T.T.F.E

Hello my fellow addicts! Sadly, this is the last time I will be addressing you all... I must say that when I started this blog, I really wasn't sure what to expect from all of you. I didn't know if people would just not read it because addiction can be a touchy subject. Or if no one would read it simply because it's nothing that interests them. Through the comments that you have left me, I now know that I was completely wrong to think those things! The things that some of you shared in regards to your own addictions or your own interests fascinated me! I'm so glad that many of you were able to pull something from each of my posts, then to give me your two cents in the comments! I can say I received everything I was hoping for out of this blog, and that was to inform people on addictions and to provide you all with information on addictions that you may not have known existed.

I decided to blog about this subject because, like I've said a few times, addiction that is something I see all around me in my life and in my family. Some of which are bad and disappointing, while others are not so dangerous and even comical!

As you carry on with your lives in this sometimes messed up world, I hope you are able to find happiness through laughter, and learn to laugh at your flaws and little weird habits or addictions. All at the same time, I hope that each and everyone of you will not be afraid to lend an ear or a hand to any one in need while they experience low points in their lives and turn to substances or anything of the sort. If it ever happens to be one of you in such a predicament, I hope you are able to remember that there is more to life than what you find in that bottle...

A wise man once said, "Be the man you would want your son to be." Who said that, I have no idea...
With that, I say my final farewells and wish you all the best in your future endeavours and challenges!

Your fellow addict,
Ben.

Tuning Out

Hello my fellow addicts. In my very first post I talked about things that you may be addicted to, that are in fact harmless. Things such as eating sweets or biting your finger nails. Today I'd like to present to you something that 99% of people might do everyday, that they didn't know was actually an addiction. You might even find that you do these things yourself!

This thing is, listening to music. How could listening to music be considered an addiction? To explain, I'll refer back to my four steps of forming an addiction in post number two, "Jumping In With Both Feet".
So, step one, you started listening to music, of any kind for whatever reason, meaning you have been exposed to it.
Step two, you enjoyed what you were hearing immensely!
Step three, you start to form a habit of listening to music. You find yourself listening to it while walking, while studying, while driving. Next thing you know it has turned into a dependancy. You are now listening to music in class, and while in public areas instead of socializing with others.
Step four, you start to notice that you can't function without music anymore. Your workouts aren't intense if there is no music playing. You can't study without it. You can't even fall asleep without it.

There you have it, you are addicted to listening to music. Pretty strange how just an everyday activity like that could eventually become addictive. Of course, do not think that by listening to music often makes you an addict… Many people, myself included, listen to music as much as possible because often it reflects our mood and our feelings at that time, or can even bring us back to a different time in our lives when we had previously heard that song. Only if listening to music becomes and necessity, and you absolutely cannot go without, does it then qualify as an addiction.

I hope I opened your eyes to something new today!  

 

Xbots

Hello again my fellow addicts! I return to you with another addiction that perhaps you haven't ever given any thought to. The video game addiction. Yes, as a matter of fact, you can become addicted to such a thing. I, for one don't play very many video games. In fact I've only ever finished two games in my entire life. So I don't really understand how you could become addicted to a video game, but I do agree that they can be very entertaining!

Time for the science behind this.
Clearly a video game is not any type of substance, meaning it isn't classified as a substance addiction, it's more of a behavioural addiction. Now because it is not substance related, it is difficult to pin-point the biological effects of the addiction, but assumptions can be made. According to webMD.com, it is a "clinical impulse control disorder". This classifies it under the same category as gambling addictions. The only biological effect known from gambling addictions is that it increases the amount of dopamine in the blood stream... That's about all they know. (webMD.com)

Withdrawal

On a less scientific scale, there are many things that they can point out about this specific addiction!
Video-game-addiction.org tells us that 10-15% of avid gamers show signs that meet the World Health Organization's criteria for addiction. Pretty obvious signs such as throwing fits when removed from the source. Or even using video games as a way to escape life and stress, much like why an alcoholic drinks (webMD.com). Research shows that this addiction is becoming more and more common amongst pre-teens and teenagers, due to the exposure to video games at such a young age (video-game-addiciton.org).

