30+ People Discuss The Perfectly Legal Things They're Seriously Addicted To

The very definition of addiction is quite simple: "the fact or condition of being addicted to a particular substance, thing, or activity."

Elana

• Published in Interesting
• October 16, 2021

When many of us hear or read the word addiction or addicted we usually associate it with illegal and notably harmful substances, but that is just a small corner of what addiction means and represents. In fact, the very definition of addiction is quite simple: "the fact or condition of being addicted to a particular substance, thing, or activity."

Consider how broad that definition is for even just a moment and you realize that even your initial perception expands outwardly to include obviously harmful things that people are addicted to but are not illegal like nicotine cigarettes and alcohol, yet even further from that are things that are harmful only when used in excess like sugar and caffeine. Expanding even further outward you'll find that individuals have their own personal struggles with an addiction experience and it varies significantly person to person.

One Reddit user posed the question to r/AskReddit: “What are you addicted to that is perfectly legal?” Nearly 39,000 comments later, many of which were relatable on a broad basis, we find some of these responses resonate quite significantly.

These answers are indeed about addictions to substances, things, and activities that are completely legal, and that makes for quite the interesting conversation. Don't you think?

1. Researches generally believe that chocolate is "not a true addiction," but there are similarities with drug use.

2. It sounds like this is more of a sorting addiction than a LEGO addiction, but what a great way to feed the addiction!

3. Cotton swabs can puncture ear drums and cause hearing loss and they "push the wax deeper inside, there's no way for the wax to get swept out of the ear."

4. Important clarifications were made

According to Insider:

"Instant noodles were invented by Momofuku Ando of the company Nissin Foods in Japan in 1958. At that time, the company launched the product under the name "Chikin Ramen." The first instant noodles were created to feed people during a time of economic uncertainty following World War II. in Osaka, Japan, in January 2007"

Today, over 100 billion servings of instant ramen are sold each year and the United States accounts for just over 27% of the global market. In the US, Instant ramen is a $7.7 billion industry.

5. Mmm, yes.

6. G U I L T Y as charged

7. Sugar offers us dopamine releases and some research suggests it is AS addictive as cocaine.

8. Surprisingly, caffeine only produces a "small rise" in dopamine which means that it does NOT cause "the large surge that unbalances the reward circuits in the brain" that is necessary for addiction. In other words, caffeine isn't scientifically addictive the way sugar and cocaine is.

9. The chemical Capsaicin in spicy foods that makes food hot releases endorphins in our brains!

10. This is not made any easier by Steam sales.

Research suggests that genuinely being addicted to video games is entirely possible and for a $90 billion industry (in the United States alone) that includes the active participant of 2 billion people annually, there's a lot of data to consider. 75% of US based households have at least one active gamer.

11. Especially if you turn the alarm off instead of hitting snooze.

12. Over 1.3 billion smartphones were sold in the US in 2020.

13. Happy time wasting

14. Food is a difficult addictive habit to break

15. Don't be mean to our beloved instant noodles!

16. This might be OCD

17. Insert Spongebob hands: Insomnia

Insomnia may be summed up as a persistent problem falling or staying asleep, but it's also most definitely a common sleep disorder. Insomnia is also one of the most common complaints from people recovering from substance abuse.

18. As long as none of them demand to be fed by Seymour, you should be okay with this creative "addiction."

19. Who doesn't love a good cuppa?

20. If it wasn't so easy...

21. Honestly though, what a TIME to be ALIVE?

22. Netflix, Hulu, Funimation, Disney+, the list goes on.

23. Nap time? Sign me up.

Hypersomnia, the opposite of Insomnia, has been referred to occasionally as a "sleeping addiction." In an online article by Amber Merton, she says:

“If you are obsessed with sleeping or have an intense desire to stay in bed, you could be suffering from a condition called clinomania. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t people who can experience symptoms similar to addiction and even withdrawal in association with sleep, or lack thereof.”

At the very least, the compulsive need for sleep is "addiction-like," even if it's not an actual addiction.

24. A moment of silence for our lactose intolerant siblings of the world.

But did you know that "the dairy proteins inside [cheese] can act as mild opiates," because I did not know that until I googled if anything in cheese was addictive.

25. "I just think they're neat."

26. Getting specific, I see.

27. Honestly though? Same.

28. They're flamin'

29. If you've never seen an irresistible notebook at least once in your life, are you even human?

30. The winner of the most logical addiction of all time goes to:

Addiction isn't something to make light of, it's actually referred to clinically as a disorder and a complex disease of the brain. Many prominent health organizations around the world have formally declared that addiction is a disease or disorder of the brain and not a behavioral issue.

We may sometimes make light of our obsessive relationships with things like cheese and coffee, but if you or someone you love is struggling with substance abuse addiction and in need of help or support, check out SAMHSA.

Elana