Babyblue

We know people can become addicted to drugs such a nicotine, alcohol, caffeine. Due to it makes the body crave it.


Some people claim they are addicted to salt, sex, nail biting, shopping and other behaviors.

Are they truly addicted to it or is it merely a habit.


I feel people with addictive personality do develop habits.

But how can you truly separate a habit, from an addiction. Are they both considered as a compulsive behavior?

For example. Some say they are addicted to sex or salt. Is it their mentality telling them if they do not have sex or salt they will fall apart??

What's the difference when their brain is telling them it is a must do.

Shopping addicts??

Discuss.

Deafness

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miles11we

i think that most people who claim to be addicted to random things (especially highschoolers...im 16 so i no quite a few) are just BS, but that doesnt mean that habbits cant create addictions, like the addiction to nicotine (i must admit, that addiction troubles me greatly) is at least 50% habit, i could easily go through the withdraws from it, iv been through much worse, but trying to no do something you always do (for example ..wen sitting at the computer) is quite difficult.

chewing things for me calms my nerves(i have bad anxiety) and helps me relax sometimes, and thats not because that happens wen ever anyone chews things its only for me, because my mind thinks that, that is a cure all for wen im upset, angry, anxious etc. etc.
my belief is that most addictions ar at least 10% habit, and thats for hard drugs, but for things that ar not containing things that cause your body to crave it its more like 50%-60% habit

TXgolfer

I am not a sex addict.....but I am willing to be an enabler for one!

I personally believe addiction is merely a lack of self discipline. Habits can be the result of self discipline or the lack of self discipline. Making a habit of sitting down and checking your bills for errors and then paying them is an excellent habit. It takes self discipline to do it. Smoking is a bad habit caused by a lack of self discipline.

Rio

Self-disciple is the main factor to keep things cooled down. Of course, there needs to be a balance in these areas of bad habits. Just like anything else, it can be carried to the extreme. If that's the case, a person needs to seek professional help.

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souggy

Well...

Psychological addiction... versus physical addiction.

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Jiro

see red bold print above. my brother eats food with salt at more than normal amount. I eat a tiny amount of salt. we all know that consuming massive amount of salt is unhealthy for you. We thought my brother is "addicted" to salt and living it unhealthy but it's because my brother is a very very active athletic person and because of that - his body requires a higher level of sodium, electrolyte, etc.

It is ok to consume anything above normal as long as your body is not having averse effect from it such as high cholesterol level, obesity, etc.

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Hwy99

Habit is doing the same all the times, addictive is the craving.

Babyblue

True, soldiers in Iraq often ask for the flavored salt to be added to the care package.

Due to they sweat and lose a lot of sodium. So they replenish it by eating more salt that usual.

Sunflower seeds is another hot comodity.

jillio

Well, there is dependance, and there is addiction, and there is a habit. Dependance is often called psychological addiction, which means when one does not engage in the behavior, one becomes emotionally and psychologically distressed. Addiction involves a biological process where the body will go through withdrawals when the substance is not there.

So.....smoking is an addiction until you break through the withdrawal phase of no nicotine. Then you are left with the psychological dependance of doing something at a particular time, and need to replace the behavior with something else, like chewing gum.

Picking your nose is a habit. Smoking is an addiction.

Habits are generally behaviors that people engage in to reduce the effects of stress.

Glenn

Why view habits as negative? I get up early each morning; it's my habit. What else would you call it?

Jiro

good habit. and there's bad habit too.... like biting your fingernail or pulling your hair.

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jillio

Your practice. Not all consistent behavior falls under the criteria for being a habit. I also eat every day. That doesn't mean that I have a habit of eating. It simply means that I engage in a consistent behavior. I have a practice of eating every day. You have a practice of getting up early. As I stated before, a habit is generally considered to be a behavior that is used as a stress reliever.

Reba

Right on! Habits can be good. Brushing and flossing after meals is a good habit.
Using car turn signals when changing lanes is a good habit, as is buckling up. Washing your hands after using the toilet is a good habit.

jillio

I see we are using an extremely wide definition of habit. A habit is something much more specific in intent that a behavior.

Glenn

OK, so what definition are you using? This is sounding a bit like sociology or other study of human behavior.

jillio

I am using the accepted definition. I have already included it in a couple of posts here.

A habit is a behavior with the intent of comforting the individual during times of stress. And it is a study of human behavior. The entire thread is about human behavior. How else would you classify it?

TXgolfer

But......just asking.....wouldn't you say smoking is first a bad habit...then addiction???.

Glenn

The accepted definition by whom? Since there were some here that may have defined habit incorrectly (myself included), maybe it's a professional definition...?

SCBassist

Wirelessly posted

IMHO,
habit = redundancy
addiction = redundancy with side effects if not attained

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jillio

Yes, it is a professional definition, used by behaviorists, cognitive behaviorists, addiction specialists, and behavior mod therapists.

jillio

Pretty good in a nutshell description.

shel90

I think habits and addictions are interchangable.

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TXgolfer

I agree.....And with the "psychological dependence" I think even that can be used for positive habits.....But when it's positive stuff we call it a "routine". I deal with this alot in Golf......It helps to have a pre shot routine.....when outside of that routine it is uncomfortable.....psychological I believe. And then on occassion when the routine becomes extreme it becomes OCD,

Just my two cents.....

jillio

Exactly. If failure to perform that routine causes discomfort, you have a dependence, or a habit. If you cross that line into OCD, you have pathology. But the whole purpose behind OCD behaviors is to relieve stress the individual experiences unless those behaviors are performed. So....we are right back to my original statement that a habit is a behavior that is performed to relieve stress and comfort the individual.

Glenn

Thanks. This is very interesting and quite enlightening.

jillio

No problem. Because I deal with the behaviors of people on a daily basis, I tend to make really fine distinctions. For instance, what might be abnormal behavior in one person is a perfectly normal and adaptive behavior in another person. Depends on the individual and their unique circumstances.

TXgolfer

Makes sense to me. Certainly a pre shot routine is a way of coping with stress.

TXgolfer

This was a lesson I learned in business..I had two guys that worked for me and they were great workers. I decided t "reward" them with mental breaks by sending them to 2 or 3 job sites in one day instead of one. That way they wouldn't suffer the monotony of one job site all day. Plus they would get a little relief from the elements while riding from site to site. I even overcompensated them for mileage. In less than two weeks both quit without notice. I was shocked. When I talked to one of them finally he told me he quit because I had him running all over the place and he hated it.....lol.

I was shocked. I have always enjoyed juggling projects.....pretty good at it too. Never occurred to me that people didn't enjoy that

jillio

LOL! Yeah, we all tend to think that everyone enjoys or dislikes the same things we do. I still can't believe there are people out there who actually dislike ice cream!! That just blows my mind!

TXgolfer

I try not to judge people but I would have to judge harshly anyone that didn't like ice cream! Maybe with some it is dental sensitivity to the cold....They get a break.....but the rest are NUTS!