Now that you have the back ground information to this addiction, I'll give you my two cents on the matter. Now that I've read up on the matter, I agree 100% that it is a legitimate addiction. It makes sense that people would use video games to escape reality and stress. When you have 4 projects due in a week, what better to do than to procrastinate and play GTA V where you can do whatever you want, care-free, make millions of dollars and just spend it on whatever you desire. I just don't find that very amusing which is why I struggle to understand this addiction completely. I also think that living in a world where parents treat children as burdens and distract them with iPhones and iPads instead of playing with their kids doesn't help. The more you expose your kids to it, the more likely it is for them to become addicts them selves. In this type of situation, all I have to say is that ignorance is in fact bliss.

Put the controller down and go find a friend to hangout with!

Sources:
http://www.video-game-addiction.org
http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/features/video-game-addiction-no-fun

It Hits Us All

Hello all addicts.
Today, I'd like to tone things down a little. I will be conducting no research, nor stating any facts. I would simply like to tell you a bit about addiction in my everyday life.

First, I'd like to put out a brief list of things that I, myself, am addicted to:

• Sweets. I can't get enough of them no matter how out of shape I become on their behalf.
• Pop. This is the one thing I haven't managed to go more than 2 weeks without before I will scavenge for change to go buy some from the corner store. That bubbly sirupy deliciousness is a necessity. Coca-Cola to be specific...
• Biting my nails (which you may already know).

So that's my list of things that I'm addicted to... What's yours? I'd love to hear about them in the comments!

Yes, I know. My list isn't very intimidating... There aren't any life threatening addictions in there anywhere... Yet. So how is my life full of addiction? I experience it through those around me. Through my family and through my friends. I thank the sun that the bane of possessing a serious addiction has never fallen upon me. That does not mean that it doesn't hurt me.
For those that know me, you can assume who I am referring to. Since the introduction to illegal substances, his life has been anything but straight and simple. He claims, to his friends, that it's just him being who he truly is. Creating his own path regardless to what others think. The same man I've witnessed break down night after night because he doesn't feel that he fits in anywhere. Yet, he continues to do all the things that cause him not to fit in. So in my opinion, that is a true addict. Even through grief and suffering he can't let go for the better of others, and most of all, himself.

I recently learned that the most influential person in my life, who no one would ever think is an alcoholic, actually is. Proving that an addiction is there to replace bad feelings with good ones. People will go through almost anything to hide it from those they love so that they aren't judged more than they already are by themselves. The reasons behind it are still unfolding, but I did somewhat see the signs but never chose to act upon it, and talk about it...

So what was the point of letting you in on this? That addictions do not affect the addict alone, but anyone who loves them. Even if they think you don't notice, it isn't hard to see. Talking is the best way to start the healing process. Help them realize that while they are hurting, that you are hurting too.

It could be the happiest person you know or even the most successful person you know.

Don't be afraid to talk.  

Hi High Man

We've arrived! I will finally be taking the time in this post to talk about the fascinating topic of substance abuse; narcotics in specific.

Whether you'd like to admit it or not, everyone enjoys getting high in some shape or form. Drinking an energy drink or a coffee to feel the caffeinated rush or injecting heroin into your blood stream, both are everyday methods of getting high.

