r/AskReddit • u/sleepy_beacon45 • 11h ago
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u/sunbearimon 11h ago
I think almost everyone has an unhealthy relationship to their phone and screen time. There needs to be a wider conversation about that
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u/itsliluzivert_ 11h ago
Yeah it’s completely normalized but ts is horrible for us.
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u/Adventurous-Egg-2089 11h ago
Recently heard a cool npr spot about different generations attitudes toward phone addiction and how gen z and a are like “we are so addicted to our phones and really can’t help it” and they’re like, crying out for help basically. It’s sad. We all need real help i think.
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u/eatshitdillhole 11h ago
I have a single positive hope for AI - that it, and bots, will make social media and the internet SO redundant and unusable that it breaks our phone addictions and people will start gathering and communicating in person again.
I know that this is unrealistic but I'm high and it could happen lol there's a chance
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u/bad-chemist 11h ago
I’m 22 and I host friends for semi-regular offline nights where we just hang out and chat, maybe put on a movie (we have a growing collection of blurays). Some of us have various crafts we work on, sometimes I’ll make dinner (sometimes it’s a potluck), people hang out in the hot tub, it’s great. It’s been really nice finding a group of people who are all fatigued with the internet in the same way I am and building a community out of that. The one exception to the rule is Wikipedia/scientific articles because we’re all nerds and sometimes we gotta fact check stuff
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u/JustAnotherStonerYo 11h ago
I love this, how do I find friends like this ???
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u/bad-chemist 10h ago
Community college classes honestly. I have one friend from high school and one that I met at my local pride parade, and everyone else I’ve met in my classes or by being introduced by that group. Probably a little harder if you’re older but I’ve got people up to age 46 (I think?) in my friend group so ymmv. Also local hobby groups and fairs are great if it’s something you can go to regularly, I find that meeting people in one-offs doesn’t really work
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u/Honest-Review-4706 11h ago
its already been happening a bit for those who notice it and dislike ai. im still very online but 90% of the time im either talking with friends online or watching/reading somethinf that i know (or at least strongly believe) isnt ai. the second i get a tiny tingle that it might be generated im out. just the knowledge of gen ai has lowered ny screen time drastically
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u/Former-Letterhead-59 11h ago
Everyone is addicted to their phone until someone they don’t want to talk to texts
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u/reincarnateme 11h ago
The phones are designed to tap into your psychological tendencies and trigger addictive responses - it’s like drug addiction without the drugs - they found a way to hit those brain centers deliberately to keep you/us tapping those buttons.
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u/-GhostMode 11h ago
I can spend an entire day off doomscrolling and feel horrible about it later but will do it again despite the fact Lol
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u/mosh-4-jesus 11h ago
everything was fucked when we replaced the humble program with the insidious app
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u/Shrimp-Heaven666 11h ago
Yes, it is a real shame. I crave alone time on my phone, but I know that doing activities IRL is a way better use of my time. Social media has hijacked our brain’s reward center, so it truly is akin to an addiction.
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u/toyskater2 11h ago
My wife lets me know about this every day. No one else’s wife is talking about this?
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u/Merrynpippin136 11h ago
I couldn’t agree more. No one is talking about it because most people don’t want to address it. I fully support efforts to make technology more “humane”
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u/Iwritemynameincrayon 11h ago
Sugar
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u/Rare_Specific_306 11h ago
Honey honey
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u/Tiquitiplin 11h ago
You are my candy girl
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u/boethius61 11h ago
And you got me wanting you
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u/Dry-Communication901 11h ago
I just can't believe the loveliness of loving you..
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u/kirin-rex 11h ago
That was going to be my answer. My doctor put me on a very strict diet, and the craving for sugar was almost as bad as the craving for nicotine when I quit smoking. Interestingly, as I've withdrawn from sugar, I've found myself actually NOT LIKING sugar anymore. It's weird. I never would have really thought of sugar as addictive, but it is.
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u/btq 11h ago
It's extremely addictive.
