addiction or Habit

Babyblue

Babyblue

New Member
Joined
Dec 19, 2007
Messages
12,187
Reaction score
5
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.
 
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
 
I am not a sex addict.....but I am willing to be an enabler for one! :naughty:

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.
 
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.
 
Babyblue said:
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.
Click to expand...

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.
 
Habit is doing the same all the times, addictive is the craving.
 
Jiro said:
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.
Click to expand...

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. :)
 
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.
 
Why view habits as negative? I get up early each morning; it's my habit. What else would you call it?
 
Glenn said:
Why view habits as negative? I get up early each morning; it's my habit. What else would you call it?
Click to expand...

good habit. and there's bad habit too.... like biting your fingernail or pulling your hair.
 
Glenn said:
Why view habits as negative? I get up early each morning; it's my habit. What else would you call it?
Click to expand...

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.
 
Glenn said:
Why view habits as negative? I get up early each morning; it's my habit. What else would you call it?
Click to expand...
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. :lol:
 
I see we are using an extremely wide definition of habit. A habit is something much more specific in intent that a behavior.
 
jillio said:
I see we are using an extremely wide definition of habit. A habit is something much more specific in intent that a behavior.
Click to expand...
OK, so what definition are you using? This is sounding a bit like sociology or other study of human behavior.
 
Glenn said:
OK, so what definition are you using? This is sounding a bit like sociology or other study of human behavior.
Click to expand...

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?
 
jillio said:
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.
Click to expand...

But......just asking.....wouldn't you say smoking is first a bad habit...then addiction???.
 
jillio said:
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?
Click to expand...
The accepted definition by whom? Since there were some here that may have defined habit incorrectly (myself included), maybe it's a professional definition...?
 
Wirelessly posted

IMHO,
habit = redundancy
addiction = redundancy with side effects if not attained
 
Glenn said:
The accepted definition by whom? Since there were some here that may have defined habit incorrectly (myself included), maybe it's a professional definition...?
Click to expand...

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