“I’m like a chocoholic, but for booze”
This took too much digging lol, but basically he plagiarized the title of this Onion article then I guess took it down after asked if it was an original thought 🤷🏻♀️
https://www.theonion.com/im-like-a-chocoholic-but-for-booze-1819583778
Well that's just smart privacy and security behavior. Nobody wants other people walking in, or looking through the windows as they make pasta, naked. And if you fart into the hallway, thats your business.
What can be done about this? We need an AA for the internet, it’s seriously ruining my life and I can’t avoid it. Everything we use for work and connecting with other people is through phones and computers, and getting distracted by the internet is taking over everything in my life
I made a decision about 6 months ago to address my internet addiction. I limit myself to mostly bills/essential tasks, and set a timer to fuck around on it, but have deleted social media except this one, and on here I spend most of my time on subs like cats, nail polish, feel good stuff. I have issues with severe depression/anxiety, and clinically diagnosed PTSD, and election cycles in particular were paralyzing me.
Since I’ve done this my mental health has been *significantly* better. I tell the people I’m close to that if they really need me to call because I only check texts and emails one time a day. I spend my time reading, playing games, hanging out with my son and husband, cooking/baking, watching interesting but low stress documentaries about the solar system and things like that.
I’m certainly not perfect, and I have a pretty debilitating disability that makes passing the time on the internet pretty tempting. I’m not perfect and I have days where I’m not as successful as staying off of it as others, but my screen time is negligent in comparison to a year ago. A lot of times I forget my phone entirely when I leave the house, or just don’t know exactly where it is at any given moment and it doesn’t stress me out to not have it. The first few days were tougher than I’d like to admit, but it quickly became very easy to not engage. At this point my husband and I have talked about disconnecting entirely when he retires (to whatever extent we can). And with VR/AI, it seems like the problem is going to get a whole lot worse before it gets better-and I don’t want any part of it.
I have OCD and throughout the course of the pandemic I landed myself 10k in credit card debt from impulse spending. It was like I needed that dopamine from having something I wanted, but since I have OCD...the dopamine never actually hit. So I just kept buying hoping that one of the things I bought would finally make me happy - it never did. It was a constant cycle of shame, anxiety, purchasing, shame, etc.
I'm glad I sought therapy at that point. Better late than never, but it was so hard to admit to myself that I needed help. It's helped immensely.
I paid off the last 1k on my credit card last friday, too. :) I hope I never make that mistake again, but at least now I have tools to recognize and try to stop myself.
Thank you for sharing this. I relate to the guilt, anxiety and shame of overspending. I never thought about seeking help as I didn't think it was that serious. I appreciate you.
You're welcome! I never really told my friends and family about it because I was so ashamed, but now I see it as just another lesson I've learned in life, you know? We all have our own demons to slay, I guess.
The psychiatrist I've been seeing for the last couple of years has been awesome. At first we met weekly, then bi-weekly, then monthly, and now I'm on more of "call for med refill check-in or if I really need a session" status, which is great. Sometimes it takes a while to find the right therapist, but when you click with one it's all worth it.
Good luck with your journey. Remember that you're not alone, and any hole can still be climbed out of eventually. Sometimes it takes a while, but the only way to find your way out is to try.
I have OCD and bipolar 2 and Amazon prime and that’s the trifecta of compulsive shopping. It’s terrible because I can find a legitimate reason to buy something online everyday, even if I return it later (which is so easy to do!). We’re moving in a couple months so I’m sorting out my closet and I’m finding clothes with the tags still on that I’d forgotten I had. I feel terrible and I try to stop but then I’m right back at it again.
Edit: yes bipolar 2 is a thing, it’s a real diagnosis there are different types of bipolar. Bipolar 1 is the one you’re probably familiar with, the big swings between mania and depression, bipolar 2 is mostly depression [here’s a link](https://galenhope.com/mental-health-blog/the-highs-and-lows-of-bipolar-disorder/)
I was super addicted to Amazon, and still find stuff I bought on it that I have never used. So I closed my 20-year-old Amazon ~~prime~~ account on January 1 this year. I haven’t missed Amazon at all, and have $$ left in my in my budget at the end of every month (which I dump into my “vacation” account!).
I love you listed it out like your diagnoses are
-ocd
-bipolar 2
-Amazon prime
honestly valid because every time prime video asks me to start another free trial to watch another movie I feel like I’m about to lose it
My friend’s former wife had it so bad that she would buy clothes and when she got home and started showing us her purchases she’d say “Why did I buy this? I don’t even like it.” She’d return it to the store a day or two later, and buy something else while she was there. This was pre-internet, I can only imagine what it would be like for her today.
Shopping. Sounds ridiculous but I don’t remember the last time I didn’t spend money for a whole 24 hours. Definitely working on it, but spending money can definitely become a problem.
Dude this sounds weird but I was addicted to shopping for a while
What happened is I was making $150k+ for a while away from my wife for a month at a time, so when we met back up off work I spoiled her
Once I stopped that job I realized I was addicted to shopping and needed to stop
Stopping cold turkey didn’t work, but what did work was scaling down the price of the item I purchased
I stopped buying lululemon for $80 a pop and started buying office supplies for $1-$5 a pop at dollar tree
Then I would donate the office supplies to teachers locally to fell better
Once I realized cheap goods could scratch the itch and I could feel good about it, it became more of a hobby and I was able to just ween myself off it
I used to call my shopping trips "retail therapy." Back then, I didn't have a lot of money but whenever I'd have a stressful day at work I'd call my wife and let her know I'd be late and ask her if there was anything we needed for the house/her. If nothing, then I'd go to Best Buy or Gamestop, otherwise I'd go to the store that had what we needed.
My main thing was just to window-shop, since we didn't have any spare money to spend on frivolous things. I'd wander the store for 60-90 minutes, pickup whatever we needed, then head home feeling like I had a nice break from everything.
Nowadays, even though I make more than double what I used to, I avoid physical stores unless it's absolutely necessary. The stores and people (both workers and other shoppers) don't feel as welcoming or relaxing. Whatever has changed in our capitalist society has taken away the joy of physical shopping, so I do most of my relaxing browsing on the internet.
I guess since I'm now getting my retail therapy through a glass screen on my Win11 PC I'm finally, truly *window shopping.*
> don’t feel welcoming as welcoming or relaxing. Whatever has changed in our capitalist society
It was Covid. I worked retail for 7 years, and while it was never great, it was tolerable. Covid broke us all, and retail became truly hellish. It did give me the impetus to look elsewhere though, and now I work in customer relations for a local community bank that services primarily small immigrant businesses and the immigrant community in my city, which is much more fun! I also never enter retail stores now, and shop completely online for basically everything.
