Published on 12, July, 2020
My theory is yes they are. Some to alcohol or tobbaco, some to psych meds. Others to the illiegal drugs. And some people who think they are sober are addicted to caffeine in coffee or tea or the opioids in gluten and dairy (bread, cheese). A lot of people are addicted to sugar. See how grumpy people would get if you wouldn't allow them sugar in their tea or coffee or if you banned cakes and sweets. Even if you eat a very healthy sugar free vegan diet you are still addicted to energy, even carbohydrates contain natural sugars. That's why I think deep down we are all really not that different.
I’m not sure. You can drink alcohol and not be addicted though same for coffee. Obviously nicotine is highly addictive so you can’t smoke and not be addicted to it. Same for illegal drugs they are highly addictive. I don’t know some psych meds are addictive and some aren’t. Like Valium that is 100% addictive so are ADHD meds but antidepressants and beta blockers for instance are non addictive. I’ve heard of people being addicted to coffee and tea but it must be quite rare because I have never drank tea or coffee and had a massive euphoric buzz.
I generally regard addiction as negative effects occurring due to not not doing something. So nicotine is addictive, if you take it every day and suddenly stop, you go into withdrawal. Same goes for most (but not all) illegal drugs. Alcohol is the same, if you drink it every day and a lot of it and then quit cold turkey you can get every side effect under the sun including seizures and death.
Are we all addicts? Definitely.
I've just finished a six pack of Seabrook cheese and onion.
A habit is often the flip side of a discipline. One is easy and might be useful but not always healthy the other takes conscious effort and is healthy. Both can be broken with neglect, in the reverse, the reverse is also true: one takes mindful and an effort to deny, the other is easy.
One can be addicted (and get a sense of purpose, meaning or an adrenaline rush) to judging others as well. Or virtue signalling. Dictating social hierarchy and dominance will provide a neurological 'hit' a sense of feeling "powerful" if they're in control, apparently the same thing happens with sex, thus Freud's Libido, outlining how sadism and masochism are out-of-control and warped control issues.
Chocolate defo, energy drinks and I would say vaping but I have managed to kick the habit on that one.
Guilty, I'm a crisp addict.
Yeah, I see what you're saying. I don't know if all of these things are addiction though, they're habits maybe, a choice. Not everything creates a dependency.
Sugar, e.g., is it habit-forming? It's pleasurable to eat for most, socially embedded in our culture, and can provide a quick energy boost. All of those things might be compelling, but are they compulsive?
Energy isn't an addiction, it's a life-requirement! We need it to function! That's why people who decide to live on the Fresh Air diet are on to a loser!
I'm caffeine dependent, but that's ok. It has many benefits.
I don't consider it equivalent to a substance that will certainly cause harm.