What are you doing today?

[gwand]

Fish keeping cannot be considered an addiction unless the hobbyist continues to engage in the hobby despite negative consequences, e.g. your wife threatens to leave you if you don’t stop. Been there. Done that.

 

[Rusty_Shackleford]

Fish keeping cannot be considered an addiction unless the hobbyist continues to engage in the hobby despite negative consequences, e.g. your wife threatens to leave you if you don’t stop. Been there. Done that.

But if you're addicted to buying fish you don't have room for there are negative consequences. Maybe not for the human, but for the fish.

On a related tangent, I've read some news stories this week concerning the 2018 Farm Bill. If you're not aware of that it's a law that did away federal regulations on hemp and hemp products as long as the products had a THC content below a certain percentage.
This has resulted in many avenues for industrial use of hemp as well as vapes, gummies, and drinks all containing THC and all perfectly legal and sold in the open for recreational use.

There is a faction of politicians that want to change or revoke the Farm Bill which would again make these products illegal. Among those in support for the bill remaining unchanged are a group of brewers and distilleries. Their argument is we've done this before (prohibition) and the industry didn't dry up and go away, it went underground and criminal. Think Al Capone and speak easy's. The alcohol producers say they have expertise in this sort of business conditions. I think they want a piece of the action. Maybe because I recently read a study that showed that drinking cannabis drinks reduced alcohol consumption by 60%.
This is a 180° flip from the 1980's. I don't know if any of you remember commercials on TV at that time from a group called Partnership For A Drug Free America. Guess who funded that group? Alcohol producers. They wanted a monopoly on the buzz market.
It gets even more interesting. The chief opponent of the Farm Bill, who want hemp to be recriminalized are major corporations like Kraft and Nestle. But I can't figure out why. Idon't see their motivation. You would think they would want it legal because they are the ones that produce Doritos and Twinkies.
In addition, Sen. Rand Paul has stated that if any attempt is made to change the Farm Bill, he would introduce legislation to raise the legal limit of THC to triple what the limit is now. I find this story fascinating and I can't wait to see what happens.

This is not political though it discusses politics. Please don't ding me for it.

 

[Rusty_Shackleford]

So it took a full 24 hrs for my wife son to sleep it off. Never once got up to use the bathroom or get some to eat or drink in those 24 hours. Just sleep.

Other than that I've been busy collecting infractions on other forums lol.

 

[Innesfan]

I think that in this discussion addiction is being conflated with obsession. Clinically, addiction is distinguished from, say, OCD.

 

[gwand]

I think that in this discussion addiction is being conflated with obsession. Clinically, addiction is distinguished from, say, OCD.

There is overlap in the neurocircuitry between OCD and elements of addiction. For example addicts have obsessional thoughts about their drug of choice.

 

[anewbie]

I wonder what size aquarium would make a good home for a pink nose dolphin maybe 50,000 gallons ? Or perhaps they are best in a large river like the amazon !

The photos showing why pink dolphins are the Amazon's 'great thieves'

Dramatic underwater photos capture the elusive Amazonian pink dolphins red-handed.

www.bbc.com

 

[jaylach]

Just got done updating a couple of my computers.

Earlier I got the last 2 of my current on-line orders. One showed up a day early and the other 2 days early. Think I did pretty well-as to price.

One order was 3 sets of matted fleece lined sweats, both tops and bottoms, for about $65.00 USD. I got all three tops for about $30.00 USD and each had a retail tag with a price each of $29.99. I don't remember before ever having fleece sweats They are really soft and comfy.

Another was stocking up on stuff for my cockatiel. I got 6 pounds of Kaytee fortified seed mix, 2 pounds of spray millet sprigs and 14 ounces of apricot and peach treat sticks with seeds and honey. They are sticks for hanging but, as with the spray millet, I have to break up and ration or he will go through them WAY too fast ignoring his normal food. Shoot, he will destroy a good sized millet sprig in a day. Again it all cost me around $65.00 USD. Both the millet and treats are bird candy although the millet is actually very healthy for him but I can't let him over indulge or he ignores his seed mix which supplies some minerals and other nutrients that the millet lacks.

Other than that I now feel much safer in my apartment a s a lady that lived right next to me was escorted out by the police via eviction procedures. Don't take me wrong as I hate seeing anyone lose their place to live but she was a danger to everyone in the building. She is a hoarder and smoked in her apartment. If she dropped a lit cigarette in the mess she would never be able to get it as she is disabled being in an electric wheel chair although she isn't quite as disabled as she presents. If she wants something from someone she walks just fine down the hall and, when bumming a car ride, she walks to the car. She is a manipulator and, sorry to say, a thief. When some other people tried to help her clean up her apartment while the eviction process was going on they found several boxes from deliveries that were addressed to other residents. She took a package that was meant for me but that was partly the carrier's fault as they left it at her door instead of mine. I think it was a UPS delivery as I think they are the one that emails a photo of the package by the door. I recognized her door and challenged. Still, even though she knew it was not hers she tried to keep. Sadly the woman really NEEDS fully monitored assisted living as she can't take care of herself. Heck, she lives on junk food. I don't mean fast food, I mean junk food such as chips and candy. She was getting "Meals On Wheels" lunch and dinners delivered for free due to her over stated disability but would just throw them away. While this MAY sound cold I am happy she is gone.

 

[fishorama]

Back to the hemp/pot issues. I find it hard to understand why either or both are legal in many states, including mine, but there isn't a legal way for them to use our US banking systems for their money. Cash only just allows criminals to target so called state "legal" businesses. They not only have to guard their "crops" but also any $$ from state legal transactions. This is not a way to allow let alone promote businesses. Medicinal pot may have different rules & laws depending on states. It needs to be national to be fair to all.

