r/answers • u/Umbrosyx • 1d ago
What is something people don't realize they're addicted to until they try to quit?
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u/riddimiscool92 1d ago
Caffeine
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u/Difficult_Collar4336 1d ago
I did a sober October like 5 years ago and decided to throw in caffeine along with the alcohol just for the hell of it. I lasted 3 days off caffeine - the continuous headache was brutal, I was in the middle of the work day and had to run to Starbucks and get a coffee which immediately helped. I honestly had no clue.
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u/WalkDefiant3299 1d ago
I went to the same scenario 40 years ago and couldn't believe the caffeine headache. My solution now is to blend half decaf and half dark roast. I can drink three or four 20 oz cups of coffee getting a very gentle lift without the headaches. As I love the taste of coffee this is a splendid solution. I also find that when I get up and I don't have a coffee right away I don't feel like a slug.
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u/Misttertee_27 22h ago
Four 20 oz cups of half caff is still 40 oz of full caff coffee, which is equivalent to five cups. How is this a gentle lift? That’s a lot of caffeine.
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u/omaGJ 23h ago
I read something about waiting atleast an hour from the time you get up to dri king any caffiene. I think something about the melatonin or sleep molecules still being in the receptor and when you drink caffiene right away it locks those molecules in the receptor. But if you wait an hour, the sleep molecules are out
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u/StrollThroughFields 17h ago
Sounds nice but you couldn't pay me to wait an hour to have coffee in the morning
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u/LethargicCarcass 12h ago
Just getting off caffeine in general made waking up so much easier for me. Once I fully kicked it and just began starting my morning with water I’m way more awake and alert in the mornings. It’s an insane improvement in my life.
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u/Left-Chemist-8212 9h ago
Something to do with your cortisol spiking which is not great but apparently the research is inconclusive. Like it’s not that way for everyone, some people are just fine drinking right away. I did start waiting an hour everyday and I like it a lot better. Focus on drinking a lot of water that first hour, hydrating yourself after not having water for ~8 hours, which IS proven to be super beneficial. After that and then having a couple cups of coffee, I am pissing like a race horse off and on until noon haha
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u/Aware_Impression_736 1d ago
Caffeine is a vasodilator. When your veins began constricting, your headache started.
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u/Silly_Employ_4273 8h ago
Right. It is major ingredient of the Excedrin brand analgesic. Aspirin and caffeine. Huh.. that might be a help when quitting caffeine habit to combat those caffeine headaches?
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u/StayInteresting9509 1d ago
Yes, I feel this, I gave it up and lasted 5 days had a constant banging headache the whole entire time, it was genuinely a form of torture, I caved.. I am at peace with my caffeine addiction, there are worse things to be hooked on
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u/Crunch101010 23h ago
You are supposed to taper off of it gradually. Taper for like 4-7 days depending how hooked you are, then go off it for two weeks. Your brain will have recovered completely from the effects of the caffeine and your tolerance will be reset too. You will have the even, straight-line energy without needing caffeine spiking/crashing you.
You don’t have to suffer through headaches; if you are getting much of that then you are going off of it too quickly. The headaches are normal if you try and go cold turkey.
By the way, many things are supposed to be tapered like this. It’s not good to go cold turkey if your body is dependent on something.
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u/barbarabateman1961 20h ago
Took me 2 years to get off the caffeine when I retired. Got a part time job and it only took a week. Needed that Diet Dr. Pepper fix. Oh well at least I'm happy in my caffeine fog.
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u/Miserable-Guide-1843 18h ago
I tried to taper. I did it over a few week period. I was weighing my coffee on scale. I got down to one cup. Five grams of coffee and 7 ounces of water. I was so tired.
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u/BarryMDingle 13h ago
Im an alcoholic, was a daily binger. Buying a case of beer a day throughout my entire 30s. When I quit alcohol, I cried non stop for like two weeks. It was extremely emotional. About 5 months in I realized that the coffee I was drinking had all these symptoms that seemed tied to whether or not I had coffee. So I decided to quit. I couldn’t cold turkey coffee like I did with booze. The physical pain was debilitating. I had to wean off coffee by halving it with decaf over a period of about two months, gradually reducing every other week.
I have more energy at 48 than I recall having since being a kid, up early and steady all day and sleep like a baby.
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u/FranklinBeansSushi 22h ago
3 days of continuous headache is unusual unless you were consuming over 800mg per day.