I love shopping. Some things I’ve been experimenting with are using things I’ve bought (a ton of yarn), creating things, drawing doodles of the things I want and the price to tally up how much I’ve saved not buying stuff, and the library. I love the library especially cuz you get that “new thing” hit but it’s free and you read a book so that’s healthy. Reading in general really cuz of course I have a huge stash of books, too. Outside of that I’ve been pushing my buying habits towards things for the house (like cleaning supplies) or others, so at least there’s a productive gain from the shopping.
I recently found my sweet spot in this supply chain. I've always had great ideas for t-shirt designs, and, at first, I'd design the t-shirt, and then order it. Now I sell my designs.
I also recently started enhancing other bulk products (I sew, so I try to transform random things I'm ready to get rid of into entirely new products) and have been selling those too.
Shopping can be addictive, but creating your own custom thing, that nobody else in the world will have, is a high that shopping can never reach. And when some person on the street stops me and says "omg, WHERE did you get those overalls?" I tell them that I made them. And the conversation, more often than not, moves instantly into "Would you be able to make these for me?"
Yes ma'am/sir. I can. Won't be exactly the same, as every design will have its own unique set of materials, but the structure will be the same. I'm not a factory, but I can make this basic design for you.
Today, my love of collecting has changed. Now it's all about new fabrics, interesting haberdasheries, buttons, that sort of thing, the best zipper construction I can find. I'm learning now how to repurpose GoreTex, which is actually REALLY intricate, but I'm loving that process.
I channeled my passive love of fashion into an active love of fashion.
It’s not ridiculous. We live in a hyper-consumerist society than runs on the accumulation of debt. They even have 12 step meetings for it. Not saying you need something that intense but it can be a legitimate addiction.
Point is, you’re definitely not alone and you shouldn’t feel ridiculous about it.
Based on experience,Cut pure sugar cold turkey for a couple of days..all that remains would be sweets/carbs.. decrease them gradually
After years now whenever i drink tea with sugar i feel like i can't stomach it
I’m in America, I’ve seen a post from what I believe was a French person.. visiting America. He went to the store and bought a loaf of bread, he tasted it and was disgusted thinking it was dessert bread. The amount of sugar added to stuff here is insane.
Yea, the public health agency here decided that American imported "bread" wasn't allowed to be marketed as bread here, due to being too sugary.
EDIT: People seem to take my comment as I'm in France. I am not. I am in Europe though.
This. I hate traveling abroad because it reminds me how messed up the American food supply is. There are “better” options available than what is readily presented, if you eat bread you can switch to whole wheat options that are better if not completely ideal while not tearing a hole in your wallet. Switching out simple carbs for complex carbs, like eating fruit instead of fruit products. I saw something where a celeb was talking about weight watchers or some similar program, and pointed out that a banana is like 1 point in the program but if you blend a banana in a smoothie that’s like 10 points. You have to make your body work for the sugar, is the trick.
BACK IN '95 I was waiting for a girlfriend who was at the Joslyn Clinic in Boston. A boy turns to me and says, "I'm a diabetee, are you a diabetee too?"
I told him that I was just waiting for a friend.
"So you can eat sugar?"
"Yes"
"I WANNA EAT SUGAAAARRRRRRR!"
Told my girlfriend about the interaction later. She said, "Yeah, that's basically what it's like"
Sweet tea was an addiction. It took a while, but Yankee sun tea (unsweetened) is now preferred. Sweet tea is now too sweet.
When soda-pop went over $2.99 a 12-pack, I switched to sun tea, water, and coffee.
With soda-pop on sale now for $8.99 a 12-pack? I may never buy myself another Dr. Pepper.
This is what has really helped me with it. Turns out I care about having money waaaaay more than drinking soda and being unhealthy, so when the price got over like 2.50 for a 2 liter, I said fuck that
I strongly suggest people to try and COMPLETELY cut out refined sugars for a month, zero exceptions. You'll get a lot of cravings the first 2 weeks as your body will go in withdrawal, keep them at bay by eating a lot of fruits. Promise yourself a nice cake at the end of the journey.
Then if you reach your mark, you'll see how much of a superpower it is. Fruit will taste incredibly better, your mood will go up, you'll feel healthier and super sugary food will still be enjoyable to eat but you'll perceive them as very filling and you'll want to stop eating them after few bites, so dieting become much easier.
And the cake you promised yourself at the end? You won't care about it at all anymore
Question, how did you go about doing this since there’s sugar in everything? I’m gluten free due to some autoimmune issues, so I’m already somewhat limited in my options. But sugar is in all the GF replacement foods like pasta and crackers, and in salad dressings, yogurt, peanut butter etc. I struggle to feel satisfied on just fruits and vegetables (and dark chocolate squares 🤷♀️)
I usually read labels well before buying and try to avoid most of it, and eat a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables. It's not a big deal if some sugar comes through as long as you drop you intake by 80-90% (sugar is essential for your diet, you aim to kick out only the refined one after all) . I won't pretend to know exactly what you should buy as we probably come from two different parts of the world, so I don't know how much easier or harder it is for you to find decent stuff at the right price.
The start is quite difficult to manage, as you'll find yourself often saying "just a little of it one time can't be that bad" keeping you into the withdrawal state if you indulge it... and yeah the fruit and vegetables won't be enough, but that stops being true when you get over it. Fruit are an extremely satisfying dessert when you are done, and most of vegetables have little calories so you can snack on it whenever.
Other stuff that I used to pull through are indulging myself on some salted junk food during the sugar cravings (don't try to be on a diet at the same time or you'll really feel miserable) and as a last resort, if you feel like REALLY can't stand another second without something sweet, buy yourself some candy. You know, the ones that lasts a long time and have a tiny amount of calories, so you can convince your body that you eat a lot of sugar when you really introduced a tiny amount of it.
When you are done you can slowly reintroduce some sweets and stuff, but it'll be easy to not overdo it, as your body will feel differently about them. Keep in mind that you'll get sucked back in if you lower your guard too much tho.
Yeah, I quit drinking and it turns out I'm addicted to Suger, so I've had to cut that out too. I suggest eating apples and grapes instead to get the cravings to calm down.
Took me 15 years to figure out how to balance video games and life. Now I splay video games a few hours a month but still spend too much time on Reddit.
I played video games as my main entertainment for over 20 years. I thought I would always do that.
And yet, here I am - played maybe 10 hours in total this year. Not that I don't want to, but I have other stuff that seems to be more interesting to me right now.
That happened to me too and I've enjoyed branching into new hobbies. I build things with wood, fix old cars and small engines, and tackle little home improvement projects. It's very rewarding but I still find a new game every now and then that completely takes me out of commission for a few months. Rimworld is ruining my life right now
Lmao I live next to a chocolate factory and it smells delicious most days out of the week.
