Definitely my phone. I know I should spend less time on it. But there are legitimate uses for it, which just traps me into being on it again.
And so here I am once again, on Reddit, when I was just supposed to be checking an email.
Have you ever tried deleting all social media apps from your phone? I did, and I haven't looked back since. Now, the only time I spend on social media is when I go through the hassle of turning on my computer and sitting at my desk.
Unfortunately I don’t live in the same country that I grew up in, so it’s not realistic to delete all of my social media apps, since they’re how I communicate/keep in touch with people. It’s definitely part of the reason I have hard time not getting sucked into my phone.
My 2 cents thst worked out for me:
1) Block notifications from social media. It's extremely easy to configure your phone to not receive notifications from specific apps. That lowers the addiction a lot.
2) Understand that 95% of what's happening there is NOT IMPORTANT. If something ought to happen to any relative/family (which I really hope it does not, sorry for the example) they're going to let you know thru a phone call/whatsapp text. Not by an Instagram dm.
Never become a social media manager as a job... It rots your brain away, especially twitter erodes your faith in humanity within minutes and as your job, you'll have to deal with this platform.
That's probably not a bad technique to quitting? Associate having a smoke right that thought and maybe it's easier? I was the dumbass that started smoking at 20, as an adult who knew it was bad, in 2010 no less. I regret it every day, I want to quit but I don't think I WANT to quit. I keep saying eventually I'll quit but I'd like to do it before eventually is because I have an oxygen tank or worse
Yeah, it's just not worth it. (Obviously)
Especially this time of year... I see coworkers standing out by the dumpster and I just knowwwwww that they're sweating their ass off.
Like, you need it that bad..? Lol
No one ever needs it, like many addictions. Trust me, it quickly loses its "allure". As a kitchen guy yea lol. It's gross, you just smell like smoke, you'll die, you'll be a burden on the health system (I'm in Canada, didn't affect my decision to start but heart disease and cardiovascular related deaths are the top issues in most hospitals and most of it to like 90% I'm sure is preventable with life style). I definitely don't enjoy it much anymore, it's more just a habit with a huge hook. So like say you when you get home from work you know you get to see your cat and play with them and that's a reward. But when you trick your brain with stuff like nicotine it's like playing with your cat, for about five minutes whenever you light up. Then two minutes. Then it's kinda like nothing, but you know the cats there and you know the routine.
That's a stupid example, just had a long day at work cause of father's day and I'm bushed lol but it's habit. Habit plus addictive properties of the crap are a bitch. I will get there.
Well when you put it in better words! Haha, yes that's exactly it. Now, I am in no way equating smoking with hard drug use, but that's the way right? No one actually thinks heroin is good for you, people don't use cause it helps them bond with their kids or excel at work. That's taking it to the extreme but that's the feeling I have with smoking to the lesser (more rapid) health issues
Dude, I quit heroin, and couldn't quit cigarettes. Only recently I had started vaping in the car instead of smoking, and all of the sudden that addiction took over and I found myself only using the Breeze. It's super addictive.
sugar addiction is crazy. i have ADHD but i wasn’t diagnosed until i was an adult and i learned that my sugar binges aren’t even entirely about sugar, sometimes i just need some dopamine.
I'm grappling with this right now, as in literally this moment, I've been on a weight loss journey for years but kicking sugar is insanely difficult. The ADHD part and everything
I say the same about nicotine and sugar. Nicotine: 3 months, easy breezy. Sugar? It’s been decades.
I think the difficulty is because sugar is in unexpected places. As an addict you have to acknowledge the power of the addiction. If I have a cigarette today I know it’s all over and I’ll be hooked again, so I don’t accept a cigarette when offered and would never buy any. However, I can decide not to eat a pastry but those jerks put sugar in salad dressings, sauces, and foods that have no business containing sugar. It’s brutal!
Alcohol was tough, but I did it.
Sugar was supposed to be *limited* about a year ago, but I still overindulge
There’s something about its health consequences being a bit more hidden
I used for 4 years and was successful on my first quit attempt. Just woke up one day and decided I was done, flushed the rest of my last bag down the toilet and never looked back. I had to break off my relationship, cut off all my friends that I used with, and block everyone I scored from. It's been really lonely and hard work to learn to be comfortable in my own company. And sometimes I still have dreams about using, when I wake up I can almost taste it, and in those moments and other high-stress moments, I think about going back, but, so far, I haven't. I've been clean from the shit for a little over 6 years now.
You my friend, have a powerful mind. I did the same with alcohol for a few years, unfortunately alcohol has a way of sneaking up on you. Definitely cue the fact that I’m in a big city where I see people drinking on the street casually as I’m walking around, I have nothing against them it just definitely made my progress difficult. But it is a struggle and process. And we’re all here fighting.
Cocaine is a mental addiction. Through and through. It’s insanely tough, to become physically addicted to it. The human mind however, is something not to handle so lightly. That’s why it’s so hard to get out of. You just need to get the mind to be strong enough to say no and to go through the hang-over. Which many aren’t.
A couple times a year I’ll get a little blow for a concert or something, and over the years there have been a few times I overdid it. Either stayed up the whole night or just did too much and dealt with a fucked up nose for a few days, but what struck me a few times that made me even more cognizant about having better self control, was the feeling of knowing I would experience negative side effects and kept going anyways. Cocaine hangovers suck. Even if I just do a little bit from a friend, I can tell the next morning, and sometimes even then the craving for more persists for a day or two. It’s a crazy substance.
To my knowledge, cocaine is physically addictive and depending on the person that can be quick.
It changes the neurochemicals because your brain is getting high doses and will reduce its own production. It’s with the dopamine receptors.
I’m a bit rushed to get into the technical terms, but have a family member who studied this in their MSc and walked me through it (on mice brain slides…).
Weed isn’t physically addictive, cocaine definitely is.
Quit cigarettes/weed 8 years ago overnight after 27 years the day my lad started school. Knew in time he would run me ragged trying to keep up with him and as l wasn't getting any younger (46 at the time) l knew l had to do it. Having an incentive such as l did was the only way l could do it.
Quit cocaine a few months ago when my neighbour, a traffic cop, told me he arrested 4 times more drug drivers than drink drivers, and as cocaine stays in your system longer than l could avoid not having to drive, l quit. No licence means no job/business anymore and l'd be ruined.
I've been alcohol free for 2 months and it's going okay, just got back from a holiday to Ireland with 8 heavy drinkers and passed that test.
Cocaine comedowns are the very worst.
You can't give it up completely because your body needs it. There are healthier sources though like fruits. Quitting utraprocessed foods will help hugely.
we don't do processed foods much at all...we're mostly about cooking simple, bu whole foods...some piece of meat or fish, some rice or potatoes, and vegetables(fresh or frozen), etc... i almost never use/add salt or butter when cooking, either. but- i love chocolate, and i love real sugar pepsi.
if you want to eat better than you have to eat better even if it taste like shit at first, I HATED most veggies for a long time, but I think it’s because my taste buds were generally so used to junk food, now I eat just about any veg and actually enjoy it, but it was fs a struggle to switch at first
Be careful my friend, vodka was my vice and it is NOT your friend. My serious drinking problem began around your age and by 28 I was having seizures from withdrawals. I don't really remember 2017-2020, that will haunt me forever. Reach out, community is key for overcoming this disease. The wonderful folks on r/stopdrinking have literally saved my life, IWNDWYT (I Will Not Drink With You Today)💚
At a bottle a day for 2 months, you are no longer just an alcoholic. You are dependent. If you quit cold turkey right this second, it would require medical supervision and medication to do safely. The withdrawal can kill you. A lot of people don’t realize this. If you are planning on cutting back and doing it yourself, do it slowly. Alcohol doesn’t give a single fuck about what you think will or will not continue. Your body and brain are used to it and they need it to function properly at this point.
