Words matter - time to retire the use of "addiction"?

[Fisheeboy]

Going by the content of the thread and by half-remembered stuff...
A habit is something you can give up pretty easily
A dependence is a need to continue, but does not have a negative impact on your life.
An addiction is something that rules your life to the exclusion of all else.
It seems to me those are social-science definitions, not medical ones, and I'm not sure I can justify them. But the OP does have a point if, by using the medical term addiction, we are allowing ourselves to be lumped into the social-science addict definition. An addict in those terms is pretty much a helpless victim who must be forced (or aggressively helped) to quit in whatever way is necessary. Their own sense of reason and perspective is hopelessly compromised. That certainly is not descriptive of anyone on this forum.

Thanks. Seems like you did a fine job at posting what I was basically looking for. I can live with those definitions and conclude that I do have a nicotine dependence. I guess I have to assume that the point behind these threads is to steer away from the misconception that "I'm a nicotine addict and I will do whatever it takes to get my fix". I'm no stranger to true addiction and I know the hell that people go through and put others through because of the addiction. It aint pretty and there is nothing amusing about it. I would still be willing to say I am addicted to nicotine but not with the above mentioned example of what addiction entails. Technically speaking, I am nicotine dependent. Technically speaking, I am not a nicotine addict. At least I hope not Guess it depends on who I'm talking to.

 

[stylezuk]

An addiction can also be classified by habitual usages of a substance, this can be as simple as coffee or any other daily thing that we "depend" on, now the whole thing is how it's perceived one form of addiction is what most would call an illness at which point yes it rules your life and everything around it suffers due to this but as prior it's a dependency. Now put down your vape kit and stop just for 1 day and i can guarantee you that your brain and body will want "need" the nicotine to be able to function in the way we do with the "substance" as i said that could be coffee or salt or even peanuts if you eat them all the time, when the body is of lack of the normal substances we crave, is that addiction it all depends on how you look at it, but since we all have brains that function in different ways views will differ especially when read and not spoken as we have no body language to go on. I'd comfortably say that it's an addiction since I crave and do "need" to vape, we seem to forget how many things in our lifes we have this for, now that is not to say it's an illness as we don't effect others by neglecting since it doesn't alter our state of mind like other substances will.

 

[CabinetGuyScott]

I'm addicted, ummmm.... whatever addicted means! It is habit forming? Can't really say I have a habit of vaping, that just doesn't even sound right to me, to me, that's just me though. Ask me if I'm addicted to nicotine and I will gladly answer, Yes I most certainly am and I love it. Can I live without it? yeah, unfortunately. And I have and could do so again. God forbid that ever happens again though because I sure did miss my addiction. I have read another thread much like this one and I feel like I keep missing the point. Is saying I'm addicted to nicotine a bad thing? Is the word nicotine a four letter word? Or is "addicted" the four letter word? So what if I say it's addictive or that I'm addicted to it? Is this harming anyone? Am I making vaping out to be a lesser of evils? I just don't understand what any of this matters. Help me understand the purpose of this thread please. I'm pretty good at being an opened minded feller. So can you give me a good reason why this thing against the use of the word addiction matters? (note) I'm not trying to be combative I just want to understand so please don't lash out at me. I am friend not foe.

No worries, since we're talking about nicotine & not cakes (ref your avatar )...

You, me and every other smoker have had a relationship with nicotine - and in terms of casual, day-to-day application of the word, we pretty much describe it as an addiction.

And the word, in our collective vaper / (ex-)smoker's world is pretty much run-of-mill type of descriptor.

As to quitting, or breaking our 'addiction' to nicotine, for the majority of smoking, and now vaping folks, it seems the consensus is very much like you describe, we can live without it, and we sure would miss it. No one really expects we'd be hospitalized or suffer debilitating withdrawals, and really beyond a few weeks, just hold on to a pressing longing for the soft assurance of nicotine's touch... )

But, as others have pointed out along this thread, outside of the world of smokers, the word has strong connotations of ugliness - hard drug users, gambling, alcoholism, etc.

There is a strong emotional charge that goes with the word - out 'there'.

In here, I use the same phraseology you and many others have expressed.

But when I'm talking with someone who never smoked, never had experiences of true hard-core addictions, I don't use it because of the risk of conjuring a lot of negative associations in their mind.

