#Addiction #NonTraditionalAddictions #UnusualAddictions
Have you ever come across someone who was addicted to something that wasn’t a drug or alcohol? 🤔 It’s surprising how many unusual addictions exist in the world, and they can have just as serious consequences as substance abuse. In this article, we’ll explore some of the worst non-traditional addictions and their impact on people’s lives.
What constitutes an addiction?
An addiction is often defined as a compulsive, uncontrollable craving for something, despite knowing the negative consequences. While we usually associate addiction with substances like drugs and alcohol, it can manifest in various other forms. Here are some non-traditional addictions that can be just as destructive:
1. Gambling addiction
Gambling addiction is a behavioral addiction that can lead to devastating financial and personal consequences. It’s characterized by an uncontrollable urge to gamble, despite the negative impact on an individual’s life.
2. Internet and social media addiction
With the rise of technology, internet and social media addiction has become increasingly common. People can become hooked on constantly checking their social media accounts, leading to decreased productivity, isolation, and mental health issues.
3. Food addiction
Food addiction involves an obsessive relationship with food, often leading to overeating or binge-eating. It can have severe health repercussions, including obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.
4. Shopping addiction
Compulsive shopping can result in financial turmoil, strained relationships, and a loss of control over one’s life. The temporary satisfaction gained from making a purchase can lead to a dangerous cycle of addictive behavior.
5. Hoarding addiction
Hoarding is a disorder characterized by the excessive accumulation of items, often leading to unsanitary and unsafe living conditions. It can have a detrimental impact on an individual’s mental and physical well-being.
6. Exercise addiction
While exercise is generally considered a healthy habit, it can become addictive when taken to the extreme. Exercising excessively can lead to physical injuries, eating disorders, and social isolation.
The impact of non-traditional addictions
Non-traditional addictions can be just as damaging as substance abuse, impacting various aspects of an individual’s life, including:
– Financial stability
– Relationships with family and friends
– Mental and physical health
– Overall quality of life
Seeking help for non-traditional addictions
Recognizing and addressing non-traditional addictions is crucial for individuals to regain control of their lives. Treatment options may include:
– Cognitive-behavioral therapy
– Support groups
– Medication for co-occurring mental health issues
– Lifestyle changes and coping strategies
It’s vital for individuals struggling with non-traditional addictions to seek professional help and support from loved ones.
In conclusion, non-traditional addictions can have devastating effects on individuals’ lives, and it’s important to raise awareness about these issues. By understanding the nature of non-traditional addictions and the available treatment options, we can better support those in need. If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, reach out for help and support. Let’s work together to break the stigma and provide compassionate care for all forms of addiction. 🌟
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Games.
There was this senior in college who got introduced to games in his first year. He got so addicted that he missed classes/exams and everything important.
Normally the course in which he was enrolled takes 4 years to complete, and the university gives an additional buffer of 4 years for people with backlogs. He graduated in his 7th year.
(This was one of the top colleges, so he must have been pretty smart to have got in)
You ever met someone who drank Diet Coke? You either don’t drink it or you’re obsessed with it
Food is one. And Nasal spray
Exercise. Obviously it isn’t a bad thing in general but I have seen a couple of people take it to unhealthy extremes and they wore themselves out and ended up with long-term injuries
This will sound stupid, but World of Warcraft. I know a person who lost an incredible job and broke up a (at least seemingly good) relationship due to their complete addiction to World of Warcraft
Me…gambling…FML. Started GA last week. Hope I’m done for good.
Tik Tok // Social Media // Doom Scrolling.
And every day I see more and more examples. Even worse, some days I am one.
ETA a good and dandy dissonance tool.
Self-pity
Candy Crush. It’s digital cocaine.
Dr. Pepper. Have you talked to someone obsessed with Dr Pepper? Shits scary
Porn/smut books/sex
My ex wife read and watched so much that it blurred her sense of reality and she decided she wanted to live like that. It ruined our marriage.
Anger. I’ve known too many rage-aholics who didn’t need substances to be assholes.
Relationships. When someone can’t stand being single for any length of time. And once the enter that relationship, they push all other friends aside because that new man/woman is all that matters
Gambling. Witnessed a friend blow 190k last year.
My students and the internet and phones. It was almost like it caused physical pain to separate them from their phones. I never had this issue. Never got caught with it out, never needed it for quiet time, just it’s so sad to see them so attached.
Sugar, dude. I dated a girl who wanted me to kick sugar. I toss out all my old food. Purchased more and lasted 36 hours. For me to stick to that you would have had to lock me in a padded room and feed me under the door. I’d rather get addicted to heroin and kick that than try to kick sugar again. My whole body ached and the horror of realizing All the food I like is off the menu.
A toxic boy. It was like my daughter was a junkie for him and he treated her like shit it was horrible.
She would cry every day, the littlest thing would make her bawl. Finally when she was crying one day and said “I feel like I’m dying inside” I told her dad we needed to do something. I took her to a far away state where my best friend lives and we gave her a month long vacay, she had a blast. Their relationship didn’t even last 3 days when she got home. I think she realized there was more to life! Which was the goal.
Validation or attention from others
That one fiancée of my father hated stuff to stay the same. So she made it a habit/addiction to change everything all the time. We painted the hallway like 3 times in a year. She jumped jobs constantly. And apparently even love was like that for her. She was unfaithful to her ex with my father and apparently with someone else on my father. I always found it funny to make change your habit, as she tried to avoid having habits, but with that had quite a weird one.
Shopping. A friend’s GF barely leaves the house except for work, and she shops online obsessively. Their garage is a solid cube of stuff, much of it unopened. Every inch of their home is crammed. There must be 150 scented candles in that house.
He says he comes home every day to a stack of deliveries.
Video Games.
You forget to do laundry and dishes. Bills go into collection, deadlines arrive and pass, loved ones are suddenly “bothering you” when youre playing. Everything needs to be put on hold till you “get to a safe spot” or “finish this one thing” which snowballs into not doing the thing at all. Pretty soon youre alone with your games and you rationalize that as a good thing, and youll get to that other stuff soon.
Tats. I have a friend who is in a lot of debt, but whenever he hits payday he gets some new ink instead of paying down his debt
My ex was a video game addict. Mainly retro consoles and Steam. It was horrifying watching him play. As soon as he made eye contact with the screen, his face was devoid of any emotion or movement. He had that thousand-yard stare.
My breaking point was when he began bringing his Nintendo DS on DATES and played with it while we were waiting on our food. Needless to say we didn’t last long. Gaming was not a hobby for him, but an addiction.
Pudding. I worked with a guy whose wife signed him up for a pudding of the month club as a gag gift.
Turns out the guy really likes pudding. I borrowed a power saw from him one time and he showed me a section of his basement that was just shelves and shelves of pudding. Pudding cups. Instant pudding. The kind you have to cook. He even had a chest freezer filled with some weird foreign kind of pudding pop. He actually looked pretty good considering all the sugar he ate.
I’m addicted to chapstick. I use it three times an hour on my lips.
Religion. Don’t know if you count “high on god” but those born again xians can be something else.
On the same note… those that drink [insert MLM company] kool aide and turn everything into trying to recruit/ sell their overpriced garbage.
Conspiracy thinking.
I’ve seen people turn so paranoid they’ve completely ceased to function. Over the most baseless bullshit. But they’re like dead inside now they’re gone.
100% food. Eating disorders function a lot like addiction but you can’t just give up eating. Avoidance a la sobriety is physically impossible.