke exercising machines, porn-watched it every day until i knew it was out of my control, shopping when i had the money(tbh became an extreme, i bought every colour in every style focussing on a certain item: coats year/shoes year/dresses year....all specifically different years of my life) the lottery and scratch cards-it broke me, i became obsessed with pasta and became allergic coz i ate everyday..i'm kinda realising i have some flaw in my personality that way
basically i get a thing into my head and i don't realise until i'm consumed by it 24hrs a day and i realise i'm addicted again.

you just have to say no in your mind.

It's probably just a matter of semantics, but I would consider those behaviors more of an OCD issue than an addiction. Addiction (to me) implies physical withdrawal symptoms if one abstains from the activity, as would happen with a drug or alcohol addiction.

[DoesntMatter]

I thought I was becoming an alcoholic at the end of my senior year in high school because I was having 3 - 5 glasses of wine or shots of rum every night. Then I cut back, and now looking back a few years later I realize I was just paranoid

[vashti]

3 to 5 a night would be considered a problem for many people.

[DoesntMatter]

Yeah, that's what I read and it got me paranoid even though I was only doing it for a couple of months or so. Now I realize it's just because most people have weak will power

[Rollerderby]

I'm talking more about habitual addiction rather than abusing drugs or alcohol.

As far as OCD, which Vash mentioned describing your post Eco:

i deal with addiction with a blanket no not doin' that anymore. once you allow once in a while knowing it's an addiction then you're fcked

i've been addicted to excercise- literally was excercising all day every day and even broke exercising machines, porn-watched it every day until i knew it was out of my control, shopping when i had the money(tbh became an extreme, i bought every colour in every style focussing on a certain item: coats year/shoes year/dresses year....all specifically different years of my life) the lottery and scratch cards-it broke me, i became obsessed with pasta and became allergic coz i ate everyday..i'm kinda realising i have some flaw in my personality that way
basically i get a thing into my head and i don't realise until i'm consumed by it 24hrs a day and i realise i'm addicted again.

you just have to say no in your mind.

Maybe.

I nornally think of OCD as counting window pannels over and over and washing hands over and over. A set of rituals that need to be performed over and over.

Average joe you mentioned that you couldn't stop playing video games, but do you feel that at any time you would be able to regain you ability to play if your limited yourself? Or do you always feel that urge and just choose to ignore it?

Addiction is based on your mental reward system, correct? By doing X your brain releases a chemical that makes you feel good.

DM, would you consider yourself an alcoholic or just an alcohol abuser? There is an actual difference, correct?

[Rollerderby]

What I'm curious about is once you have gotten over your addiction, do you still feel urges to partake in the habit, or can that ever be overcome?

[Aeradalia]

What kind of addiction?

I don't believe in sex addictions, for example.

I believe in sex addictions... been trying for years and can't seem to quit...

[ecojeanne]

well when it comes to the lottery i still get the urge but i just say no to myself coz i know how bad it will overtake me. i'm about to join a gym...i have hesitated since january but i think i can handle it. i make a conscious decision to avoid shopping centres as much as possible...basically i avoid places and things that can bring back the urges. i got back into the lottery again last year but thankfully i didn't win anything for my efforts and thankfully the particular lottery had a time limit so i was able to stop and now i avoid it and block it out of my mind like all my past addictions...wish me luck with the gym

[DoesntMatter]

DM, would you consider yourself an alcoholic or just an alcohol abuser? There is an actual difference, correct?

Neither. Since I went to college I've only had more than 3 drinks in a row a handful of times. And probably the last 2 dozen times I drank it has been a glass of wine with dinner