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by anon848736283 hours ago |
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upvoteby tqi3 hours ago|
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Where would you put 24x7 political content?
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upvoteby toyg2 hours ago|
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That's more like perversion...
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upvoteby twoodfin3 hours ago|
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If something compels behavior vs. behavior remaining a free choice, a liberal society can and should treat it like any other source of compulsion.

Personally, I am leery of any technical definition of “addictive” that operates outside the traditional chemical influences on physiology. So I would not describe gambling in that sense.

One might have a malady that causes gambling to take on the same physiological vibe for you, but that’s not what it means for gambling itself to be addictive.

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upvoteby jwardbond3 hours ago|
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I am not a neuroscientist, but I thought the actual physiological cause of addiction was similar in both nicotine and gambling: you crave the predictable release of dopamine.

If that is the (heavily simplified) case, is there a distinction for you between a chemically-induced dopamine release from smoking and, say, and a button you can press that magically releases dopamine in your brain?

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upvoteby 2 hours ago|
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upvoteby SauntSolaire2 hours ago|
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You're missing the negative affect node of the Koob addiction cycle, which exists for gambling but to a lesser degree than for nicotine.
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upvoteby twoodfin3 hours ago|
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I don’t gamble, but if I did, I am fairly certain it would release little to no dopamine for me, win or lose.

I don’t smoke, but if I did, I’m also fairly certain I would find it hard to stop.

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upvoteby fingerlocks2 hours ago|
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You’re being downvoted, but there’s an interesting point you’re trying to make. Dopamine-chasing is truly selective in the behavior and chemical sense.

There is a particular hard drug that I could be easily addicted to if it were cheaper and more accessible. Nothing else like it gives me irresistible craving for more. Not nicotine, ADHD meds or speed, benzos, and not even opioids have the same effect. So after I discovered this about myself, I went on a little journey to self test myself other possible addictions.

Social media? Nope. Video games and tv? yes. Gambling, hoarding, shopping: No. Sex: yes. Exercise: yes

I can’t rationalize any of it.

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upvoteby ses19842 hours ago|
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And yet, some people find themselves compelled to continue gambling long after they’re drowning in debt.

If you don’t want to call that addiction, fine, but you can’t deny that it happens.

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upvoteby twoodfin1 hours ago|
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Right: They’re gambling addicts. That’s a distinct fact from, “Gambling is a physiologically addictive behavior for typical humans.”
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upvoteby kelnos39 minutes ago|
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Right, there's a difference between a chemical that will addict most people simply because of the changes the chemical makes to the brain (even if the person doesn't even really like doing the thing that causes them to consume it), vs. an activity that gives you dopamine hits and can be addictive, depending on the person.

One is physical addiction and the other is psychological.

But I'm also feeling a parallel here to people who think that mental health issues aren't real medical problems and that people can just "get better" whenever they want. And that's concerning. We shouldn't be more lenient on things that are "only" psychologically addictive.

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upvoteby underlipton23 minutes ago|
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It's predictably addictive under common circumstances (a lack of socioeconomic support and a lack of alternative means to occupy one's time). If those circumstances are becoming more and more widespread in a society (which they are in this one), it behooves experts to consider that "typical" and "this particular cohort" might become harder and harder to distinguish, to the point where what would have been targeted interventions need to become general.
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upvoteby SoftTalker3 hours ago|
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You seem to be differentiating between physical and psychological addiction, and saying that only physical addiction meets the technical definition of addiction?
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upvoteby twoodfin2 hours ago|
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I’m saying society should tread extremely carefully in attempting to regulate citizens’ potentially psychologically addictive behaviors.
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upvoteby SoftTalker2 hours ago|
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Ah OK. Yes I agree, there can be a blurry line between something a person does compulsively/addictively and something that he just enjoys doing. And it's different for different people.
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upvoteby card_zero1 hours ago|
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To add to the confusion, sometimes I do stupid things just once. Even so, those things should be banned, for harming me.
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upvoteby dylan6042 hours ago|
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We already have a category called addictive personality disorder where someone is much more prone to being addicted to pretty much anything.

In the US, regardless of what type of addiction you have, it is considered mental health. Open market insurance like ACA does not cover mental health, so there is no addiction treatment available. Sure, you can be addicted to a substance where your body needs a fix, but it is still treated as mental care. This seems to go directly against what your thoughts are on addiction, but that doesn't say much as you're just some rando on the interweb expressing their untrained opinions. So am I, but I'm not the spouting differing opinions with nothing more to back them up than how you feel.

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