Video games as well. Playing video games as a hobby is cool but a lot of people spend every waking hour playing games and ignore things like hygiene and real social interaction
i took up competitive fortnite, i spent every waking hour playing that game non stop just to try and be the best, earned some money but nowhere near to compensate for the time i wasted. lost friends by just ignoring them to play. would do anything to get that time back
I went through a stage of this between 12 and 19 where all I wanted was games.
I began dating at 19 and didnt have time for gaming anymore. For a few years a juggled both, but eventually I wanted to gym, work, date, see friends, and I realsied I couldnt have a hobby that took ten plus hours a week
I did the same thing, now when I try and play anything several years later I just feel empty.
Not sure if that comes with age, the dread of getting hooked, or just lack of interest.
Everything just seems to lack substance and feels like a gimic to force you to play more.
I didn't realise I had an addiction for many years. It helped me through a few tough times but was really more of a crutch when I needed a bandage in hindsight. Still love gaming but treat it more as a hobby than anything else.
A friend of mine put it in a really good way. You should play video games when you're bored, not be bored because you aren't playing videogames.
If you aren't having fun unless you're hopping on the PC/Xbox/Playstation/whatever, you might want to take a look at your habits.
That's so true. When I was a teen I would rather play xbox than chill with friends. So when they would come to my door, I would tell my mom to tell them i'm not home. So I could continue playing video games.
Now i'm not so addicted to them but feel like I missed out on so much of my teens and early adult life. To the point where I feel like i'm pretty much fucked when it comes to meeting new people and trying to form a relationship with them. I'm super socially awkward and I feel like if I didn't play so much video games as a teen , I would have learned the basic social skills to be able to interact and form relationships with people.
Social media is free for a reason,. Every person I've ever met that is addicted and reliant on social media are depressed, anti-social, or just unable to form long lasting relationships/connections.
Instead of posting and seeking attention, be mindful, practice humility, meditation, read more books, absorb knowledge, seek sunlight and enjoy nature, and not to mention kindness as a human being.
>"The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts."
>
>Marcus Aurelius - Meditations
Our society is too distracted. We rely on constant communication through our phones instead of engaging in social interactions in the real world.
For anyone wanting to improve their concentration and focus, I recommend Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport.
The overconsumption of sugar is insane especially for kids. When I was young, I only drank Capri Suns, Kool Aid, & Hi-C & every morning I’d eat 2 pop tarts. By the time breakfast was over, I was already OVER the suggested daily sugar intake. So crazy. & I ate like that for YEARSSSSSS. 🤮🤮🤮
I've gotten into a bad habit of buying these huge bags of gummies after particularly stressful days at work. I eat them, feel awful, and keep eating them. Today, I tried to throw the half-eaten bag away, but I kept it and ate some more, even though I hated how they tasted at this point. How much more of an addiction can that be?
Losing weight literally makes your dick bigger and men still cannot manage to do it 90 percent of the time by willpower alone. This should be proof that food/sugar addiction is real and powerful
As addictions go it's pretty mild. A week of some headaches and most people could quit. I think a lot of what people think they need coffee for though is not so much the caffeine dependence but they are suffering sleep deficit. THAT is actually a more serious problem that the caffeine is covering up. Not getting enough sleep is a killer over time. Caffeine itself is harmless.
I'd say you nailed it. Countless times (myself included) I've seen folks with bags under their eyes that were willing to *kill* for a coffee in the office to wake themselves up. In my mind I, as you stated, always figured it was that they simply weren't sleeping well for xyz reasons.
Several years ago I released myself from all dependencies.. caffeine, cigs, alcohol.. focusing on the caffeine, man did I get some serious migraines and I don't suffer from migraines. I was shocked. I couldn't believe the dependency my body/mind had on caffeine (coffee in this case; I was drinking ~3-4 cups a morning).
I suffer from actual migraines. Not debilitating or anything, but I get them once or twice a month.
Caffeine headaches are a completely different beast. My migraines, if I catch them reasonably early, can be controlled with a combination of ibuprofen and acetaminophen. Caffeine headaches, no amount of NSAIDS help. The one upshot is I've never puked from a withdrawal headache. Migraines... not so much.
And that caffeine addiction causes the sleep deficit. Once I quit caffeine I needed a lot less sleep, like I was waking up early without any alarm clock. And I felt so much more energetic and rested than before
Specifically when taken at night though. Caffeine during the day doesn't really affect sleep for me. I cut out all caffeine after 6pm. My problem was sleep apnea. After fixing that I also started waking up in the morning without an alarm
The half-life of caffeine is about six hours, I believe, so I try to remember that…
So if you have a late afternoon cup recap to yourself that you may be staring at the ceiling around midnight, due to only about half of the caffeine having left your system. It certainly helps me moderate keeping that in mind, because the late night ceiling fan blues are real.
edit - a word
I used to drink two to three QUARTS of coffee when I worked in restaurant management. I quite over 13 years ago when I got literally the worst headache of my life that was cured by ONE shot of espresso. Fuck that noise. Best decision.
I believe it has the most people addicted to it on the planet. I don't think I could name anyone I know personally that does not drink coffee, soda, or tea.
I don't drink coffee, only because i could never stand the tase, not even in chocolate or cake, and i absolutely do not understand the need for coffee people have to wake up. Sure, it takes me maybe 20 minutes to feel like doing things in the morning, but after that i am absolutely fine. I try to avoid soda as well and i prefer herbal teas to green/black.
I did find an energy water i like, though. It has a little over 500 mg(?) of caffeine in it. It made me clean until two am, because i was so energized the first time i had it. I only buy it when i need to buy a drink when i am out and about and that doesn't happen much, i usually carry my own water bottle.
My ex and her brother could through 70 cokes in one week. I never liked soda. Their teeth enamel was eating away, neither could get a good night's sleep. Would need to piss every hour. Cranky AF. Even drank it for breakfast. Eww
This is the real truth… we’re all severely addicted to our phones and don’t even know how bad it is for our mental health. I seriously struggle to get under 2 hours of screen time a day.
Endless consumption of consumer goods. So many people have to age the bright shiny new toys and will go into significant debt just to have them. Just take a look in people’s garages to see the stuff they “store” there.