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u/Familiar_Ostrich5952 19h ago
I slowly tapered down. Started by mixing decaf / regular 4:6, then 1/2, 2:6, 1:6 finally full decaf. The decaf is easy to stop. I’m back to 1/2 caf just bc I enjoy morning coffee, but I like knowing I can easily cut it out if I want.
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u/hamtyhum 1d ago
So true. One of the worst headaches I’ve ever had was because I chose to quit drinking soda after being raised treating it like water. The second I had a coke the headache subsided
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u/Emberglo27 18h ago
My husband was told to cut the sugar and caffeine for his health. He went cold turkey with no pop. It was Ugly and I was constantly running distraction for my children. My husband thinks it was not that bad. If he ever does something like that again I am making him move out for two weeks.
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u/LegalPie5881 17h ago
Cranky? I was living on like 2 litres of triple shot ice coffee every two days and went cold turkey 8 days ago. I’m wondering if I might get short tempered.
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u/constructiongirl54 1d ago
This for sure! I was admitted to the hospital in July and put on a heart health diet while in there. I couldn't have caffeine and had the worst headache I have EVER had in my life and I am a lifelong migraine sufferer. The nurse told me it was caffeine withdrawal. I didn't believe lack caffeine could make me that miserable but sure enough it did.
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u/HelpfulTooth1 23h ago
I quit booze and caffeine cold turkey on Sunday. Not enjoying my week on the toilet
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u/NotYourAverageSchmuk 1d ago
Facts I attempted to quit and it was the most depressing 3 weeks ever I ended up going back to drinking a cup a day cut back from 3 cups.
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u/loolilool 1d ago
My parents drink decaf. A million years ago, when we were in our twenties, my bro and I were both home visiting for Christmas. We’re in the kitchen one morning and he’s making coffee and my dad says, oh, hey, you know that’s decaf, right? My brother about loses it and says “Jesus fucking Christ that’s why I’ve had a headache for three days!”
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u/aladnamedbrad 20h ago
I tried. Once. For six days. The headaches were worse than any migraine I’ve ever had.
Ended with me shotgunning two Cokes in the break room at work. Within 30 minutes I was back to normal.
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u/Boring_Reference7803 1d ago edited 1d ago
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u/LadyCoru 1d ago
No, it's a literal addiction that will cause withdrawal symptoms if you cut it out cold turkey.
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u/riddimiscool92 23h ago
I actually 100% agree with this addiction is a mental disorder caffeine creates a chemical dependency.
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u/spicysandwich80 1d ago
I dont drink caffeine daily or even semi regularly because the headache you get when you dont drink it after developing a dependency makes me feel like an addict.
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u/hanumanjizzfest 19h ago
As a recovered cocaine addict for over 3 years, i can honestly say that I would rather do it all over again than go through the effects of abstaining caffeine again...
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u/piedamon 1d ago
Checking their phone
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u/Accurate-Clothes-710 1d ago
When I went to rehab and they took my phone away, I really realized how much I used my phone. I was getting phantom vibrations and all.
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u/EddySpug 1d ago
I hope things are going well. I did a rehab and just got my phone back after eight months without it. It actually is pretty awesome to be rid of it for a while. A really good break. I'm much more intentional about how I use my phone now.
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u/Greasy007 1d ago
Same happened to me. For 3 months. It was in 2012 though but still. Wasn't allowed to watch TV only 1 hour per night, and could only read recovery focused literature.
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u/Accurate-Clothes-710 1d ago
Oof....
I read so many murder thrillers in rehab...I got so sick of them..
I read about Ernest shackletons Antarctic expedition just to break it up lol.
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u/Otherwise_Pace3031 21h ago
I’ve read the Shackleton book - one of my favorite stories of leadership and endurance
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u/Greasy007 1d ago
I got really into table tennis. They allowed that lol
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u/Accurate-Clothes-710 1d ago
Ah yea we had a table too. I played a couple games but im so competitive that I make games no fun so I had to quit.
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u/reereejugs 3h ago
See, shit like that was exactly why I always refused inpatient when I was on hard drugs. I did outpatient and it worked great.
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u/WhyAmIHere203 1d ago
It took close to a year for the phantom vibrations to stop after permanently setting my phone to silent
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u/idonotownacat 19h ago
I’m curious what any of you think about how much access to devices is advisable or necessary while you are in treatment?
I was in captivity before smart phones were thing so it wasn’t a necessity. Ive worked in residential treatment for 15 years and the amount of time arguing about Internet access and devices is staggering.