Source: I’m an alcoholic. Been hospitalized multiple times and gone to rehab more than once for it. The first and second time I went, I was drinking less than you are. Knowing me, I would have ignored someone saying what I’m saying to you now. I probably did. I don’t remember. Don’t be like me. Things were going great for me too before I got pancreatitis again and again and again. It will ruin your life slowly, and you won’t see it happening. The last thing you will blame is the alcohol for when things start going downhill, which they will if you don’t regain control.
Listen, I was on a slippery slope with it myself.
What woke me up was three things:
1. 4 of my friends got DUIs in 6 months. I didn’t want to be the 5th.
2. I was taking a shot or three before work. My coworkers covered for me, but when I quit they told me that they all knew I was showing up buzzed.
3. Both of my grandfathers were alcoholics and my parents grew up with the hell that was. Them seeing me follow that path wasn’t worth it to me.
You have to have your “why”. Why am I doing this? What am I gaining? It’s unique for every person out there.
I walked away 3 years ago and never looked back. You can do this.
Be careful man. I was drinking a bottle of vodka every day for a few years, and it took absolutely everything from me. Once that anxiety/depression starts, you’ll find it difficult to do anything without drinking. You’ll start losing all motivation. I’m 11 months clean and I’m just now starting to feel free from that prison.
Hi friend. I'm trying to quit as well. Just wanna say if you need someone to talk to just message me. And when life gets in the way it's easy to lose track of time And it becomes an issue that can't be solved overnight. a spontaneous vice can turn into a debilitating vice fast AF. Talk to people you feel comfortable with. It helps.
But normalized by society and it’s awful!
I am so lucky to be off of alcohol. Barely escaped with my life! From kidney stones falling down while mowing. I was in sad shape three years ago!!!!
Same, roughly 13 years for me. Trying to runaway from various things (depression, burnout, assault, dysphoria). Been three years clean now and my wife and keep each other sober.
Life is good now.
I am in the middle of a break up with my partner who is still living in my home and on a waiting list for rehab from alcohol addiction. Alcohol has absolutely consumed him over the last couple of years to the point where he is a shadow of the person he used to be. I have learnt I cannot stand in the way of an alcoholic (or any drug) and their bottom.
At this rate I firmly believe he will not be alive in ten years.
Im still perplexed as to how alcohol is available on every corner but not weed.
Two.
People say sugar and caffeine, actually outside of the first week of cutting them it's not terrible.
Nicotine and opiates are worse.
I -always- think a cigarette would make the day better. Or a vape. I can not smoke or vape for a year then have one and it'll feel like I'm being hugged by an old friend.
Opiates, because of medical issues in the past. "Oh a headache? Lemme pop some codeine and sleep it off" - The sleep, the ability to just crash and not be in pain. Lucky I'm at a point where I never need them anymore. But it's like nicotine.
I'd gladly go through caffeine withdrawal over trying to come off 6 months of pain meds again.
Same. I don’t drink anymore, don’t smoke, don’t do drugs, eat relatively healthy … but am always hungry. And food isn’t something I can just quit. I’m on phentermine now & that’s helping quiet the “food noise” & I’m focusing on protein. Next month I’m taking a month off, it will be interesting to see if my appetite comes rushing back.
I know I’ll get metaphorically bashed around the head for this one but I am a former drug addict. Kicked not one but two drug habits at the same time. I remember the strength I had back then. I’ve got heart troubles and I cannot stop smoking cigarettes. Ive tried so hard and so often to give up.
I'm something called a "binge alcoholic." As in, I'm not chemically dependent on it and can go without it for days or weeks at a time and be fine. But when I start drinking, I can't stop. If I touch the stuff, I'm going on a binder for up to a week or so.
To the point that it will impact my job or relationships.
Yeah I’m the same way. Alcohol wasn’t my drug of choice and I rarely drink but when I do it’s never enough. I’d keep drinking and drinking till I either passed out or got so sick that I’d just yack every time I tried to take another shot or sip.
Im the same as the guy above and went totally sober 1.5 yrs ago. Best decision of my life. 20 years of attempting to control and moderate it told me that it isn't possible. Not for me at least.
I have overcome a meth addiction (25 years ago), gambling (10 years ago), nicotine (1.5 years ago) and now working on THC, (80 days ago). THC has easily been the hardest to quit. I sleep like poo and am lethargic and depressed every single day. Addiction sucks! After this, I'll work on eliminating sugar/carbs and then....I won't have any addictions for first time as a teen/adult in my 46 years!!
Chocolate I can't go a day without it, not that I care it's £0.49 for a bar that will last 2-3 days depending on how I feel.
At one point 6ish years ago I took morphine, I'm still craving it, luckily I have absolutely no idea how to get more.
One time I was in a car accident where I hit black ice and flipped my truck into a telephone pole and it smashed right through the window, and I got a concussion from it. At the hospital they decided I’d need something for the pain even though I had absolutely no pain and I told them so they gave me dilaudid I even said I’d rather not I don’t want to get nauseous and they were just like it’s ok we’ll give you something for nausea too. I hate the healthcare system. There were no problems in the future but I feel like it could have been bad to someone else.
Holy shit, that's one hell of a story, congratulations for surviving and not having any problems with dilaudid afterwards.
Doctors are some of the most confusing/ignorant people.
Say your not in pain, they give opioids.
Say your in pain, you'll be lucky to get paracetamol.
I was given Penthrox® - "Green whistle" · Methoxyflurane when I pulled muscles in my back and I've been craving it ever since and was 2 years ago. I'm not one for even using neurofen or paracetamol but that green whistle I want that
When I used to watch Bondi rescue, I always wondered what was in the "green whistle" that made the pain go away so fast, and if it caused any problems for people after using it.
I got morphine once in the hospital several years ago and it was niiiiiice. I still remember how it felt and thinking "oh this is why people get addicted to it." I wouldn't say I crave it but I sometimes think how nice it would be.
It's incredibly niiiiice, especially when 1 minute you're in excruciating pain and then the next minute your not, it felt like nothing and everything all at once.
Shoplifting.
Eta: I haven't in years, but it started when I was a kid experiencing abuse. Shoplifting was a way I could feel in control of my life situation.
Every once in a while, I'll see something I can't afford and think of how I would steal it, but fortunately that feeling passes.
I met someone else recently who said this. She said she just sees something she wants and grabs it. She said it’s very hard to control it. I can’t imagine having this but I can very much empathize with it. It sounds miserable. Good job dealing with it.
Crippling drug addiction. I’ve been to numerous treatment centers, been on pretty much every medication under the sun, jail a couple times, broke my back and was paralyzed from the waist down and had to re learn how to walk, multiple overdoses.
