What is an addiction many people don’t realize they have?

Sugar
- In the same vein, salt.
  Try to stay under the daily recommended amount of 2500mg of sodium and see how limited your food options are.
  Everything is loaded with salt now. Especially fast food. For example, my previous go-to meal at Zaxby's (the boneless wings and things plate) is over 4000mg of sodium for one meal. Add on a 1300mg sausage, egg, and cheese mcgriddle and a fried rice with soy sauce for dinner and I had several days worth of sodium without totally blowing my calorie budget.
  
  You're not supposed to eat any of those things on any regular basis. Those are def cheat meals to eat sparingly when you've planned to go a little crazy with your diet
  
  That isn't addiction though, that's lack of options. If you cut out sugar or sodium from your diet you probably aren't going to go through withdrawal. Unless you're meaning more of a psychological addiction.
  
  Add in processed wheat flour and processed fats
  All known as 'White Death' .... foods we are all easily addicted to and have little to no nutritional value.
  
  I'm a filthy vegan and former tobacco smoker that doesn't indulge in sweets. I'm scared to actually calculate my salt intake as I over season everything I eat. For a while I thought I was being healthy not using table salt on anything, until I realized hot sauce and tamari are essentially liquid sodium.
  
  Reminds me of my favorite food, the KFC Double Down. That bad boy had so much sodium they had to take it off the permanent menu (much to my salt-loving dismay) due to the number of warnings about its salt and fat content.
  Still pissed that my local KFC shut down and that I missed the month that it was brought back for (only saw the commercial for it 3 days before it ended when the nearest KFC was like an hour or so away).
  
  2500mg is also just not a lot of sodium. 2000 calories is also a recommended daily amount but it's far too low for a lot of people.
- Yeah, came to say the same. I'm different though, I know I'm addicted to it.
  
  I've lost over 150lbs, and can easily say sugar intake is closely tied to metabolism and brain activity. The habits formed around sugar intake are the hardest to control. It can be a major tax on mental agility and sharpness if a person is in the habit of using sugar to supplement their diet constantly. They can really struggle to find a different balance with healthy foods. There are a range of other factors that come into play that make it difficult. Chiefly, American budget food is typically very low quality, and most people have several minor food allergies. This makes people rely on junk food, likely unaware of issues like lactose intolerance that makes them unable to access healthy calories. Dairy is in EVERYTHING in American food. Like stupid stuff too. There is milk in most chips now. Like who the F puts milk in chips. It took me nearly a decade to fix how I eat, and realize we were all pretty much raised to be stupid consumers of whatever garbage is placed in front of us as Americans. Fixing the sugar addiction usually means fixing a bunch of other problems too.
- Spice
  
  Spice can be a addiction? Keralities/indians be like💀
  
  Everything nice
- This is why I've started limiting my sugar to once a week. It's working pretty well. The cravings dropped decently after a few days.
- Oh man yeah this is true

Caffeine, people think they aren’t addicted to caffeine and can stop any time but watch them be miserable and go right back when they try. And in the same vein adderall for those college kids who are cramming before tests
- If I go 2 days without coffee, my head starts to kill me. Definitely an addiction.
  
  I threw up on an international flight because I didn't have caffeine
- I have adhd. Caffeine I definitely feel the symptoms when I stop. My adhd drug (Focalin, not aderall) I just feel the ADHD symptoms more but no headaches and such.
- Personally I just had the worst headache for multiple weeks.
- I've had to quit temporarily due to an injury and while it does suck at first, it's not as hard as something like nicotine. Doable if you have the motivation to quit but I eventually went back to drinking a few cups a day because the pros outweigh the cons for me.
  
  Do you mind sharing why you went back?
- I drink several cups a day but even if I don't I still feel the same. I'm not one of those "don't talk to me before I've had my coffee" -guys. I just drink it out of habit and because I like the taste. I don't feel like it effects me in almost any way. I can even drink a cup few hours before sleep. I guess you could say it's an addiction since I do it every day and don't want to stop but I'd still rather just consider it a habit in my case.
  