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u/JacobBeanstalk 12h ago
As an executive business operator who recently completed drug and alcohol addiction treatment, phone and computer access were my biggest sticking points. In hindsight everything continued to operate while I was gone and I realized how addicted to my phone I was also. Easily the most overlooked part of treatment from my end, was how beneficial the lack of access to our phones would be. I argued the opposite of that point originally before realizing it.
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u/Practical_Buddy_4245 1d ago
I've started carrying an old pocket watch to open and look/fiddle with instead of looking at my phone constantly. Its been eye opening how much I get the urge to just "Look" whenever i'm bored or stucck somewhere.
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u/Broad-External-887 1d ago
Super guilty here. Event if it's on silent I need to see if I missed anything from my family. My biggest mistake is getting into games that have timed tasks. Anything for that dopamine.
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u/-virage- 1d ago
Sugar
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u/WildApricotBloom 17h ago
It’s nearly impossible to avoid when almost every single processed food in the grocery store sneaks it in.
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u/YakOk3277 1d ago
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u/yosemighty_sam 1d ago
Reddit is down.
Hmm, what should I do in the meantime? Oh I know...
Opens Reddit.
Repeat.
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u/Cheeseboy5k 1d ago
being a victim
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u/hamtyhum 1d ago
Oooo that’s a good one I had to end a 23 year long friendship with someone who turned their entire lifestyle into being a victim at all times.
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u/meyersstreetlurker 1d ago
Weed
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u/thunderous_subtlety 1d ago
And those most fervently arguing you can't get addicted to it are the ones using it.
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u/Basic_Wrongdoer_7934 1d ago
Yup. It's not physically addictive but stop taking it for a few days tell me you don't have any kind of withdrawal
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u/Inner-Cycle-24 1d ago
Yup. Have fun not sleeping for a month. So glad I quit though. I was constantly depressed. It’s been over a year since I last indulged & I haven’t thought about it once.
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u/Triple_Ennui 1d ago
When I got off weed the first time, I didn’t sleep for a week straight. It was horrible. I was taking incredibly high doses daily before that, though.
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u/Inner-Cycle-24 1d ago
If I wasn’t getting high every two hours, I was absolutely miserable to be around. I couldn’t stand myself!
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u/reereejugs 3h ago
The last time I started using THC, it was specifically because I WASN’T sleeping and my prescription sleep meds weren’t working at all.
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u/dntwstmytime 11h ago
I could be wrong but for myself I don’t think I’m addicted to weed. I smoke multiple times a day but I think it’s the need to do something and the proccess/motion of smoking that I’m maybe chasing? I hate smoking in public, hate being high before I go out to run errands, go to work/class and when I’m outside for hours I don’t itch to smoke, it doesn’t throw my mood off and I hardly think about it. But the moment I’m home or indoors in a comfortable space and I’m bored or not entertained I instantly want to smoke.
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u/slimricc 17h ago
I stopped smoking for a year bc i did not have access to it. It is not addictive. I chose to stop and just did. I started again bc my roommates smoke and i wanted to socialize
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u/thunderous_subtlety 10h ago
Well there you have it; because you didn't get addicted, that proves it's not addictive. Case closed.
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u/Dees_A_Bird_ 2h ago
I think the problem is now that weed is legal in many places there is competition to make the strongest products. Because of this you can buy some weed products that 90% thc. This is not the like weed from years ago that someone was growing secretly in their closet lol. Unfortunately, the belief that weed isn’t addictive has not caught up to the times
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u/Helpful_guy 21h ago
Cannabis withdrawal syndrom is now a legitimized DSM-5 diagnosis - major disruptions to sleep/mood/appetite with most symptoms peaking in the first 10-14 days following cessation.
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u/Fire-Workz 1d ago
Drinking is a big one.
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u/Andr3wsk1 1d ago
20 yrs ago I reached out for the bottle on a daily basis, just for a few weeks(!), and from one day to another all of a sudden I started to feel a definite craving in the early afternoon. Instead of grabbing a drink later in the evening as I used to, I decided on that day to quit forever. Vile sh!t.
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u/Fire-Workz 1d ago
Bro I have so many "almost" horror stories about my drinking. It just turns me into someone I hate.
Only been drinking Twisted Teas and maybe a 6 pack of tall boys once a week at most nowadays and even that's too much.