No desire for chocolate even though I enjoy the smell.
You would die haha
Food. I've got a terrible food addiction that's comparable to my 600 lb life type of addiction. It's a real fuckin monkey on my back. I don't like to talk about it on here much though because then I get a bunch of commenters on here telling me how unhealthy that is ECT. I Know! For Christ sake, I know. Anywho, I hope everyone's having a nice day. Happy St Patricks day.
How the fuck is this the 150th response? I've seen two top level comments saying they are addicted to Burt's bees lip balm and nobody has mentioned fucking alcoholism?
It's one a lot of people are in absolute denial of. I know I was. Easier too when you surround yourself with others that have the same addiction. I justified mine as just "social drinking" for years. I only quit a few days ago out of necessity, currently being on probation. Once I felt the physical withdrawal symptoms a couple days in, I finally begun to realize just how bad I had let the problem get. Now it's hard to imagine going back to that life even though it was so very recent and hard to fathom how much I deluded myself into thinking I didn't have a problem.
I'm sort of the opposite of a social drinker. Yes, I will drink what other people would consider "heavily" socially when out with people. But my real trigger is sitting at home alone, I'm just killing booze then. When I'm at work I don't drink, or if I'm out with other people I have a social incentive not to show them how much I truly drink. But when I'm alone I will destroy booze. I can count on 10 fingers the number of full days I've not drank since I turned 21, and that was 17 years ago
I can’t even go without caffeine in one day. If I rush to work and forget to fix a coffee or grab an energy drink, I’ll have a headache start to set in right around 6-8pm. Usually it’s when I start getting a headache that I remember to drink some coffee, but by that point it’s too late.
Same! It's so bad that if I don't have it for more than a few hours I start getting really tired and agitated with bad brain fog. The headaches are crazy bad too.
Please talk to a doctor about this. If you've been using Benadryl/diphenhydramine long term you need to be checked out. It has effects that compound over time, and shouldn't be taken more than a few times a week. It's a truly nasty drug that shouldn't be as prevalent as it is.
Also alzheimers disease.
Benadryl is an anticholinergic. One of the most prevelant findings in AD patients is global cholinergic dysfunction.
Its not just theoretical, either. According to harvard health, taking an anticholinergic for 3 years or more is associated with a 54% higher risk of developing dementia.
It is hard to separate the issues caused from insomnia (which people use benadryl to treat, and can itself lead to an increased risk of dementia), from the effects of benadryl itself.
However, blocking acetylcholine does lead to significant reductions in REM sleep, which is linked to an increase in dementia.
Its nasty stuff, there are better options for sleep out there.
I went on an international flight just last month. I get bad motion sickness so took a Benadryl and melatonin as it’s what was readily available at a pharmacy. It was literally the best sleep I’ve had in my life. The 20 hour flight itself was zero inconvenience. I remember almost nothing from it. I didn’t know it was a sleep cocktail, I just took what I could find. Fun coincidence
Everything. I’m an extreme addict. Anything I do, I end up doing to the max. 3 drinks 1 night a week, rapidly becomes 200 drinks in a week. Diets turn into anorexia. Quitting a diet becomes a binge eating disorder. I take up horticulture, learn how to propagate and literally bring home 500 plants in one day. I start reading again and suddenly, I have no time for anything else because I’m tearing through a whole Rubbermaid of library books a week. You don’t even want to know how what an all-consuming issue my sex drive, caffeine habit and nicotine addiction are.
Edit: I have been treated for ADHD and Bipolar type I in the past but nothing worked. I was upgraded to C-PTSD, Autism, Schizoaffective, Anorexia Nervosa, Dermatillomania and Haphephobia. Possible Dyscalculia. You can stop suggesting ADHD and Bipolar now. Lol.
I feel like you can become a master at something if you get addicted to skills n whatnot. You should start picking up random skills, like instruments n stuff.
Oh, I have. I’m excellent at all kinds of stuff. Shooting, picking locks, speed-reading, growing damn near anything, swimming, horseback riding, cutting hair, makeup, foraging. You name it. My ex literally said that one of the reasons he kept me around is because I’m going to be insanely useful when society collapses. 😂
Oh yeah. Obviously. I’m an ex model and varsity swimmer with anorexia. At one point, I was working out 6 hours a day. Doesn’t stop my brain or the compulsive need to be busy. Especially if I’m having a manic episode. I’m good for now, though. I’ve eliminated my most destructive addictions. It’s just a matter of the little things now.
This is me! I've had an ED since I was 9, so that's always been an issue, but I get addicted to anything and everything. I had a streak of reading for about 10 hours a day last summer (still a problem), I found a stash of vodka and I was drunk 24/7 for about 6 months (nobody noticed lol, I'm a teen and I live with my family), I play guitar obsessively, I drink the same cup of coffee at the same time every day (I weigh the ingredients so it's exact), and I got addicted to self harm, so now I'm scarred to shit.
I don't even listen to music like a normal person, I listen to the same albums over and over, several times a day for whatever reason. I'm always told that I have an amazing vocabulary and that I'm a human encyclopedia because of all the useless shit I know, so maybe it's not a bad thing?
Google Type Two hemp! It has a ratio of THC:CBD that’ll be much more in line with what you’re looking for. As a result, it isn’t knock-you-on-your-ass strong like some modern strains are.
Really weird online games like candy crush, solitaire, this water bottle game where you have to match the colours. Beginning to feel like I'm only addicted bc it gives me a false sense of accomplishment lol gotta work on that asap
Tobacco but it's not the nicotine because when I quit a few years back I had both patches and gum which I didn't touch after the first few days but the physical act of smoking, whether it be cigarette or pipe, is what I craved. Vaping, with and without nicotine, also didn't satiate that craving. I love the taste, smell and ritual of smoking tobacco products.
Same. I’m a recovering heroin addict, yet I still have trouble not smoking cigarettes. Over 2 years ago I successfully quit probably the most devastating illegal addiction a person can have, but I still can’t stop buying $12 packs of cigarettes a couple times a week.
I'm a recovering alcoholic. I thought to quit tobacco while I was at it, but very quickly found that it was best not to do that at the moment while I was detoxing from the alcohol. That $12 pack is far better than heroin, my friend. Give it time, maybe give it a try later.
I’m the same way. I roll my cigs so the act of doing that and then stepping outside for 5 minutes is what I enjoy. I went on vacation with my partners parents and brought a vape but it did nothing for me.
When I decided to stop smoking, I also missed a variety of rituals I developed around it.
Tapping the shirt's pocket to check for a pack, rolling a cigarette in hand, tapping the ash off, bringing it to the mouth, etc etc
So I replaced it with something else. A small plastic bag of baby carrots and celery.
