What are you doing today?

[Rusty_Shackleford]

Most of my research portfolio was devoted to investigating the neurobiology of chemical dependency. My brother’s death and my father’s alcoholism were driving factors.

Addiction is hereditary as well. My wife's sister was an addict for years before she passed. She stole around 50k from her parents during the course of her addiction. Now both of my wife's sons are addicts, high school drop outs, no GED, no job, no future. One has done very well and wants to help other addicts recover. I commend him for that.

Looking at it from another life, I guess there's a real choice you made. You can follow the family paths, or try to do something about them in your own way, whatever that is. Addiction to booze slaughtered the World War 2 vet older generation of my family, and their kids had some difficult lifestyle decisions to make. Addicts never think about the ripples their decisions send out so widely, and how they can have an impact on people they never even meet.

A lot of people get into our little fish hobby in an attempt to find something other than substances to occupy their energy. I've known a lot of struggling alcohol, and opiate survivors still trying to keep surviving with this hobby. I recently had a guy here to get some fish who had quite a story of cocaine addiction, then religious mania/cult membership, then cocaine again and now rehab, a young family and a brave attempt to get things on track - I hope he makes it. All I can do is listen and support his attempts. I was also recently rocking a baby who was in care after being born addicted and had recently finished his detox. You wonder what happens with addiction when a child like that becomes an adult.

My grandfather on my mom's side was a WW2 vet. I think he was in his 50's or 60's when he checked himself into rehab and went through AA and recovered.
Yes addiction is an illness, but there is also a certain amount of personal choice to not seek help and remain sick.

 

[gwand]

Twin and adoption have shown that about 50% of susceptibility to alcohol dependence is genetic.

 

[gwand]

I found a local fish rehoming site on FB. I posted that I have 15 Apistogramma cacatuoides females to rehome. I have another spawn from September 19 where I increased the tank water temperature, hoping to produce a majority of males this time.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Alcohol and drugs are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to addiction.

To my mind, the trickiest addictions to kick are "drugs" that aren't inherently bad: Workaholism, overeating, and online addiction are probably the most common. These are very sneaky, and the addict often doesn't realize they're addicted (though their loved ones probably do). They are extremely easy to justify because the drug of choice isn't inherently a bad thing and can't be quit entirely. Most of us know that we would really be better off without drunkenness and illegal drugs and porn. But you can't just quit eating or working.

They are also extremely easy to justify. How much overeating is ignored because of "positive body image"? How many workoholics are praised as go-getters? How many "Teacher of the Year" awards have I seen given to people whose families are a mess because they're never around? I'm no psychologist, but I would bet that more families have been destroyed by workaholism than by alcohol or drugs...and online addiction is warming up in the bullpen to take a swing at that title.

The hard thing about all addictions is that the only way out is through. Once over the chemical aspect, one has to find good things to fill that void (this is what many of the 12 steps are about). Otherwise it comes back, or gets replaced with something even worse.

 

[gwand]

I’m sitting outside on my daughter’s deck and was paid a visit by this little guy.

 

[gwand]

Alcohol and drugs are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to addiction.

To my mind, the trickiest addictions to kick are "drugs" that aren't inherently bad: Workaholism, overeating, and online addiction are probably the most common. These are very sneaky, and the addict often doesn't realize they're addicted (though their loved ones probably do). They are extremely easy to justify because the drug of choice isn't inherently a bad thing and can't be quit entirely. Most of us know that we would really be better off without drunkenness and illegal drugs and porn. But you can't just quit eating or working.

They are also extremely easy to justify. How much overeating is ignored because of "positive body image"? How many workoholics are praised as go-getters? How many "Teacher of the Year" awards have I seen given to people whose families are a mess because they're never around? I'm no psychologist, but I would bet that more families have been destroyed by workaholism than by alcohol or drugs...and online addiction is warming up in the bullpen to take a swing at that title.

The hard thing about all addictions is that the only way out is through. Once over the chemical aspect, one has to find good things to fill that void (this is what many of the 12 steps are about). Otherwise it comes back, or gets replaced with something even worse.

I spent 40 years in academia at the university and medical school level. Every four years I taught a new crop of medical students and young doctors. And while in the past, there was plenty of workaholism, in my final 10 years, it was just the opposite. It was a generation of slouches. The pendulum swung in the opposite direction.

 

[Rusty_Shackleford]

Alcohol and drugs are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to addiction.

To my mind, the trickiest addictions to kick are "drugs" that aren't inherently bad: Workaholism, overeating, and online addiction are probably the most common. These are very sneaky, and the addict often doesn't realize they're addicted (though their loved ones probably do). They are extremely easy to justify because the drug of choice isn't inherently a bad thing and can't be quit entirely. Most of us know that we would really be better off without drunkenness and illegal drugs and porn. But you can't just quit eating or working.

They are also extremely easy to justify. How much overeating is ignored because of "positive body image"? How many workoholics are praised as go-getters? How many "Teacher of the Year" awards have I seen given to people whose families are a mess because they're never around? I'm no psychologist, but I would bet that more families have been destroyed by workaholism than by alcohol or drugs...and online addiction is warming up in the bullpen to take a swing at that title.

The hard thing about all addictions is that the only way out is through. Once over the chemical aspect, one has to find good things to fill that void (this is what many of the 12 steps are about). Otherwise it comes back, or gets replaced with something even worse.

Not to mention everyone reading this is an aquaholic.

 

[GaryE]

Alcohol and drugs are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to addiction.

To my mind, the trickiest addictions to kick are "drugs" that aren't inherently bad: Workaholism, overeating, and online addiction are probably the most common.