And that's because there is no universal, black & white definition of what an addiction is (which is the entire point of Carl's blog post I referenced, and what made the ensuing exchanges in the comments to his blog fascinating (at least in my mind))

So in order to properly place or establish my addiction/dependence/habit or great fondness for nicotine, for that listener, in that moment - I choose the then appropriate words.

For example, my most frequently used phrase is that I love my nicotine much as I love my coffee / caffeine, and to be honest, maybe a little bit more

That establishes a hopefully familiar reference point that most people can relate to. If they don't drink coffee, they might then relate to common experiences maybe with tea, Mountain Dew, or nowadays with the youngsters the energy drinks.(or if you work for NCIS, CaffPow!

This avoids the potential baggage and associated negativity that could go with hearing the word 'addiction'

This is primarily because there is not a single, universally accepted definition or standard for what an addiction is.

Words mean things, and in this case, you can't know what the word will mean to that listener.

So choose words that are more likely to be heard and properly understood by the listener.

Tangent - as a professional talker, I have developed a philosophy: I feel that everyone who ever talks to anyone else, has a responsibility to choose the words, and express them in a way that the listener can comprehend your intended meaning.

Know your audience, and tailor your communications to maximize the odds of their Successfully knowing/understanding what you intend to convey.
And on the reverse, avoid words that leave open to interpretation in the listener's mind and their experience, something that you personally may not expect.

Along the same lines as we adapt our methods of communicating with a person as they move through the stages of life - home from the hospital -> rug-rat -> terrible 2's -> teenagehood (not a real word but will suffice for the moment) -> adulthood

/tangent


Btw...

Would / could I walk away from nicotine - yup, been there done that.
Would / could I walk away from coffee - yup, never really totally cut off, but close.

Got cranky as hell in both scenarios, but I got along 'okay'.

That's not an addiction in my personal interpretation of a very vague & indeterminate word.

But hey, that could just be the nicotine talking!!

 

[CabinetGuyScott]

An addiction can also be classified by habitual usages of a substance, this can be as simple as coffee or any other daily thing that we "depend" on, now the whole thing is how it's perceived one form of addiction is what most would call an illness at which point yes it rules your life and everything around it suffers due to this but as prior it's a dependency. Now put down your vape kit and stop just for 1 day and i can guarantee you that your brain and body will want "need" the nicotine to be able to function in the way we do with the "substance" as i said that could be coffee or salt or even peanuts if you eat them all the time, when the body is of lack of the normal substances we crave, is that addiction it all depends on how you look at it, but since we all have brains that function in different ways views will differ especially when read and not spoken as we have no body language to go on. I'd comfortably say that it's an addiction since I crave and do "need" to vape, we seem to forget how many things in our lifes we have this for, now that is not to say it's an illness as we don't effect others by neglecting since it doesn't alter our state of mind like other substances will.

... how it's perceived, one form of addiction is what 'most' would call an illness at which point yes it rules your life and everything around it suffers ...

Lots of good stuff in here!

 

[CabinetGuyScott]

Going by the content of the thread and by half-remembered stuff...
A habit is something you can give up pretty easily
A dependence is a need to continue, but does not have a negative impact on your life.
An addiction is something that rules your life to the exclusion of all else.
It seems to me those are social-science definitions, not medical ones, and I'm not sure I can justify them. But the OP does have a point if, by using the medical term addiction, we are allowing ourselves to be lumped into the social-science addict definition. An addict in those terms is pretty much a helpless victim who must be forced (or aggressively helped) to quit in whatever way is necessary. Their own sense of reason and perspective is hopelessly compromised. That certainly is not descriptive of anyone on this forum.

+! +! +! (that's a +3!)

YES!!

I are not a helpless victim, and I don't want to risk someone viewing me as such.

Well said rurwin!

 

[Fisheeboy]

I do love me some cake!!! So it looks like you and are on the same page CabinetGuyScott This has been a far better thread on this subject than the other one I partook in. Thanks buddy, I think you're making a good point. Now I have to go get me some cake and nobody better get in my way.

 

[AndriaD]

Are you addicted??