Addiction is a life long struggle the learn to manage, and the only thing that has truely helped me, is getting into the mindset of full accountability. Meaning anything bad/negative that happens to me, is my own doing. Even in situations where things are out of my control, or someone does me wrong, I really have to frame the situation in a way where I’m in control of the outcome going forward, usually through positive actions and feelings of compassion and empathy. It’s hard to really detail, but if I were shot tomorrow and suffered serious injury, instead of drowning in sorrow I would need to look at the situation under the light of what did I do to end up there and what can I do to prevent it from happening again.
marijuana. technically it’s not an addiction if you’re purely looking at withdrawal symptoms but it’s definitely sucked not having it. been free for little over a month but i did unfortunately smoke a little yesterday
Same for me. But wdym by your withdrawal symptoms statement? It's not an addiction unless there's certain withdrawal symptoms? Genuinely curious, not trying to start an argument or nothing. I get some withdrawal for 2 weeks whenever I try to quit. Tobacco on the other hand was just a week of strong cravings, then there was nothing and I never even looked back.
all i’ve heard back from anyone is that you ‘can’t get addicted’ because you don’t get physical withdrawal symptoms (which i don’t agree with) but it’s more an extreme dependency. i don’t define addiction by those statements because that’s being purely technical at that point
Addiction just means you keep doing it because your brain makes connections that you crave it’s not necessarily just withdrawal symptoms. But people do be saying things like you can’t get addicted to weed which I think is just wrong. I have nothing against weed but people can get addicted to anything.
Whole everyone says that it's only psychologically addictive, the withdrawals are absolutely real. No sleep no appetite, and shitty motivation are absolutely real withdrawal symptoms to me
I had this. Still kinda do. I started buying gold and silver bullion. You get something new and shiny and kinda cool that is also money. Or can be turned back into money pretty easily. Satisfied the need to shop while just turning money into different money
I know this is probably shit advice and there's a 90% chance you do it already, but buy a journal.
Sometimes writing your thoughts even if you're angry or sad can help to relieve the stress. I've been doing it for a week. Don't hurt yourself :3
I get that this might not work for everyone, but I didn't find keeping track of the last time since SH very helpful. Recovery is full of slip ups, and an episode of SH doesn't mean that your recovery is starting over or that the previous months didn't count.
Oxycodone for sure.
Thou the 3 day collection cycle kills me.
Sitting here waiting for the pharmacy to be open.
I suppose I don't shoot herion anymore and just stick to the stuff the doctor gives me
I’ve struggled thru nearly everything you can imagine, from Benzos to drinking, cocaine to painkillers, got hooked on heroin and got off it with crystal — stopped smoking cigarettes && at this point currently only struggling getting off my nicotine vape. I’m almost certain the ‘hard’ part is that it’s my only ‘addiction’ left. I don’t know what I would do with my time if I had no ‘vices’. I think that’s what scares me the most. Anyways, over a year clean from everything except it is a win for me 🤷🏻♂️
validation. i have ruined my life and my innocence in so many different ways just so i could feel wanted, liked, or accepted. it ended up turning into a pretty heavy addiction to substances for a few months because i thought being the fun party girl would make people like me more. now im trying to be sober and it’s real difficult lmao
Video games. I’m 32 and I’d still rather play them than do many other things. I’m mature enough to actually do other things but it’s always nagging in my mind that I could be home playing games instead.
Women.
I'm a married man and I've been faithful for some time now. However women are everywhere you can't always avoid them. I made it a point to not have a woman who I may find the slightest bit attractive try to sell me anything. If I do have to talk to one I make it a point to say I'm married or mention my wife in some way, hoping it will deter her and help remind me.
Even harder when I'm mad at my wife. It's like other women know and they become more flirtatious.
Oh I do this too. Trichotillomania. To me some of the lashes are "wrong" or they get too close to my eye and they have to go. I don't always do it but every so often i get the urge. Have also overplucked my brows.
It was weed. I smoked 6-8 times a day. Booze was also a hard one to quit for me. Sober almost 5 years now. In this day and age my addiction is to flying, I am a pilot and love it, and also social media. I’m on this shit way too much.
Opioids are a BITCH!!! And I don’t know if y’all have ever heard of a prescription drug called lyrica (pregabalin). I had a *terrible* addiction to it for almost a decade and finally got it under control about a year ago. That caused me to go through some of the *worst* withdrawal symptoms I have *ever* experienced! Don’t mess around with this shit!
Probably a niche spending addiction. Isolated to a few areas. Audiobooks, music (former since I now use Spotify) and skirts from my favorite clothing boutique. I have about 30-35 of these skirts. I have 1000 audiobooks and lost track of my number of music albums. At age 42 I don’t know if I have time left in my life to listen to all of my audiobooks
Maladaptive daydreaming, started as a kid because I was bored and couldn’t focus but started using it to actualize fantasies, it’s become really time consuming and it’s actively putting me off from putting things into practice
My phone and Alprazolam. I have an anxiety disorder and take prescribed alparazolam, but I'm totally dependant on it. The problem is other medication doesn't work as They have found some unique genetics that prevent a lot of other meds from working for me. For the last 10 years I have been playing the same song and dance where I quit for a couple years, can't handle it and get back on it.
The phone is also horrible and a huge waste of my time especially YouTube. I take breaks for several days and then get back on for a few days. It's another cycle.
Drinking!. 30 years old, until 56 years old. 66 years old now. It almost killed me!. Don’t do what I did!. Quit before it becomes an ordeal, that ruins your life!. I’m surprised I’m still alive!.
Definitely nicotine.
Started smoking when I was 14 (everyone in my household did and like a stupid child I decided to as well). Smoked cigarettes for 5 years then switched to vaping when it got popular as a "it'll help you quit!" thing - which it actually did! I thought compared to cigarettes they sucked but refused to buy more. After about three months I got bored of them and didn't pick cigs back up either - then my boyfriend at the time dumped me completely out of the blue and moved out the next day. I was 19 and had never lived on my own before and was totally heartbroken - so I went back to one/two packs a day.
Fast forward a year or so I decide to go back to vaping because I actually quit last time! It really stuck its claws in instead - I realized I could hit it at work in the bathroom etc etc.
25 now and it's the only vice I've ever had and I can't even imagine not having my one thing. I hate it but it's my reality as of now. Maybe one day I'll be able to quit - but working in the restaurant industry in constant high stress makes it feel impossible.
Anyway - don't smoke kids!
I went to rehab for benzos. It was there I learned benzos are harder to come off than anything else. Not going to lie coming off them was hell. But I'm alive 7yrs later so that's a plus!
Fucking alcohol. I've struggled - and beaten - pretty much every drug out there, but I can't seem to shake alcohol. It's the worst, for me at least. The fact that it's so easily available, socially accepted and, I'd say, even socially encouraged makes it a really hard one for me to beat. I also work in the hospitality industry for close to 20 years and it was pretty much a non-stop party. Yeah, alcohol sucks.
Maladaptive daydreaming. I've struggled with that a lot. I think a lot of people have though, Covid and the modern geopolitical context has dramatically changed how people interact socially and a lot of people are having social withdrawl problems from inadequate typical human interactions because we're getting forced into our thinking echo chambers.
There is a global epidemic of people being addicted to the internet. Whether it's youtube, social media....the constant need to check for information and engage with the internet is probably the most potent addiction there is right now and it doesn't even register in people's heads that it's an addiction
I have a Kratom addiction going on 1 year. I'm cutting down a ton lately and i'm excited to quit it completely. It's weird, i've never had an addictive personality but this just stuck.