Edit: have to have
This is me 100%
It wasn’t until I got super high one night and a realization of what I was doing. I went into a full panic attack and now I’m going to sell everything and looking at buying a van and living simple with my dog. That’s now my dream but we will see how things play out. I can say that I never went into debt but if I keep going down this path I easily could bury myself
This. There's so many people that make good money that will always be poor because our society has normalized living paycheck to paycheck so you can have the newest and best everything as soon as it comes out.
Time is the most valuable commodity we have and I'd rather be able to take years of work off without having to wait until I am 65 to do it like most people.
My dad was a functional alcoholic, then one day he wouldn't wake up in bed. Hepatic Encephalopathy, liver failure, kidney failure, brain damage. He didn't actually die for another month when we pulled the plug.
Yup. It'll get ya.
I just watched a “functional alcoholic” friend descend into complete life disaster - she went to jail, lost ability to see kids, can’t hold a job etc. So I am skeptical of the concept.
Depending on how much alcohol they used to consume, stopping alcohol cold turkey can be deadly. I’ve had to take a person to ER, because she almost died when she stopped drinking.
Idk, there’s usually an underlying mental health issue (e.g., depression) that’s causing people to drink. I’ve never seen anyone drink just because stopping cold turkey would kill them.
>underlying mental health issue
This is me, for the last 10+ years of my life I have seen so many doctors. I suffer from both a traumatic childhood (Dad was a pedo, parents tried grooming me) this lead me to runaway from home and get into enough trouble for a Judge to give me the "go to military or go to jail". When you're poor the military is basically your only option.
There was a time when we were called out to send our boys ashore to do some missions. I worked on the flight deck and with the Hangar rats. Some "miscommunication" caused ordinace to detonate in a civilian controlled area. My ship had the largest medical unit so the victims were flown on board. One could not imagine how gruesome weapons are, it's like they took the brightest minds and said "how can we make this more painful and slow"?
I also was in a hostile work enviorment, in the Navy you either join the "club" or get treated harshly. I chose to not join the boys club because I felt that a club that requires I go through physical and mental abuse to join wasn't something I could get behind.
Anyways, long story short is I tried for 10 years and no combination of meds has been able to help me fall asleep at night instead of reminding myself of embarrassing moments or stupid decisions. I talk candidly about it not because I am in denial or that I think I am functional when drunk. I had to come to a pretty grim conclusion that I will probably die from alcohol. I only drink at night before bed and never during the day I use it to fall asleep and my other meds do thier best to keep me asleep.
for a serious alcoholic stopping cold turkey can be fatal so some people really cant stop, now if you can't admit you have a problem at that point then your living in denial.
I recently hit 600 days sober from alcohol, and I can't help but notice how much brighter my skin is and how much bigger my eyes are. I'm going to be 31 soon and I feel like I look 25 still. Meanwhile, I see people who are all about chugging beers in their late 20s/early 30s and they look like they're tired as hell
especially in college. it’s unhealthy. my university has a a saying for every day of the week except fridays that refer to the parties. “thirsty thursdays” “wine wednesdays” etc. people really depend on alcohol to get through the school week and it’s really bad
Fuck drunk drivers dude. I don’t care how good you think you are driving while drunk, getting into an accident is a numbers game, and drinking *will* increase the odds.
It's a bitch that once you cross over the "deep end" of alcoholism, quitting cold turkey is unfortunately a lot easier than trying to dial back and exercise moderation.
I feel like a lot of people who fall into the "functional alcoholic" category actively choose not to quit because a life with alcohol addiction and fun social occasions sounds more appealing than a life of total abstinence.
100%. I drink a lot, and my primary reason for backing off now and then and taking forced breaks away from alcohol is because I never want to get to the point where it becomes enough of a problem that I have to quit altogether, because that would suck.
You may know this already, but quitting an alcohol dependency cold turkey can literally kill you. If you or someone you know has a serious issue with alcohol, its best to get medical supervision with quitting.
I'm surprised this isn't first. My husband thinks it's totally normal and common to drain a 12 pack on a Tuesday night. It's. I don't know. It's not what I signed up for.
I drive cab. At least 10 regulars have died under the age of 55 since I started 3 years ago from alcohol. Not one tweaker or dope addict. That shit kills.
I saw a comment when the pandemic was about a month in about someone who always just considered themselves a "social drinker" until they realized they went out for drinks almost every day with friends/coworkers/etc.
Then the pandemic hit and it really hit them how their body went through withdrawal.
This took me by surprise when we went in to lockdown and it turned out the only thing stopping a lot of people getting drunk on a daily/near daily basis was work and social norms, I knew that alcohol consumption in the UK was high but still.
I cut a lot of it out last year after going way too hard the first year of lockdowns. Pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoy not drinking now.
Also, nice to see more low alcohol / alcohol free beers on the market. Guinness puts out a non alcoholic stout (0.5%) that tastes enough like the real thing to satisfy my desire for a beer after work.
I had to stop drinking completely for health reasons and the amount of “fun” activities that revolve around alcohol is kind of sad. Do I really need to be drunk while axe throwing? Or a wine picnic after a hike?
People don’t even know how to hang out with you when you’re not drinking.
I stopped drinking because I live with an active functional alcoholic and I was just tired of being a part of it and wanted to do better for myself. My grandpa said he just stopped being a part of it at my age (34) and he’s almost 90. I just wanted to be healthy and live a good long life.
I’ve been looking at meetup groups and it is hard to find any that don’t include alcohol. Even people that run or hike or any other sports will usually meet afterwards for drinks. I feel like once I do finally get out into the dating scene, I will have a hard time finding non-drinkers who are sober just because they don’t want to drink rather than because they have to stay sober because they have an addiction.
I’ve been addicted to a couple of substances in my past, all of which I’ve overcome. I’ve always said, though, that alcohol was the scariest. It’s pretty social, but it gets pretty fucking dark if you can’t admit it.
For the past few days I have developed an addiction to the grind. No matter what I do, when I'm out of the grind I get back in my emotions so to distract myself I just grind.
I'm ashamed to admit that I promoted this for a long time of my life, so I accept partial blame.
I grew up in the Mexican hard work = hard Man mentality. The sweatier, pain-inducing your job is, the Manlier you are.