Humans aren't the only species that love getting high. Take the jaguar for example. Jaguars eat plants so that they can regurgitate them and it aids in cleansing their digestive systems. One jaguar, a long time ago, realized that this one specific plant known as the Banisteriopsis Caapi made him feel really funny, and really good. This plant that is found in South America contains similar components found in anti-depressants, which makes it a hallucinogen when ingested. Jaguars continue to find and eat this plant to experience the effects all over again whenever they can. (cracked.com)
 
(Link to watch a jaguar getting high.) http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7ao44_jaguar-eating-ayahausca_animals

Marijuana leaf

Our first culprit is probably the most common found and talked about; marijuana. It's as simple as rolling it up in paper or smoking out of a pipe, exactly like smoking tobacco. It even gets as simple as eating it. Once having ingested or inhaled anything containing marijuana, you will be high. In general, according to 420magazine.com, all of your senses can be increased. Letting you see colours more brightly, feel temperatures more rapidly, smell and hear things in different ways, and taste in ways you normally wouldn't. A marijuana high lasts about 2 hours. In relativity to your health, marijuana is rather harmless. It does not contain any of the tar or chemicals in cigarettes and is simply the plant being burnt. It does however have an affect on your judgement and reaction time, making driving very dangerous and illegal. 1 in 6 marijuana smokers will become addicted due to it's effects. (drugabuse.net)

Heroin

On the other end of the spectrum we find one of the harshest chemically fabricated drugs out there; heroin. Heroin is the drug that causes the most bodily harm to the user. Addicts will shoot the heroin directly into the blood stream using needles. The high is what's known as a "cloudy high" because while you are high, you feel really numb, painless, and don't recall much of what happened during the high (alcoholism.about.com). It is extremely addictive for it's pain reducing asset, since it is made mostly of morphine. However addicts are known to share needles, leading to infectious diseases such as HIV and Hepatitis. When separated from the drug addicts experience restlessness, nausea, muscular pain and extended user can even experience kidney failure. (Wikipedia.org)

I hope it is evident how addictive these drugs can be, and why they can be so. It all leads back to that "high".

Now what do you think?
What I think, is that none of it is worth it. Marijuana costs about $20 for a few grams (priceofweed.com), and can cost anywhere form $50-$1500 per gram (havocscope.com). So for one, maintaining these addictions are way to costly, and I assume money isn't always available for most users, leading to other methods of payment... Secondly, both are illegal drugs meaning they are sold in the streets. This means you never know how they have been tampered with or if anything harmful has been added to them like glass or crystals, causing you more harm when used. Finally, They can become life controlling, like we've seen with any kind of addiction, except narcotics usually take they cake when it comes to ruining lives. So why would I, or anyone, want their main focus to be getting high, no matter the cost (physically and economically).

Well my fellow addicts, I hope you've learned through this post, and try to keep your addictions simple and manageable. Most importantly, harmless. So keeping biting those nails and eating that cake so that you have no time for smoking!
Until next time.

Sources:
http://www.cracked.com/article_17032_7-species-that-get-high-more-than-we-do_p2.html 
http://www.420magazine.com/forums/cannabis-facts-information/81279-understanding-your-high-effects-marijuana-consciousness.html
http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/marijuana
http://alcoholism.about.com/od/heroin/a/effects.-LvN.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heroin
http://www.priceofweed.com/
http://www.havocscope.com/black-market-prices/heroin-prices/

Your Path

Hello again my fellow addicts! Welcome back. It has come to my attention that some readers would like me to get to the segment on narcotic addiction. Sadly, I will not be specifically targeting that subject in this post. I am, however, going to provide you with my approach to ending, or subsiding an addiction. This could apply to all sorts of addictions, especially substance abuse such as alcohol and narcotics. 

Sort of in the same fashion as my blog about forming an addiction, I'll try and write out this suggestion to ending one using the same format of steps. 

So you're and addict, to whatever it may be, and it is starting to control your life causing you to want to make a change! First off, good for you! 

The first step in ending an addiction is being able to identify, and accept that you suffer from this disease. You may pass through similar stages that one might experience after losing a loved one. Denial, anger, acceptance etc… But it is once you can say "This isn't me! I need to change!" that you can begin getting rid of that horrible monkey on your back. 