And the acclimation to the way things naturally taste is standard once a common additive is removed entirely.
Salt is another big, big one. Once I cut out table salt, and ESPECIALLY after cutting out processed foods (where the overwhelming amount of salt we consume comes from) my taste buds acclimated to where I became hyper-sensitive to salt. Salty foods (which is basically all processed foods) became gross. I eventually started eating processed foods again and my taste buds reacclimated to salt. I'm now trying to eat healthier yet again and am looking forward to enjoying the way whole foods taste without salt. But it takes weeks for your taste buds get there. And the interim can be awful. The cravings are real.
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u/Ink-Joy2830 11h ago
So there’s hope for me? I really have a problem with sugar and my doctor is getting on me. Rightfully so. But boy, it’s tough. The cravings are crazy.
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u/pants_of_antiquity 6h ago
Are you able to remove the presence of sugar from your surroundings? Not buying and having it available helps. Don't shop when you're hungry. Keep healthy replacement snacks/drinks around for when the cravings hit. If you can take a swig of chilled water instead whenever you're craving sugar, that would be a huge step forward.
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u/Autronaut69420 11h ago
Your tastebuds adapt to the foods you most commonly eat. I have generally always had a low added sugar diet and don't particularly crave sugar. A couple of times a year I buy some sweets (about 100gm) and maybe twice a year I buy a can of soft drink.
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u/Economy_Temporary_55 11h ago
Sugar, I've developed a taste for youuu 🎶🦩
Nah but in all seriousness you're right
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u/sleep_investor97 11h ago
validation. likes, views, followers. some people will do almost anything for clout. the heights people are willing to go just for attention is honestly wild.
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u/UsefulBridge1852 11h ago edited 11h ago
Not many people talk about gambling addiction compared to how widespread and life changing it is.
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u/DecrimIowa 11h ago
the number of lives ruined by sports betting in particular is enormous, just since it was legalized during COVID probably in the 10s of thousands.
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u/Padawk 11h ago
Sports betting apps and “prediction markets” need banned. If you want to throw away your life savings, you should at least have to go to some sleazy casino or something
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u/immoloism 7h ago
I'd prefer the European approach where companies have to try and protect their customers.
Yeah it's not perfect, but if you start going into debt over gambling then the bookie and the bank are on the hook for not providing a suitable level of care, while letting those that can gamble responsibly do so.
(Summarised to the basic principle as it's Reddit.)
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u/Dukkiegamer 5h ago
Especially with how good its getting promoted now. Its actually everywhere online. Many big social media personalities have have been gambling lately. And its crazy because these people sometimes get a deal where they get a cut of the money their fans lose... just insanity.
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u/rickles1113 11h ago
I like how 75% of these are addictions that get talked about on a regluar basis.
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u/redeemer_negativ 11h ago
Might as well face it, you’re addicted to love.
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u/skyhawk38foxtrot 11h ago
I really thought I was immune to the stuff
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u/Bubbagump210 11h ago
Your greasy hands, your salty lips… Looks like you found the chips. Your belly aches. Your teeth grind. Some tater tots would blow your mind.
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u/BluesBlew 11h ago edited 10h ago
The amount of women I know that can't be single for a week is crazy. So many of them move from man to man; they've never known how to be alone and would rather be with someone subpar than just be with themselves.
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u/CO8127 11h ago
Caffeine
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u/ecclectic 11h ago
Everybody talks about it, just most people don't think it's harmful, so they don't worry about it. Most even joke about it.
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u/Daddict 11h ago
It generally isn't harmful. Clinically speaking, caffeine addiction isn't a thing. Or if it is, there's a more complicated pathology, it isn't something that develops by itself.
Mild dependency does, of course. But addiction and dependency are two different things. Dependency isn't inherently negative, lots of people are dependent on meds. They aren't addicted though.
Addiction is a word that gets tossed around kinda carelessly. This thread is an example...almost none of these answers are clinical use disorders though. They range from unhealthy habits (which is not the same as addiction) to coping mechanisms to social dysfunction....very few are anything that could be medically described as an addictive.