Here there are quality control standards that add to expenses & I'm fine with that. It makes legal pot much more expensive than black market mystery pot. This seems like a "gift" to criminal black marketeers; cheap or safely regulated. I know which I choose.

I don't partake of pot (although I have done many years ago, lol) or wear or use hemp products. But there's a way to tax both like alcohol & tobacco are. Seems like easy tax $$ with just a few federal & state fixes. Pot should not be the same as heroin etc., but like alcohol by age & blood level. I don't want "buzzed/high" drivers on our streets any more than I want "tipsy/drunk" drivers. But that's different than what people choose to do in their own homes.

I did almost nothing today. I had plans, but I blame my laziness on football last night & sore arm from a covid shot yesterday, no pot involved

 

[JuiceBox52]

One of my few remaining hobbies due to my health is Aurora chasing. It’s a difficult hobby because there is so much “sit and wait” during solar storms, you’re out for long periods of time, and more often than not it is cold (and I cannot get cold or I could die)

However I’m blessed to live less than 2 minutes from a stunning lookout place and have a nice warm car I can sit in and just pop the camera out the window for a few minutes.

Part of my nearly daily routine is checking the solar weather. Flares, solar speed, everything. I was really hoping that the sky would be clear when the first of two coronal mass ejections made impact to earth despite our cloudy weather as of late, and lo and behold the CME hit and we had some clearing AND I had enough energy and low enough pain to go out.

I am a happy happy girl

 

[gimme30]

@JuiceBox52 Happy to see another photog here! They're all great pics but I really like the 4th one down. Must be nice to live where you can see the AB...here in Colorado when you take night shots they all look like you forgot to take the lens cap off. But with our brown cloud (pollution) the sunrises look amazing.

 

[GaryE]

Obsession and addiction. I'm still interested by that one...

I've channeled some of my learning obsession into my aquarium hobby. Unless people die of boredom with my long posts, it hurts no one, and teaches me things I like considering. Fair enough. That to me is a strong interest.

I know a couple of gamers who must play. They work and go to their games. They have few or no healthy relationships. So what came first? Are they people who can't function with others, can't create partnerships, and can't live a life they can't buy from a games developer? Or are they engaging in compulsive harmful behaviour that changes their life options and creates the social issues?

They aren't unlike weed smokers (for the hemp debate, it's legal here) where an addiction can be behavioural.

We need the things that get our brain chemicals smiling, but that line between wanting, needing and living for is tough when it isn't something like an opiate or alcohol that makes fundamental changes to your body when you become addicted.

I have a friend who loves playing all sports. Throw a ball and he's worse than a dog. Now in his fifties, he's begun to collect concussions. The last two have been extreme, personality changers that have affected him deeply. But while he has stopped with most contact sports, he still can't stop competing and putting his injured brain at risk. So beyond saying it's stupid (he's a smart guy who understands cause and effect), what is that?

 

[anewbie]

I have Obsession and addictions but i learned a long time ago in a galaxy far away that i do not get addicted to drugs or alcohol - of which neither i particularly like or rarely use though i did take an asprin a few weeks ago. I think the last drink i had was on the beech about 10 years ago. Mind you every once in a while i consider getting a jug of baileys and i have no opposition to drinking it just doesn't do much for me so i tend to skip the calories and instead plow them into very dark chocolate which are yummy.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

I have Obsession and addictions but i learned a long time ago in a galaxy far away that i do not get addicted to drugs or alcohol - of which neither i particularly like or rarely use though i did take an asprin a few weeks ago. I think the last drink i had was on the beech about 10 years ago. Mind you every once in a while i consider getting a jug of baileys and i have no opposition to drinking it just doesn't do much for me so i tend to skip the calories and instead plow them into very dark chocolate which are yummy.

Good point. There are some addictions that are more harmful than others. I've always been grateful that drugs and alcohol aren't big stumbling blocks for me. I love the taste of a good beer, but the few times I've had enough that I could really feel it? Not a good feeling to me, and certainly not something I'm going to go looking for. There are other things I have to be very careful about, though. Being addicted to something relatively harmless, like dark chocolate, is preferred.

@GaryE I find your points interesting. Sometimes the line between addiction and just really being into something is a little fuzzy. It has to do with, as @gwand said, continuing to engage in an activity despite negative consequences. Even that isn't a definite line, though. I hunted elk a few years ago with a cast on my foot, knowing that doing so was going to hurt and delay my healing. But I did it anyway. Addiction? No, more of a temporary preoccupation, similar to an artist giving up some sleep or skipping a meal for their craft. Overall hunting is really healthy for me, so it's worth the temporary sleep deprivation, strain on my aging body, and occasional strain on the relationship with Mrs. Badger.

Overall health. The apostle Paul said "All things are lawful, but not all things build up." If something makes me a worse person, wrecks my relationships, eliminates my self-control, and I keep doing it anyway? Then it might be an addiction...especially if it's something I want to stop, and I am unable to.

@Innesfan I don't know the exact line between addiction and obsession, but they definitely travel together.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

@JuiceBox52 Beautiful pics! I'm glad you were able to get out and enjoy the amazingness.

 

[Back in the fold]

Hemp . Not all it’s cracked up to be . The stoners that read High Times magazine think , that like pot , it cures everything and can be made into anything . Go buy yourself a pair of hemp pants or a shirt . They’ll be threadbare in two months .