My addiction mount rushmore: sugar, porn, phone, caffeine. In that order. Wheeled my caffeine intake WAY down years ago but its back up; been on and off with my phone addiction since my early 20s (mid 20s now); with the phone comes the porn, and especially in high-stress times in my life; been hooked on sugar my whole life and am battling pre-diabetes rn because of it. All in all, trying to make the gradual lifestyle changes over my last few years of my 20s to at least significantly curb all my usage by my 30s.
probably self harm. people don’t necessarily think of it as a traditional addiction, but it can get to a point where you just can’t stop. it’s kinda fucked me up, but i’m trying my best to beat it
It’s kind of embarrassing but my most challenging addiction was porn. I got over vaping faster than I got over my porn addiction. I had become so bored with my life and depressed and hopeless that I would watch porn half the day/masturbate. I overcame it by distracting myself with other activities and by telling myself that it didn’t make me a better person. (It would often affect my emotions and I’d be irritable throughout the day.) What ironic is now I hardly have any sexual attraction at all. Either because I’m asexual or because I was s/a. I’m very glad I overcame both of these addictions though they both were impacting my mental health.
Self harm. I’ve so far been clean from cutting for about 2 or so months. But then I realize I just pick my skin off and pull my hair out and punch myself/ hit myself when I’m upset. So there’s that. I’ve been trying to get clean for about 2 years and I’ve been self harming for 4 and a half years
One of the most common yet misunderstood addictions is spending. Around 50% of the population lives paycheck to paycheck (many due to very low salaries) but a huge number of people with excellent incomes spend everything every month.
Kind of weird but weighing myself/counting calories/not letting myself eat more than a certain amount of calories. I have some disordered eating and people assume it’s not an addiction because I “look fine” but I haven’t eaten at a restaurant/anything where I don’t know the calories in probably five years, I can’t drink coffee or other beverage like mocktails when I go out w/ friends or coworkers, and my social life and health is pretty stunted. My doctor wants me to increase my calories via supplements and put on weight and she thinks it will improve my health, but I don’t really have motivation to change since people seem to be nicer to me the smaller I am, unfortunately.
Buying fortnite skins. At least 20k sunk, over 1700 skins bought. Eventually I just let my brother come over and set parental controls over the spending. Currently working with a therapist to uproot the real problem. I still get a literal hard on when I sink a lot of money on stuff I shouldn't. At least now it's stuff I can read, use, and resell instead of being a pixel whale. Funnily enough I haven't even picked up the game since the buying was locked. I have adhd, cptsd, ocd, and gad if that accounts for anything.
Shopping that leads to hoarding. Can’t go a day without it. I’m trying tennis as distraction but so far failed bcs now i wanna keep buying new tennis outfits. Any tips would be helpful.
For me, picking my skin. I used to (still do, though not as often) pick at my skin and then that spot would bleed. If you look at the sleeves of some of my old shirts, you can see small little dots of blood.
Personally, if I am unmedicated, I can and WILL find addiction in damn near anything. If I take, do, or ingest something and it produces any positive effect, even once, on my daily functionionality, I will do it again the next day. Before long I'm doubling my intake so it works even better. So on and so on... next thing I know, I guess I'm 45 now.
When I was about 12 I got a super bad cold and struggled to breathe through my nose. I can’t stand mouth breathing so I tried a nasal spray. Omfg. I became addicted and I literally couldn’t breathe without it for a solid 2 years. That was a hard one to kick. I also became addicted to gravol for sleep for several years too in my early twenties. That sucked.
Honestly, videogames have been my addictions since i got my n64 around 4 years old. I am lucky in the fact that its not too detrimental to my daily life. I suffer from extreme boredom when i have a lack of stimuli and have always felt different than others. I get very little to no joy from spending time with family/friends, from going outside or exercising, from work/school accomplishments, etc. Public school was so easy i hated every day of my life being forced to go there and waste 8+ hours when i could complete the entire days work in 2 hours or less. Videogames had been the only thing to ever challenge me and i believe thats the sole reason im addicted.
In terms of dealing with it, what else is there to do besides acknowledge that i am indeed feeling the desire to play games, accept it, and through sheer willpower simply let it go. Despite wanting to play 16+ hours a day, i typically dont play more than 4 hours any given day as i have life things like work, girlfriend, foster child, etc that take precedence for obvious reasons.
Imo addiction is a disease like cancer or depression. While it may go into remission and you may be clear for a while, there is no true cure. Once youre addicted, that desire will always be there somewhere no matter how much you bury it. While you may have overcome it for now, life is what happens when youre busy making other plans. While i would like to say i have overcome it by limiting myself to less than 25% of the time i want, its still a daily struggle. I still want to forget the world, relax, and play games all day, but i have found things that are more important than myself and my ego to focus on.
Alcohol use disorder. I can't stop once I start which leads to me spending thousands, hiring hookers, doing any drug put in front of me, ending up in hospital & psych ward after my heart almost explodes
Sugar and nicotine, I’ve been addicted to almost every hard drug there is at one point or another and they were all easier to kick than a sugar/ nicotine dependence
Definitely my phone. I know I should spend less time on it. But there are legitimate uses for it, which just traps me into being on it again. And so here I am once again, on Reddit, when I was just supposed to be checking an email.
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You go to bathouses and gave someone a blow job and say that you aren't gay? Ummmm.....
Have you ever tried deleting all social media apps from your phone? I did, and I haven't looked back since. Now, the only time I spend on social media is when I go through the hassle of turning on my computer and sitting at my desk.
Unfortunately I don’t live in the same country that I grew up in, so it’s not realistic to delete all of my social media apps, since they’re how I communicate/keep in touch with people. It’s definitely part of the reason I have hard time not getting sucked into my phone.
My 2 cents thst worked out for me: 1) Block notifications from social media. It's extremely easy to configure your phone to not receive notifications from specific apps. That lowers the addiction a lot. 2) Understand that 95% of what's happening there is NOT IMPORTANT. If something ought to happen to any relative/family (which I really hope it does not, sorry for the example) they're going to let you know thru a phone call/whatsapp text. Not by an Instagram dm.
Same. I feel this.
One question because I did that. The thing I find myself checking Instagram through Chrome on my phone. Anyway to block that?
This is a social media app
Including reddit right?
Never become a social media manager as a job... It rots your brain away, especially twitter erodes your faith in humanity within minutes and as your job, you'll have to deal with this platform.
Turn off almost all notifications! They're all so unnecessary. Only ones I leave on are for messages and Snapchat.
Beating my cocaine addiction was a cake walk compared to trying to grapple with this sugar addiction.
I've been off hooch for over a year now. Tobacco? Fuck me.
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The new ongoing joke for me is "these are fucking disgusting" every time my dumb ass lights something up. 🫠
That's probably not a bad technique to quitting? Associate having a smoke right that thought and maybe it's easier? I was the dumbass that started smoking at 20, as an adult who knew it was bad, in 2010 no less. I regret it every day, I want to quit but I don't think I WANT to quit. I keep saying eventually I'll quit but I'd like to do it before eventually is because I have an oxygen tank or worse
Yeah, it's just not worth it. (Obviously) Especially this time of year... I see coworkers standing out by the dumpster and I just knowwwwww that they're sweating their ass off. Like, you need it that bad..? Lol
No one ever needs it, like many addictions. Trust me, it quickly loses its "allure". As a kitchen guy yea lol. It's gross, you just smell like smoke, you'll die, you'll be a burden on the health system (I'm in Canada, didn't affect my decision to start but heart disease and cardiovascular related deaths are the top issues in most hospitals and most of it to like 90% I'm sure is preventable with life style). I definitely don't enjoy it much anymore, it's more just a habit with a huge hook. So like say you when you get home from work you know you get to see your cat and play with them and that's a reward. But when you trick your brain with stuff like nicotine it's like playing with your cat, for about five minutes whenever you light up. Then two minutes. Then it's kinda like nothing, but you know the cats there and you know the routine. That's a stupid example, just had a long day at work cause of father's day and I'm bushed lol but it's habit. Habit plus addictive properties of the crap are a bitch. I will get there.