20 years that's fucking Amazing bro good for you, glad you found the strength to get through it.
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u/Andr3wsk1 1d ago
Socially I was encouraged to drink becase it turns me into a emphatic and superfunny honeypot.
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u/SpiritedTurn3633 1d ago
I’ve been drinking 1L of vodka a day for a month and I feel like shit 24/7. Hard to get off the rollercoaster if you go too deep because even if i try cut down to 500ml I start getting withdrawals
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u/Fire-Workz 1d ago
Damn bro sorry to hear that I really am. I binge drink so my go to was a pint and a half to a fifth every 5 days or so I can't imagine being that bad. I really hope you can get it in check my boy. Nobody's coming to help us, luckily I have what little self control I do, if not I'd be drinking in a few hours smh.
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u/NoticedParrot77 21h ago
That's too large of a jump all at once. You'll want to lower it by 100ml at first and take baby steps down across a few weeks
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u/Soft-Rip-5402 1d ago
It’s a dangerous dangerous cycle once you realize your actually addicted and start getting withdraws it’s usually too late to easily put it down
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u/mwahluigi 15h ago
I’ve had two episodes in my life where I’ve accidentally become a bit dependent on it for relaxing in the evenings. I remember once night me and my partner realised we didn’t have wine in the house and we considered driving to the supermarket at 10pm just for wine. We realised we were relying on it. It completely snuck up on us
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u/blackandwhite052 1d ago
Diet coke
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u/lesbiehonest 1d ago
Coke zero too. I suspected it has something to do with the caffeine but even zero caffeine does the trick. Must be the coca leaves in the recipe.
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u/Rocktopod 1d ago
The artificial sweetener aspartame is also addictive. Not sure if that's in coke zero but it definitely is in Diet Coke.
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u/PathComprehensive873 1d ago
Drinking sugary drinks like soda. I grew up all throughout my childhood drinking nothing but soda and juice. About a year ago, decided to actually start caring about what I put in my body and oh man, not drinking soda anymore was the hardest thing.
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u/AnarchistPancake4931 1d ago
Drama
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u/LadyAmalthea86 1d ago
This one... I had a coworker who everyone warned me loved drama and I'm not here for that. Every day she would go out of her way to try to rope me into her nonsense and every day I would watch her implode in front of me when I couldn't have cared less about what she was trying to start with me.
It's sad, really... like, "I'm not trying to be a dick to you, but what are you actually doing right now?" 😐
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u/Hour_Refrigerator526 1d ago
Pepsi. I’ve battled most of my life.
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u/LadyAmalthea86 1d ago
I read this as "I bottled most of my life" and I'm very sorry for laughing 🥴
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u/the17thCatcher 19h ago
Mine is Diet Pepsi. Not Diet Coke, just Diet Pepsi.
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u/Hour_Refrigerator526 19h ago
I’ve given it up a few times for about a year but if I have just one, I’m hooked all over again. The withdrawals are brutal.
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u/fatpanda78 1d ago
The brain is addicted to stress and will influence the mind to get it
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u/Dream-Lucky 1d ago
Water.
https://giphy.com/gifs/Z5DB5iEJipjRC
"Do not, my friends, become addicted to water. It will take hold of you, and you will resent its absence." —Immortan Joe
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u/AggravatingPeak6982 1d ago
Cheese
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u/dalcer 19h ago
This is definitely my vice, the looks i get when i crush a large piece of cheese
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u/emilie1031 1d ago
Nicotine
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u/NoticedParrot77 21h ago
Does anyone actually think you can't be addicted to nicotine?
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u/xxICONOCLAST 1d ago
Food
I lost over 100lbs when my addiction almost killed me and I changed my life. Prior to that, didnt even know i had a problem
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u/IpDipDawg 1d ago
Heroin
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u/Famous_Inflation_665 1d ago
Doctor gave me painkillers when I hurt my back. I ran out early one day and started having withdrawals. I knew there was a risk but I didn’t think it would be that bad on such a low dose. I told the doctor that I think I’m having withdrawals. All he said as he handed me the prescription was, “yeah, probably.”
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u/BananaJelloXlii 1d ago
Caffeine. You don't know you're addicted until you quit. I tried going cold turkey, I couldn't. So I am gradually weaning myself. I'm down to 200 mg a day from around 600mg daily.
