Addiction

[Ahriman]

What experience do you have with addiction? Either being addicted to something yourself, or watching someone else be addicted to something?

I was an alcoholic for a year and a half. I know, not a very long time to be an alcoholic. But I drank very heavily during that period of time, mostly beer. I did get to try all kinds of really great craft beers, so that's a plus. I had to stop because it was starting to fuck with my mental health.

Now I'm addicted to nicotine and caffeine. I've been smoking cigarettes for several years, and consuming caffeine for just a few years. I do both every day, and I don't feel right without my daily caffeine. Cigarettes are even more of a bitch, as I've tried to quit many times and simply can't do it. It would really suck if I was still smoking 10 years from now.

On a related note, my dachshund acts like she's addicted to eating food, because when given any amount of food, she scarfs it down immediately, like crazy fast, like she hasn't eaten in weeks.

[zebo-the-fat]

What experience do you have with addiction? Either being addicted to something yourself, or watching someone else be addicted to something?

I was an alcoholic for a year and a half. I know, not a very long time to be an alcoholic. But I drank very heavily during that period of time, mostly beer. I did get to try all kinds of really great craft beers, so that's a plus. I had to stop because it was starting to fuck with my mental health.

Now I'm addicted to nicotine and caffeine. I've been smoking cigarettes for several years, and consuming caffeine for just a few years. I do both every day, and I don't feel right without my daily caffeine. Cigarettes are even more of a bitch, as I've tried to quit many times and simply can't do it. It would really suck if I was still smoking 10 years from now.

On a related note, my dachshund acts like she's addicted to eating food, because when given any amount of food, she scarfs it down immediately, like crazy fast, like she hasn't eaten in weeks.

No, that's not addiction, it's just being a dog!

---

I may be addicted to coffee... I normally drink between 8 and 10 large mugs a day. The caffein doesn't seem to have much effect, I may have become immune!
If I was told I had to give up alcohol it wouldn't be difficult (just annoying!) but if I had to give up coffee it would be very difficult

[Deesse23]

On a related note, my dachshund acts like she's addicted to eating food, because when given any amount of food, she scarfs it down immediately, like crazy fast, like she hasn't eaten in weeks.

Its "Dackel"

[Angrboda]

I smoked for 30-40 years. I don't consider caffeine an addiction, but I am a regular coffee drinker.

As to your Dachsund, part of evolution of any animal is dealing with scarcity. That's why we like sweet and fatty foods. They provide concentrated energy which can tide us over during times of scarcity and so we prefer those foods so that we prioritize gathering them over less efficient energy providers. Overeating may be another response which may vary from species to species, and individual to individual. Because there's a reason behind it, even if that reason lies in our past, such eating behaviors aren't properly considered an addiction because they are purposeful and adaptive behaviors, whereas addictive behaviors are not.

[brewer]

I've looked at addictions from both side now
From win and lose and still somehow
It's addictions illusions I recall

[paulpablo]

I smoked nicotine for about a decade from age 16 to 26, I felt shit for about a month while giving up.

Alcohol I used to drink a lot, as in drinking vodka mid week for no reason whatsoever, but my heart began skipping beats so that helped me give that up pretty quickly just out of fear, which also helped me give up smoking around the same time.

Caffeine I'm still addicted to. But l try and not have it to close to night time.

Gambling I just have a set amount I put on the lottery.

Painkillers I took some for a wisdom tooth problem and made up excuses to take them after the problem went but I didn't have to much of an issue with stopping those I just had maybe a weeks craving for them when I stopped.

I've tried lots of other drugs that felt really good or at least stimulating but never felt the urge to take them on a regular basis. Extacy, speed, weed, cocaine.

The best feeling was extacy but I wouldn't even know where to get it now, plus I have all kinds of paranoia about getting banned from driving if I for whatever reason got tested for drugged driving.

I tried cocaine a few times, I sometimes think the stuff I tried must have been weak because I didn't feel much from it at all and yet all these rock stars are making songs about it and demand for it is so high.

I probably have all kinds of mini addictions to short term stimulus despite long term consequences.

I don't think sex can be an addiction and if it is we pretty much all have it. I don't know of anyone who hasn't risked at least some kind of long term consequence for short term sexual stimulus.

Also I did have a friend who was heavily addicted to speed, I saw him in very paranoid states, last time I heard from him he was still taking it, hanging around with someone else also into it. They could stay awake for days but it definitely has some weird mental affect on people.
If anyone tells me they know someone who suffers from psychosis or something like that I usually always ask if they take speed or coke because it normally is related to that.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

Just booze, and that’s in the past.

Boru

[AFTT47]

Alcohol. It will be my death. I can't complain too much though as I am already 62 years old. Many people don't make it that far. Plus, I won't be around to experience the worse of climate change.

[Disagreeable]

What experience do you have with addiction? Either being addicted to something yourself, or watching someone else be addicted to something?

My experience is that I get addicted to any interests that aren't humans.

I wouldn't say I was particularly addicted to any pleasure in particular. I cycle through them all. But people are too irritating to be addictive but also too interesting to avoid completely. And being addicted to people has got to be the most dangerous addiction of all. So I guess I'm extremely lucky that I am one of the very few people who never gets lonely. Bored? Always intermittently. Lonely? Never.

It's important to always be comfortable by oneself. Everybody else is either bonus points or an obstacle to be avoided. Playing humanity is like playing a game of Asteroids.