I'm addicted to everything, it's just my nature -- if there was any way to get high on soda pop, I'd be addicted to that too. I'm desperately addicted to my English Breakfast tea, and since I drink the caffeinated kind, it really is a physical addiction that would cause me massive headaches if I stopped suddenly. I still smoke, so of course I'm still addicted to that, and once I start vaping exclusively, I'll still be addicted, at least to the nicotine, though it's my plan, over time, to gradually scale back from the 6mg I've determined is the right starting point for me, till I'm vaping for fun and not for maintenance.

And there's nothing wrong with trading one addiction for another, if the one you take up helps you beat the first, and is less harmful -- that's how methadone works. And er... other stuff. The idjits that say things like that have no conception whatever of what addiction feels like or even really IS, or they wouldn't say such stupid things (and so they really ought to BUTTON IT! on the subject since they're so clueless about it!).

Just my ...
Andria

 

[stevegmu]

Addictions don't have to be bad. I'm addicted to Starbucks, blondes, visiting Prague and vaping. Not sure where the problem is...

 

[Bunnykiller]

I see an addiction as something a person has and will do anything (immoral) to sustain the source of the pleasure of said addiction...
I enjoy my nic but I dont need it 24/7 I dont rob people to get more nic..
Now on the other hand I am addicted to ECF I cant go more than 20 minutes without it I quit my job to be here, I ignore my wife, I quit eating.....
and yes Im kidding dont try this at home...

 

[bluecat]

Most addicts never think they have an addiction.

Why people think having an addiction is bad, I have no idea.

Just don't let the addiction consume you.

I am addicted to many things. Dark chocolate is one of them.

 

[DaveP]

Let's quantify the terms here. Vaping is a choice for me. It's a choice between a harmful activity and a much less harmful activity which is much more enjoyable, IMO. Terms used can be punitive if someone wants to make it sound harmful.

ad·dic·tion
noun \ə-ˈdik-shən, a-\

: a strong and harmful need to regularly have something (such as a drug) or do something (such as gamble)

: an unusually great interest in something or a need to do or have something

hab·it
noun \ˈha-bət\

: a usual way of behaving : something that a person does often in a regular and repeated way

choice
noun \ˈchȯis\

: the act of choosing : the act of picking or deciding between two or more possibilities

: the opportunity or power to choose between two or more possibilities : the opportunity or power to make a decision

: a range of things that can be chosen

 

[Ohms Lawbreaker]

"Hello, my name is Gary. Only 12 more steps to the basement. I'm only here to help you guys sober up."

 

[DaveP]

I've found that most people who look with disdain upon vaping don't really understand the difference. If you were using a Nicorette inhaler or gum, they would view that as a weakness for tobacco that had to be satisfied through pharmaceutical chemicals.

Those same people might control their inherent nervousness and schizophrenia through the use of similar chemicals, and for them that would be logical and normal because the doctor said it was alright. My doctor was so happy with my vaping that he put out an assortment of ecig pamphlets in his waiting room after I demoed my ecig in his examining room and explained it to him, along with a list of links for him to explore. I'm one of his success stories since vaping allowed me to quit tobacco for good.

It's something about nicotine. When I was young, people would point at smokers and refer to them as "nicotine fiends". Society can be pretty judgmental. And, they can do it with a stiff drink in their hands.

 

[Penn]

Let's quantify the terms here. Vaping is a choice for me. It's a choice between a harmful activity and a much less harmful activity which is much more enjoyable, IMO. Terms used can be punitive if someone wants to make it sound harmful.

I've been following and waiting for this. Someone with the sense to show the definition. Another definition to look up - Etymology. If you see the etymology of the word addiction you would see how far off many here are.

 

[p.opus]

I think that the operative term here, when talking about addiction is HARMFUL.

Alcoholism is an addiction because it has become harmful.

When someone becomes a compulsive shopper, or compulsive gambler, it becomes an addiction once it is harmful.

Lets apply that to vaping.

Nicotine is an "addictive" substance, just like Alcohol is, but use does not equate addiction. An addictive substance is any substance in which our use pattern has the high probability of turning into addictive behavior. In that we will engage in harmful behavior to get our substance.

Someone can be a heavy drinker, and drink every day. He can even be alcohol dependent. However, once he crosses the line to harmful behavior, (driving while drunk, stealing to get alcohol, selling ones body to get alcohol, losing one's job or career over alcohol use) he is an alcoholic. He is an addict.

So when our "habit" or "dependency" becomes HARMFUL, we have crossed over to being an addict.

