How Many Of You Are Addicted?

[K1024]

[quote name='Bulldog_916' date='27 December 2009 - 10:02 PM' timestamp='1261980139' post='442078']
I dont know if there's any such thing as a physical addiction. For example, I know that some people get withdrawal which manifests physically. But at the end of the day your mind can control those symptoms. It isnt a situation where mind over matter doesnt apply. Most places that deal with ------- addiction make you go cold turkey and they go through some pretty crazy withdrawals. If they had a choice they wouldnt be going through withdrawal. They'd just stop. But their brain chemistry has come to depend on it. They could cope with it mentally. There's just one thing that controls how we perceive withdrawal and that's the brain. Without that stimulus, there wouldnt be physical symptoms.
[/quote]

what you described is a physical addiction. a mental addiction isnt something that you don't get withdrawal symptoms from, but your addicted to it. think of the people addicted to facebook/myspace, they have the constant urge to check that website every chacne they get, but they dont have any physical issues if they dont get to check it.

I started my off time yesterday, ill say something if i feel anything..

[blagage]

[quote name='K1024' date='30 December 2009 - 12:45 AM' timestamp='1262151954' post='442437']
[quote name='Bulldog_916' date='27 December 2009 - 10:02 PM' timestamp='1261980139' post='442078']
I dont know if there's any such thing as a physical addiction. For example, I know that some people get withdrawal which manifests physically. But at the end of the day your mind can control those symptoms. It isnt a situation where mind over matter doesnt apply. Most places that deal with ------- addiction make you go cold turkey and they go through some pretty crazy withdrawals. If they had a choice they wouldnt be going through withdrawal. They'd just stop. But their brain chemistry has come to depend on it. They could cope with it mentally. There's just one thing that controls how we perceive withdrawal and that's the brain. Without that stimulus, there wouldnt be physical symptoms.
[/quote]

what you described is a physical addiction. a mental addiction isnt something that you don't get withdrawal symptoms from, but your addicted to it. think of the people addicted to facebook/myspace, they have the constant urge to check that website every chacne they get, but they dont have any physical issues if they dont get to check it.

I started my off time yesterday, ill say something if i feel anything..
[/quote]

There are withdrawal symptoms for both physical and psychological addictions. Just so you know.

Also the whole facebook addiction. Not an addiction its just a compulsion. Two very different things. Edited December 30, 2009 by blagage

[Bulldog_916]

[quote name='delSol_si' date='27 December 2009 - 11:41 PM' timestamp='1261986070' post='442085']
[quote name='Bulldog_916' date='28 December 2009 - 12:02 AM' timestamp='1261980139' post='442078']
I dont know if there's any such thing as a physical addiction. For example, I know that some people get withdrawal which manifests physically. But at the end of the day your mind can control those symptoms. It isnt a situation where mind over matter doesnt apply. Most places that deal with [bad stuff] addiction make you go cold turkey and they go through some pretty crazy withdrawals. If they had a choice they wouldnt be going through withdrawal. They'd just stop. But their brain chemistry has come to depend on it. They could cope with it mentally. There's just one thing that controls how we perceive withdrawal and that's the brain. Without that stimulus, there wouldnt be physical symptoms.
[/quote]


i used to be addicted to caffeine and here is physical addiction: i drank caffeine soda all day long. i think at my peak, i was up to like 2-3 32oz sodas, and then another like 8-10 cans of caffeine soda a day. i had to have a constant supply of caffeine or else i would get a head ache and get jittery.

everyday, the first thing i would do is drink a soda. every day at work id get a 32oz before going to work. every day i was off work, i would sleep in and just by sleeping in, i would get a headache from lack of caffeine since i couldn't drink soda while sleeping. One day, i woke up after i had slept in, i had a HUGE headache. i went to the kitchen to grab a soda and calm the headache a little, but then i stopped and realized i was being controlled by caffeine. The ONLY thing i tolerate being controlled by is my parents and God and my parents refuse to control me, so that leaves God.

I went back to my room and just laid down again, i couldn't get to sleep because my head hurt so bad, so i got back up, closed the blinds, and made my room as dark as possible and just sat in my chair rocking back in forth, massaging my temples crying because it hurt so bad. i spent the rest of the day doing that. luckily, i had the next day off work and spent the better part of that day doing the same thing. i don't cry, i have had my pinky almost cut off, like, it to the bone and had to get like 15-20 stitches and didn't cry. this pain from lack of caffeine made me cry.

I had a migraine headache for the next 3 months, after that i had another headache for another 6 months, and after than, a mild headache for another 3-5. these are not 100% accurate, just estimates. i just remember it hurt like hell and hurt for a LONG time. going cold-turkey really hurt, but i felt it was necessary.