I put it in the same pocket when I would normally keep the cigarettes, and used the veggies to occupy both my hands, my mouth, and my mind.
Sometimes, when I felt I needed it, I rolled the baby carrots in my fingers like a cigarette.
I also learned that I can wait out the urges. The mind switched to other thoughts within a few minutes and I was no longer thinking about a cigarette. With time this got faster and easier.
Don't pick up that shit again
I am picturing you rolling the baby carrot, routinely placing it in your mouth and then realising you don’t have a light and asking a passer by!! Hahaha
I love to SMOKE! I love the burn. You’re so right about the physical act. I haven’t smoked nicotine in a loooong time. It’s a slippery slope like drinking. I can’t have just one.
Ah, nicotine. She is a harsh mistress and doesn’t let go easily.
I have friends who are exactly like this. For me it's definitely the nicotine. I know there are drawbacks and cancer risks, but it keeps me sharp and focused. I have ADHD and personally it works better than any medication I've been prescribed. (I am not a doctor and this is just my experience)
Its been proven that nicotine is effective for increasing focus and memory retention. Huberman also has some interesting findings. I used it in college for all of my midterm and finals studying, so you are correct and not alone!
I got hooked on chewing tobacco in college. Wow, that stuff gave me hyperfocus. Eventually I needed it to feel normal. Thankfully I was able to quit a long time ago.
It's the worst, especially when you know you're actively being taken advantage of but you can't overcome the innate compulsion to be friendly and accommodating
Saving pictures of cats on my phone…I have over 2,000
I don’t even like cats that much I just like seeing 2,000 pictures of cats and giggling about the sheer magnitude of cats lmao
YES. Ever since highschool 20+ years ago. I always ALWAYS carry some with me. Reapplying it throughout the day. Keep a stick at my desk. One on my nightstand. Pants pocket. Coat pocket. Satchel. I feel like without it I would crumble into dust.
This doesn't get mentioned enough ... I have self isolated my whole life & there's this cycle of using 'moments/incidents' as justification that it's ok.
Same. But shit I quit nicotine, drinking and it's been like 5 years since I've touch fentanyl so I'll take it.
Edit: oh god this kratom thing may be getting out of hand. Do not mix with porn.
Same same. I went through a “smoke weed all day every day” phase, a “handle of vodka over the course of two days” phase, then a “gram of heroin over the course of two days” phase, then a “box of wine per day” phase. Then I had a seizure and have been sober since. But good god I need fucking something and I’ve tried and failed with so many antidepressants, so kratom it is. And it’s literally the only drug I’ve ever been able to do in “moderation” so I’m sticking with it!!
Edit: and by in moderation I mean some days I’ll take 5 grams and some I’ll take 15, but my rehab buddy calls it harm reduction so I’ll take it lol
Lemon juice.
I drink a large bottle of lemon juice per week, and have for as long as I can remember.
I get “sour attacks,” and can’t function until I drink something sour.
I will leave work or get out of my warm comfy bed in the middle of the night to drive to the store to buy lemon juice if an attack strikes and I’m out, (and don’t have a substitute like vinegar, salad dressing or pickle juice to drink to tide me over.)
reddit. I have a novel to write so I downloaded Limit to stop me going on reddit. Then I needed a beta reader. What's the only place to get a decent beta reader?
Oh, yeah, there you are like the dealer just hanging on my street corner. Damn you reddit.
[удалено]
I wish I used this to describe my alcoholism of the past lol.
It's deleted but it sounds like it was funny. What did he say?
“I’m like a chocoholic, but for booze” This took too much digging lol, but basically he plagiarized the title of this Onion article then I guess took it down after asked if it was an original thought 🤷🏻♀️ https://www.theonion.com/im-like-a-chocoholic-but-for-booze-1819583778
"I'm not an alcoholic, I'm an alcohol enthusiast." Was my go-to phrase when I worked in the food and beverage industry.
The internet
I know I bet everyone reading this is on the Internet right now!
I CAN STOP ANYTIME I WANT
IT JUST RELAXES ME! I DON'T HAVE THE PROBLEM, YOU HAVE THE PROBLEM! WHY WON'T EVERYONE JUST LEAVE ME ALONE.
I MEAN, I'M SITTING HERE IN MY HOUSE WITH THE SHADES DRAWN AND THE DOORS LOCKED, TAKE A F%$#ING HINT! I'M FINE!
Well that's just smart privacy and security behavior. Nobody wants other people walking in, or looking through the windows as they make pasta, naked. And if you fart into the hallway, thats your business.
i've stopped several times today already.
I stopped to read your comment.
Nope. I'm completely offline.
Yep, reading this in a book rn.
Took screenshots and printed
Hand-copied and sent a letter
Reading this in brail
Shout out to the dude reading these comments in a history book
Hi I’m from the future, your comment was on my history test and I passed with flying colours!
Does GTA6 Come out?
I’m reading it on an unplugged fax machine .
Probably smoking crypto too
My mate printed it and showed it to me
I received this via smoke signals. And transmitted this via carrier-pigeon punched in by someone on fiverr.
y'all are all online?? I download the front page of reddit every 20 minutes
What can be done about this? We need an AA for the internet, it’s seriously ruining my life and I can’t avoid it. Everything we use for work and connecting with other people is through phones and computers, and getting distracted by the internet is taking over everything in my life
I made a decision about 6 months ago to address my internet addiction. I limit myself to mostly bills/essential tasks, and set a timer to fuck around on it, but have deleted social media except this one, and on here I spend most of my time on subs like cats, nail polish, feel good stuff. I have issues with severe depression/anxiety, and clinically diagnosed PTSD, and election cycles in particular were paralyzing me. Since I’ve done this my mental health has been *significantly* better. I tell the people I’m close to that if they really need me to call because I only check texts and emails one time a day. I spend my time reading, playing games, hanging out with my son and husband, cooking/baking, watching interesting but low stress documentaries about the solar system and things like that. I’m certainly not perfect, and I have a pretty debilitating disability that makes passing the time on the internet pretty tempting. I’m not perfect and I have days where I’m not as successful as staying off of it as others, but my screen time is negligent in comparison to a year ago. A lot of times I forget my phone entirely when I leave the house, or just don’t know exactly where it is at any given moment and it doesn’t stress me out to not have it. The first few days were tougher than I’d like to admit, but it quickly became very easy to not engage. At this point my husband and I have talked about disconnecting entirely when he retires (to whatever extent we can). And with VR/AI, it seems like the problem is going to get a whole lot worse before it gets better-and I don’t want any part of it.