The second step would be to make slow and regular adjustments. Quitting cold turkey will never work. Never. The craving could come back and hit you harder than ever, and that brief time period where you did quit will make you want to go back at it harder than ever! It will only cause you more suffering. Start by simply reducing that possibility of encountering said item. For example, don't buy any more alcohol. That doesn't mean don't have a drink if someone offers you one, but do not provide any for yourself. Secondly, find and attend local meetings! There are support groups for almost anytime of addiction out there! look it up and take part. You'll meet plenty of people just like you looking for others to help them out. No better way than to do it together. 

The third step, I'd say would be to find moments where you would normally enjoy this addiction, and find something else to replace it with. For example, if you would always get hammered when at parties, for starters, you probably shouldn't go to large parties anymore… Avoid the situation. However, if you do find yourself at a party, instead of using alcohol to have a good time, try something else! Try talking to people without being drunk, and see how you'll end up talking to so many more interesting people because you'll have more in common with them than the fact that you're both drunk!

All in all, I guess it is important to remember that you started this addiction, so you can end it too. It does take a lot of hard work and commitment, as well as a lot of self control and resistance to temptation. Don't take the matter too lightly though. If you keep trying and trying to quit and nothing works, never be afraid to give your family doctor a visit. There are plenty of clinical methods to helping get rid addiction, especially in very lie threatening cases. I love to see the good in everyone, and I love watching people find the good in them. Until next time, just remember… You can do it!

Oh-See-Dee

Crooked picture frames, untied shoelaces, clothes all over the floor. Do any of the following things drive you insane? When you see a countertop full of dirty dishes in your friends house, do you feel compelled to go clean everything and then rearrange their closet while you're at it?

If you answered yes to any of the above, chances are that you, my friend, have OCD.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD):

Is defined by merriam-Webster.com as "a psychoneurotic disorder in which the patient is beset with obsessions or compulsions or both and suffers extreme anxiety or depression through failure to think the obsessive thoughts or perform the compelling acts."

What does that mean? Basically, those that suffer from OCD encounter extreme anxiety when faced with situations where their compulsions cannot be performed. In most cases it is simply an individual who isn't in control of whatever is going on, and will start to feel anxious and sometimes depressed when they can't change the situation. This is why we most often portray people with OCD to obsess over things such as crooked picture frames or dirty dishes, because those are everyday situations where someone would feel compelled to fix them. So when that picture frame will not stay straight after numerous readjustments, that is where the sufferer begins to feel the anxiety and the frustration. 

Don't be alarmed, obsessive-compulsive disorder is not an addiction. It is something far more uncontrollable. 

However, in the same ways as an addiction a severe OCD can ruin someone's life. Work, family and even eating can all be overlooked by someone who is in constant stress to satisfy their thousands of daily obsessions, often leading to substance abuse as their only relaxant. Which can then lead to suffering from both OCD and a substance addiction. 

When I was a child, my parents tell me that I always had to be the one who unlocked the car, walked through doors first, stood at the front of the line, etc. If i didn't get to do any of those things, I would throw a fit and everyone had to retrace their steps and start all over so that I was happy. Thank the sun I grew out of that, or I too could have been suffering severely. 

A man my father works with has OCD. He tells me that the man must take the same amount of steps to his bed at the fire dept. each and every time and if he doesn't he will walk backwards and start over. If he can't do up his zipper on the first try, he removes the jacket entirely and starts all over again. My father fears that these obsessions could grow and impede the man from working. That could be very dangerous in a career such as firefighting where others lives depend on your work. What if he encounters severe anxiety during a rescue? It wouldn't turn out well...

All in all, I guess the basis of this entry was to show that there are many things in which an addiction can derive from. Cases where forming and addiction can be a side effect to a disorder you already suffer from, increasing the severity of the situation. Addictions come from anywhere, and from personal experience, and any experience you may have, it is always best to get help before you are no longer only harming your own life, but the lives of those around you.  

   

Do You Even Lift?

Today I would like to step away from all the basic forms of addiction and focus on one specific, more abstract addiction that the majority of people could very easily overlook, or not even notice in someone else.
This is not a substance related addiction, so you can remove any thoughts of drugs, alcohol or even food.