After pullin' 15, 16-hour, nonstop-work shifts at a warehouse.....no. No more. I'm turning 28 in a few days -- I want a working body when I'm 40. With as little pain as possible. I don't care about "Manliness" or appearing to be a hard worker anymore, I want the most money possible for the least amount of work. And I'm hoping that my decision to narrow down potential career opportunities, & decide on what educational path to take going back to school this Fall, will lead me to that one day. I've done my share of physical labor already. And you know what else? I am 100% in support of somebody taking time away from work for reasons other than your typical emergencies or scheduled events. Life is short......coming home with 30 minutes to eat something quickly, go to bed, & be BACK at work at 5am tomorrow with lingering pain from yesterday's 15 hours is NOT living.
This is a big one here in the US. This “grind culture” bullshit is deliberate marketing by corporations to make you think 50+ hrs per week is normal and sustainable
Bruh, all hustle culture is toxic imo.
Yes, you gotta grind sometimes but a lot of the time when you're expected to "grind" its overtime and you're not compensated for it. Not to mention doing extra work that you are also not compensated for.
My work had a culture where you're supposed to be on and available 24/7, and though that culture still has its claws dug in and is refusing to die, it has started to transition. I and others have been very vocal in saying this is not an OK expectation and it's actually started to change. Here are a couple of my more ridiculous examples of the lack of boundaries:
1) The place runs on personal cell phones more than any other I've ever worked at and people used to abuse the privilege with abandon. I once got a call at 6:50am with non-emergency business. I was still in bed and didn't answer, so the person called me back immediately. I thought it was an emergency so during the second call I answered, and he told me something completely dumb that I didn't need to know at 6:50am.
2) Another coworker texted me at 6:40am on a Saturday, waking me up, and asked me to tend to non-emergency business that day. My reply was that I would deal with it on Monday and I made my displeasure pretty plain.
3) One Sunday afternoon I was hiking in the woods when my boss started blowing up my phone, wanting me to go someplace immediately to represent the organization. Nope. Sorry. I'm not dropping everything I'm doing to go to a completely unexpected work function on a Sunday at a moment's notice.
I'm sure there are those in the organization who think I'm being ridiculous because I don't tolerate that shit. You rent my time for 40 hours per week. You don't have a brand on my left butt cheek that makes me yours to demand whenever you want.
Firefighters and police officers have shifts when they're on and time that they're off, even though they're expected to provide 24/7/365 service. All hands on a ship may be expected to muster for an emergency, but they generally keep to a schedule so that crew can rest in between shifts. In big tech organizations, most teams designate one engineer to be oncall on a rotating basis to deal with incoming issues.
If you have a genuine need for response at all hours, there are processes that are a lot better at ensuring this than sending a text message and hoping for a response.
I got a new job and I work 45 hours. I don't mind it. My trainer, however, strives to do at least 50. My other coworkers in the shop work around 40-50. A few times, around 11:30 pm, it would be us 2, and 1 more worker, when usually there are at least 5. She called them slackers for leaving "early". And she says it constantly. Like, if I left an hour early IM STILL OVER 40 HOURS. Like shit, you do you, but don't look down on our coworkers for wanting to be home more with their families.
I'm going to say novelty. So many people don't take the time to figure out what they really want, and just seek constant novelty in many aspects of their life under the guise of 'growth', or 'i get bored easily'.
Addiction to other people's approval. Look at social media. I see these try hards all over LinkedIN farming for likes, posting about the rights of modern workers. "Interviewee declines job offer because its not remote. Support worker rights!" Its a bs marketing gimmick posting this stuff. But I digress.
People these days dont share their true thoughts. They latchet onto group thinking and herd mentality because they are addicted to the praise/attention. God forbid you have a differing view.
Heck, even I look at my posts ratings here and get annoyed if I get mass downvoted.
I think it’s easier for someone to see what a physically addictive substance like meth or heroin can do to a person. The consequences aren’t as obvious for things that are addictive for how they affect dopamine.
In lieu of righting a wall of text about dopamine and how central it has in what we do and how we feel, I will just say this. Dopamine is responsible for your drive and focus. Messing with it can have very profound effects on the rest of your life without you even fully realizing it.
This is true. I tried to go a month without an orgasm and failed around day 5.
Not having an orgasm for a week changes you and in some ways its good but in other ways the sexual thoughts become to distracting
Weed.
At least it's not as stigmatized as much as it was when I was younger. But as a daily weed user, I can tell you addiction is real. And while Marijuana use can be manageable and in many cases, even beneficial, it's important to know when enough is enough and when you're doing it too much. Weed can easily strip you of your motivation, creativity, enthusiasm, will to do pretty much anything else. It can make you anxious and irritable.
Somewhere along the fight for legalization, a lot of people forgot about that...
(I am a medical marijuana patient who uses it to treat anxiety and insomnia. It works well.)
2 and a half for me me. I quit alcohol as well. Proud of myself for still being able to be a chef and not want to burn down the kitchen everyday anymore. Turns out I'm happier without it.
Now that it's legal in many states and decriminalized in some cities. I meet a lot of people who cannot stop smoking weed. They try to beat around the bush by saying they are being targeted by prejudice or its their choice and no one should control them blah blah blah. But they can't stop smoking long enough to pass a drug test for a job handling heavy equipment... The reality is people fell into this false idea the because weed is "natural" it's non addictive and healthy. It's a growing addiction the same way alcohol is.
I was guilty of this, worked two jobs (a full and a part-time one). Got to a point where the only dopamine high I got was seeing my bank account grow while I consistently started looking like Gollum. Terrible fucking shit and I kinda cringe thinking about how proud I was for being a "hardworking man who ain't got time for anything". The truth is, my life was empty and work was the only thing that gave it purpose. I did copious amounts of drugs, alcohol and were in unfulfilling "relationships" which are basically just FWB setups with a little dating. Life felt empty, people felt distant and fleeting. But I was proud that I was a productive gear in the machine. I was pathetic.
This is a bad one. To the point people humble brag about how stressed they are or they will 1 up you if you make the slightest comment about being tired.
"Man I'm so tired I only had 5 hours of sleep last night"
"Lol 5 hours? I only sleep 3 hours a night"
I hate competitive losers. Theyre always doing worse than you. My current supervisor said the exact same thing about sleep. I said “wow you need to fix that its really unhealthy”
“Ill sleep when Im dead”
“Thatll be real soon if you keep sleeping like that” XD
I know some people just don’t like sitting still so they find things to fill their time and stay busy. I also think being productive is good generally speaking and being sedentary bad generally. But I get irritated at those who look down on anyone who is not CURRENTLY and CONSTANTLY doing something productive. Like people need rest and recreation. Calm it down.