  @ThornyThicket @qooqie
  I could be wrong but this sounds surprisingly like the "I don't actually need it, I can quit at any time, I just don't want to" trope.
  Just put of curiosity if you switched to decaff for a month or something would you notice or feel any difference?
  I'm not a coffee drinker so I don't really know what it's like. (I'll do tea every now and again but nothing daily or multiple times a day)
  
  I had that as well. Didn't feel any real benefits/effects from it and also no abstinence symptoms but drank coffee occasionally because of taste.
  Then my high blood pressure was discovered, I was put on medication and since then I feel the rush of caffeine and unfortunately the headache after withdrawal as well.
- I tried cutting it out for a while to see if it was causing some anxiety (it wasn’t, it was just the world and lockdowns) but went from 2-3 large cups of chemex a day to 0 for about 8 weeks and it was frankly…. fine? I didn’t even get headaches. I count myself lucky, esp so since I am back to drinking coffee haha
  
  Same for me. Had to quit cold turkey because of gastritis and later an operation and it was fine. Headache for a day and obviously the ritual of morning coffee was gone, but that's it.
- I legitimately thought I was coming down with a cold when I accidentally didn't get any caffeine for a day, lol
- Oh man. I get to experience all the addict tropes with caffeine. Slurping spilled coffee from the kitchen counter (less hygienic than vodka), panic-crying when were out of beans, snarling at my love ones until they take me to Peets or Starbucks.
  Every once in a while (like every 18 months) I'll taper back down to sobriety (16 oz a day for two days, then 8 ozs then 4 or zero) and wow there's a level of giving zero fucks even below the iceberg. Maybe it's negative fucks or microfractional fuck-giving. But when I'm drying out, no goth, no cynic, no edge lord can stand a chance matching the degree of fuck non-giving I manage.
- I need to, ironically, pick up some caffeine pills so I can quit. Last time I quit I waited until I started feeling like shit then took part of a caffeine pill, since I couldn't find smaller ones. Only had to take the one dose and I was good.

Algorithmic Addiction from Social Media consumption. An analogy would be Caffeine addiction from coffee consumption.
Most people who use smartphones are addicts and are far from being aware of it.
- I only browse lemmy 6 hours a day, there's no way I'm addicted!
  
  I can stop whenever I want!
  
  I haven't found enough content on Lemmy to keep me interested daily...
- Yeah I'm feeling that. I thought I had kicked up, but Lemmy is getting too good lately...
  And Lemmy isn't even intentionally employing dark patterns to drive up my engagement.
  
  I don't know if you are using the web UI or an app, but I found that if you use a mobile app it gets even more addictive. I had to delete Connect from my phone because it made it easier to just sit and scroll. Now I'm doing that on the web anyway, argh...
  
  I haven't yet become addicted to Lemmy. Still relapsing from a decade of Reddit. I barely remember how to live without it.

Outrage
- How DARE you!

I’m surprised not to see “Weed” here.
I don’t smoke anymore, cuz awesome anxiety. But I was hella addicted when I was younger. I’ve got a few friends who HAVE to smoke every day, or when they go out, or when they play video games, or when they wake up…
It’s not physically addictive, but damn can it ever be mentally.
- Never tried weed myself, so I can’t speak from experience. However, I’ve heard all sorts of things about it. Some people say it isn’t addictive. Some say it’s totally harmless. Some say it’s not as bad as beer, but it does have some downsides. And then there are people who say they’ve decided to quit because of some negative effects it has. Who should I believe?
  
  My take: If you are at a low point in life, have a mental disorder or are depressed, your chances of getting addicted over time is greatly increased and you probably shouldn't consume without medical supervision (even then, THC-less weed might be better for you). It's really hard to get out of the habit once smoking weed slowly becomes the only thing that can give you joy/relaxation, and your mental situation worsens long-term.
  In most other cases your risks are very small and you definitely should try it sometime. Every person reacts a little differently, hence the many opinions out there. I say just try it, see how it makes you feel and if you decide to consume regularly, try to be mindful of any negative habitual/bodily changes that long-term use may cause.
  
  As the other person pointed out, weed is not physically addictive. But almost anything can be mentally addictive
  
  Its not particularly dangerous when compared to alcohol, but its definitely not harmless. It isn't addictive in the sense that it causes a chemical dependency, but its very easy to over rely on because its simply a cheap easy way to feel good. There was a period in my life where I would say I was addicted to it. Any other pleasure in my life wasn't relevant unless I was combining it with marijuana, and despite what I believed at the time it didn't make me creative or productive. I was a walking stereotype of a lazy stoner. I only quit because I was forced to after losing my job for a surprisingly unrelated reason. I felt like garbage for days on end after stopping and only then did I realize it was a problem. At this point I have a much healthier relationship with the drug, I usually only partake in social situations with some rare exceptions. How bad the drug is really just depends on who's using it and how they're using it.
  
