Addiction

[Meshakhad]

Spinoff discussion from here.

https://think69.com/this-generations-tech-addiction-posters-by-ajit-johnson/

But...tech and gaming addiction are totally things!  Just ask my pastor!

Well, I can certainly testify that they are, having been to bloody rehab for them.

Not to be insensitive, but I'm gonna have to see some actual proof that they (the addictions, that is) exist.  You can make a rehab clinic for anything.  They have what could be called rehab clinics for being gay, sooooooooooo...I'm going to have to say that just because something has a rehab clinic doesn't necessarily mean that they're treating an addiction in the medical sense.  Psychological attachment, mayhaps, but not an addiction.

What would constitute proof of an addiction?

What constitutes proof of any addiction: a combination of physical (ie: chemical) and psychological dependency that, when broken, results in withdrawal symptoms.  As far as I'm aware, the physical half of the addiction simply does not exist for things that are colloquially deemed addictive like gaming, technology, or pornography.  Without the physical aspect, you don't, to my knowledge, have an addiction in the medical sense, but a strong, perhaps even malignant, dependence on something.

Again, I'm not trying to be a dick, just being skeptical of a claim that I find...odd, is a good term, I suppose.  If there's adequate evidence that gaming can be medically addictive, then I'll happily accept it.

I'm not an expert on this, but I think the the two things are separate types of addiction, and don't necessarily have to both be present. Keep in mind that I'm not a psychologist, that I have no personal experience with addiction, and that I might be wording much of what follows wrong.

Physical addiction is the type of addiction most people know about and think of when hearing the word "addiction". It's the body actually needing something to continue functioning. This is what most drug addiction is as far as I know (with it overlapping into psychological most of the time).

Psychological addiction is the type of addiction that exists entirely in your mind. You think you need something, have a strong desire for it, or have problems when you don't have access to it. This is what most non-drug addictions are. My understanding is weed doesn't have any chemical in it that would cause a physical addiction, but a psychological addiction can still happen.

My understanding is that both have withdrawal symptoms. Physical addiction causes withdrawal symptoms that manifest in a manner like physical illness would. This is why sometimes drug rehab includes something that mimics the drug and the amount taken is slowly lowered. Psychological addiction withdrawal symptoms manifest like symptoms of mental illness. I think anxiety and depression are two of the most common withdrawal symptoms, but I might be wrong.

Good synopsis. In my community, we distinguish between "substance addiction" (alcohol and drugs) and "process addiction". Other examples of addictive processes include sex and gambling. Many of my peers have reported withdrawal symptoms related to gaming, although I seem to have missed that one. Process addictions do alter brain functions, but on a subtler level. The good news is that the effects are reversible. According to my therapist, it should take about two years for my brain to "rewire itself", which means a minimum of two years before I can even consider a return to gaming.

[Ultimate Paragon]

One of my cousins struggled with porn addiction, so I know what you're talking about.

[davedan]

I struggled with a porn addiction. After awhile it became hard to schedule my shoots with my real job and I had to bow out of the industry.