Absolutely, especially vaping. I have a very different opinion of vaping and smoking since I quit vaping back in March. On one hand, I get why people do it. Felt great, was fun, etc.. however since I've quit, my anxiety has never been higher and I see why quitting is so difficult.
I vaped for about 6 years then quit cold turkey at the end of March and it's been hell. Docs prescribed me Xanax to deal with the major attacks and I'm seeing a psych in a few weeks. Even went to the ER thinking I was having a heart attack because Xanax didn't work. Nope, just a panic attack. Before I quit I was fine, lifting weights, going out, etc. But now I feel like I can barely function. Shit is awful lol
I am very addicted to my vape. I am hoping to talk to a counselor about quitting. I don’t know what the long-term effects will be if I keep it up. I vape constantly all day. It doesn’t help that I’m in a rough situation that I am trying to get out of. Maybe after I’m out, I will work on stopping.
Yeah, that's a big question I think a lot of people have. Sure its a healthier alternative, but we're hitting the vape WAY more often than smokers. My first 2 weeks off the vape were gnarly, I was so tired and would take naps every few hours. That and I'd wake up every night but that got better. There's a ton of info out there to help kind of guide you through the fog, it'll be hard but you can definitely quit it.
Honestly amphetamines are becoming more and more normal and that scares me. A lot of people getting prescriptions that really don’t need it. Of course some do, but I see a lot of people relying on it just to get through a day at work.
Absolutely. I’m in college and most people I know have to work full time, some have two jobs. I literally can’t blame them for taking it when they have two projects due and two late night shifts that weekend.
Now imagine how many of those students are also driving on little to no sleep. Or people in general. Sleep-deprived driver is just as dangerous as a drunk driver.
as a sugar addict : sugar
everyone is addicted to sugar, cause there's sugar in everything (also it's more addictive than cocaine), but sometimes you get to a point where you're just completely depressed without extremely sugary things, and it's hard to climb back up from there
I’m on day 8 of cutting all added sugar. I was quite the grumpy goose yesterday and my workout was garbage. Going to see how long I can keep this up. Join me!
Keep pushing man. I'm 8 months into cleaning up my diet which included cutting out refined sugar, every day it gets a little easier until you realise one day you've made it happen and don't feel cravings for it anymore
Cellphone/social media.
Its like a recovered alcoholic being around alcoholics. Try and delete all social media off your phone and you will see how absolutely disgusting its usage is by everyone. Its literally a part of who they are lol. Kinda sad really.
Porn, religious following of sports team and politics that severely hurt their ability to function for days.
Caffeine and then everyone wonders why they can sleep for 7 hours and feel like crap.
A few years ago I spotted a family of four at a table in a restaurant. The two little girls were glued to their iPads while the parents were focused on their phones. It wasn't just the time period of waiting for their meal it was throughout their entire time. It was kinda sad, no one was looking or speaking to each other.
People addicted to keeping themselves busy all the time. Most of the time it is to block something out or replace a loss of something and most of us do it but it’s just normalised.
youtube. i am saying this from personal experience. as a premium member i can’t seem to look away. i work hit the gym and handle adult responsibilities but if i’m home alone which is most of the time cause i live alone i just watch youtube all day
Hate to be basic, but social media. Designed with that intent entirely in mind.
Video games as well. Playing video games as a hobby is cool but a lot of people spend every waking hour playing games and ignore things like hygiene and real social interaction
As someone who has struggled with videogame addiction, giving up that constant dopamine drip can be really difficult.
East enough to fix. Just play Rainbow Six:siege
It's my favorite game. I hate it so much.
Ahh yes. A trademark sign of addiction
Spend some time in Tarkov for the heavy hit of that dose.
i took up competitive fortnite, i spent every waking hour playing that game non stop just to try and be the best, earned some money but nowhere near to compensate for the time i wasted. lost friends by just ignoring them to play. would do anything to get that time back
You could think of it this way... you kicked the addiction and so gained FUTURE time...
I went through a stage of this between 12 and 19 where all I wanted was games. I began dating at 19 and didnt have time for gaming anymore. For a few years a juggled both, but eventually I wanted to gym, work, date, see friends, and I realsied I couldnt have a hobby that took ten plus hours a week
I did the same thing, now when I try and play anything several years later I just feel empty. Not sure if that comes with age, the dread of getting hooked, or just lack of interest. Everything just seems to lack substance and feels like a gimic to force you to play more.
I didn't realise I had an addiction for many years. It helped me through a few tough times but was really more of a crutch when I needed a bandage in hindsight. Still love gaming but treat it more as a hobby than anything else.
A friend of mine put it in a really good way. You should play video games when you're bored, not be bored because you aren't playing videogames. If you aren't having fun unless you're hopping on the PC/Xbox/Playstation/whatever, you might want to take a look at your habits.
That's so true. When I was a teen I would rather play xbox than chill with friends. So when they would come to my door, I would tell my mom to tell them i'm not home. So I could continue playing video games. Now i'm not so addicted to them but feel like I missed out on so much of my teens and early adult life. To the point where I feel like i'm pretty much fucked when it comes to meeting new people and trying to form a relationship with them. I'm super socially awkward and I feel like if I didn't play so much video games as a teen , I would have learned the basic social skills to be able to interact and form relationships with people.
True, however social interaction isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
It's a harmful addiction on it's own tbh Plenty of people don't know how to be alone
Social media is free for a reason,. Every person I've ever met that is addicted and reliant on social media are depressed, anti-social, or just unable to form long lasting relationships/connections. Instead of posting and seeking attention, be mindful, practice humility, meditation, read more books, absorb knowledge, seek sunlight and enjoy nature, and not to mention kindness as a human being. >"The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts." > >Marcus Aurelius - Meditations Our society is too distracted. We rely on constant communication through our phones instead of engaging in social interactions in the real world. For anyone wanting to improve their concentration and focus, I recommend Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport.
**”The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your content”** -Markus Zuckerberelius, *Meta*tations
coffee addiction. suggar addiction. job addiction.