  I'd say you should take what people tell you at face value unless they're a close friend. There was a commenter here who said they had to stop reading book because it was addictive to them. Anything can mess up someone's day. Weed makes some people not feel okay. It makes some people want to smoke it (or eat gummies or whatever) way too often. Plenty of other people have totally fine relationships with it.
  Unless you really have a view into someone's life I wouldn't worry about trying to decide if they're lying and if something like an intervention is necessary.
- Pot makes it easy to tolerate boredom, and as a result be boring.
  I suppose one could say this about most drugs.
- I keep trying edibles from time to time and I just don't get it. It just feels like I took a sleeping pill. I don't generally have problems falling asleep so this is undesirable. I don't feel any fun effects with it like I do with alcohol.
  Is that just how some people respond to weed??? I don't get why people enjoy it. Maybe smoking it is different?

Internet and screens in general.
- Fuck...

Lemmy, my friends says this is a cult.
- We are your friends now. You don't need them anymore.
  
  How wholesome ♥️
  
  kratoz29 is our friend now ☭
  
  There is lemmynade enough for all
- It's not a cult. We're a tight knit community. Don't leave though, you won't like it if you leave. The world isn't great outside. You should stay. If you leave you won't be accepted anymore. We are your friends. You don't want to lose the only people who care for you, right?
  
  You don't want to lose the only people who care for you, right?
  I fucking don't.

With so many states (US) legalizing weed, people are quickly forgetting that yes, pot is a drug and yes, it is addivitve.

Work. Just because society deems it acceptable doesn't mean it's healthy.
- It's not deemed acceptable, it's deemed absolutely necessary. Hard to fight it most times.
  
  Work Yes. But as a former workaholic there is that time where you do it like an addict. You sacrifice health, relationships, and joy. It winds up consuming you like any other addiction.
  
  Right. I don't work because I'm addicted to it lmao
- I'm not sure if the alternative (being unemployed) is any healthier.
  
  I don't mean work in general. I mean when it becomes like the normal addictions we think of and it consumed you.

Social media consumption as a whole.
- For profit social media as of now. I assuming but I may be wrong, that Lemmy has difference (lack of algo likely better for mental health?).
  Btw, lemmydotworld users can make an alt for their country, interests or another generic instance to connect to all spaces (lemm.ee), use browse.feddit.de to find one.

Social media, here we all are lmaoooo
- I've always referred to Reddit and other forum type sites as "anti-social media".
  Nobody's here to gain clout. Nobody's here to get more followers. Nobody's here to try and be famous.
  We're here because it's anonymous (if you want it to be), and because it's fundamentally different from mainstream social networking sites.
  
  Definitely agree with you on how Reddit and forums are different, but they can still be pretty addictive. I just love reading discussions about stuff, and it really scratches an itch that is not satisfied by social media that is centered around personalities. I hate all the self promotion on sites like Twitter and Instagram anyway, as despite there being a lot of cool stuff, there are so many "influencers" and grifters out there it's honestly a massive turnoff to use the sites.
  
  Add in that you can just check how the algorithm that sorts your posts works. Social media like Facebook have always felt like 100% ads with how content is sorted. If not for anotherproduct, an ad for Facebook itself.
- It's different, in my opinion. You're not trying to expose yourself, you're not gonna change yourself so the others can think you're something you're not.

- Omg finally another person! Sometimes I just can’t stop reading and I’ll stay up all night reading. During some specific sequences when I am reading a new book I experience euphoria. At one point I needed to stop myself from buying more books because it can get expensive when you are buying a new book every couple of days. One thing that helped, at least with the money issue, was discovering free web serials. Few are literary masterpieces, but there is enough to read that I can get my fix.
  
  Many places have a classic resource that is full of free books that are funded by the government called libraries. You should check them out.

Fast food.
The amount of fast food people eat in America is not normal.
- Yeah man this is one I can admit.
  The food is not even that good, but my body craves it. That's classic addiction right there.
  
  I believe it is the inclusion of HFCS in just about everything which is known to be addictive.

Music.
Some people won't drive without it. Or can't study, etc.
Obviously not a harmful addiction, or even undesirable in most cases - but generally unacknowledged.
I like most music, but it doesn't occur to me to go out of my way to play it for myself.
- I have ADHD, so music helps me maintain focus when I'm (usually) unmedicated. That being said, I do have a very strong media dependency, so I get where you're coming from.
- Omg finally someone like me. I only Listen to music when it's already playing or someone gives me an earworm or something like that. But usually i just don't open spotify unprompted.