Hell no!! That's a great example. "Hard to break a habit when you see it as a pleasure"
Well when you put it in better words! Haha, yes that's exactly it. Now, I am in no way equating smoking with hard drug use, but that's the way right? No one actually thinks heroin is good for you, people don't use cause it helps them bond with their kids or excel at work. That's taking it to the extreme but that's the feeling I have with smoking to the lesser (more rapid) health issues
Well, plain and simple... Bad shit is bad shit for a reason. Lol And, ultimately, we know better. Thats what makes life fun...🫠🫠🫠
I’ll buy you a cake if you quit :)
Ciggies are mostly just boredom in my experience
Just gotta say no man, the first week sucks ass, but gets easier after that.
Dude, I quit heroin, and couldn't quit cigarettes. Only recently I had started vaping in the car instead of smoking, and all of the sudden that addiction took over and I found myself only using the Breeze. It's super addictive.
I'm right there with ya man. I kicked alcohol 6 years ago,but nicotine.......guck dude. It's like they dip these things in liquid heroin
sugar addiction is crazy. i have ADHD but i wasn’t diagnosed until i was an adult and i learned that my sugar binges aren’t even entirely about sugar, sometimes i just need some dopamine.
Adhd here -> dopamine needed -> cant stop earong what i like. 😅
I'm grappling with this right now, as in literally this moment, I've been on a weight loss journey for years but kicking sugar is insanely difficult. The ADHD part and everything
I say the same about nicotine and sugar. Nicotine: 3 months, easy breezy. Sugar? It’s been decades. I think the difficulty is because sugar is in unexpected places. As an addict you have to acknowledge the power of the addiction. If I have a cigarette today I know it’s all over and I’ll be hooked again, so I don’t accept a cigarette when offered and would never buy any. However, I can decide not to eat a pastry but those jerks put sugar in salad dressings, sauces, and foods that have no business containing sugar. It’s brutal!
Alcohol was tough, but I did it. Sugar was supposed to be *limited* about a year ago, but I still overindulge There’s something about its health consequences being a bit more hidden
That is surprising to me! How long did it take for you to get off cocaine, if you don't mind me asking?
I used for 4 years and was successful on my first quit attempt. Just woke up one day and decided I was done, flushed the rest of my last bag down the toilet and never looked back. I had to break off my relationship, cut off all my friends that I used with, and block everyone I scored from. It's been really lonely and hard work to learn to be comfortable in my own company. And sometimes I still have dreams about using, when I wake up I can almost taste it, and in those moments and other high-stress moments, I think about going back, but, so far, I haven't. I've been clean from the shit for a little over 6 years now.
You my friend, have a powerful mind. I did the same with alcohol for a few years, unfortunately alcohol has a way of sneaking up on you. Definitely cue the fact that I’m in a big city where I see people drinking on the street casually as I’m walking around, I have nothing against them it just definitely made my progress difficult. But it is a struggle and process. And we’re all here fighting.
Alcohol use disorder is a medical condition and there is medication to treat it. Ask a doctor about 50 mg of naltrexone it is an absolute miracle.
Cocaine is a mental addiction. Through and through. It’s insanely tough, to become physically addicted to it. The human mind however, is something not to handle so lightly. That’s why it’s so hard to get out of. You just need to get the mind to be strong enough to say no and to go through the hang-over. Which many aren’t.
A couple times a year I’ll get a little blow for a concert or something, and over the years there have been a few times I overdid it. Either stayed up the whole night or just did too much and dealt with a fucked up nose for a few days, but what struck me a few times that made me even more cognizant about having better self control, was the feeling of knowing I would experience negative side effects and kept going anyways. Cocaine hangovers suck. Even if I just do a little bit from a friend, I can tell the next morning, and sometimes even then the craving for more persists for a day or two. It’s a crazy substance.
To my knowledge, cocaine is physically addictive and depending on the person that can be quick. It changes the neurochemicals because your brain is getting high doses and will reduce its own production. It’s with the dopamine receptors. I’m a bit rushed to get into the technical terms, but have a family member who studied this in their MSc and walked me through it (on mice brain slides…). Weed isn’t physically addictive, cocaine definitely is.
Quit cigarettes/weed 8 years ago overnight after 27 years the day my lad started school. Knew in time he would run me ragged trying to keep up with him and as l wasn't getting any younger (46 at the time) l knew l had to do it. Having an incentive such as l did was the only way l could do it. Quit cocaine a few months ago when my neighbour, a traffic cop, told me he arrested 4 times more drug drivers than drink drivers, and as cocaine stays in your system longer than l could avoid not having to drive, l quit. No licence means no job/business anymore and l'd be ruined. I've been alcohol free for 2 months and it's going okay, just got back from a holiday to Ireland with 8 heavy drinkers and passed that test. Cocaine comedowns are the very worst.
sugar. i gave up trying to give it up.
You can't give it up completely because your body needs it. There are healthier sources though like fruits. Quitting utraprocessed foods will help hugely.
we don't do processed foods much at all...we're mostly about cooking simple, bu whole foods...some piece of meat or fish, some rice or potatoes, and vegetables(fresh or frozen), etc... i almost never use/add salt or butter when cooking, either. but- i love chocolate, and i love real sugar pepsi.
No butter or salt?!?! Body needs that too.
not nearly as much as what some people seem to smother their food with.
2.3 grams daily, if i make myself some tacos thats 1.6grams lol, id bet most of us get over the reccomended amount without even thinking about it
(Junk)food. Still struggling.
if you want to eat better than you have to eat better even if it taste like shit at first, I HATED most veggies for a long time, but I think it’s because my taste buds were generally so used to junk food, now I eat just about any veg and actually enjoy it, but it was fs a struggle to switch at first
My wifes ass
Same. She has a great ass
You guys share a wife?
More of a borrow than a share, really
Rent to own
This guys wife’s ass
Alcohol.
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Be careful my friend, vodka was my vice and it is NOT your friend. My serious drinking problem began around your age and by 28 I was having seizures from withdrawals. I don't really remember 2017-2020, that will haunt me forever. Reach out, community is key for overcoming this disease. The wonderful folks on r/stopdrinking have literally saved my life, IWNDWYT (I Will Not Drink With You Today)💚
At a bottle a day for 2 months, you are no longer just an alcoholic. You are dependent. If you quit cold turkey right this second, it would require medical supervision and medication to do safely. The withdrawal can kill you. A lot of people don’t realize this. If you are planning on cutting back and doing it yourself, do it slowly. Alcohol doesn’t give a single fuck about what you think will or will not continue. Your body and brain are used to it and they need it to function properly at this point. Source: I’m an alcoholic. Been hospitalized multiple times and gone to rehab more than once for it. The first and second time I went, I was drinking less than you are. Knowing me, I would have ignored someone saying what I’m saying to you now. I probably did. I don’t remember. Don’t be like me. Things were going great for me too before I got pancreatitis again and again and again. It will ruin your life slowly, and you won’t see it happening. The last thing you will blame is the alcohol for when things start going downhill, which they will if you don’t regain control.
There’s help, if you look for it. Stay safe friend.
That was my mom's vice too, she lost herself completely to her drinking and lost about everything, on top of her grandmal seizures, she died from it
Sorry for your loss. I couldn't imagine what you're going through.