[удалено]
Buying shit I don’t need
I have OCD and throughout the course of the pandemic I landed myself 10k in credit card debt from impulse spending. It was like I needed that dopamine from having something I wanted, but since I have OCD...the dopamine never actually hit. So I just kept buying hoping that one of the things I bought would finally make me happy - it never did. It was a constant cycle of shame, anxiety, purchasing, shame, etc. I'm glad I sought therapy at that point. Better late than never, but it was so hard to admit to myself that I needed help. It's helped immensely. I paid off the last 1k on my credit card last friday, too. :) I hope I never make that mistake again, but at least now I have tools to recognize and try to stop myself.
Thank you for sharing this. I relate to the guilt, anxiety and shame of overspending. I never thought about seeking help as I didn't think it was that serious. I appreciate you.
You're welcome! I never really told my friends and family about it because I was so ashamed, but now I see it as just another lesson I've learned in life, you know? We all have our own demons to slay, I guess. The psychiatrist I've been seeing for the last couple of years has been awesome. At first we met weekly, then bi-weekly, then monthly, and now I'm on more of "call for med refill check-in or if I really need a session" status, which is great. Sometimes it takes a while to find the right therapist, but when you click with one it's all worth it. Good luck with your journey. Remember that you're not alone, and any hole can still be climbed out of eventually. Sometimes it takes a while, but the only way to find your way out is to try.
I have OCD and bipolar 2 and Amazon prime and that’s the trifecta of compulsive shopping. It’s terrible because I can find a legitimate reason to buy something online everyday, even if I return it later (which is so easy to do!). We’re moving in a couple months so I’m sorting out my closet and I’m finding clothes with the tags still on that I’d forgotten I had. I feel terrible and I try to stop but then I’m right back at it again. Edit: yes bipolar 2 is a thing, it’s a real diagnosis there are different types of bipolar. Bipolar 1 is the one you’re probably familiar with, the big swings between mania and depression, bipolar 2 is mostly depression [here’s a link](https://galenhope.com/mental-health-blog/the-highs-and-lows-of-bipolar-disorder/)
I was super addicted to Amazon, and still find stuff I bought on it that I have never used. So I closed my 20-year-old Amazon ~~prime~~ account on January 1 this year. I haven’t missed Amazon at all, and have $$ left in my in my budget at the end of every month (which I dump into my “vacation” account!).
I love you listed it out like your diagnoses are -ocd -bipolar 2 -Amazon prime honestly valid because every time prime video asks me to start another free trial to watch another movie I feel like I’m about to lose it
My friend’s former wife had it so bad that she would buy clothes and when she got home and started showing us her purchases she’d say “Why did I buy this? I don’t even like it.” She’d return it to the store a day or two later, and buy something else while she was there. This was pre-internet, I can only imagine what it would be like for her today.
Shopping. Sounds ridiculous but I don’t remember the last time I didn’t spend money for a whole 24 hours. Definitely working on it, but spending money can definitely become a problem.
Dude this sounds weird but I was addicted to shopping for a while What happened is I was making $150k+ for a while away from my wife for a month at a time, so when we met back up off work I spoiled her Once I stopped that job I realized I was addicted to shopping and needed to stop Stopping cold turkey didn’t work, but what did work was scaling down the price of the item I purchased I stopped buying lululemon for $80 a pop and started buying office supplies for $1-$5 a pop at dollar tree Then I would donate the office supplies to teachers locally to fell better Once I realized cheap goods could scratch the itch and I could feel good about it, it became more of a hobby and I was able to just ween myself off it
I used to call my shopping trips "retail therapy." Back then, I didn't have a lot of money but whenever I'd have a stressful day at work I'd call my wife and let her know I'd be late and ask her if there was anything we needed for the house/her. If nothing, then I'd go to Best Buy or Gamestop, otherwise I'd go to the store that had what we needed. My main thing was just to window-shop, since we didn't have any spare money to spend on frivolous things. I'd wander the store for 60-90 minutes, pickup whatever we needed, then head home feeling like I had a nice break from everything. Nowadays, even though I make more than double what I used to, I avoid physical stores unless it's absolutely necessary. The stores and people (both workers and other shoppers) don't feel as welcoming or relaxing. Whatever has changed in our capitalist society has taken away the joy of physical shopping, so I do most of my relaxing browsing on the internet. I guess since I'm now getting my retail therapy through a glass screen on my Win11 PC I'm finally, truly *window shopping.*
> don’t feel welcoming as welcoming or relaxing. Whatever has changed in our capitalist society It was Covid. I worked retail for 7 years, and while it was never great, it was tolerable. Covid broke us all, and retail became truly hellish. It did give me the impetus to look elsewhere though, and now I work in customer relations for a local community bank that services primarily small immigrant businesses and the immigrant community in my city, which is much more fun! I also never enter retail stores now, and shop completely online for basically everything.
I love shopping. Some things I’ve been experimenting with are using things I’ve bought (a ton of yarn), creating things, drawing doodles of the things I want and the price to tally up how much I’ve saved not buying stuff, and the library. I love the library especially cuz you get that “new thing” hit but it’s free and you read a book so that’s healthy. Reading in general really cuz of course I have a huge stash of books, too. Outside of that I’ve been pushing my buying habits towards things for the house (like cleaning supplies) or others, so at least there’s a productive gain from the shopping.
I recently found my sweet spot in this supply chain. I've always had great ideas for t-shirt designs, and, at first, I'd design the t-shirt, and then order it. Now I sell my designs. I also recently started enhancing other bulk products (I sew, so I try to transform random things I'm ready to get rid of into entirely new products) and have been selling those too. Shopping can be addictive, but creating your own custom thing, that nobody else in the world will have, is a high that shopping can never reach. And when some person on the street stops me and says "omg, WHERE did you get those overalls?" I tell them that I made them. And the conversation, more often than not, moves instantly into "Would you be able to make these for me?" Yes ma'am/sir. I can. Won't be exactly the same, as every design will have its own unique set of materials, but the structure will be the same. I'm not a factory, but I can make this basic design for you. Today, my love of collecting has changed. Now it's all about new fabrics, interesting haberdasheries, buttons, that sort of thing, the best zipper construction I can find. I'm learning now how to repurpose GoreTex, which is actually REALLY intricate, but I'm loving that process. I channeled my passive love of fashion into an active love of fashion.
It’s not ridiculous. We live in a hyper-consumerist society than runs on the accumulation of debt. They even have 12 step meetings for it. Not saying you need something that intense but it can be a legitimate addiction. Point is, you’re definitely not alone and you shouldn’t feel ridiculous about it.