Addiction is a disease that physically rewires your brain, it creates an override on your frontal cortex....the place where willpower comes from. It creates a system in which your willpower is no longer in control. It doesn't matter if you don't want to use a substance, if you have the disease and it's in front of you....it will be nearly impossible to resist.
It's not well understood, because if you've never felt it, it's very hard to understand. But it's a terrible disease either way.
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u/lumplyguy 9h ago
This was informative. Thank you. I always thought I was a caffeine addict, because people call me that (I drink 9 to 13 cups of coffee a day). But I think it's more of a dependency than an addiction. I just like coffee. I get shakey if I dont have it it the morning, but the shakes go away after a few hours. if you offered me 100 bucks to not have coffee for a week I would do it no problem. Addiction is something you would never take 100 bucks to quit. Addiction is something you would rob your family to fuel.
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u/T_BONE_GULLEY 6h ago
This smacked me in the face a bit. Gonna ponder on this for a while, I’ve been looking for a bit of advice recently funny enough.
Best friend is coming to visit tomorrow and I’m planning on talking to him about some things that have been troubling me, one of the only people I can be totally honest in front of. Reading this was a good view of the ground so to speak.
Thanks mate.
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u/LickinThighs2 9h ago
That's true, and well said
Like, I am 100% caffeine dependent, I know I am because I get a horrible migraine in the morning by like 10 am if I don't have at least a coffee, and ibuprofen / acetiminophen doesn't really take the edge off that pain and nausea like simply having caffeine does, lol. I need to actually do a controlled taper off coffee to reduce use
But it's also not really a compulsive use thing like say an addiction like alcohol, tobacco, fent, etc might drive to feed that dependency. I can have a coffee or two in the morning and go all day without it and might have some after work when I'm around the house again
I think part of my issue is that it's become my go-to cozy drink to sip while doing nothing. I don't drink alcohol because I'm epileptic and while I do use cannabis oil, some nights I might only take it right before bed, basically using it as an added regulation on top of my actual epilepsy meds. I feel like in lieu of some of the regular recreational things people might use to unwind or at social shit and stuff, coffee has become my thing
Plus a medical necessity too as migraines can help enable breath through seizures, not nearly as bad as if one were to just forget to take their meds and disrupt their regulation, but I take migraines serious enough that if I do wake up with a horrible head ache, nausea, insane pain from lights etc it basically guarantees I am taking ibuprofen and a coffee to actually treat, I don't always know if I have a migraine in the morning because of withdrawal perse, it's more just me covering all my angles lol
I've at least never used energy drinks etc, just good ole' coffee for me, but I swear on weekends when I am not working I can drink so much in a day and not think of it, which is why I know it's also giving my withdrawal when I don't have it across like 12+ hours
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u/Melodic-Tune-5686 11h ago
Work, but society praises people who work too much.
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u/sawdustandiamonds 11h ago
This is a great answer. People actually don't talk about this one, because it compromises the foundation of capital hierarchy.
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u/kirin-rex 11h ago
I live in Japan. This is true. I was a terrible workaholic until I got too old to keep up.
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u/chotchke09 11h ago
Skin picking
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u/SeventeenthSecond 11h ago
I have picked my cuticles for decades. I use a little fidget ring thing that helps me distract by rolling it up and down my finger and it has helped but it doesn't always work. Terrible addiction. But I don't smoke or drink anymore so there's that
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u/WordStained 11h ago
Skin picking, and a lot of similar body-focused things, are super common stims for neurodivergents, and they can be so hard to break. I'm horrible about them. I'll peel the dry skin off my lips and pick at my scalp constantly (picked that one up after getting lice over a decade ago 😒). Thankfully, for me personally, it's rarely to the point of bleeding (my lips more so than my scalp because they dry out and the skin is delicate). But like, I used to bite my nails so far down they'd bleed when I was a kid. I did manage to break that one with nail polish remover as I'm super avoidant of bitter tastes.