Do you buy new vaping gear and let your kids or yourself go hungry? Is the bill collector threatening to take away your stuff but you still are pouring money into the best mod....You could be addicted.

The term nicotine addiction really was coined because we would engage in knowingly harmful activity (smoking) to achieve our nictotine fix. Now we've removed that harmful activity. Are we still addicts? Many of us are vaping 0mg? Does that make me an addict?

I think not. I still may have a vaping habit, or even a dependency, but since this dependency is not harmful, or has yet to be proven harmful, I do not consider myself addicted.

 

[EddardinWinter]

My point mainly was that the verbage used would be person and application specific so on the whole trying to change the terminology is not the greatest endeavor. More having the right person use the right terminology but again, we live in a society where language is such a butchered up cobblefunk of male cow excrement as it is

sent from the s4 of DOOOM

Epic. So very true.

Charleston should be proud of you.

 

[patkin]

Going by the content of the thread and by half-remembered stuff...
A habit is something you can give up pretty easily
A dependence is a need to continue, but does not have a negative impact on your life.
An addiction is something that rules your life to the exclusion of all else.
It seems to me those are social-science definitions, not medical ones, and I'm not sure I can justify them. But the OP does have a point if, by using the medical term addiction, we are allowing ourselves to be lumped into the social-science addict definition. An addict in those terms is pretty much a helpless victim who must be forced (or aggressively helped) to quit in whatever way is necessary. Their own sense of reason and perspective is hopelessly compromised. That certainly is not descriptive of anyone on this forum.

Bingo! And "must be forced (or aggressively helped)" is exactly the thinking of the morally self-righteous ANTZ. Whatever shaming or name-calling they do, pain they inflict, is justifiable because they're trying to "save" an addict. I've pretty well satisfied myself, via experimentation, that I'm not addicted in any sense of the word to nicotine. I think but am not sure that I was addicted (I use that word to mean physically) to something else in cigarettes as well as mentally obsessed with smoking. Its been through being able to use or not use nicotine via another form that simulates the act of smoking that's taught me that about myself that way. Those on this thread who've gotten snarky are every bit as closed-minded as one of the ANTZ and no constructive discussion can ensue in the presence of that kind of behavior. Smokers have been beaten up quite enough without being subjected to more of it from vapers. I'll continue to try to help those new vapers who have discovered what I have because they're not dealing with a physical addiction to nicotine and need a different approach to lay down the last of their smokes.

 

[LimeFox]

My simple view of addiction is that it is a physical/biological dependence on a “something” (nicotine, alcohol, oxycontin) that provides no physical/biological benefit except to relieve the physical/biological withdrawal symptoms from the exact same “something”.

Yes, I'm addicted to nicotine.

[On a side note, one proposed characteristic of addiction that has been repeated numerous times in this thread is that “addiction” is, at least in part, defined by the method in which one pays for their “something” (crime, not paying the rent, etc.). For me, the egregious flaw in this argument is that it relegates addiction to poor people. Let's face it, Bill Gates could live to 100 and support a 50 pill a day oxycontin habit without even blinking. In my world, he would still be an addict.]

 

[DaveP]

We are heavily addicted to nicotine when we smoke cigarettes because big tobacco introduces chemicals designed to augment natural dependence. With vaping, it's a hand to mouth habit with a continued addiction to nicotine left over from tobacco. The difference is that we have the ability to consume nicotine without the enhancements that made us demand it heavily. We can titrate our way down to NO nicotine over time and just be left with the hand to mouth enjoyment of vaping. Zero nic is equal to sugar free without the artificial substitutes that constitute "sugar free".

There are no cigarettes with the same properties. We can truly say that we are nic free with 0 nic juice. I'll be glad to point that out to those who view vaping as a dirty habit. They are consuming all the same chemicals in their daily lives that are in a nic free vape.

 

[patkin]

By the terms some are using here for "addiction," Baretta, carrying around and puffing on an unlit cigarette, and Kojak, sucking on his sugare-free lollipop, were both addicts. I can see the day fast approaching when sucking on a PV and blowing out vapor alone puts one in the "addict" category regardless of its contents or even inhaling. Once the snowball starts downhill, it doesn't stop. It sounds implausible now that insurance rates would be increased for any "addiction" that doesn't include a substance but if you look at how they've changed to net vapers due to loosing smokers when its the smoke that kills, its not.