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Is there ever a time where an addication can get out of hand. I know there are some addication that are not really that bad but there are others that can control your life or make you feel that way. How do you know you have an addication as I belive I migfht have one but I might be to scared to admite it or maybe I already have and do not want to get over this partuclare addication.

It drives me crazy sometimes.

Jessie wrote:Is there ever a time where an addication can get out of hand. I know there are some addication that are not really that bad but there are others that can control your life or make you feel that way. How do you know you have an addication as I belive I migfht have one but I might be to scared to admite it or maybe I already have and do not want to get over this partuclare addication.

It drives me crazy sometimes.

Addictions are always a slippery slope. Some addictions, like smoking, can be "controlled", but others, like say, crack or herione, are far more dangerous and debilitating.

If you are asking if an addiction you have is getting out of hand, I would guess the answer is yes (otherwise you wouldn't be asking the question). But without further information it is hard to make an accurate assessment of your situation.

Questions to ask yourself:

Is what you are doing interfering with your life?
Is what you are doing causing you anxiety or stress?
Do you feel compelled to engage in whatever it is?
Do you feel crappy, guilty, etc, after?

Hi Jessie,

I am curious what addictions would be considered not really that bad?

I can’t think of any. But maybe I need to be enlightened, or maybe I am just to lazy to come up with any that would not include the total devotion and/or surrender (of oneself) to something habitually or obsessively.

If it does not encompass that I would guess that it is not an addiction. If it does then it must be out of ones control.

Darlene.

I don't know that anything you could call an addiction would be considered good, exactly, but some addictions are relatively minor concerns. I'm quite addicted to caffeine, but the only person who ends up losing any sleep over this is yours truly.

-Celia

OK after a lot of thought I figure I could trust the gals here. I am addicated to televsion. I know it may sound silly to some but I have tried going a day with out turning on television and it becomes frusterating. It does not help that I get home from work after being in front of several TV monitors and turn the TV after just finishing 10hrs of doing it.

You might have a fair amount of company on this one, Jessie. How bad is it? Do you deprive yourself of sleep? Do you watch stuff you don't like if there's nothing else on? Do you brush people off to watch the tube? Do you feel you need the TV on for "background noise"? Do you feel you need it to go to sleep? Our society is addicted to TV, but some of us go the extra mile . . .

Yours,
Celia

Jessie,
There are those of my sisters here probably far more qualified than I to discuss this, but I would also say that most of us turn the television on virtually every day. The question then becomes do you do it just to have it on for the noise (and light) factor or do you actually sit and watch it? If you do sit and watch it do you like most of ( the male gender) channel surf endlessly? Or are there particular shows or type of show that you tune into. News, sports, music, SciFi what? I personally like to keep up with the news. Things like that animal Kouy in Florida who buried the little girl alive and because of evident blunders by the attorney general and police he could walk - that won't stand!!!!!!! I need to know what is going on with that. I would have to claim addiction to needing to know what happens to that case!
Keep us posted and I am sure my sisters will have additional thoughts for you.
Virginia

Hi all,

Once upon a time...

I was / am addicted to books (to the great misery of those friends who helped me move those 100 boxes of books last week! ). Upon further reflection, though, I realize I'm addicted to "story." The story of our lives, of my life, of humanity, of the universe; the stories we tell ourselves to push away our fears and anxieties by allowing ourselves a little taste of those fears and anxieties in fiction--story as a vaccination of the imagination, if you will. The stories I hunger for happen to be told mostly in books.

I look at Aeryn's questions and answer them all in the negative. Well, except maybe I feel crappy when I buy a book I can't really afford. Other than that, this is an addiction that brings me only pleasure.

Love,
CJ

Hey Jessie,

I had the same problem, I don’t think of it as an addition because I was able to control it by not subscribing to cable. I think the problem lies in the fact that it is so easy to turn the switch on.

Now the net is another situation. I spend a lot of time on it. But it is different (for me) in that one can have an input into it as opposed to the TV. By that I mean you can actually interact with other human beings, (feed them) as opposed to being fed what others want to feed you.

Love,
Darlene.

Well the thing is I work at a TV station on work in a room surronded by 23+ monitors or so. We run three seperat station out of the one building and for about 10hrs a day my job is to make sure that those progams look good going out. Then I got home and the first thing I usually do is turn on the TV. Most of the time it is CNN to try and catch up on some news but usually I will try and find a show (that I problely seend several times before) and just turn that on tell I fall asleep for a while. Then turn it off and then get in on the computer for a while make my self dinner watch more TV while eating dinner. Get on the computer to finish up and then go to bed to start it all over tommorrow. And that is on the days that I work.

As an addictions therapist I just want to ask if you live alone? And then say that there's a difference between habitual behavior and addiction. It could be that you have a habit of doing this and it has become a routine for you, especially after being in front of TV's all day. And if you do live alone, there could be some underlying reasons for the "why" you turn them on, especially if you have them on when you go to sleep. I could say more but don't feel comfortable getting into it right now. One thing that I ask my clients to do is to check their motives. Think about why you're doing it and see if you can stop without it making you feel nuts. Then you can further address the issue if it does.

Kay(SO)

Hi girls,

My understanding of addiction is that it is behavior that causes one to have a physiological response when the behavior is suspended. These can be due to the body getting accustomed to certain chemicals or changes in brain chemistry caused by ingesting certain things.

My understanding is limited, but what I have learned is that a behavior alone, is not an addiction, although the term is thrown around a lot. I have even said things like "I was adicted to pornography". However, there was no physiological response to me not looking at pornography. And in fact the desire to look at it, left me without any action on my part. other than coming out of the closet.

I am not so sure that behaviors like crossdressing, or looking at pornography or gardening, can actually be considered addictions. Perhaps Kay(SO) could shed some light on this.

While supporting my brothers efforts to get off cocain and alcohol I attended many AA meetings. At one of those meetings a man asked "how do I know if I am an alcoholic?" It was his first meeting. The person who was chairing the meeting said there was no hard and fast rule, but that he had always gone by the premise that "if you think you have a drug or alcohol problem? You most likely do, because people who don't have a drug or alcohol problem, never wonder if they do"

My personal feeling is, that works great when talking about drugs and alocohol. However when talking about other behaviors, it is just not enough to say that because a behavior is causing you problems, that it is an addiction and must be stopped.

I do not beleive crossdressing is an addiction, or gardening either, but I do know people who spend a great deal of time doing both. It interfers with other things they would like to do. It causes them phyical or emotional pain, but is also very emotionally rewarding.

Hope that helps

Love always,
Elizabeth