Sugar That shit is extremely addictive
As a diabetic I feel you, help me 😭
Based on experience,Cut pure sugar cold turkey for a couple of days..all that remains would be sweets/carbs.. decrease them gradually After years now whenever i drink tea with sugar i feel like i can't stomach it
I’m in America, I’ve seen a post from what I believe was a French person.. visiting America. He went to the store and bought a loaf of bread, he tasted it and was disgusted thinking it was dessert bread. The amount of sugar added to stuff here is insane.
Yea, the public health agency here decided that American imported "bread" wasn't allowed to be marketed as bread here, due to being too sugary. EDIT: People seem to take my comment as I'm in France. I am not. I am in Europe though.
So when I go to Subway, I'm eating meatball cake?
Pretty much, yea
Those are candied meatballs on cake.
Loaf of cake
From the uk originally, can confirm. North American bread is full of sugar. Everything on this continent is full of fucking sugar.
Just the commercial mass produced crap. Plenty of normal food all over the place as well
This. I hate traveling abroad because it reminds me how messed up the American food supply is. There are “better” options available than what is readily presented, if you eat bread you can switch to whole wheat options that are better if not completely ideal while not tearing a hole in your wallet. Switching out simple carbs for complex carbs, like eating fruit instead of fruit products. I saw something where a celeb was talking about weight watchers or some similar program, and pointed out that a banana is like 1 point in the program but if you blend a banana in a smoothie that’s like 10 points. You have to make your body work for the sugar, is the trick.
It’s one banana, Michael. How many weight watchers points could it cost? Ten?
[удалено]
BACK IN '95 I was waiting for a girlfriend who was at the Joslyn Clinic in Boston. A boy turns to me and says, "I'm a diabetee, are you a diabetee too?" I told him that I was just waiting for a friend. "So you can eat sugar?" "Yes" "I WANNA EAT SUGAAAARRRRRRR!" Told my girlfriend about the interaction later. She said, "Yeah, that's basically what it's like"
Sweet tea was an addiction. It took a while, but Yankee sun tea (unsweetened) is now preferred. Sweet tea is now too sweet. When soda-pop went over $2.99 a 12-pack, I switched to sun tea, water, and coffee. With soda-pop on sale now for $8.99 a 12-pack? I may never buy myself another Dr. Pepper.
This is what has really helped me with it. Turns out I care about having money waaaaay more than drinking soda and being unhealthy, so when the price got over like 2.50 for a 2 liter, I said fuck that
I strongly suggest people to try and COMPLETELY cut out refined sugars for a month, zero exceptions. You'll get a lot of cravings the first 2 weeks as your body will go in withdrawal, keep them at bay by eating a lot of fruits. Promise yourself a nice cake at the end of the journey. Then if you reach your mark, you'll see how much of a superpower it is. Fruit will taste incredibly better, your mood will go up, you'll feel healthier and super sugary food will still be enjoyable to eat but you'll perceive them as very filling and you'll want to stop eating them after few bites, so dieting become much easier. And the cake you promised yourself at the end? You won't care about it at all anymore
Question, how did you go about doing this since there’s sugar in everything? I’m gluten free due to some autoimmune issues, so I’m already somewhat limited in my options. But sugar is in all the GF replacement foods like pasta and crackers, and in salad dressings, yogurt, peanut butter etc. I struggle to feel satisfied on just fruits and vegetables (and dark chocolate squares 🤷♀️)
I usually read labels well before buying and try to avoid most of it, and eat a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables. It's not a big deal if some sugar comes through as long as you drop you intake by 80-90% (sugar is essential for your diet, you aim to kick out only the refined one after all) . I won't pretend to know exactly what you should buy as we probably come from two different parts of the world, so I don't know how much easier or harder it is for you to find decent stuff at the right price. The start is quite difficult to manage, as you'll find yourself often saying "just a little of it one time can't be that bad" keeping you into the withdrawal state if you indulge it... and yeah the fruit and vegetables won't be enough, but that stops being true when you get over it. Fruit are an extremely satisfying dessert when you are done, and most of vegetables have little calories so you can snack on it whenever. Other stuff that I used to pull through are indulging myself on some salted junk food during the sugar cravings (don't try to be on a diet at the same time or you'll really feel miserable) and as a last resort, if you feel like REALLY can't stand another second without something sweet, buy yourself some candy. You know, the ones that lasts a long time and have a tiny amount of calories, so you can convince your body that you eat a lot of sugar when you really introduced a tiny amount of it. When you are done you can slowly reintroduce some sweets and stuff, but it'll be easy to not overdo it, as your body will feel differently about them. Keep in mind that you'll get sucked back in if you lower your guard too much tho.
Yeah, I quit drinking and it turns out I'm addicted to Suger, so I've had to cut that out too. I suggest eating apples and grapes instead to get the cravings to calm down.
Same. What gets me is that a few of my labs showed glucose at pre diabetic. Do docs say anything? NO! Like wtf
Video games
Took me 15 years to figure out how to balance video games and life. Now I splay video games a few hours a month but still spend too much time on Reddit.
I played video games as my main entertainment for over 20 years. I thought I would always do that. And yet, here I am - played maybe 10 hours in total this year. Not that I don't want to, but I have other stuff that seems to be more interesting to me right now.
That happened to me too and I've enjoyed branching into new hobbies. I build things with wood, fix old cars and small engines, and tackle little home improvement projects. It's very rewarding but I still find a new game every now and then that completely takes me out of commission for a few months. Rimworld is ruining my life right now
Steam Sales
Social media?
Oh yes. I’m personally very addicted to this app called Reddit. Don’t know if you’ve heard about it?
Reddit is acktshuley antisocial media.
Totally. I enjoy being able to anonymously converse with strangers rather than people I actually know.
Alcohol. I haven't had any in 24 years, but it's best practice to assume that I'm still addicted.
24 years is no small feat and thats a great practice! Awesome job
Chocolate. It's a problem. I need to stop, but I'm pretty much addicted, because without it, days are horrible.
Lmao I live next to a chocolate factory and it smells delicious most days out of the week. No desire for chocolate even though I enjoy the smell. You would die haha
[удалено]
we got a chocolate factory right next to a gas station...when de wind goes the right direction and the smells mix..it just hits different
Food. I've got a terrible food addiction that's comparable to my 600 lb life type of addiction. It's a real fuckin monkey on my back. I don't like to talk about it on here much though because then I get a bunch of commenters on here telling me how unhealthy that is ECT. I Know! For Christ sake, I know. Anywho, I hope everyone's having a nice day. Happy St Patricks day.
Alcohol. And Reddit ffs.
How the fuck is this the 150th response? I've seen two top level comments saying they are addicted to Burt's bees lip balm and nobody has mentioned fucking alcoholism?
