What is addiction? Is an addiction a state in which someone uses something repeatedly and when quit, causes withdrawal symptoms?
I’m not so sure. If this were true, this definition could be applied to any necessary, physical process. I’m addicted to my habit of breathing. If I stop breathing my face turns red, I can feel my heart start to pound in my chest, I have a great deal of anxiety, and feel the strong need to continue breathing… I must be addicted.
There has to be at least one other criterium for addiction which helps us to rule out things like breathing: tolerance. So for someone to have an addiction, we need (1) a habit (2) which causes withdrawal symptoms upon termination and (3) grows over time due to tolerance.
I’ve been trying to decide whether or not I’m addicted to the Internet. Granted I spend a lot of time here, so I’ve established (1). When I avoid the Internet I find myself bored, wanting to check the latest posts on my Google Reader account. I even begin to worry, thinking I might miss some big story, and by now everyone has heard of it before me. So I’ve established (2). But, even though I use the Internet quite a lot, it is a steady pace. I don’t have to read more and more every day. So it hasn’t exactly been growing over time due to tolerance. So I suppose, given that last criteria is missing, I’m not addicted.
In conculsion, a habit + withdrawals do not an addiction make.
Personal aside: the reason for my thoughts in this matter is I haven’t had an Internet connection at home since Wednesday morning, two days ago. I called just now to get new service, and the earliest they could install was 1 week from today. It might be a painful week, but I’ll live. You learn just how much you love something only when you lose it.
4 Comments
I guess addiction is what you get used to do, but what is not life necessary thing (like breathing). You are not addicted to breathing, but it’s a natural process in your organism.
What about addiction to Internet, yes! I am really addicted to it! I can do without it when I am on vacation or a trip. But if I am at home, I can’t do anything, if I know that my internet is not working. How come I can not check something in 5 minutes, even if at the moment I can’t even think of anything I want to check in 5 min
Addiction? You dont know addiction. Your article reminded me of this scene in half baked: http://www.videosift.com/video/Bob-Sagets-Famous-Scene-in-Half-Baked
You can have my internet access when you pry it from my cold dead computer.
Addiction is for pussies. Sorry, back had to get a cup of coffee. Seriously though, how are you writing this with out the internet tubes connecting to you? Back again, had to get another cup of coffee. Anyway, only the seriously weak get addicted to such trivial things. Sorry again, had to get some more coffee. It is like everyone wants some more coffee umm I meant its like everyone wants umm I forgot. But I guess some weaker people to get addicted to trivial stuff. The real loosers are the ones addicted to soft drinks and red bull. It would be really quite embarrassing for a strong coffee umm oops PERSON like me were to get addicted to anything so trivial.