Really, any stim can be awful to try to break (which should really only be done if it's harmful/detrimental to the individual or the people around them). I came to terms years ago with the fact that I'll probably never kick my toe-walking habit until I'm physically unable to do it.
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u/GlitchySprite 11h ago
Afrin
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u/ghiblipotterlink 2h ago
And the similar phenylephrine sprays. I can’t sleep if my nose is stuffed, so even after I quit, the next time I got a cold I started again because I panic if I can’t breathe through my nose, and now I have a dependency 🫠 my family makes fun of me and compares it to cocaine. It’s not *fun*, I just need to breathe!
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u/KittyKattKate 10h ago
This would be the worst addiction ever! I remember watching my bf do 4 pumps right after I told him to do ONE, yee dawgy, he learned his lesson that day!
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u/tinygod-aka-why 10h ago
Had an old boss that used to be heavily addicted. Would go to his drawer every 5 minutes to use it
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u/Busy_Reading_5103 11h ago
Drama
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u/NaturalLab4450 11h ago
I’m like this even tho I try so hard to stay out of it all it always finds me
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u/Rattlingplates 11h ago
Living through a screen instead of the world.
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u/Vcize 11h ago
No one talks about this?
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u/91gnarnuaatg81 11h ago
Every time this question gets posted it’s full of “phones” and “sugar”. I don’t think people are reading the full question.
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u/sleepytime88 11h ago edited 11h ago
I mean, this is a paradoxical but very common style of Reddit question. What’s the thing no one talks about?? Anything getting commented upvoted and discussed technically doesn’t qualify anymore. It would be more accurately framed as under-discussed underestimated or something like that.
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u/Available_Two6707 11h ago
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u/Sternakseesall 11h ago
I am very sad when I unlock achievements like “you posted 28 days in a row!”
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u/princessapart 11h ago
Food addiction. I can’t say it’s common but no one talks about it, and people rarely validate it/give sympathy to those dealing with it.
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u/sapphictears 11h ago
being obsessed with health & fitness & calorie tracking & all the cleanest foods & organic ninguno & blablabla. not shaming those who are healthy, but pointing out that orthorexia is a thing (as someone who had to do an outpatient ED program for it 🥲)
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u/Direct_Soup_3612 11h ago
Sports betting on mobile apps. People are quietly going bankrupt and destroying their lives.
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u/scare_crowe94 11h ago
A lot of people are saying benign things, but a shit load of people (in the uk atleast) are addicted to coke
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u/asian-jeff 11h ago
Gambling. I love gambling, but I have strict guardrails on it. The amount of ads EVERYWHERE these days has turned me off to gambling almost entirely. It's so normalized. Just casually ruining lives and creating addicts.
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u/LazerShark1313 10h ago
A lot of methamphetamine addicts aren't toothless people trying to steal copper, they're working professionals. The person that does your hair, files your taxes, or even underwrites your home loan. How do I know? I used to be their dealer until I went to prison.
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u/PresenceBusiness4726 11h ago
Video games.
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u/davidoffbeat 11h ago
No one talks about video game addiction? I feel like it's been a big topic for decades. Maybe it's slightly more normalized but still a pretty hot topic
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u/Actual_Green_7433 11h ago
Caffeine and taurine
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u/MonniMonty 11h ago
Is taurine even that bad?
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u/tadddpole 11h ago
I don’t know, but the substance doesn’t need to be “bad” to have an addiction to it.
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u/Overall_Affect_2782 11h ago
Marijuana use.
Inb4 the downvotes and replies of “you can’t get addicted to marijuana” from Reddit while this thread will likely list phones/screen time, sugar, social media and justify weed like their lives depend on it.
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u/wyattlikesturtles 11h ago
“Weed isn’t addictive” is the biggest fucking lie I’ve ever been told, it was extremely easy for me to get hooked and make it a habit
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u/Standard_Juice_834 11h ago
Everyone is addicted to sugar and caffeine and somehow that’s fine but soon as they hear about my addictions, suddenly I’m the one with the problem?!?