So you have a membership at the local gym. You find yourself there twice, maybe three times a week, lifting weights and jogging, barely getting your heart rate up high enough to break a sweat. You're probably more satisfied with the idea of going to the gym, and being in that social setting, than you are with the actual activity itself. Then, after a few weeks of going, you notice him. That one guy that is there, working out, at any time no matter what day it is. You even notice that he runs to and from the gym.

Endorphin

"This guy must be dedicated!" you say. That very well may be the case! Chances are, however, that you are looking at an addict. Addicts come in all shapes and sizes, even in bodies pact with muscle holding almost no body fat.
This is someone who has a behavioral addiction to exercising.

Let's get into the science behind this.

When you exert your body physically, you experience extreme fatigue and often cramps. If you continue whatever it is you're doing, even while you're experiencing those painful side effects, you'll enter into what is known as 'Runner's high'. This is where you reach that point in which all of those pains have disappeared and you feel numb, just cruising through your run or workout. The pituitary gland in your brain has secreted endorphins into your blood stream, acting as natural pain killers. Endorphins also help in creating happiness and excitement (known to be released during sex, enhancing the experience.).

Much like someone can be addicted to a painkiller, people can be addicted to exercise to obtain a very similar effect.

Well what's wrong with that? You're bettering your body all the time, while simultaneously experiencing joy and getting "high"! Sounds awesome!
Here's the part you're not seeing. That guy values the feeling of complete exhaustion, more than he values his family, his job or his friends. Comparing this to my previous entry, you could say he's at step four. He has formed a dependency off of this feeling. You may think this sounds like a complete joke, but I assure you it is very real, very serious.

Someone who is addicted to exercise can fall out from all social circles, leaving themselves isolated. Just them, their weights and their endorphins.
 Common signs to look for:

• Exercising alone, for more than two hours repeadetely.
• Exercising when sick or injured.
• Exercising to the point of pain and beyond.

 You're probably asking what the point of this entry was, just talking about one specific addiction. It was to demonstrate that in the case of addiction, people can find themselves in any of the four steps at any given time, and no one would notice. You have to dig deep. Focus on yourself, on your loved ones, and try to pick up on strange, repeated, behavior. Sometimes we like to think that everything is fine, when in reality it isn't.
In the case of addiction, nothing helps more than a friend.

Sources:
http://www.brainphysics.com/exercise-addiction.php
http://www.fitsugar.com/Hormones-Released-After-Working-Out-19252431
   

Jumping In With Both Feet

I see my fascinating finger nail biting story has brought you back for more... You disgust me.
Jokes aside, in this entry I am going to write about where most addictions come from, and why they affect us in the ways that they do. It's pretty important to know how an addiction is formed and how to diagnose one, before you start running around claiming all of your habits to be new found addictions!

I would like to start off by addressing something that occurred to me last night in my never-ending, sleep-preventing, train of thought. In between recapping my exciting day at school and trying to catch some shut eye, it had come to my attention that people may have thought I used the term 'addiction' too lightly in my previous entry. Rest assured, that was not at all my intention! I am fully aware of the severity that comes along with some forms of addiction and I have experienced it through family members of my own. So, please keep that in mind through all of your readings. Thank you!
Moving on to my first discussion...

So how do we form an addiction?

Step one - Would be to introduce yourself to whatever it is that you are now addicted to. How could you be addicted to it without having tried it, of course.

Step two - You had a pleasurable experience ingesting this new substance or partaking in this new activity.

Step three - You now have a craving for this activity, whatever it may be. Let's talk about this one some more, because this is probably the biggest step of them all.

Dependent

Once you have developed a craving for something, because it got you high or gave you a rush,  your brain has now associated this activity to 'feeling good'. At the end of the day, who doesn't want to feel good? Now your brain has stored this craving in your Frontal Cortex, the part of your brain which feelings and emotions are stored, as well as cravings, to be called upon at any given moment when presented with a situation where your brain recalls having felt this way before. Just like a morning smoker can crave a cigarette by the whiff of a fresh pot of coffee.