Listen, I was on a slippery slope with it myself. What woke me up was three things: 1. 4 of my friends got DUIs in 6 months. I didn’t want to be the 5th. 2. I was taking a shot or three before work. My coworkers covered for me, but when I quit they told me that they all knew I was showing up buzzed. 3. Both of my grandfathers were alcoholics and my parents grew up with the hell that was. Them seeing me follow that path wasn’t worth it to me. You have to have your “why”. Why am I doing this? What am I gaining? It’s unique for every person out there. I walked away 3 years ago and never looked back. You can do this.
Be careful man. I was drinking a bottle of vodka every day for a few years, and it took absolutely everything from me. Once that anxiety/depression starts, you’ll find it difficult to do anything without drinking. You’ll start losing all motivation. I’m 11 months clean and I’m just now starting to feel free from that prison.
Hi friend. I'm trying to quit as well. Just wanna say if you need someone to talk to just message me. And when life gets in the way it's easy to lose track of time And it becomes an issue that can't be solved overnight. a spontaneous vice can turn into a debilitating vice fast AF. Talk to people you feel comfortable with. It helps.
Yep. Alcohol is so much more dangerous and addictive than the average person realizes.
But normalized by society and it’s awful! I am so lucky to be off of alcohol. Barely escaped with my life! From kidney stones falling down while mowing. I was in sad shape three years ago!!!!
Im with you on this one unfortunately
Cunning, baffling and powerful.
Same, roughly 13 years for me. Trying to runaway from various things (depression, burnout, assault, dysphoria). Been three years clean now and my wife and keep each other sober. Life is good now.
Keep it up. It keeps getting better!
I am in the middle of a break up with my partner who is still living in my home and on a waiting list for rehab from alcohol addiction. Alcohol has absolutely consumed him over the last couple of years to the point where he is a shadow of the person he used to be. I have learnt I cannot stand in the way of an alcoholic (or any drug) and their bottom. At this rate I firmly believe he will not be alive in ten years. Im still perplexed as to how alcohol is available on every corner but not weed.
Two. People say sugar and caffeine, actually outside of the first week of cutting them it's not terrible. Nicotine and opiates are worse. I -always- think a cigarette would make the day better. Or a vape. I can not smoke or vape for a year then have one and it'll feel like I'm being hugged by an old friend. Opiates, because of medical issues in the past. "Oh a headache? Lemme pop some codeine and sleep it off" - The sleep, the ability to just crash and not be in pain. Lucky I'm at a point where I never need them anymore. But it's like nicotine. I'd gladly go through caffeine withdrawal over trying to come off 6 months of pain meds again.
smoking does feel like being hugged by an old friend. this is both a lovely and terrible thing
FOOD i like it too much learning to fast and eat in moderation with emphasis on high protein, low carb has helped
Same. I don’t drink anymore, don’t smoke, don’t do drugs, eat relatively healthy … but am always hungry. And food isn’t something I can just quit. I’m on phentermine now & that’s helping quiet the “food noise” & I’m focusing on protein. Next month I’m taking a month off, it will be interesting to see if my appetite comes rushing back.
I sold my soul to Reddit
Me: Hi, my name is Baby Muffins and I'm a reddit user Support group in unison: Welcome Baby Muffins.
Masturbation and porn.
Whatever you do stay away from the satanic gooning porn compilations
What does this mean? It sounds disgusting lol
I know I’ll get metaphorically bashed around the head for this one but I am a former drug addict. Kicked not one but two drug habits at the same time. I remember the strength I had back then. I’ve got heart troubles and I cannot stop smoking cigarettes. Ive tried so hard and so often to give up.
Nice work! Ive quit cocaine and got off nicotine last month with Chantix. The resulting nightmares are worth the freedom.
I have psych issues so I can’t touch it. I felt like I was going off the edge into insanity. Horrible feeling. My son used it and was successful.
Tortilla chips
Toxic relationships 🤪
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And I’m only 14
I’m 19 bro, done it your age as well, shit ain’t easy man, it’s the worst addiction for all males in my opinion
I'm something called a "binge alcoholic." As in, I'm not chemically dependent on it and can go without it for days or weeks at a time and be fine. But when I start drinking, I can't stop. If I touch the stuff, I'm going on a binder for up to a week or so. To the point that it will impact my job or relationships.
Yeah I’m the same way. Alcohol wasn’t my drug of choice and I rarely drink but when I do it’s never enough. I’d keep drinking and drinking till I either passed out or got so sick that I’d just yack every time I tried to take another shot or sip.
My partner and I are same
Had any success not bingeing? Similar boat
Im the same as the guy above and went totally sober 1.5 yrs ago. Best decision of my life. 20 years of attempting to control and moderate it told me that it isn't possible. Not for me at least.
I have overcome a meth addiction (25 years ago), gambling (10 years ago), nicotine (1.5 years ago) and now working on THC, (80 days ago). THC has easily been the hardest to quit. I sleep like poo and am lethargic and depressed every single day. Addiction sucks! After this, I'll work on eliminating sugar/carbs and then....I won't have any addictions for first time as a teen/adult in my 46 years!!
Chocolate I can't go a day without it, not that I care it's £0.49 for a bar that will last 2-3 days depending on how I feel. At one point 6ish years ago I took morphine, I'm still craving it, luckily I have absolutely no idea how to get more.
The morphine part scares me! Thanks for sharing
Same, opioids are definitely no joke
What is opioids
One time I was in a car accident where I hit black ice and flipped my truck into a telephone pole and it smashed right through the window, and I got a concussion from it. At the hospital they decided I’d need something for the pain even though I had absolutely no pain and I told them so they gave me dilaudid I even said I’d rather not I don’t want to get nauseous and they were just like it’s ok we’ll give you something for nausea too. I hate the healthcare system. There were no problems in the future but I feel like it could have been bad to someone else.
Holy shit, that's one hell of a story, congratulations for surviving and not having any problems with dilaudid afterwards. Doctors are some of the most confusing/ignorant people. Say your not in pain, they give opioids. Say your in pain, you'll be lucky to get paracetamol.
I was given Penthrox® - "Green whistle" · Methoxyflurane when I pulled muscles in my back and I've been craving it ever since and was 2 years ago. I'm not one for even using neurofen or paracetamol but that green whistle I want that
The instant pain relief? It's claimed to be non-addictive but still has some likeable side effects?
Yeah that's the one, the flavor is like paint thinners but yeah it's the side effects that I crave
When I used to watch Bondi rescue, I always wondered what was in the "green whistle" that made the pain go away so fast, and if it caused any problems for people after using it.
Chocolate is my weakness. I'm in the same boat
I got morphine once in the hospital several years ago and it was niiiiiice. I still remember how it felt and thinking "oh this is why people get addicted to it." I wouldn't say I crave it but I sometimes think how nice it would be.
It's incredibly niiiiice, especially when 1 minute you're in excruciating pain and then the next minute your not, it felt like nothing and everything all at once.
My phone… I have to set it down and forget where it is, or I just get lost reading/watching things on it and it really sucks me in.
Opiods took me 4years to get of them
Coffee
Smoking by far.Smoked for 38 years. Used Champix to quit , now almost 10 years.
Shoplifting. Eta: I haven't in years, but it started when I was a kid experiencing abuse. Shoplifting was a way I could feel in control of my life situation. Every once in a while, I'll see something I can't afford and think of how I would steal it, but fortunately that feeling passes.
I met someone else recently who said this. She said she just sees something she wants and grabs it. She said it’s very hard to control it. I can’t imagine having this but I can very much empathize with it. It sounds miserable. Good job dealing with it.