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u/Santsiah 7h ago
Why is this question here every day?
It’s social media and our phones
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u/ItsAllAdvertising 11h ago
bitching or accusing others of something because they didn't agree with you
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u/Distance-Hairy 11h ago
Prescription painkillers.
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u/DecrimIowa 11h ago
prescribers have really cracked down on prescription opiates in the last few years, to the point that even people with broken bones or life-threatening chronic illnesses can't get them and are forced to live in pain
gabapentin/neurotenin, on the other hand...and benzos...and psychiatric meds with potentially very severe side effects...hand those out like candy! gabapentin and benzos in particular
i strongly believe that in the coming decades we'll find out that they were causing a lot of harm (particularly when you try and get off them and are hit with horrible, horrible withdrawal symptoms)
suboxone is also horrible poison (ask anyone who's been on it, or tried to get off it) but since our system thinks people who use drugs aren't human, that one gets swept under the rug.
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u/Daddict 11h ago
Suboxone is a lifesaver if it's used correctly. The depot shot formulation is practically a miracle drug when it comes to treating dependency and addiction. The crippling withdrawal people suffer (because so many prescribes have no idea how to properly titrate it) is nonexistent with the shot. And unlike other formulations it can be given much earlier in the withdrawal stage without having to worry about precipitated withdrawal.
Even in the other formulations, it's an effective medication for helping people get off of deadly drugs onto a manageable medication regime. People are dependent on it, but they aren't addicted to it, and it keeps a lot of those deadly drugs from having much of an effect.
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u/WordStained 11h ago
I just had my wisdom teeth removed this morning and was prescribed an opioid for the first time (hydrocodone), and I was actually pretty scared to take the first one, but the ibuprofen they prescribed with it isn't really doing a whole lot for me.
My dad's an addict. Alcohol my whole life, mostly. But when I was ~12 I think, he was injured at work (unrelated to his drinking, he passed the alcohol tests they made him do). He fell and chipped pieces off of his spine, I think also ended up with herniated discs, and was in a lot of pain. He got hooked on Vicodin while he was recovering. He didn't end up being a drug seeker and going to the doctor with bullshit stories trying to get more, but he did steal my mom's the couple times she got hurt and was prescribed something strong, to the point she had to lie about what she was prescribed and hide them where he wouldn't happen across them.
My dad's not a bad person, but addiction is an awful disease.
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u/DomR75 11h ago
Energy drinks. Was at 3 each day. Cut cold turkey a month ago. First week was hell!
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u/NaturalLab4450 11h ago
Wanting friends, I lost my friends of 10+ years when I decided to have an abortion and all I’ve craved since then was just friendship and I’m only 26
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u/BadClout 11h ago
Masturbation. Everyone acts like it’s GOOD…but fails to realize it often accompanies a porn addiction.
Edit: found a masturbator.
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u/glitter_bear1234 11h ago
Porn, especially porn addiction for women. If I want to research help and advice its all mostly for men
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u/MapleBreakfastMeat 9h ago
Religion.
It breaks up families all the time just like drugs or gambling, but people never seem to talk about it the same way. A parent's instinct to protect their children is widely considered the strongest human impulse as parents would usually give their own lives for their children. THe instict even overrides self-preservation, and yet religious nuts will choose religion over their kids.
Parents disowning their kids over religion isn't even remotely uncommon, most people know a perfectly normal person who has little to no relationship with their family because of religion. Parents choosing meth or alcohol over their kids is considered one of the trashiest and most awful things a person can do...
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u/cute-ruby-frost 6h ago
P*** addiction, which I didn't realize was so bad until getting on reddit.
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u/echo_elf 11h ago
I feel like lots of people are addicted to misery. I know at least one and I used to be that way.
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u/paperlantern59 11h ago
being busy all the time. some people don't know how to slow down without feeling guilty