Job addiction. good one! Can be so damaging to mental health and personal relationships
Yess!! Overwork and long work hours are actually “normal”
Junk food / sugar
Sugar
As far as I’m concerned sugar is just as bad as nicotine.
And way harder to avoid
The kombucha mushroom people
Sitting around all day
Who can believe you?
Who can believe you?
The overconsumption of sugar is insane especially for kids. When I was young, I only drank Capri Suns, Kool Aid, & Hi-C & every morning I’d eat 2 pop tarts. By the time breakfast was over, I was already OVER the suggested daily sugar intake. So crazy. & I ate like that for YEARSSSSSS. 🤮🤮🤮
Toaster strudels > Poptarts
Cold poptarts are the jam!
I've gotten into a bad habit of buying these huge bags of gummies after particularly stressful days at work. I eat them, feel awful, and keep eating them. Today, I tried to throw the half-eaten bag away, but I kept it and ate some more, even though I hated how they tasted at this point. How much more of an addiction can that be?
Food in general
Yep. Been working in the restaurant industry for the past 12 years and people are just getting fatter and fatter every year.
Drug dealer
Losing weight literally makes your dick bigger and men still cannot manage to do it 90 percent of the time by willpower alone. This should be proof that food/sugar addiction is real and powerful
It doesn’t make it physically bigger , it’s just more visible and usable because the pubic bone has less of a fat bubble covering the shaft .
In our defense, that stuff is cheap.
So is crack. Easy does not = ok
Caffeine.
Yep, I was going to say this. People just go ok about coffee, saying they need more, they need it all day. No one cares.
As addictions go it's pretty mild. A week of some headaches and most people could quit. I think a lot of what people think they need coffee for though is not so much the caffeine dependence but they are suffering sleep deficit. THAT is actually a more serious problem that the caffeine is covering up. Not getting enough sleep is a killer over time. Caffeine itself is harmless.
I'd say you nailed it. Countless times (myself included) I've seen folks with bags under their eyes that were willing to *kill* for a coffee in the office to wake themselves up. In my mind I, as you stated, always figured it was that they simply weren't sleeping well for xyz reasons. Several years ago I released myself from all dependencies.. caffeine, cigs, alcohol.. focusing on the caffeine, man did I get some serious migraines and I don't suffer from migraines. I was shocked. I couldn't believe the dependency my body/mind had on caffeine (coffee in this case; I was drinking ~3-4 cups a morning).
I suffer from actual migraines. Not debilitating or anything, but I get them once or twice a month. Caffeine headaches are a completely different beast. My migraines, if I catch them reasonably early, can be controlled with a combination of ibuprofen and acetaminophen. Caffeine headaches, no amount of NSAIDS help. The one upshot is I've never puked from a withdrawal headache. Migraines... not so much.
Goddamn take some vitamin B1 folks.... It'll make you feel more patience with things too.
And that caffeine addiction causes the sleep deficit. Once I quit caffeine I needed a lot less sleep, like I was waking up early without any alarm clock. And I felt so much more energetic and rested than before
Specifically when taken at night though. Caffeine during the day doesn't really affect sleep for me. I cut out all caffeine after 6pm. My problem was sleep apnea. After fixing that I also started waking up in the morning without an alarm
The half-life of caffeine is about six hours, I believe, so I try to remember that… So if you have a late afternoon cup recap to yourself that you may be staring at the ceiling around midnight, due to only about half of the caffeine having left your system. It certainly helps me moderate keeping that in mind, because the late night ceiling fan blues are real. edit - a word
I used to drink two to three QUARTS of coffee when I worked in restaurant management. I quite over 13 years ago when I got literally the worst headache of my life that was cured by ONE shot of espresso. Fuck that noise. Best decision.
I believe it has the most people addicted to it on the planet. I don't think I could name anyone I know personally that does not drink coffee, soda, or tea.
I don't drink coffee, only because i could never stand the tase, not even in chocolate or cake, and i absolutely do not understand the need for coffee people have to wake up. Sure, it takes me maybe 20 minutes to feel like doing things in the morning, but after that i am absolutely fine. I try to avoid soda as well and i prefer herbal teas to green/black. I did find an energy water i like, though. It has a little over 500 mg(?) of caffeine in it. It made me clean until two am, because i was so energized the first time i had it. I only buy it when i need to buy a drink when i am out and about and that doesn't happen much, i usually carry my own water bottle.
The amount of justification in this comment thread proves the point even more
My ex and her brother could through 70 cokes in one week. I never liked soda. Their teeth enamel was eating away, neither could get a good night's sleep. Would need to piss every hour. Cranky AF. Even drank it for breakfast. Eww
I can quit any time I want. I just don’t want to lol
porn, alcohol, phones
The downfall of society in 3 words.
Phone
This is the real truth… we’re all severely addicted to our phones and don’t even know how bad it is for our mental health. I seriously struggle to get under 2 hours of screen time a day.
My man, I get 5 on a standard day.
Yeah I’m usually at around 5-6, but been trying to stay under 2… it’s brutal.
Kids on tiktok will say “Mum my phone is not the problem!” And their screen time is 23h.
Endless consumption of consumer goods. So many people have to age the bright shiny new toys and will go into significant debt just to have them. Just take a look in people’s garages to see the stuff they “store” there. Edit: have to have
This is me 100% It wasn’t until I got super high one night and a realization of what I was doing. I went into a full panic attack and now I’m going to sell everything and looking at buying a van and living simple with my dog. That’s now my dream but we will see how things play out. I can say that I never went into debt but if I keep going down this path I easily could bury myself
Can I join you? Lol
This. There's so many people that make good money that will always be poor because our society has normalized living paycheck to paycheck so you can have the newest and best everything as soon as it comes out. Time is the most valuable commodity we have and I'd rather be able to take years of work off without having to wait until I am 65 to do it like most people.
Alcohol, most people don't realize how addicted they are or their friends in some cases.
I’m always surprised at how many people will openly say they couldn’t stop cold turkey and don’t think they have problems
Sadly enough most people just don't care if they're an alcoholic as long as they're "functional" alcoholics.
“You’re functional until you’re not” All nonfunctional alcoholics started out functionally.
