Physical Drug Addiction > Mental State Addiction?

[Renegade_Turner]

DIsclaimer: This article is written under the diminishing effects of cannabis. Any ideas of bias in favour or against anything can be considered now before the reading of the topic. There.

There is a modern focus on drug addiction which has occurred more drastically over the past half a decade or so. This focus is on physical forms of addiction which come through the media of things you can smoke, things you can swallow, and things you can inject.

Much more of a focus is given to physical drug addiction as opposed to mental state addictions, such as an addiction to violence, an addiction to crime, or an addiction to self-serving behaviour. Some people are compulsively violent, or compulsively break laws, or compulsively make decisions in their own favour without considering how it affects others. These are all mental addictions, and are therefore given less attention than something which can be, in theory, more easily solved, such as physical drugs like alcohol or cannabis.

Also, drugs can be exploited for profit, mental forms of addiction cannot be, except in strange and sinister circumstances. Obviously drug addictions will be given closer attention, they're more obvious.

However, in reality, which do you think is more dangerous? An addiction to tobacco or an addiction to criminal behaviour or violence?

[David]

Also, drugs can be exploited for profit, mental forms of addiction cannot be, except in strange and sinister circumstances. Obviously drug addictions will be given closer attention, they're more obvious.

I think Blizzard would beg to differ -- World of Warcraft is very profitable.

[Ragdollmaster]

Also all Physical Drug Addictions are either harmful or just don't affect your health; besides the use of 'medicinal marijuana', I haven't really heard of any use for most drugs. "Drugs" including everything like tobacco and "street drugs" (cocaine, methamphetamine, etc)

Meanwhile Mental State Addictions are harder to spot but they don't have direct physical impacts (maybe if you have someone who's like a compulsive gambler and loses all their money and dies but even that isn't a "direct" effect)

Plus not all mental state 'addictions' are harmful. Some people exercise for the pleasure of it (like a Runner's High) and you could say that if they do it habitually it's a mental state addiction but it usually just makes them more physically fit and only ends up being damaging if they go past a certain threshold which isn't likely because by the time they get there, they might be physically unable (even with endorphin) to keep running.

Thoughts on all of this?

EDIT: Oh also to address your last point; the two are kind of intertwined. People who are compulsively violent might fight or kill over a drug addiction, or else steal money to buy more drugs. Most people who are physically addicted also develop some kind of mental side effect. Of course, that's going for the more addictive drugs- I doubt anyone would kill for a pack of cigarettes (outside of a prison) In general though, a person who's addicted to violent behavior etc would be more dangerous because druggies only steal or kill when they really need to, whereas people with 'mental state addictions' would be doing that constantly to feed their addiction.

[Renegade_Turner]

Also, drugs can be exploited for profit, mental forms of addiction cannot be, except in strange and sinister circumstances. Obviously drug addictions will be given closer attention, they're more obvious.

I think Blizzard would beg to differ -- World of Warcraft is very profitable.

Those are strange circumstances. =P

[Endoperez]

Those are strange circumstances. =P

That's just one example of some people profiting from non-physical addiction. Online games can be a huge addiction problem, especially in Asia where they contain strong gambling elements. Gambling also qualifies, and online poker and other competitions where you must pay for a chance of a reward. Are all of these also strange circumstances?

[Renegade_Turner]

Yes.

[Wilbefast]

Only the Scientologists can help you now (2:45)

[Fournine]

How did this slip by my attention?

As a chemist, I must enlighten on this point:

besides the use of 'medicinal marijuana', I haven't really heard of any use for most drugs. "Drugs" including everything like tobacco and "street drugs" (cocaine, methamphetamine, etc)

Heroin was named such because of the "heroic effects" it had on patients. It was originally developed and prescribed as a morphine substitute, because it was believed that it was less addictive and wouldn't be subject to recreational abuse. [1]

Cocaine was originally used as a topical anesthetic, but has since fallen into disuse. [2]

Methamphetamine is currently prescribed for ADHD, narcolepsy, and treatment-resistant obesity. [3]

There are documented cases of "Smoker's Paradoxes," in which smoking tobacco produces positive or protective results for certain diseases, such as Ulcerative colitis. [4] This is due to immunosuppressant effects from smoking.
Though, it'd be far more effective to use refined immunosuppresants and avoid the collateral damage that smoking causes. However, for the uninsured, self-medicating type, smoking might work.

[Lotus Wolf]

I always have to laugh when you put a cannabis disclaimer on your post, Ren, as it is something I would advertise on a public forum. I'm probably far to paranoid about it though...

[Endorgan]

Off-topic:
Who's the Drug Rehab spammer?

[devnty06]

Physical drug addiction is the sole cause of mental state addiction.. so obviously one leads to the other.

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[Renegade_Turner]

That cheeky fucking bot...