Porn
- Surprised I had to scroll dowm this far to see "porn", should be the top one lol

Codependency. It's okay to not be in a relationship.
- it's lonely and boring though
  
  ...said the codependent :P

Following sports. Being a die hard sports fan is time consuming and stressful. Obviously betting on sports is an addiction people talk about now, but even tipping comps and fantasy football type leagues are things that rob you of time and energy.

Air. You don't actually need it.

Phone and to some extent, gadgets in general.
- Are you saying that phone addiction is real with just 8-9h of sot per day? /s

youtube shorts. A friend described them as a "time vampire".
- People watch YouTube Shorts?
  
  I click on titles I find interesting, but I'm personally not a scroller. But I have friends that do go down that rabbit hole for large chunks of time at a time.
  Short form content can be scarily addicting.
- So many people boast about not using TikTok. Then waste comparable amounts of time on YouTube/FB/Instagram Shorts.
  
  Well at least your data is not going to the Chinese governments.

Consumerism.
Tabloid / reality tv drama.
Porn.

Coffee.
- Caffeine in general.

Asking for help/favors. Also using white lies as easy answers for certain questions instead of explaining the truth.

Carbohydrates. We love em carbs.
- As a diabetic: guess i‘ll die

- Masturbation
  (...) is frequent in both sexes and at any age. Various medical and psychological benefits have been attributed to a healthy attitude toward sexual activity in general and to masturbation in particular.
  (...) Masturbation in non-human animals has been observed both in the wild and in captivity.
  Benefits : 50% decrease of prostate cancer for men having 21 or more ejaculations per month compared to similar group having between 4 and 7 ejaculations per month.
  
  Shame around masturbation is cringe 👌
- Teenagers don't count

Food
- Sugar specifically.
  
  Came here to say sugar. It's a motherfucker
- You're right, I am going to stop this addiction cold turkey. Never eating food again.

Breathing. People do it all the time and most people will die if they don't breathe.
- Meeting the physiologically most basic needs for survival is never an addiction.
  
  What, you don't say‽
- So in that case does water count as an addiction?
  
  Of course. In fact, the most addictive kind is sparkling water

Rage. Manufactured rage specifically.

Reddit addiction.

Salt. I am one

Food. Jfc does America love food. Celebration? Throw a bbq. Mourning? Better bring a casserole. Meeting? Where’s the donuts? Wealth is synonymous with healthy food: fresh fruit, smoothies, and whatever hot new protein food strikes your fancy. What do you eat? How do you carry it? How do you drink it? How do you mix it? How do you cook it? It’s fucking absurd.
- I think nearly every culture uses food in this way. I know India and Indonesia do

Spending money.
Social media.
Eating.
Gaming.
- Eating.
  Yeah, can relate, been addicted ever since I can remember. I have tried quitting, but the withdrawals are insane, so guess it's just not for me...
  
  You joke but eating to mask feelings is common and food is the worst addiction to have because you can't just not have it like with drugs or alcohol. You can't avoid food when you need it to survive so maintaining recovery is extremely difficult.

Coffee
- Oh I am very aware that I am addicted to coffee haha. Just doesn’t seem to do anything but help me wake up, and I enjoy the taste and the ritual, so I figure what’s the harm?
  
  Yeah I will say I don't think all addictions are necessarily negative.

Video games

News.

All of them?
Addiction has a way of making one tend toward denial. "I can quit any time I want" is such a cliche thing for addicts to say, it's easy to forget that people actually say that shit with a straight face, but they do.
- A lot of the things mentioned here are enjoyable, (caffeine, sugar, social media and yes, masturbation), but most people are not addicted to them. They simply do a cost-benefit analysis. Take smoking. I used to smoke 3 packs a day and it was very enjoyable, but the risk of getting a serious illness (or giving one to someone else) outweighed the attraction, so I stopped. Across the US smoking rates declined massively over the last few decades, so it seems many others had the same idea as me. I would do the same if anything I really enjoyed turned out likely to do me great harm.
  Now I drink coffee every single day. I eat lots of sugar, (but I also do bucketloads of exercise.. I run 50 miles a week for instance). So the probability of harm is small. I also drink a beer or two most days. Sometimes for work I have to travel to remote camps and spend a couple of weeks without a drink. Doesn't bother me. But I do enjoy the first beer when I return home just that little bit more.