how do you know if you are "ADDICTED" to something?

Question

my parents say i'm addicted to coffee(caffine) i dont think i am. but i was wondering how would i know? i dont need it but i just like it and want it.

Answer 1

How do you know if youre addicted to something?

You know your addicted to something if the addictive substance or behavior is on your mind frequently or constantly

using the addictive substance or acting on the addictive behavior effects your life in a negative way for example:

You miss work or school to fulfill the addictions need, your relationships with other people begin to deteriorate, your health and mind set begin to deteriorate as well.

The addiction begins to take over your life in subtle or obvious ways. Over time the addiction begins to become a heavy burden destroying your life in multiple ways.

you want to stop but you cant! You find yourself becoming a slave to the addiction and you no longer control your life....the addiction does.

Answer 2

You can be addicted to something where you have to have it to live and you crave it and can't think of anything but it. Or you can be addicted to a substance like caffine where if you do not have it your body will go into a withdrawal and you will get a headache and the shakes until you have it. If you drink coffee daily, you probably are addicted to the caffine in it. Do you get a headache if you dont have coffee in the morning? Or get shakey until you have that first cup? Then you are addicted. The difference between this kind of addiction and drug addition is that this one is easy to get over.

Answer 3

Pathological addiction manifests in several symptoms:
1) Tolerance - you need more and more coffee to feel awake or energised.
2) Withdrawal - you feel cranky or have headaches when you don't get your coffee.
3) Loss of control - you always drink more coffee than you expect to and over a longer period of time than you planned.

Those are the basics. I think most of us will probably suffer from the first 2 if we don't get our hit in the morning. If you are a teenager, it's probably best not to drink too much coffee because it may stunt your development.

Otherwise, a couple of cups a day isn't a bad thing. But don't drink it instead of water because it is very dehydrating.

Answer 4

Well, you feel the need to have it. If you need it, then it's an addiction. If you want it, but can say no, then it's a temptation.

Caffeine is enormously dangerous. It accelerates your heartrate and sort of shocks your body into alert-mode for a few hours, not to mention depriving you of deep sleep so you don't grow as much. If you drink a lot of it, your body builds up a dependency on it and you'll be tired without it, so you need more. Your body sort of gets locked in alert-mode, which is naturally very bad, and withdrawal from caffeine can be pretty nasty.

I hope that you're not addicted to caffeine. Go easy on it, 'kay?

Answer 5

when you want something real bad when you dont have it means that you are addicted or you try to get a hold of something no matter what means you are addicted, i was the same way with coffee too, till i got sick of too much caffine now i dont even drink coke, well atleast i try.

Answer 6

addictions are "symptoms" of denial. because the person is in denial of course they can't see themselves when they are addicted. stop thing about the substance and think about your behavior. when you are doing caffine or what ever, look at the big picture and ask why you are medicating yourself and what for? Check out an author namedTerry Kellog (sp) and your answer will come to you.

Answer 7

One way to know for sure if you're addicted? When doing it negatively impacts your life, you've noticed it, recognized its influence, and yet you do it anyway. It's not that you can't stop. It's that you don't want to.

Seriously, saying you're addicted when you can't stop doing something is useless criteria. For one thing, you WILL stop when you want to. For another, if in fact you couldn't stop, why would you ever admit that? That would be admitting defeat, and you don't do that until you're good and ready to stop anyhow. Which is long past the recognition stage.

But yeah, detrimental but doing it anyway. Example: Last year I went to my doctor and complained about a stiff shoulder. He told me it could be early stages of frozen shoulder. After some time went for me to absorb that and consider the implications, I eventually concluded that playing video games and spending hours on the computer might be causing it. So I took a few days off and felt better.

The thing is, it never really went away, so I never got an answer. Was gaming the cause? Or was I just getting old?

Recently I've had cramps in my hand. Same arm, btw. I figure yeah, I'm getting old and don't spend enough time exercising. Then one day as I'm finishing up a round of gaming I notice the pain in my hand is worse. But this voice in that back of my head tells me it probably might never have happened if I had only just spent 2 weeks off from all computer-related activities. But I didn't, because I'm addicted to gaming.

Mind you, I don't regard that as a bad thing, What's bad is that I let my condition get worse even after I had determined a solution. Gaming is what I do to feel better- one of the possible signs of addiction- but now it was likely making me feel worse- another sign.

All of this may sound like the ravings of someone who really just thinks he understands addiction, while in reality such a thing is beyond his experience. But let me tell you, gaming is just the latest- and not even quite the last- in a long line of addictions for me. And some of those were the life-changing kind.

I do understand addiction. That's why I can freely speak of an addiction to gaming, because it's nothing compared to what else I've been through.

Negative impacts include health, of course, but also an inability to show up on time, especially on Mondays. Missed connections with friends and family are a big clue. You were too busy doing what you always do, or looking for the means of doing so. Hey, if you show up late for work because you were trying to hook up, I'm sorry but you're addicted.

Statistically the work place is the last to be impacted by your life style because it's such a priority. If you knew you had to be there and blew it off because your connection was taking too long, it's because scoring weed or meth was in fact a bigger priority. Not only are you addicted, but it's taking over your life.

Coffee is the other last addiction in my life. I have been through the pros and cons and decided I don't care. One of the character traits of the addiction-prone is a tendency to go all in when we decide we like something. I advise moderation because constant indulgence is a bad policy. One should be able to control one's own impulses. If you make a point of eating, for instance, whenever there is food available, just because it's there, you're going to suffer negative impact.

A good thing to do with coffee, I've found, is to not drink it when you don't feel a need. It's okay to do it when you want to. It's not something you should feel guilty over, and if you're friends or family are laying a guilt trip on you they shouldn't.

What I do? I have a thermic mug that holds 16 oz. and can keep liquids hot for 4 hours. That slows down intake dramatically because drinking too fast actually gives me a sore throat. I drink maybe 2 of those throughout the day, and I'm spending like 6 hours or so daily at Starbuck's, so yeah it works, gaming on my notebook and drinking coffee (which means I keep my hands busy, but now my hands are cramping up, like I said). Without the mug I drink much faster because if I don't my coffee gets cold.

Answer 8

you might have devoloped an addiction without noticing it. Just try to stop drinking coffee for a week. If you can, your not addicted, if you can't then you are.

Answer 9

Yeah your parents are right, you ARE addicted!
It's when like you describe you just got to have it.
Also it's when you live, breathe it. You can't get by an hour/ day without it. It consumes you, all you can think 'bout, etc.
I like my coffee too but I can do without it, lol=P

Answer 10

When you don't drink it for a couple of days and you get a 'caffeine headache' you are experiencing withdrawal, which by definition means that you are addicted to it.