Behavioral addiction

[precious007]

I am addicted to speeding, lol. Its actually really hard to stop, I have several citations (including one I am about to send in now) and a driving record covered in points and violations. I lucked out this past time as the previous points on my record had been removed after two years, but I just got another ticket for 5 points, I am going to court but by now they won't do much for me. My first ever ticket was 8 months after getting my license at age 18, for doing 96 in a 55.

Every time I get a citation I try to stop speeding, and I do for a while but then start again, whenever I drive slow I get really anxious and aggressive, I just feel like I am wasting time by going the speed limit. A friend of mine seems to think that the adrenalin rush I get from speeding is what I am addicted to, IDK but he is probably right, I have to have a portion in at all times when I drive or I go nuts, lol.

Yep your body releases adrenaline when speeding ... :^)

It's similar to any other Aggressive Sports.... I used to get that kind of sensations when I was rollerblading (aggressive rollerblading) ... from skiing .... as well ... when I was doing downhill.

[Ansel]

OCD symptoms are said to be assuaged with doses of, say, 4mg of nicotine. I can't stand Allen Carr's books Precious! Sorry.

[precious007]

OCD symptoms are said to be assuaged with doses of, say, 4mg of nicotine. I can't stand Allen Carr's books Precious! Sorry.

Oh ok, there is certain truth in them, but everyone has different opinions ......

So the nicotine increases OCD symptoms?

[Ansel]

Nicotine is said to make OCD symptoms less intense. According to some studies anyway.

[precious007]

Nicotine is said to make OCD symptoms less intense. According to some studies anyway.

oh yes I've heard that before..... but honestly I've used to have OCD and completely disappeared for years now.....

Nicotine wasn't making the symptoms any better.....

[russki]

As a conclusion I guess overdoing something .... is called a habit ... and becomes and addiction (I wouldn't call it exactly an addiction though)......

I'd have to agree with you, I wouldn't call it that either. I suppose moderation is key in determining what is a habit and what is not, however when it gets to the point where you can no longer help yourself in what you are doing, even then I would see it as an impulse as opposed to simply slapping the derogatory notion of addiction on to it. Maybe I just have a different perception about the terminology as compared to others, I just feel that saying something is an addiction makes it seem like you are completely hopeless, in the sense that everyone uses the word anymore.

With regards to behavioral addiction, I would argue that simply observing your behavior and realizing why you are doing those things (ex. gambling) would be enough to change those 'impulses', however many would feel otherwise as I would understand it. I suppose that is just my point of view though.

I've read about that guy before, and his work is quite interesting...

I am addicted to speeding, lol. Its actually really hard to stop, I have several citations (including one I am about to send in now) and a driving record covered in points and violations. I lucked out this past time as the previous points on my record had been removed after two years, but I just got another ticket for 5 points, I am going to court but by now they won't do much for me. My first ever ticket was 8 months after getting my license at age 18, for doing 96 in a 55.

Every time I get a citation I try to stop speeding, and I do for a while but then start again, whenever I drive slow I get really anxious and aggressive, I just feel like I am wasting time by going the speed limit. A friend of mine seems to think that the adrenalin rush I get from speeding is what I am addicted to, IDK but he is probably right, I have to have a portion in at all times when I drive or I go nuts, lol.

I would bet it is the adrenaline as well, the whole thrill of the ride. Very interesting article I read about it though...
http://youarenotsosmart.com/2009/10/21/speeding/
Actually that whole site is quite interesting.

[jdman321]

The internet, TV and so on are definitely behavioral addictions. I always look at it as a small case of OCD. You HAVE to browse the internet before work, or HAVE to check that news site to see what's happening around the world.

You HAVE to see that new episode. I think part of the whole thing is boredom really. People don't have anything better to do for the most part.

[precious007]

The internet, TV and so on are definitely behavioral addictions. I always look at it as a small case of OCD. You HAVE to browse the internet before work, or HAVE to check that news site to see what's happening around the world.

You HAVE to see that new episode. I think part of the whole thing is boredom really. People don't have anything better to do for the most part.

how about working on the internet? Would that be also called an addiction ....... I don't think so and nothing that has to do with the Internet is an behavioral addiction ...........

I've seen a documentary recently about the psychiatry and how it manipulates people to believe that they're sick just to sell them the drugs (that aren't cheap either)

these days anything behavior becomes an addicition, long sadness becomes depression, endless worries become anxiety ...... and so on :^) just to help sell those expensive sedatives and anxiolitic that will only worsen one's condition ................. believe me I've been there ........

Exercising, healthy eating, yoga .... losing some weight, detoxifying your body .......... natural supplements .... and even sex .... are all much better than the prescription medication .... you'd get for depression or anxiety.......

[nicodude]

Thats true, pretty sad IMHO but true nonetheless. A good 80% of the people I know are on some kind of medication for some random ass sounding thing. Its either depression or anxiety or social anxiety or bipolar and a list of other stuff. I mean, sure there are real psychiatric problems out there and certain people need meds, but not everyone. If you go to the shrink over here in the USA and tell them that your sad because your cat just died, you will leave with so many scripts you will forget you even had a cat.

They pump people full of all kinds of crazy stuff, uppers/downers/ and sometimes all-arounders. But if someone is taking street drugs then they are a 'drug addict'. Yet many people don't mention that the withdrawal symptoms of a popular anti-anxiety drug, xanax, will KILL you if you go cold turkey. I have read in certain cases that it is easier to get off of a several year heroin habit then it is to stop a year long xanax habit.

If someone is depressed, how bout giving them ideas for activities and places to go that would cheer them up, not just shooting them full of drugs and taking their money...


Infact, I bet that if I went to see a shrink about my speeding 'addiction' that they would try to give me some kind of drug for it.

[russki]

They pump people full of all kinds of crazy stuff, uppers/downers/ and sometimes all-arounders. But if someone is taking street drugs then they are a 'drug addict'. Yet many people don't mention that the withdrawal symptoms of a popular anti-anxiety drug, xanax, will KILL you if you go cold turkey. I have read in certain cases that it is easier to get off of a several year heroin habit then it is to stop a year long xanax habit.

Wholeheartedly agree with everything here. I'm pretty sure a lot of my frustration comes from the things I have experienced throughout my life as a result of my drug use when I was in my teens. I got in a spot of trouble when I was about 18, and unfortunately for me it was in a county that was ridiculously hard on any kind of drug/alcohol charges. While I have since stopped using anything, I thought the way it was handled was completely ridiculous. The thing that blew my mind is the fact that, should I have gotten a prescription from a quack, I wouldn't be out ~$15,000.

The fact is, as you have pointed out, tons of people are on prescriptions for drugs that would otherwise be considered narcotics should they not have a prescription. It's crazy how many people dope up everyday without ever even realizing it... they just assume everything is alright. I've got a script, so its ok for me to pop pain killers as needed.

And with the xanax, it is one of the worst drugs around. A lot of the anti-anxiety medications are like that, they do nothing but compound the problem by putting it off. Then when they try to come off of it, they wonder why they feel like they want to die and why their problems aren't better. Just refill the script and go on.

Pharma is a big business, a lot of politics come into play with this stuff.