Dictionary.com Unabridged(v 1.1)
ad-dic-tion
-noun
the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming, as narcotics, to such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma.
What does Addiction look like in America?
| Addicted to: | People in America | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Alcohol | 18.7 M | 12,000 more try it for the first time every day. |
| Drugs | 3.6 M | 8,000 try drugs for the first time every day |
| Tobacco | 71.5 M | Ages 18-25 group are the highest in rate of use |
| Caffeine | 40-70% | Experience withdrawals when trying to quit. |
| Food | 4 M | About 15% of mildly obese people are compulsive eaters. |
| Gambling | 2 M | 2 Million: Pathological gamberls. 4-8 Million are considered problem gamblers |
| Shopping | 1 in 20 | Compulsive shopers |
| Sex | 15 M | 60% of the addicts were abused in childhood |
| Internet | ? | Thought to be an impulse-control disorder |
| Gaming | ? | Thought to be an impulse-control disorder |
- An AMA report says up to 90 percent of American youngsters play video games and that up to 15 percent of them - more than 5 million kids - might be addicted.
- Sex Addiction can involve a wide variety of practices. Sometimes an addict has trouble with just one unwanted behavior, sometimes with many. A large number of sex addicts say their unhealthy use of sex has been a progressive process. It may have started with an addiction to masturbation, pornography (either printed or electronic), or a relationship, but over the years progressed to increasingly dangerous behaviors.
- Excessive Internet use should be defined not by the number of hours spent online but "in terms of losses," said Maressa Hecht Orzack, a Harvard University professor and director of Computer Addiction Services at McLean Hospital in Belmont, Mass., founded in 1995. "If it is a loss [where] you are not getting to work, and family relationships are breaking down as a result around it and this is something you can't handle, then it's too much."
- At one point, my eating was so out of control, I would wake up and find myself standing at the refrigerator eating. Some times I wouldn't even remember waking up and going into the kitchen. Then there were the nights that I would wake up to go to the bathroom and after, I would go to the kitchen and eat... then right back to bed. The big thing, the kitchen was out of my way. I mean it wasn't like I had to pass it on the way to the bathroom or anything... When I look back on those days, I can see how sick I was. I really thought that no one knew, but I just kept getting bigger and bigger... I was also one of those that would eat in the car... If I had to run to McDonald's, I would always get a large fry to eat on my way home. Then when I got home, I would eat what I ordered. No one every knew about the fries I had already eaten....How sick is that??
- "I think I have an addiction to the computer. Recently, I have been playing the computer CONSTANTLY. It has effected my work habits and grades. Even my parents have seen a change in my behavior. I realllly want to change but it's so hard. This computer thing is almost like DRUGS! It'd be really helpful if someone could give me some advice ASAP."