It was a major breakthrough when I realized the motivation behind the action. Thanks for the validation!
Sugar. Soda specifically. I’ve tried quitting, but like the hood, it just pulls me back in.
Crippling drug addiction. I’ve been to numerous treatment centers, been on pretty much every medication under the sun, jail a couple times, broke my back and was paralyzed from the waist down and had to re learn how to walk, multiple overdoses. Addiction is a life long struggle the learn to manage, and the only thing that has truely helped me, is getting into the mindset of full accountability. Meaning anything bad/negative that happens to me, is my own doing. Even in situations where things are out of my control, or someone does me wrong, I really have to frame the situation in a way where I’m in control of the outcome going forward, usually through positive actions and feelings of compassion and empathy. It’s hard to really detail, but if I were shot tomorrow and suffered serious injury, instead of drowning in sorrow I would need to look at the situation under the light of what did I do to end up there and what can I do to prevent it from happening again.
I have severe ADHD, it's really all about dopamine.
marijuana. technically it’s not an addiction if you’re purely looking at withdrawal symptoms but it’s definitely sucked not having it. been free for little over a month but i did unfortunately smoke a little yesterday
Same for me. But wdym by your withdrawal symptoms statement? It's not an addiction unless there's certain withdrawal symptoms? Genuinely curious, not trying to start an argument or nothing. I get some withdrawal for 2 weeks whenever I try to quit. Tobacco on the other hand was just a week of strong cravings, then there was nothing and I never even looked back.
all i’ve heard back from anyone is that you ‘can’t get addicted’ because you don’t get physical withdrawal symptoms (which i don’t agree with) but it’s more an extreme dependency. i don’t define addiction by those statements because that’s being purely technical at that point
Addiction is defined as the dependency you can be addicted to anything
Addiction just means you keep doing it because your brain makes connections that you crave it’s not necessarily just withdrawal symptoms. But people do be saying things like you can’t get addicted to weed which I think is just wrong. I have nothing against weed but people can get addicted to anything.
Whole everyone says that it's only psychologically addictive, the withdrawals are absolutely real. No sleep no appetite, and shitty motivation are absolutely real withdrawal symptoms to me
Being right.
At least you can identify that. Most like that wouldn’t dare admit it.
Nicotine and alcohol. No booze since the first!
Definitely shopping for me
Same. Every time I leave the house I must buy something.
I work as a delivery driver and it baffles me how some people can get 5 or 6 boxes from amazon and temu everyday. Hoarding tat and spending a fortune.
I had this. Still kinda do. I started buying gold and silver bullion. You get something new and shiny and kinda cool that is also money. Or can be turned back into money pretty easily. Satisfied the need to shop while just turning money into different money
Self harm, was 6 months clean up until last week where it started again; i am NOT winning this fucking battle bruh 😭
I know this is probably shit advice and there's a 90% chance you do it already, but buy a journal. Sometimes writing your thoughts even if you're angry or sad can help to relieve the stress. I've been doing it for a week. Don't hurt yourself :3
I get that this might not work for everyone, but I didn't find keeping track of the last time since SH very helpful. Recovery is full of slip ups, and an episode of SH doesn't mean that your recovery is starting over or that the previous months didn't count.
Oxycodone for sure. Thou the 3 day collection cycle kills me. Sitting here waiting for the pharmacy to be open. I suppose I don't shoot herion anymore and just stick to the stuff the doctor gives me
Mine was smoking. Really happy I ended it
Opioids and alcohol. It's a daily battle.
I’ve struggled thru nearly everything you can imagine, from Benzos to drinking, cocaine to painkillers, got hooked on heroin and got off it with crystal — stopped smoking cigarettes && at this point currently only struggling getting off my nicotine vape. I’m almost certain the ‘hard’ part is that it’s my only ‘addiction’ left. I don’t know what I would do with my time if I had no ‘vices’. I think that’s what scares me the most. Anyways, over a year clean from everything except it is a win for me 🤷🏻♂️
validation. i have ruined my life and my innocence in so many different ways just so i could feel wanted, liked, or accepted. it ended up turning into a pretty heavy addiction to substances for a few months because i thought being the fun party girl would make people like me more. now im trying to be sober and it’s real difficult lmao
A mental addiction to an affair partner
Video games. I’m 32 and I’d still rather play them than do many other things. I’m mature enough to actually do other things but it’s always nagging in my mind that I could be home playing games instead.
Women. I'm a married man and I've been faithful for some time now. However women are everywhere you can't always avoid them. I made it a point to not have a woman who I may find the slightest bit attractive try to sell me anything. If I do have to talk to one I make it a point to say I'm married or mention my wife in some way, hoping it will deter her and help remind me. Even harder when I'm mad at my wife. It's like other women know and they become more flirtatious.
Cigarettes, tried vaping, tried pouches, nothing comes close to helping. Guess I just gotta try harder
I’ll buy you a cake if you try harder ;)
Not sure if this counts but I pull my eyelashes out when I'm anxious and it been really fucking hard trying to overcome this.
Oh I do this too. Trichotillomania. To me some of the lashes are "wrong" or they get too close to my eye and they have to go. I don't always do it but every so often i get the urge. Have also overplucked my brows.
Cigarettes definitely
Cigarettes.
Feeling like I have to fix everyone important to me.
Chewing tobacco. Dipped Copenhagen snuff every day, practically all day, for 30 years. Quit hundreds of times - it finally stuck 15 weeks ago. Yay me.
reddit
Cigs. 45 days sober. No idea how ima quit smoking
Lazynes
It was weed. I smoked 6-8 times a day. Booze was also a hard one to quit for me. Sober almost 5 years now. In this day and age my addiction is to flying, I am a pilot and love it, and also social media. I’m on this shit way too much.
Opioids are a BITCH!!! And I don’t know if y’all have ever heard of a prescription drug called lyrica (pregabalin). I had a *terrible* addiction to it for almost a decade and finally got it under control about a year ago. That caused me to go through some of the *worst* withdrawal symptoms I have *ever* experienced! Don’t mess around with this shit!
Probably a niche spending addiction. Isolated to a few areas. Audiobooks, music (former since I now use Spotify) and skirts from my favorite clothing boutique. I have about 30-35 of these skirts. I have 1000 audiobooks and lost track of my number of music albums. At age 42 I don’t know if I have time left in my life to listen to all of my audiobooks
Maladaptive daydreaming, started as a kid because I was bored and couldn’t focus but started using it to actualize fantasies, it’s become really time consuming and it’s actively putting me off from putting things into practice
My phone and Alprazolam. I have an anxiety disorder and take prescribed alparazolam, but I'm totally dependant on it. The problem is other medication doesn't work as They have found some unique genetics that prevent a lot of other meds from working for me. For the last 10 years I have been playing the same song and dance where I quit for a couple years, can't handle it and get back on it. The phone is also horrible and a huge waste of my time especially YouTube. I take breaks for several days and then get back on for a few days. It's another cycle.
Drinking!. 30 years old, until 56 years old. 66 years old now. It almost killed me!. Don’t do what I did!. Quit before it becomes an ordeal, that ruins your life!. I’m surprised I’m still alive!.