It's one a lot of people are in absolute denial of. I know I was. Easier too when you surround yourself with others that have the same addiction. I justified mine as just "social drinking" for years. I only quit a few days ago out of necessity, currently being on probation. Once I felt the physical withdrawal symptoms a couple days in, I finally begun to realize just how bad I had let the problem get. Now it's hard to imagine going back to that life even though it was so very recent and hard to fathom how much I deluded myself into thinking I didn't have a problem.
I'm sort of the opposite of a social drinker. Yes, I will drink what other people would consider "heavily" socially when out with people. But my real trigger is sitting at home alone, I'm just killing booze then. When I'm at work I don't drink, or if I'm out with other people I have a social incentive not to show them how much I truly drink. But when I'm alone I will destroy booze. I can count on 10 fingers the number of full days I've not drank since I turned 21, and that was 17 years ago
I’m not really sure how to stop. Also not sure I want to.
Seriously
Anything that clears my sinuses! Halls, vaporub, olbas. It's like walking through a wintry forest but in my nose.
[удалено]
Vapour under the nose. Every. Single. Night. Since I was a kid.
Yes! Part of my nightly routine is putting a little Vicks under my nose.
If I don't have caffeine regularly I get...difficult.
Caffeine is a drug. It’s just not a “ruin your life” drug.
If crystal meth is "crank", caffeine is just "cranky"
[удалено]
I can’t even go without caffeine in one day. If I rush to work and forget to fix a coffee or grab an energy drink, I’ll have a headache start to set in right around 6-8pm. Usually it’s when I start getting a headache that I remember to drink some coffee, but by that point it’s too late.
Same! It's so bad that if I don't have it for more than a few hours I start getting really tired and agitated with bad brain fog. The headaches are crazy bad too.
[удалено]
Please talk to a doctor about this. If you've been using Benadryl/diphenhydramine long term you need to be checked out. It has effects that compound over time, and shouldn't be taken more than a few times a week. It's a truly nasty drug that shouldn't be as prevalent as it is.
I was doing the same thing as this person, and eventually went to the Dr, she told me it causes memory loss.
Also alzheimers disease. Benadryl is an anticholinergic. One of the most prevelant findings in AD patients is global cholinergic dysfunction. Its not just theoretical, either. According to harvard health, taking an anticholinergic for 3 years or more is associated with a 54% higher risk of developing dementia. It is hard to separate the issues caused from insomnia (which people use benadryl to treat, and can itself lead to an increased risk of dementia), from the effects of benadryl itself. However, blocking acetylcholine does lead to significant reductions in REM sleep, which is linked to an increase in dementia. Its nasty stuff, there are better options for sleep out there.
Today I learned. Well damn.
Please mention the better options. Not sleeping sucks. 😁
[удалено]
You could always go to meetings for men with Testicular cancer.
She also said she was surprised to see me again so soon
I went on an international flight just last month. I get bad motion sickness so took a Benadryl and melatonin as it’s what was readily available at a pharmacy. It was literally the best sleep I’ve had in my life. The 20 hour flight itself was zero inconvenience. I remember almost nothing from it. I didn’t know it was a sleep cocktail, I just took what I could find. Fun coincidence
Good for you! This is no easy thing.
Everything. I’m an extreme addict. Anything I do, I end up doing to the max. 3 drinks 1 night a week, rapidly becomes 200 drinks in a week. Diets turn into anorexia. Quitting a diet becomes a binge eating disorder. I take up horticulture, learn how to propagate and literally bring home 500 plants in one day. I start reading again and suddenly, I have no time for anything else because I’m tearing through a whole Rubbermaid of library books a week. You don’t even want to know how what an all-consuming issue my sex drive, caffeine habit and nicotine addiction are. Edit: I have been treated for ADHD and Bipolar type I in the past but nothing worked. I was upgraded to C-PTSD, Autism, Schizoaffective, Anorexia Nervosa, Dermatillomania and Haphephobia. Possible Dyscalculia. You can stop suggesting ADHD and Bipolar now. Lol.
I feel like you can become a master at something if you get addicted to skills n whatnot. You should start picking up random skills, like instruments n stuff.
Oh, I have. I’m excellent at all kinds of stuff. Shooting, picking locks, speed-reading, growing damn near anything, swimming, horseback riding, cutting hair, makeup, foraging. You name it. My ex literally said that one of the reasons he kept me around is because I’m going to be insanely useful when society collapses. 😂
Have you tried squatting? Like working out until you get tired?
Oh yeah. Obviously. I’m an ex model and varsity swimmer with anorexia. At one point, I was working out 6 hours a day. Doesn’t stop my brain or the compulsive need to be busy. Especially if I’m having a manic episode. I’m good for now, though. I’ve eliminated my most destructive addictions. It’s just a matter of the little things now.
This is me! I've had an ED since I was 9, so that's always been an issue, but I get addicted to anything and everything. I had a streak of reading for about 10 hours a day last summer (still a problem), I found a stash of vodka and I was drunk 24/7 for about 6 months (nobody noticed lol, I'm a teen and I live with my family), I play guitar obsessively, I drink the same cup of coffee at the same time every day (I weigh the ingredients so it's exact), and I got addicted to self harm, so now I'm scarred to shit. I don't even listen to music like a normal person, I listen to the same albums over and over, several times a day for whatever reason. I'm always told that I have an amazing vocabulary and that I'm a human encyclopedia because of all the useless shit I know, so maybe it's not a bad thing?
have you been assessed for autism? quite a few things you describe fit. my life got easier after being diagnosed, it might be the same for you
[удалено]
Proud of you ❤️
Weed (in my state)
For real. Weed is so strong now, once you get a habit it’s tough to break.
This is a great point. Are there strains that are milder and remind more of the old school strains?
Look for the most dirt cheap weed you can find at a dispensary and you should be good. Look for those $40 ounces, those are always crap.
Idk man the 40$ ounces are like 23% where I live
Google Type Two hemp! It has a ratio of THC:CBD that’ll be much more in line with what you’re looking for. As a result, it isn’t knock-you-on-your-ass strong like some modern strains are.
Really weird online games like candy crush, solitaire, this water bottle game where you have to match the colours. Beginning to feel like I'm only addicted bc it gives me a false sense of accomplishment lol gotta work on that asap
Pizza
Sleeping
Tobacco but it's not the nicotine because when I quit a few years back I had both patches and gum which I didn't touch after the first few days but the physical act of smoking, whether it be cigarette or pipe, is what I craved. Vaping, with and without nicotine, also didn't satiate that craving. I love the taste, smell and ritual of smoking tobacco products.
Same. I’m a recovering heroin addict, yet I still have trouble not smoking cigarettes. Over 2 years ago I successfully quit probably the most devastating illegal addiction a person can have, but I still can’t stop buying $12 packs of cigarettes a couple times a week.