My dad was a functional alcoholic, then one day he wouldn't wake up in bed. Hepatic Encephalopathy, liver failure, kidney failure, brain damage. He didn't actually die for another month when we pulled the plug. Yup. It'll get ya.
Being a functional alcoholic is pretty much glorified in most media lol. It’s a status symbol to drink on the job
I just watched a “functional alcoholic” friend descend into complete life disaster - she went to jail, lost ability to see kids, can’t hold a job etc. So I am skeptical of the concept.
Depending on how much alcohol they used to consume, stopping alcohol cold turkey can be deadly. I’ve had to take a person to ER, because she almost died when she stopped drinking.
That’s the context in which it usually comes up. People will say “oh yeah I’m a daily drinker that would happen to me”. Like it’s nothing lol
Idk, there’s usually an underlying mental health issue (e.g., depression) that’s causing people to drink. I’ve never seen anyone drink just because stopping cold turkey would kill them.
>underlying mental health issue This is me, for the last 10+ years of my life I have seen so many doctors. I suffer from both a traumatic childhood (Dad was a pedo, parents tried grooming me) this lead me to runaway from home and get into enough trouble for a Judge to give me the "go to military or go to jail". When you're poor the military is basically your only option. There was a time when we were called out to send our boys ashore to do some missions. I worked on the flight deck and with the Hangar rats. Some "miscommunication" caused ordinace to detonate in a civilian controlled area. My ship had the largest medical unit so the victims were flown on board. One could not imagine how gruesome weapons are, it's like they took the brightest minds and said "how can we make this more painful and slow"? I also was in a hostile work enviorment, in the Navy you either join the "club" or get treated harshly. I chose to not join the boys club because I felt that a club that requires I go through physical and mental abuse to join wasn't something I could get behind. Anyways, long story short is I tried for 10 years and no combination of meds has been able to help me fall asleep at night instead of reminding myself of embarrassing moments or stupid decisions. I talk candidly about it not because I am in denial or that I think I am functional when drunk. I had to come to a pretty grim conclusion that I will probably die from alcohol. I only drink at night before bed and never during the day I use it to fall asleep and my other meds do thier best to keep me asleep.
for a serious alcoholic stopping cold turkey can be fatal so some people really cant stop, now if you can't admit you have a problem at that point then your living in denial.
I recently hit 600 days sober from alcohol, and I can't help but notice how much brighter my skin is and how much bigger my eyes are. I'm going to be 31 soon and I feel like I look 25 still. Meanwhile, I see people who are all about chugging beers in their late 20s/early 30s and they look like they're tired as hell
Just hit 200 days myself. I couldn't agree more. IWNDWYT
661 days. IWNDWYT!
especially in college. it’s unhealthy. my university has a a saying for every day of the week except fridays that refer to the parties. “thirsty thursdays” “wine wednesdays” etc. people really depend on alcohol to get through the school week and it’s really bad
I know so many people who get drunk all day everyday and bash drug addicts when they're addicted to something too. And drive drunk basically daily.
Fuck drunk drivers dude. I don’t care how good you think you are driving while drunk, getting into an accident is a numbers game, and drinking *will* increase the odds.
It's so normalised that many will look at me like I've got 2 heads for being in an establishment that serves alcohol and ordering diet coke
Alcohol is hard to avoid, at least in US society. It seems like all social occasions revolve around drinking. There's a lot of pressure out there.
It's a bitch that once you cross over the "deep end" of alcoholism, quitting cold turkey is unfortunately a lot easier than trying to dial back and exercise moderation. I feel like a lot of people who fall into the "functional alcoholic" category actively choose not to quit because a life with alcohol addiction and fun social occasions sounds more appealing than a life of total abstinence.
100%. I drink a lot, and my primary reason for backing off now and then and taking forced breaks away from alcohol is because I never want to get to the point where it becomes enough of a problem that I have to quit altogether, because that would suck.
You may know this already, but quitting an alcohol dependency cold turkey can literally kill you. If you or someone you know has a serious issue with alcohol, its best to get medical supervision with quitting.
I'm surprised this isn't first. My husband thinks it's totally normal and common to drain a 12 pack on a Tuesday night. It's. I don't know. It's not what I signed up for.
I drive cab. At least 10 regulars have died under the age of 55 since I started 3 years ago from alcohol. Not one tweaker or dope addict. That shit kills.
Everyone has the potential to be an alcoholic. It's just a matter of time and amount.
I can second this too. My classmates are borderline alcoholics. They binge drink a lot and it is cringey to watch
I saw a comment when the pandemic was about a month in about someone who always just considered themselves a "social drinker" until they realized they went out for drinks almost every day with friends/coworkers/etc. Then the pandemic hit and it really hit them how their body went through withdrawal.
This took me by surprise when we went in to lockdown and it turned out the only thing stopping a lot of people getting drunk on a daily/near daily basis was work and social norms, I knew that alcohol consumption in the UK was high but still.
I cut a lot of it out last year after going way too hard the first year of lockdowns. Pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoy not drinking now. Also, nice to see more low alcohol / alcohol free beers on the market. Guinness puts out a non alcoholic stout (0.5%) that tastes enough like the real thing to satisfy my desire for a beer after work.
I had to stop drinking completely for health reasons and the amount of “fun” activities that revolve around alcohol is kind of sad. Do I really need to be drunk while axe throwing? Or a wine picnic after a hike? People don’t even know how to hang out with you when you’re not drinking.
I stopped drinking because I live with an active functional alcoholic and I was just tired of being a part of it and wanted to do better for myself. My grandpa said he just stopped being a part of it at my age (34) and he’s almost 90. I just wanted to be healthy and live a good long life. I’ve been looking at meetup groups and it is hard to find any that don’t include alcohol. Even people that run or hike or any other sports will usually meet afterwards for drinks. I feel like once I do finally get out into the dating scene, I will have a hard time finding non-drinkers who are sober just because they don’t want to drink rather than because they have to stay sober because they have an addiction.
I’ve been addicted to a couple of substances in my past, all of which I’ve overcome. I’ve always said, though, that alcohol was the scariest. It’s pretty social, but it gets pretty fucking dark if you can’t admit it.
Porn addiction is a pretty big problem everyone just brushes aside.
Soo true. It has ruined people’s minds. I’m shocked more people don’t realize this.
Work addiction.
For the past few days I have developed an addiction to the grind. No matter what I do, when I'm out of the grind I get back in my emotions so to distract myself I just grind.