Step four -  These constant cravings, if you are fulfilling them sufficiently and often enough, can turn into a dependency. Dependencies are most often scene in the case of Substance addiction, specifically drugs and alcohol. This is also, usually, where things turn ugly. People who grow a dependency to a substance can and will go to great lengths to obtain that level of 'feeling good'. Selling their belongings, and sometimes their bodies, to retain acquire their fix, and to put the ravishing cravings to rest.

So I guess you could say, those are the basic four steps to forming an addiction, from its mildest point, to its wildest point. However, don't be alarmed. Not everything reaches step four! It's actually quite uncommon in people who have their priorities straight, and know the consequences of reaching that level. A new encounter could end at step one, if you did not enjoy it. It could end at step two, if you did enjoy it, but don't crave it. More often than not, it ends at step three, where you have acquired a new craving. It could be as simple as a wanting cheeseburger, or as complicated as a therapeutic spa treatment.
Now that you know how an addiction is formed, you can also see that not everything ends in a dependency. I believe it all comes down to who you are and if you, like I've said, have your priorities straight as to what's important in life and to your health. I also believe it is important to form cravings! To have things to look forward to. Especially the little things like that oh so greasy cheeseburger that you just worked your butt off at the gym for an hour in order to deserve. Never be afraid to try new things, and to indulge in what you love. Some places be sure to test the water. Others, go ahead, jump in with both feet. As long as you do not need to make love, to obtain what you "love", you'll be okay.

Sources:
http://www.webmd.com/smoking-cessation/news/20100802/cravings-emotions-use-same-part-brain
 http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/info/addiction/
     

Are You An Addict?

Now why would you be reading a blog about addictions? "I'm not addicted to anything!", is what you're thinking. You go to class, exercise, eat regularly, nor do you smoke or drink. Surely you are not an addict... Or are you?

Substance-related addiction

 "The fact or condition of being addicted to a particular substance, thing, or activity: 'he committed the theft to finance his drug addiction'".  

This is the definition of 'addiction' according to the Oxford dictionary. This definition is not inaccurate in the slightest, but is probably one of the causes for the common misconception of what an addiction really is. Most people associate an addict to someone with a dependency to drugs or alcohol. To be in constant search, no matter the obstacles, for some sort of fulfilling substance. That is what's called a Substance-related addiction. 

Yum

Now what about those of us that have our priorities straight, that haven't, "committed theft to finance our drug addiction"? Are we not perfect? Think, and think hard. Is there anything that you do throughout each and every day? Is there something that seems to be set on repeat in your life? Something that you do daily, that you can't seem to get enough of no matter how many times you do it? 
      Always eating three brownies when you promise yourself to only take two. Taking several naps throughout the day, when you aren't even tired. Theses are most often addictions that we like to undertone by referring to them as, "bad habits". Now think deeper. Think as to why you actually do these things. The answer is often your addiction. You addict, you.

Yummier

Of course, having a bad habit of leaving the toilet seat up, does not mean you are addicted to doing so... I hope.

Perhaps I'll provide you with a personal example. 
I, for as long as I can remember, have had a "bad habit" of biting my finger nails down to a stub. 
I've never thought about it in great detail, but when I did, I've discovered why I actually bite my nails. It has come to my attention that I enjoy, a little too much, that slight pain in the tips of your fingers that you get when you grab on to something, after having bitten (or cut) your nail too short, and the nail digs into your skin. I couldn't explain why I enjoy this if I tried... But it is my addiction.

In this blog, I hope to get you readers to think about the addictions, that make you, you. To inform you on the different kinds of addictions; the good, the bad and the ugly ones. The history between all living things and addiction or even to offer ways to suppress or eliminate an addiction! I believe that when it comes to addiction, it can be a very serious matter, as well as a very comical one.

So there is some food for thought. Maybe I have helped you recognize the addict in you, or should I say, the addict in all of us. We've all got one, what's yours?