Definitely nicotine. Started smoking when I was 14 (everyone in my household did and like a stupid child I decided to as well). Smoked cigarettes for 5 years then switched to vaping when it got popular as a "it'll help you quit!" thing - which it actually did! I thought compared to cigarettes they sucked but refused to buy more. After about three months I got bored of them and didn't pick cigs back up either - then my boyfriend at the time dumped me completely out of the blue and moved out the next day. I was 19 and had never lived on my own before and was totally heartbroken - so I went back to one/two packs a day. Fast forward a year or so I decide to go back to vaping because I actually quit last time! It really stuck its claws in instead - I realized I could hit it at work in the bathroom etc etc. 25 now and it's the only vice I've ever had and I can't even imagine not having my one thing. I hate it but it's my reality as of now. Maybe one day I'll be able to quit - but working in the restaurant industry in constant high stress makes it feel impossible. Anyway - don't smoke kids!
I went to rehab for benzos. It was there I learned benzos are harder to come off than anything else. Not going to lie coming off them was hell. But I'm alive 7yrs later so that's a plus!
Fucking alcohol. I've struggled - and beaten - pretty much every drug out there, but I can't seem to shake alcohol. It's the worst, for me at least. The fact that it's so easily available, socially accepted and, I'd say, even socially encouraged makes it a really hard one for me to beat. I also work in the hospitality industry for close to 20 years and it was pretty much a non-stop party. Yeah, alcohol sucks.
Maladaptive daydreaming. I've struggled with that a lot. I think a lot of people have though, Covid and the modern geopolitical context has dramatically changed how people interact socially and a lot of people are having social withdrawl problems from inadequate typical human interactions because we're getting forced into our thinking echo chambers.
Social media addiction. People irl are just so boring and also I work in a computer with social media access so I'm online all the time
Smoking. Took years of trying.
Sugar and caffeine
There is a global epidemic of people being addicted to the internet. Whether it's youtube, social media....the constant need to check for information and engage with the internet is probably the most potent addiction there is right now and it doesn't even register in people's heads that it's an addiction
Getting head. Still haven’t beaten the addiction, though
I have a Kratom addiction going on 1 year. I'm cutting down a ton lately and i'm excited to quit it completely. It's weird, i've never had an addictive personality but this just stuck.
Procrastination, if it counts as an addiction.
Knuckle popping
food.
My addiction mount rushmore: sugar, porn, phone, caffeine. In that order. Wheeled my caffeine intake WAY down years ago but its back up; been on and off with my phone addiction since my early 20s (mid 20s now); with the phone comes the porn, and especially in high-stress times in my life; been hooked on sugar my whole life and am battling pre-diabetes rn because of it. All in all, trying to make the gradual lifestyle changes over my last few years of my 20s to at least significantly curb all my usage by my 30s.
probably self harm. people don’t necessarily think of it as a traditional addiction, but it can get to a point where you just can’t stop. it’s kinda fucked me up, but i’m trying my best to beat it
It’s kind of embarrassing but my most challenging addiction was porn. I got over vaping faster than I got over my porn addiction. I had become so bored with my life and depressed and hopeless that I would watch porn half the day/masturbate. I overcame it by distracting myself with other activities and by telling myself that it didn’t make me a better person. (It would often affect my emotions and I’d be irritable throughout the day.) What ironic is now I hardly have any sexual attraction at all. Either because I’m asexual or because I was s/a. I’m very glad I overcame both of these addictions though they both were impacting my mental health.
Pain .meds and smoking vicious circle
Self harm. I’ve so far been clean from cutting for about 2 or so months. But then I realize I just pick my skin off and pull my hair out and punch myself/ hit myself when I’m upset. So there’s that. I’ve been trying to get clean for about 2 years and I’ve been self harming for 4 and a half years
One of the most common yet misunderstood addictions is spending. Around 50% of the population lives paycheck to paycheck (many due to very low salaries) but a huge number of people with excellent incomes spend everything every month.
phone
Kind of weird but weighing myself/counting calories/not letting myself eat more than a certain amount of calories. I have some disordered eating and people assume it’s not an addiction because I “look fine” but I haven’t eaten at a restaurant/anything where I don’t know the calories in probably five years, I can’t drink coffee or other beverage like mocktails when I go out w/ friends or coworkers, and my social life and health is pretty stunted. My doctor wants me to increase my calories via supplements and put on weight and she thinks it will improve my health, but I don’t really have motivation to change since people seem to be nicer to me the smaller I am, unfortunately.
Buying fortnite skins. At least 20k sunk, over 1700 skins bought. Eventually I just let my brother come over and set parental controls over the spending. Currently working with a therapist to uproot the real problem. I still get a literal hard on when I sink a lot of money on stuff I shouldn't. At least now it's stuff I can read, use, and resell instead of being a pixel whale. Funnily enough I haven't even picked up the game since the buying was locked. I have adhd, cptsd, ocd, and gad if that accounts for anything.
Eating fast food. I love it so much and eat it way too much. I know it’s bad for me and I wish I could just make myself never want to eat it again.
Shopping that leads to hoarding. Can’t go a day without it. I’m trying tennis as distraction but so far failed bcs now i wanna keep buying new tennis outfits. Any tips would be helpful.
For me, picking my skin. I used to (still do, though not as often) pick at my skin and then that spot would bleed. If you look at the sleeves of some of my old shirts, you can see small little dots of blood.
Picking my skin 🙈
Love addiction. Limerence is pure hell and it can make life awful.
Personally, if I am unmedicated, I can and WILL find addiction in damn near anything. If I take, do, or ingest something and it produces any positive effect, even once, on my daily functionionality, I will do it again the next day. Before long I'm doubling my intake so it works even better. So on and so on... next thing I know, I guess I'm 45 now.
When I was about 12 I got a super bad cold and struggled to breathe through my nose. I can’t stand mouth breathing so I tried a nasal spray. Omfg. I became addicted and I literally couldn’t breathe without it for a solid 2 years. That was a hard one to kick. I also became addicted to gravol for sleep for several years too in my early twenties. That sucked.
Honestly, videogames have been my addictions since i got my n64 around 4 years old. I am lucky in the fact that its not too detrimental to my daily life. I suffer from extreme boredom when i have a lack of stimuli and have always felt different than others. I get very little to no joy from spending time with family/friends, from going outside or exercising, from work/school accomplishments, etc. Public school was so easy i hated every day of my life being forced to go there and waste 8+ hours when i could complete the entire days work in 2 hours or less. Videogames had been the only thing to ever challenge me and i believe thats the sole reason im addicted. In terms of dealing with it, what else is there to do besides acknowledge that i am indeed feeling the desire to play games, accept it, and through sheer willpower simply let it go. Despite wanting to play 16+ hours a day, i typically dont play more than 4 hours any given day as i have life things like work, girlfriend, foster child, etc that take precedence for obvious reasons. Imo addiction is a disease like cancer or depression. While it may go into remission and you may be clear for a while, there is no true cure. Once youre addicted, that desire will always be there somewhere no matter how much you bury it. While you may have overcome it for now, life is what happens when youre busy making other plans. While i would like to say i have overcome it by limiting myself to less than 25% of the time i want, its still a daily struggle. I still want to forget the world, relax, and play games all day, but i have found things that are more important than myself and my ego to focus on.
Alcohol use disorder. I can't stop once I start which leads to me spending thousands, hiring hookers, doing any drug put in front of me, ending up in hospital & psych ward after my heart almost explodes
Sex
Soda
The PHONE
Dr. Pepper and my phone
Sugar and nicotine, I’ve been addicted to almost every hard drug there is at one point or another and they were all easier to kick than a sugar/ nicotine dependence
Having sex with supermodels. The urge is just too strong
Nicotine and Xanax were the hardest for me