This is really thought provoking, but is also a very slippery problem to define. I loved my work. Was it addiction? Judging by how I dropped it when I retired, likely not. But we veer into areas no one likes to discuss when we look at behavioural addictions. Where does it begin and end with religion? Politics? Overeating? Work? Wealth? Online activity? Shopping? Stage performance?

Some of these things are sacred cows to some and legit targets to others. I doubt we'll ever be able to sort those out, given the problems we have with defining substances alone. What gets those feel good chemicals flowing in our bodies?

 

[gwand]

Addiction is a chronic, relapsing condition characterized by a compulsive desire to engage in a behavior despite harmful consequences.

 

[Lanpenn]

Curious thing... today I have received that. It seems that for some way, they finally terminated my bank account. So... no more mercenaries trying to fraud my card?

Today was the day of going to the yoga group class. It was interesting. I was the only man going to the yoga. Since my knees are not so good, I did only a few exercises. Later, we had breakfast. I was lucky enough to be drawn, getting a 15-minute massage session. The only man who went to yoga and received a massage.

 

[GaryE]

I took the dog out early, on a windy morning that looked like it would become a nice day. The sea sounded like a subway train, and that should have told me otherwise, but I was being strangely optimistic. By the time I'd made my coffee and the sky had brightened, we had sheets of cold rain hammering at the windows, and very high winds from the southeast, usually a sign of a storm at sea.
Oh well. It could be freezing rain or snow, and the yard work can wait another day. My big task of the day is getting my flu and covid shots, so I'll have a full day to get other work done.

I set a tank up on the weekend so I can catch some cardinals later and move them into it to breed up a bunch. It's November, and they can be fooled into thinking the rains have arrived. I have a pile of black neons darting around. They're now big enough to take freshly hatched artemia, and as a result are growing like conspiracy theories. So if I get cardinals in a week or so, I can raise them, my slightly older Angola barbs and a small bunch of Nothobranchius palmqvisti on the same artemia hatches. I wish the various Corys would show some pre-spawning activity. They may all be too young still.

 

[Back in the fold]

Geez . . . . some bummer stuff to read in this thread today . I don’t understand addictions at all . I have a younger brother who has been an alcoholic for his entire life it seems . He’s going to be 67 on his next birthday if he makes it . He had to go in for more heart ablasion , whatever that is , last month but still smokes three or four packs of cigarettes every day . He’s been in treatment many times over the years and in prison twice because of things he did while drunk . Doesn’t a guy ever wake up and figure things out ? I just don’t understand this at all .

 

[GaryE]

Geez . . . . some bummer stuff to read in this thread today . I don’t understand addictions at all . I have a younger brother who has been an alcoholic for his entire life it seems . He’s going to be 67 on his next birthday if he makes it . He had to go in for more heart ablasion , whatever that is , last month but still smokes three or four packs of cigarettes every day . He’s been in treatment many times over the years and in prison twice because of things he did while drunk . Doesn’t a guy ever wake up and figure things out ? I just don’t understand this at all .

Addiction is compulsive behaviour, often wired into the brain (if I'm wrong, help me out @gwand ). Not everyone can simply kick it - it becomes a disease in need of treatment that doesn't always work. There's a genetic predisposition, a bad choice or two, and off you go. I've known people who dabbled in the dangerous and stopped with little problem, and others who seemed to become addicts really quickly. The choice to try is that - a choice, but the addiction seems genetic.
I know a few people who had alcoholic parents, and have never tasted alcohol. They don't want to like it.

Other than my non chemical dependence on fishkeeping, I've tried to avoid addictions consciously because of family history (and the history addicted older generation people left behind). I became completely hooked on smokes way back when - but quit 30 plus years ago. I always watched the booze and chemical vices. Not everyone does.

We're weird creatures, as a group.

 

[gwand]

@GaryE is correct. If your brain is not wired for addiction to alcohol you can drink a fair amount and never get addicted. But if you inherited addiction genes modest exposure can lead to severe addiction. What the non addictive person has a hard time grasping is how intense the craving can be and how intense detox can be. That is why people destroy their health and their loved ones in search of their next drink or fix. I applaud anyone who makes an attempt to become sober. My father destroyed his life and family and not once tried a treatment program. Unforgivable!

 

[Back in the fold]

What a world we live in . Industrial booze and mad chemists poisoned us . I say industrial booze because of the ready availability of more than anyone could want thanks to the giant distilleries and brewery's . If things were still like they were before the Industrial Revolution a guy would have to make his own beer , liquor or wine and still tend to his farm or trade at the same time . He wouldn't have time to be a souse . The mad chemists ? There’s another thing peculiar to our times . It was either Japanese or German chemists who came up with methamphetamine and the politicians got the soldiers hooked or so goes the story . Yeah , what a world we live in . Internet addiction ? Yes , I do believe that’s a thing . Everywhere I go I see people staring mindlessly at phones in situations where it just doesn’t seem right . Riding bicycles , sitting in a beautiful outdoor park and driving even though that's against the law almost everywhere . Internet pornography is killing the minds and sensitivities of countless men and why something like that is even available baffles me . In my lifetime girly magazines were always wrapped in plain brown paper and kept under the shelf or were flat illegal in cities that had prurient interest / community standards laws . Somewhere along the way the floodgate opened and the genie is out of the bottle . Fish keeping as an addiction ? I’m kind of on the fence there . I suppose it could be but I bet any wife anywhere would love to have a husband with that addiction rather than booze , drugs , gambling or dirty pictures .