To this day i can't drink any caffeinated beverages. that means no coke, dr. pepper, TEA, reg coffee, nothing unless it is caffeine free. pretty much if i go to get a fountain soda somewhere, i generally have 1-2 choices. powerade or sprite is about it. If i do slip up(i don't anymore) and have even 1/2 a coke or something, i get a HUGE headache and my heart starts racing and skipping beats.

THATS physical addiction.
[/quote]


Yes, mental addiction that has been manifested physically. I'm not saying you dont feel it physically. Of course, you do. It takes mental fortitude to get over the addiction. My uncle is an alcoholic. Not even the fun kind. The kind that drinks himself so sick he blacks out and wakes up in a gutter somewhere or in prison. He's become so dependent on it he collects disability for his addiction. I wish he'd conquer that addiction. But his attitude wont let him. His wife is a fucking whore who feeds off his weakness and continually uses it against him and holds their children hostage. It doesnt help. But he should be able to go to rehab and have it work. He's a saavy enough guy to where if he wanted to badly enough, he could kick it. It takes discipline, the kind you showed kicking your caffeine addiction. For most of us, we dont let it get that far. We arent born addicted to anything (most normal people). It takes behavioral and environmental reinforcement. If there's no one there to say "NO! BAD! GET THAT OUT OF YOUR MOUTH" we tend to do it unless it's so unpleasant as to deter us automatically. I think there has to come a time where we say "You know, this is my problem and I should deal with it, whatever it takes." Doesnt happen often but it should.

[Tom1]

I just took a week off for vacation. I thought about hookah sometimes when I was bored or just sitting around. No physical symptoms though. I smoke 3-4 times a day and have for ~3 years.

[delSol_si]

[quote name='Bulldog_916' date='31 December 2009 - 05:29 AM' timestamp='1262258961' post='442707']
He's become so dependent on it he collects disability for his addiction.
[/quote]

not trying to offend you but, that is complete ridiculous. I mean, i feel for him for being addicted, but there is no way in hell that it is a disability and there is no way he should be collecting disability for it. This is a case of taking advantage of the system, in my opinion. And ya, i know it might piss you off, and for that im sorry, but thats the way i feel and i am an honest person. I normally would just stay quiet, but taking advantage of disability insurance and welfare really irks me.

[Deutsch am Herzen]

addiction is such a strong word. haha. i wouldnt say im addicted, rather, i just like it alot. i actually just picked up smoking hookah again in the last week really. anywhere from 1-3 bowls a day. depends if im with friends or not. i smoked cigs alot when i was over seas, but i could easily go a week or two without a single one. i can understand and agree with other people on here about especially wanting to smoke when youve had a bad day. hookah just relaxes you more than any other form of tobacco imo.

i think its harder to get "addicted" to since theres alot more to smoking hookah than lighting a piece of paper on fire. to some it may seem like more of a, dare i say, hassle to smoke hookah. hahaha. but really, its soo worth it; the taste, buzz, and relaxion element of it.

anyway, just my thoughts

[mxtaylor]

I used to have a big problem with caffeine addiction. I worked for a guy who would buy me a Red Bull every morning, and at lunch. During the day, I'd keep of cup of Coke around all day long. After I stopped working there, if I didn't have at least two caffeine drinks by noon, I couldn't function. Literally the worst headaches of my life. Horrible.

When I bought my hookah, my girlfriend was really nervious about me getting addicted (her parents are smokers). I set a limit of smoking two days a week. And I stuck to it. I caught a cold a couple months later so I stopped smoking. A month after I got over my cold, I realized I hadn't smoked in a month. No dependency.

My college major is very high stress with very late nights (staying up 48 hours). I try not to use hookah to try and relax during project times like this. It'd be hard for me to document my reaction to not smoking, but I've stopped and started (at least 1 week periods) numerous times. No adverse effects.

[shaffaaf27]

i can deffinately say im not addicted. Its been a few weeks since i e snoked, not that i can't, i could at any point, no restrictions, but just because i haven't had a craving for it at all, and i never do

[Hippo_Master]

Well i smoke a lot, but i just this past week and a half did not smoke with no "cravings" or "urges" or the like... I smoke when I have time, when I'm not alone. So i already finished the test i suppose, and passed.

Oh, for the record or whatever, I've been smoking regularly for many years now. Edited January 14, 2010 by Hippo_Master

[DirtyQuack]

I think I might be addicted to cigarettes. I just recently bought a hookah, though, and intend on only smoking with my hookah, which in retrospect might be the same thing. By the way, this is my first post. :3

[jbt90]

I am not addicted, but I do feel the want to smoke once a day, although I certainly do not NEED to.

[Codename067]

I am the biggest hookah freak I know, and I can easily say that I am not addicted.

I can't lie though, I do get cravings that go away after a few minutes, but I never crave it to the point where I HAVE To sit down and smoke it.

[Chreees]

I'm not addicted... Just those moments where I'm like, "It'd be nice to chill and smoke," but that's normal I think... It's that same thing that drives me to... watch a movie, for example. Not like, "OMG I NEED A SMOKE" like when you're addicted to cigs... I do hookah because I enjoy it, not because I feel like I have to do it.

