Official Mental Health Thread

[OccultHawk]

Originally Posted by jwb

I can sort of relate to the after work thing since I always wanted to get ****ed up after work. Not being to cope or trying to alleviate sadness are common triggers for addiction but they aren't a necessity.

For me, whether I was sad, happy, content, bored, angry. Didn't make a difference. I always wanted to get ****ed up.

I know there's a stigma around being an addict that people want to avoid but to me it's usually pretty clear. If you have to do it every day, if you are surrendering more money than you can afford to, if you know you should stop but you don't, etc, then you're probably an addict.

With alcohol if you're consuming it on a daily basis, then there's the added factor of physical dependency. Which, imo, is actually not as hard to break as the psychological triggers that drive your addiction. But in a way it's more dangerous. Because you can die from withdrawal.

Good post

[The Batlord]

[Marie Monday]

Originally Posted by OccultHawk

Good post

.

[Frownland]

There's geneticism and then there's the environment created by being raised by alcoholics that paints your behaviour. I think that the latter makes up the bulk of people who point at their family for their drinking problems.

[jwb]

I didn't say anything specific about alcoholism other than the withdrawal stuff, which is just scientific fact

My dad was in 12 step groups and he gave me the lecture about its probably heriditary, and I ignored him. In retrospect he was probably onto something. But that's besides the point.

I made a simple set of statements about addictions in general. If you know you should stop, by you don't, that's a red flag.

If you spend more money on it than you can afford and aren't seeing the kind of return that would offset that, that's another red flag.

If you feel you have to constantly/on a daily basis engage in it, them that's another flag.

Gain enough flags and you're pretty much an addict. Sorry but that's how it goes.

[jwb]

We all could.

The physical dependency is the least of it. If that were the problem then the solution would be simple: put addicts in rehab and force them to sweat out the withdrawal.

How many smokers do you know who quit fit a week, a month, a year, then went back?

After a week of not smoking cigs the physical withdrawal symptoms are pretty much done. At that point it's only psychological triggers that will bring you back.

[jwb]

Tbh I've never felt the physical withdrawal symptoms for any drug.. be it nicotine or alcohol

But like i stressed the psychological addiction is much stronger.

Many people dont realize this but cocaine has relatively weak withdrawal symptoms. It becomes impossible to stop through psychology.

[OccultHawk]

as it's a myth that alcoholism is just genetic

They have NOT isolated a gene. It may only be genetic in the hard sense that everything is genetic. I also think we’re too liberal with the word addiction and it cheapens the pain of withdrawing from real (for lack of a better word) addiction.

The correct language for alcoholism is elusive and unfortunately AA is intent on sticking with stupid archaic language.

I used to think I had a pretty clear understanding of the nature of addiction but now I realize I know very little.

[jwb]

The come down is nothing compared to the drive a hardcore coke/crack user feels to find the next hit by any cost.

[OccultHawk]

Originally Posted by elphenor

man the comedown off coke is brutal enough to wanna keep going

I remember pacing outside my house talking to myself scaring the neighbors after a night of ****faced drinking and Idk how many lines

Cocaine has a terrible cost benefits ratio. The creepy scary side is the worst. And the health risks are off the charts. Not to mention it brings alcoholism along for the ride as if it just for kicks. As if you’re not going to drink on the way up and then continue drinking to take the edge off the comedown.