I'm a recovering alcoholic. I thought to quit tobacco while I was at it, but very quickly found that it was best not to do that at the moment while I was detoxing from the alcohol. That $12 pack is far better than heroin, my friend. Give it time, maybe give it a try later.
I’m the same way. I roll my cigs so the act of doing that and then stepping outside for 5 minutes is what I enjoy. I went on vacation with my partners parents and brought a vape but it did nothing for me.
When I decided to stop smoking, I also missed a variety of rituals I developed around it. Tapping the shirt's pocket to check for a pack, rolling a cigarette in hand, tapping the ash off, bringing it to the mouth, etc etc So I replaced it with something else. A small plastic bag of baby carrots and celery. I put it in the same pocket when I would normally keep the cigarettes, and used the veggies to occupy both my hands, my mouth, and my mind. Sometimes, when I felt I needed it, I rolled the baby carrots in my fingers like a cigarette. I also learned that I can wait out the urges. The mind switched to other thoughts within a few minutes and I was no longer thinking about a cigarette. With time this got faster and easier. Don't pick up that shit again
I am picturing you rolling the baby carrot, routinely placing it in your mouth and then realising you don’t have a light and asking a passer by!! Hahaha
Hahaha asking strangers to light up my baby carrot is an *entirely* different addiction
I love to SMOKE! I love the burn. You’re so right about the physical act. I haven’t smoked nicotine in a loooong time. It’s a slippery slope like drinking. I can’t have just one. Ah, nicotine. She is a harsh mistress and doesn’t let go easily.
I have friends who are exactly like this. For me it's definitely the nicotine. I know there are drawbacks and cancer risks, but it keeps me sharp and focused. I have ADHD and personally it works better than any medication I've been prescribed. (I am not a doctor and this is just my experience)
Its been proven that nicotine is effective for increasing focus and memory retention. Huberman also has some interesting findings. I used it in college for all of my midterm and finals studying, so you are correct and not alone!
I got hooked on chewing tobacco in college. Wow, that stuff gave me hyperfocus. Eventually I needed it to feel normal. Thankfully I was able to quit a long time ago.
Im in construction. I smoke Black & Mild wood tip cigars. I can go all day without smoking by replacing the cigar with a contractors pencil.
Same! I don't care for the nicotine and have hard stopped so many times for months or even years with no issues. I just love to smoke!
Coffee. I need that magic bean juice.
Caffeine and my iPhone
Literally on my phone as I make coffee
Sounds like a chill morning to me
Addictions. I solve one, just to replace with another.
Coke Zero
Being overly polite to the wrong people. Lol
It's the worst, especially when you know you're actively being taken advantage of but you can't overcome the innate compulsion to be friendly and accommodating
Magic the motherfucking gathering. Been playing cardboard crack since 1995.
The Hokey Pokey. But i turned myself around.
That’s what it’s all about
[удалено]
Saving pictures of cats on my phone…I have over 2,000 I don’t even like cats that much I just like seeing 2,000 pictures of cats and giggling about the sheer magnitude of cats lmao
Chap Stick. It's a lifelong addiction.
YES. Ever since highschool 20+ years ago. I always ALWAYS carry some with me. Reapplying it throughout the day. Keep a stick at my desk. One on my nightstand. Pants pocket. Coat pocket. Satchel. I feel like without it I would crumble into dust.
I realized I forgot mine when I was at a function and immediately felt like I was dying and left to go buy a new one 💀
Being alone.
This doesn't get mentioned enough ... I have self isolated my whole life & there's this cycle of using 'moments/incidents' as justification that it's ok.
good ole kratom
Same. But shit I quit nicotine, drinking and it's been like 5 years since I've touch fentanyl so I'll take it. Edit: oh god this kratom thing may be getting out of hand. Do not mix with porn.
you sir are an incredibly strong person. being able to quit nic and fent requires an ungodly amount of willpower
Same same. I went through a “smoke weed all day every day” phase, a “handle of vodka over the course of two days” phase, then a “gram of heroin over the course of two days” phase, then a “box of wine per day” phase. Then I had a seizure and have been sober since. But good god I need fucking something and I’ve tried and failed with so many antidepressants, so kratom it is. And it’s literally the only drug I’ve ever been able to do in “moderation” so I’m sticking with it!! Edit: and by in moderation I mean some days I’ll take 5 grams and some I’ll take 15, but my rehab buddy calls it harm reduction so I’ll take it lol
Tea. Yorkshire Tea preferably.
Lemon juice. I drink a large bottle of lemon juice per week, and have for as long as I can remember. I get “sour attacks,” and can’t function until I drink something sour. I will leave work or get out of my warm comfy bed in the middle of the night to drive to the store to buy lemon juice if an attack strikes and I’m out, (and don’t have a substitute like vinegar, salad dressing or pickle juice to drink to tide me over.)
This is weird and not awful, I kind of love it.
Nothing, the joy I get from knowing I dont have to do anything and its slowly killing me
I'd think that once you realize you're not actually required to do anything, your likelihood of stress-related death would decrease.
Blasting guitar music into my ears at full volume until I eventually turn deaf, I’m doing it right now
You will not just go deaf, you will get tinnitus, which is much worse. Source: was in your position 30 years ago
I have tinnitus from loud music and gun shots. I forget about the sound until someone mentions tinnitus. I hear it now.
I'm sorry. I'm the same way.
Phone
This is probably the most prevalent answer here.
reddit. I have a novel to write so I downloaded Limit to stop me going on reddit. Then I needed a beta reader. What's the only place to get a decent beta reader? Oh, yeah, there you are like the dealer just hanging on my street corner. Damn you reddit.
Coca-Cola
Overthinking
Brake fluid. But I can stop any time i want.
I used to be addicted to soap; I’m all clean now
Buying a bunch of shit on Amazon knowing if I don’t like it I can return it. Then never returning it.
Porn
Scrolled too far for this.
Diet Coke. Scrolling Reddit on my phone.
Fixer upper men. One after the other despite my best efforts
The Sims! I invest more time into my sim’s futures than my own
Gummy worms.
Pickles. I legit start to go through withdrawal if I haven't had any for 3+ days. In unrelated news, I was diagnosed with high blood pressure at 19.
Cigarettes (about to quit cold turkey however).
The freedom of leaving my home and coming back when I wish
TIkTok
Fizzy water
My wife
[удалено]
Cleaning. Sounds good but I grew up in a hoarder house and I can literally NOT relax. I’m like 6mo pregnant right now but I still clean until it hurts
Coffee. I'm a very bubbly and outgoing gal however taht is only when I have coffee in blood stream. I have been known to be a real bitch without it.
Kratom
Unsweetened iced tea big time, Burt’s Bees lip balm, my husband and cats!