[Chreees]

[quote]He's become so dependent on it he collects disability for his addiction.[/quote]

Wtf, are you serious? This has got to be one of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard, sorry...

Pisses me off how some people are allowed to mooch off the government when they don't need it. I feel this way because I have a mother who is able to work but claims she isn't and tried three times getting disability but got denied. She quit her job and ran up a bunch of bills for my dad to the point where they got divorced. Now he has to pay her alimony of $1,000 a month.

[rcracer_tx]

I usually smoke 2+ hours a day, and when I went to my parents place over Christmas break, I smoked 3 times in a month without any cravings....

Last time I was at the doctors, I got complemented on how healthy my lungs were lol

[Chreees]

I'm addicted to HookahForum, but not hookah...

[lucky13]

im definitely not addicted , i think addiction is in peoples heads, if you give in and tell ur self you are addicted then u may very well become addicted, as for me i have too much willpower to become addicted, ive smoked cigs, clove cigs, hookah.. cigars... ive drank... but im not addicted, i can do it often and walk away some time for months if not years and never feel a need to do it again, i smoke hookah because i enjoy it nothing else

[rcracer_tx]

[quote name='INCUBUSRATM' date='11 February 2010 - 06:41 PM' timestamp='1265935291' post='451023']
I'm addicted to HookahForum, but not hookah...
[/quote]

LOL

[shishaman]

Yeah none of us cannot actually say that we are not addicted because if we were not addicted to it then we wouldn't do it.

It's not a physical addiction that most of us have it's more mental where we think oh that tastes nice i'll have another one of them.

So in a way we are addicted. But in the sense of addicted to nicotine where we need to have a hit of nicotine then no i am not addicted and i could stop smoking shisha whenever i want.

But i am not going to because i like the taste so i am sort of addicted if you know what i mean.

Anyone else feel this way?

Shishaman.

[mattarios2]

I am not addicted. I go away on vaca usually once a year for about 10 days and never bring the hookah and never think about it.

I also would be willing to take part in the testing, but I can tell you now, I get no side affects or headaches or anything at all.

Then again I only smoke 1 bowl a day (1 hour) always with 1-3 people. If nobody comes over, (which is almost never) I don't smoke.

[alive]

If im not physically addicted, im definitly mentally addicted. No matter what, im always craving some form of tobbaco, be it hookah, cigs, cigars, or dip. However, i definitly have a higher level of addiction depending on the substance, as i love hookah, but even after smoking and obviously having nicotine i will still want a cig.

Cigs are the ultimate tobbaco fix for me. However, i havent smoked them regulary in months

[PSU Smoker]

very cool test...I am with you on the fact I am not addicted to smoking/hookah, although I have been addicted to video games for short amounts of time in the past. I smoke cigs on a regular basis but I can not smoke for a weekend or a week if need be...i just enjoy smoking. I would participate in your test if I wasnt at school and had a place to smoke more hookah more than on the select weekends I come home. best of luck tho and I look forward to seeing your results

[Zeaken]

slightly necro but i will add my 2 cents. Asking hookah smokers if they are addicted is like asking a pool of cigarette smokers if they are addicted. its a silly concept and people a lot of times wont admit addiction in any situation. I have a friend who smokes a pack a day but insists he could stop at any point and is not addicted.

IMO if its any kind of tool to cope with something then it already holds addictive properties on a mental level. if it calms you down, keeps you relaxed, makes you happy it holds some level of addiction potential. now anything could easily fit under that description and i am aware of that. Some of us exercise to beat stress but is a positive thing like exercise potentially an addiction? I would say yes. When you add in addictive substances such as niccotine it greatly increases the risk of forming habitual use of something.

Are almost all hookah smokers most likely addicted at some level? Absolutely. Will they admit it that it could be potentially hard to stop? Absolutely not. Does this mean A hookah users face the addiction of habbit forming and chemical additions that cigarettes have and not be able to stop them easily? probably not.

I think one main advantage hookah smoking has is that it tends to be less habit forming than cigarettes. Some of the people on this forum probably do have a habit of it and run a much higher risk of the hard style addiction connected to cigarettes.

am I addicted? i smoke about twice a month, i only smoke with friends and never by myself. I would say I am not addicted out of using patterns, frequency and why i use it. Some might even consider my amount of use addiction but even if i am; i am at a stage where i dont yet tie it to any emotion so stopping would not be hard.

[Stuie]

I want to say that I am no way addicted to smoking hookah period. Got it?

[joytron]

[quote name='Stuie' date='25 February 2010 - 12:33 PM' timestamp='1267130006' post='453762']
I want to say that I am no way addicted to smoking hookah period. Got it?
[/quote]

[img]http://www.hookahforum.com/public/style_emoticons/default/Hookah.gif[/img] Got it!