Addiction

[anon60384913]

I’d agree when it comes to gambling yes it’s a mental weakness. People addicted to heroin I’m not so sure.

[Mac]

@anon60384913

But there’s a chemical aspect to drugs. It is designed to keep you coming back. That’s why I’d say it’s different. Fellas are addicted to porn, masturbating every sort of thing. I don’t believe you can just pigeon them into one category.

There’s a chemical aspect to every addiction. Whether in the substance you take, or the feeling you get through doing it.

[Batigol]

Everyone is mentally weak in some way

[anon60384913]

What’s the chemical reaction to watching porn? I’d a friend who was addicted to call of duty. He quit his job over it. He’d knife you if you turned off his PlayStation.

[Mac]

@anon60384913

What’s the chemical reaction to watching porn?

Seriously?

[the_man_himself]

That a fair point. Saying anybody without an addiction isn’t to be trusted is ridiculous however. The vast majority of people don’t have any addiction. It’s just different personalities

[Sidney]

@the_man_himself

That a fair point. Saying anybody without an addiction isn’t to be trusted is ridiculous however. The vast majority of people don’t have any addiction. It’s just different personalities

I would say the vast majority of people have an addiction of some sort

The advent of smartphones has made pretty clear the human propensity for addiction

[Chucks_Nwoko]

A lot of young lads would be addicted to things and they don’t even realise it. Very sad.

[KinvarasPassion]

@anon60384913

What’s the chemical reaction to watching porn?

Semen fusing with wood pulp fibres (tissue paper)?

[carryharry]

@The_Most_Infamous

…I’m nearly 3 days in…its not easy but I’ve found it a lot easier than the last time I gave them up which was 13 years ago. Time goes faster now which is one positive plus smoking sheds etc at work are depressing nowadays craic wise.That shouldnt make sense, unless you’re smoker tbf.

If you don’t have kids then take up something new. Whether it be running, playing soccer again or getting involved in tidy towns. Anything…

For me it was a dream of the eldest crying beside my coffin did the trick. In saying that being extremely busy at home helps. Plus online activities also keep the mind focussed. It all helps.

But, I agree too that you either want to stop or you don’t. People still ask did I use patches, gum or vaping. I plainly answer why would I spend that money on trying to give up an already expensive habit.

[carryharry]

[anon7035031]

@anon60384913

I don’t believe too many people can just take small bits of heroin here and there and be fine. Maybe I’m naive to it.

Heroin use was very prevalent among American soldiers during the Vietnam war. After returning home only about 5% of them continued use, with no treatment. Opiate use was a lot more common in the UK and the US in the 19th century, but only about 1% were addicted. It’s a very complicated subject, as is everything related to the brain, but there’s a lot of evidence that most (maybe 90%) people can consume “addictive” substances without becoming addicted.

Probably the most compelling evidence that the substance itself does not cause addiction is a study called the Rat Park study done by renowned Canadian psychologist Bruce Alexander. Previous studies had suggested that rats easily get addicted to opiates, like heroin, cocaine etc. when they were allowed self medicate. Alexander suggested that living conditions were the root cause, and built fancy cages for the rats with lots of space, toys, plenty food, rats of both sexes, etc. These rats showed no appetite for opiates. Even rats that had been previously addicted lost their interest when moved to the fancy cages.

The conclusion was there is no such thing as substance induced addiction, it’s mainly down to environment.

[Breaking_my_balls]

It’s “a want” in lads.

Fair play to you for attempting to educate a few on here.

[The_Most_Infamous]

Fully agree pal, great post.

[anon61878697]

It’s pain/ suffering/ trauma.

[Bod95]

@Sidney

…Anybody who is not mentally weak in some way is not to be trustedThe human brain is not meant to be entirely rationalWeakness is inbuiltIn my view anybody who does not experience weakness of the mind and/or is entirely rational is probably a psychopath

Sage comments

[Tank]

The rat experiment was interesting. There are severe physical symptoms that occur whenever a heroin addict goes too long without a fix. These can include stomach cramps, nausea and vomiting, dizziness, headaches and hallucinations. How that fits in with the rat experiment is debatable.

There’s many a TFK poster who has intermittently taken heroin and not gotten addicted.

Friends have told me that they started feeling the stomach cramps after about the 5th time they used heroin but they were people who used a lot very quickly early on, presumably because they had a want in them. I would guess the rats who lived in the nice grassy cages had less of a want and so didn’t do it enough times in a short space of time to develop the physical symptoms.

Edit: there are probably genetic factors as well, the same as alcohol. Native American Indians and Inuits and also big thick roaster Paddies have a natural propensity towards alcoholism.

[anon7035031]

Of course there’s a hereditary aspect, whether it’s genetic or epigenetic, most likely epigenetic. Some people are predisposed to addiction and it obviously doesn’t help having an addict parent or parents.

On the rats who knows it they had withdrawal symptoms after they stopped their habit, or whether they noticed. It’s debatable whether human addicts are aware of the fact that their craving is based on withdrawal pain or even the anticipation of withdrawal pain.

What’s indisputable is the only solution to addiction is finding things that replace it and provide the same or similar rewards. Exercise, interaction with others who are not addicts, a hobby, etc.

[Rocko]

I see they’re banning credit card deposits to gambling accounts in the UK. Is that something that’s already in place in Ireland?

[TreatyStones]

No, being discussed in the bookmakers thread.