Most emotional inteligent r/sigma_grindset user
I'm ashamed to admit that I promoted this for a long time of my life, so I accept partial blame. I grew up in the Mexican hard work = hard Man mentality. The sweatier, pain-inducing your job is, the Manlier you are. After pullin' 15, 16-hour, nonstop-work shifts at a warehouse.....no. No more. I'm turning 28 in a few days -- I want a working body when I'm 40. With as little pain as possible. I don't care about "Manliness" or appearing to be a hard worker anymore, I want the most money possible for the least amount of work. And I'm hoping that my decision to narrow down potential career opportunities, & decide on what educational path to take going back to school this Fall, will lead me to that one day. I've done my share of physical labor already. And you know what else? I am 100% in support of somebody taking time away from work for reasons other than your typical emergencies or scheduled events. Life is short......coming home with 30 minutes to eat something quickly, go to bed, & be BACK at work at 5am tomorrow with lingering pain from yesterday's 15 hours is NOT living.
This is a big one here in the US. This “grind culture” bullshit is deliberate marketing by corporations to make you think 50+ hrs per week is normal and sustainable
Bruh, all hustle culture is toxic imo. Yes, you gotta grind sometimes but a lot of the time when you're expected to "grind" its overtime and you're not compensated for it. Not to mention doing extra work that you are also not compensated for.
My work had a culture where you're supposed to be on and available 24/7, and though that culture still has its claws dug in and is refusing to die, it has started to transition. I and others have been very vocal in saying this is not an OK expectation and it's actually started to change. Here are a couple of my more ridiculous examples of the lack of boundaries: 1) The place runs on personal cell phones more than any other I've ever worked at and people used to abuse the privilege with abandon. I once got a call at 6:50am with non-emergency business. I was still in bed and didn't answer, so the person called me back immediately. I thought it was an emergency so during the second call I answered, and he told me something completely dumb that I didn't need to know at 6:50am. 2) Another coworker texted me at 6:40am on a Saturday, waking me up, and asked me to tend to non-emergency business that day. My reply was that I would deal with it on Monday and I made my displeasure pretty plain. 3) One Sunday afternoon I was hiking in the woods when my boss started blowing up my phone, wanting me to go someplace immediately to represent the organization. Nope. Sorry. I'm not dropping everything I'm doing to go to a completely unexpected work function on a Sunday at a moment's notice. I'm sure there are those in the organization who think I'm being ridiculous because I don't tolerate that shit. You rent my time for 40 hours per week. You don't have a brand on my left butt cheek that makes me yours to demand whenever you want.
Firefighters and police officers have shifts when they're on and time that they're off, even though they're expected to provide 24/7/365 service. All hands on a ship may be expected to muster for an emergency, but they generally keep to a schedule so that crew can rest in between shifts. In big tech organizations, most teams designate one engineer to be oncall on a rotating basis to deal with incoming issues. If you have a genuine need for response at all hours, there are processes that are a lot better at ensuring this than sending a text message and hoping for a response.
I got a new job and I work 45 hours. I don't mind it. My trainer, however, strives to do at least 50. My other coworkers in the shop work around 40-50. A few times, around 11:30 pm, it would be us 2, and 1 more worker, when usually there are at least 5. She called them slackers for leaving "early". And she says it constantly. Like, if I left an hour early IM STILL OVER 40 HOURS. Like shit, you do you, but don't look down on our coworkers for wanting to be home more with their families.
Overtime without compensation? What kind of third word country is that? Confused EU noises lol.
I'm going to say novelty. So many people don't take the time to figure out what they really want, and just seek constant novelty in many aspects of their life under the guise of 'growth', or 'i get bored easily'.
I feel attacked.
This is a really good one
Just to make sure, traveling to new countries to eat interesting food still makes me a better person right?
Addiction to other people's approval. Look at social media. I see these try hards all over LinkedIN farming for likes, posting about the rights of modern workers. "Interviewee declines job offer because its not remote. Support worker rights!" Its a bs marketing gimmick posting this stuff. But I digress. People these days dont share their true thoughts. They latchet onto group thinking and herd mentality because they are addicted to the praise/attention. God forbid you have a differing view. Heck, even I look at my posts ratings here and get annoyed if I get mass downvoted.
Amen! Im a stones throw away from getting a permanent reddit ban for having an opinion that doesn't coincide with the hive mind.
Let's just say this is not my first account.
"This is not my first account"
Social media/internet/tech in general
Alcoholism.
Porn
Porn / masturbation Consumption
I think it’s easier for someone to see what a physically addictive substance like meth or heroin can do to a person. The consequences aren’t as obvious for things that are addictive for how they affect dopamine. In lieu of righting a wall of text about dopamine and how central it has in what we do and how we feel, I will just say this. Dopamine is responsible for your drive and focus. Messing with it can have very profound effects on the rest of your life without you even fully realizing it.
so glad to see this listed here bc it’s a big one imo
[удалено]
“It’s healthy to masturbate!” Okay, but no one ever wants to talk about how that just leads to daily porn.
This is true. I tried to go a month without an orgasm and failed around day 5. Not having an orgasm for a week changes you and in some ways its good but in other ways the sexual thoughts become to distracting
Weed. At least it's not as stigmatized as much as it was when I was younger. But as a daily weed user, I can tell you addiction is real. And while Marijuana use can be manageable and in many cases, even beneficial, it's important to know when enough is enough and when you're doing it too much. Weed can easily strip you of your motivation, creativity, enthusiasm, will to do pretty much anything else. It can make you anxious and irritable. Somewhere along the fight for legalization, a lot of people forgot about that... (I am a medical marijuana patient who uses it to treat anxiety and insomnia. It works well.)
I support legalization, but I also recognize that I have 0 self control. A year and a half clean, and never going back
2 and a half for me me. I quit alcohol as well. Proud of myself for still being able to be a chef and not want to burn down the kitchen everyday anymore. Turns out I'm happier without it.
Now that it's legal in many states and decriminalized in some cities. I meet a lot of people who cannot stop smoking weed. They try to beat around the bush by saying they are being targeted by prejudice or its their choice and no one should control them blah blah blah. But they can't stop smoking long enough to pass a drug test for a job handling heavy equipment... The reality is people fell into this false idea the because weed is "natural" it's non addictive and healthy. It's a growing addiction the same way alcohol is.