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u/ACowLayingEggs 1d ago
Yes Sugar. God damn sugar. I thought it would be easy, just quit right? Well my brain is struggling with willpower. It goes well for about 4-5 days and then everytime i start thinking well i am gonna die anyway so whats the point? But everything in moderation of course
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u/pas_tense 1d ago
For me Cigarettes. When a friend accused me of being addicted I scoffed and told them I could quit any time I wanted I just didn't want to quit. I would continue smoking for the next 30 years trying various ways to quit and not succeeding.
And now I vape. Better than smoking but I'm still addicted to nicotine.
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u/CantaloupeFluffy165 1d ago
I was on an antidepressant and had to quit drinking.Didn't like it.Thankfully I can drink again.
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u/pariahdiocese 1d ago
Oxy 80s. I was doing them here and there. Was drinking and doing coke every weekend and doing oxys like every other weekend. One weekend I did them friday saturday. Which was rare. I woke Sunday and I was sick. I knew if I did more oxys I would feel better. I had never felt anything like that. I knew i was hooked. That was the start of a 20 year opiate addiction that almost killed me, destroyed my family and left permanent damage to my lungs. I have 5 years sober now. But my life was changed by doing oxys "here and there"
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u/Dizzy_Departure2539 1d ago
Weed and caffeine. The amount of people in denial about weed is hilarious
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u/Expensive-Carob3617 21h ago
I’ll state the obvious - drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes; because I just stopped drinking everyday and stopped smoking, after realizing I was addicted, and seeing how much money I was needlessly throwing away because of both habits. After gaining power over both habits, I started seeing certain people at work differently. Due to the fact that we primarily only spoke when smoking cigarettes. Then other people, when we hung out at the bar. So when I chose to stop doing both so freely and easily - I started seeing everyone else as people completely dedicated to their chosen vices. Oddly enough, I’ve spoken to everyone about this need for each substance - and they all told me the same thing. “Yeah I really need to stop doing this. But, I’m not really sure how and when I can find a way to stop.” And I have become one of very few, that was able to walk away from those vices.
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u/somenmore 21h ago
SALT 🧂…..try giving it up or reducing it drastically for a day or two. Your thoughts, emotions and behaviour will feel the change.
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u/Abject-Birthday-8337 1d ago
Wearing women's panties under my clothes. Tried it once out of the blue because a woman forgot them after a ONS and they felt so sexy. Never told anyone shhhh
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u/Intelligent_Lemon_67 1d ago
Sugar, caffeine, nicotine and kratom are my last addiction. I love my Rockstars and I get grumpy on day 3 with no Sugar or caffeine. Nicotine is not the worst and helps the brain, it's all the other stuff they put in their products that worry me. Kratom withdrawal is the worst withdrawal of all. I quit smoking 13 years ago and quit drinking 12 years ago and almost died from quitting. Went from drinking an 18pk tall boys and a box of wine or half gallon of whiskey a day to zero
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u/Pretend-City6652 1d ago
Definitely my phone.
I was watching a movie with young daughter and my phone was in the other room.
Tried my best to resist the urge to not get it but got the better of me sadly.
I realised then yep this is a problem
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u/thegovernment0usa 1d ago edited 1d ago
Feel Free and Viva Zen - Kratom/7oh drinks.
Edit: r/quittingkratom
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u/Life_Process8317 1d ago
Looking for lost golf balls -have a guy ( that I play with occasionally) can’t help himself-he admitted to me that we wish he could stop, but can’t-said his own sons won’t play with him because of his behavior
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u/Relevant-Trainer2002 1d ago
My dad loved his Pepsi never drank milk or water he lived to be 103yr everything in moderation enjoy that cup coffee etc life's to short to deprived yourself you never no when your time is up.alot of pilots dad flew with were joggers health nuts all passed before him heartattach while jogging etc my dad just enjoyed life..miss ya dad
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u/Thinking_too_much101 1d ago
Bread, Gluten, chips, cheese, soda and sugar.
Was one of the most hardest things to quit eating when I got so ill.
Having a chronic illness is not easy.
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u/Murky-Science9030 1d ago
Crypto trading. A very large portion of people in crypto don't realize they are addicted to the high of a stock "mooning", and experienced traders prey on this mentality (and help feed it). This helps give experienced day traders exit liquidity (an "out") as the prices are spiking
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u/prodbysloth 1d ago
Weed for sure. People tell you that you can’t get addicted to weed but take away a major stoner’s stash for a week and see how they do without it
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u/qualityvote2 1d ago edited 20h ago
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