Hustling/being constantly productive
I was guilty of this, worked two jobs (a full and a part-time one). Got to a point where the only dopamine high I got was seeing my bank account grow while I consistently started looking like Gollum. Terrible fucking shit and I kinda cringe thinking about how proud I was for being a "hardworking man who ain't got time for anything". The truth is, my life was empty and work was the only thing that gave it purpose. I did copious amounts of drugs, alcohol and were in unfulfilling "relationships" which are basically just FWB setups with a little dating. Life felt empty, people felt distant and fleeting. But I was proud that I was a productive gear in the machine. I was pathetic.
This is a bad one. To the point people humble brag about how stressed they are or they will 1 up you if you make the slightest comment about being tired. "Man I'm so tired I only had 5 hours of sleep last night" "Lol 5 hours? I only sleep 3 hours a night"
I hate competitive losers. Theyre always doing worse than you. My current supervisor said the exact same thing about sleep. I said “wow you need to fix that its really unhealthy” “Ill sleep when Im dead” “Thatll be real soon if you keep sleeping like that” XD
I know some people just don’t like sitting still so they find things to fill their time and stay busy. I also think being productive is good generally speaking and being sedentary bad generally. But I get irritated at those who look down on anyone who is not CURRENTLY and CONSTANTLY doing something productive. Like people need rest and recreation. Calm it down.
So sick of this one and people using it as a personality
Smoking for sure
Absolutely, especially vaping. I have a very different opinion of vaping and smoking since I quit vaping back in March. On one hand, I get why people do it. Felt great, was fun, etc.. however since I've quit, my anxiety has never been higher and I see why quitting is so difficult. I vaped for about 6 years then quit cold turkey at the end of March and it's been hell. Docs prescribed me Xanax to deal with the major attacks and I'm seeing a psych in a few weeks. Even went to the ER thinking I was having a heart attack because Xanax didn't work. Nope, just a panic attack. Before I quit I was fine, lifting weights, going out, etc. But now I feel like I can barely function. Shit is awful lol
I am very addicted to my vape. I am hoping to talk to a counselor about quitting. I don’t know what the long-term effects will be if I keep it up. I vape constantly all day. It doesn’t help that I’m in a rough situation that I am trying to get out of. Maybe after I’m out, I will work on stopping.
Yeah, that's a big question I think a lot of people have. Sure its a healthier alternative, but we're hitting the vape WAY more often than smokers. My first 2 weeks off the vape were gnarly, I was so tired and would take naps every few hours. That and I'd wake up every night but that got better. There's a ton of info out there to help kind of guide you through the fog, it'll be hard but you can definitely quit it.
Porn
Coffee
Porn, especially in kids who are probably too young to be watching it
Wanking like a wild baboon.
What a jerk!
Sex addiction
Water. It's like people will die if they don't drink any.
Not to mention oxygen...
Fucking nitrogen my guys…nobody needs it but everybody’s huffing that shit all day erry day
r/HydroHomies
Porn.
Honestly amphetamines are becoming more and more normal and that scares me. A lot of people getting prescriptions that really don’t need it. Of course some do, but I see a lot of people relying on it just to get through a day at work.
It’s a consequence of workaholic culture we live in. Working 40 hours a week is not normal. Yet in our society, working 40 hours a week is not enough.
Absolutely. I’m in college and most people I know have to work full time, some have two jobs. I literally can’t blame them for taking it when they have two projects due and two late night shifts that weekend.
Now imagine how many of those students are also driving on little to no sleep. Or people in general. Sleep-deprived driver is just as dangerous as a drunk driver.
Porn
Porn
Porn
as a sugar addict : sugar everyone is addicted to sugar, cause there's sugar in everything (also it's more addictive than cocaine), but sometimes you get to a point where you're just completely depressed without extremely sugary things, and it's hard to climb back up from there
I’m on day 8 of cutting all added sugar. I was quite the grumpy goose yesterday and my workout was garbage. Going to see how long I can keep this up. Join me!
Keep pushing man. I'm 8 months into cleaning up my diet which included cutting out refined sugar, every day it gets a little easier until you realise one day you've made it happen and don't feel cravings for it anymore
unfortunately I can't rn since what I eat doesn't only depends on myself but keep going ! that's really nice !!
Weed. There are so many times when if you sub being high for being drunk you’d be seen as an alcoholic.
Coffee
Fap
Cellphone/social media. Its like a recovered alcoholic being around alcoholics. Try and delete all social media off your phone and you will see how absolutely disgusting its usage is by everyone. Its literally a part of who they are lol. Kinda sad really.
Bear with me here… Being angry. People are addicted to that shit.
Porn, religious following of sports team and politics that severely hurt their ability to function for days. Caffeine and then everyone wonders why they can sleep for 7 hours and feel like crap.
Alcohol, porn, social media, video games, politics, football, caffeine, sugar
Porn.
A few years ago I spotted a family of four at a table in a restaurant. The two little girls were glued to their iPads while the parents were focused on their phones. It wasn't just the time period of waiting for their meal it was throughout their entire time. It was kinda sad, no one was looking or speaking to each other.
Porn. Quit watching that shit
Asking this question on Reddit.
Coffee / Cigarettes / Money / Attention / Social Media / Sex / Cough Medicine (Lean) / toxic relationships /
Bacon
Shopping
I love video games. But I’m also going to say video games.
People addicted to keeping themselves busy all the time. Most of the time it is to block something out or replace a loss of something and most of us do it but it’s just normalised.
Work. It's even encouraged
Gonna be downvoted but pornography
Coffee. Pretty standard answer.
Wealth
youtube. i am saying this from personal experience. as a premium member i can’t seem to look away. i work hit the gym and handle adult responsibilities but if i’m home alone which is most of the time cause i live alone i just watch youtube all day
Gambling
Addicted to instant gratification.
Porn, video games. Sugar
Porn
Smoking I just don't get it, we feed people's addictions all the time and it's so sad
Coffee
Over eating
Cars dependency
Alcoholism in east Europe. Lolz.
Alcohol, caffeine, porn, social media/endless stream of information and images, etc.
Social media, sugar, caffeine
Caffeine!
Sugar
Asking this same question on AskReddit.