Top 10 Things That Are Addicting, and Guess What! They're Legal!!

We all feel like from time to time we become addicted to one thing or another. Whether its Facebook, chocolate, or whatever the biggest trend is right now, we let our minds take hold; letting us think that what we want, what we need is just one more of it. Well, if you can't say that you're addicted to at least one of these LEGAL fixations, I'll bet you that you're a liar!

Tattoos

The saying goes, "Tattoos are like potato chips ... you can't have just one."
Roughly 14 percent of Americans have a tattoo, according to a 2008 Harris Interactive poll. People often associate their tattoos with specific characteristics. For example, 36 percent of inked individuals say their body art makes them feel rebellious, 31 percent feel sexier and 19 percent feel attractive and strong.

Tattooing and other body modification such as piercing, branding and scarification, are ways for individuals to express themselves and display body art -- and many people report that the endorphins released during a tattoo session make up for any discomfort during the process.
However, when body modification turns to self-mutilation or self-injury, mental health professionals grow concerned. Cutting, for example, is a technique people with emotional problems use to control their emotional pain. Cutting and other self-injurious behaviors can be symptoms of mental illnesses including bipolar disorder and schizophrenia

Alcohol 

Alcoholism is the inability to control drinking due to both a physical and emotional dependence on alcohol. Symptoms include repeated alcohol consumption despite related legal and health issues. Those with alcoholism may begin each day with a drink, feel guilty about their drinking, and have the desire to cut down on the amount of drinking.

Treatment involves counseling by a health care professional. A detoxification program in a hospital or medical facility is an option for those who need additional assistance. Medications are available that reduce the desire to drink.

Gambling / Lottery

The real pain of poker, the only chronic, threatening pain, comes from the daily loss of livelihood—how a player views himself in the face of losing. Pain tolerance, then, is not measured in how well the player can take a bad beat or how long he can sit at a table without questioning what the fuck has happened. Rather, it is how the player handles an inevitable losing streak and the extent to which he will allow losing to affect his idea of himself. After a month straight of losses, a player can become convinced that losing is his role. Going broke becomes his thing to do, his inevitable outcome. The fog of losing, which feels like a seething, dirty steam in the veins, seeps into everything.

That is the pain of poker that must be endured and held at arm’s length: the existential pain that causes you to turn your vision of doom into a fate-bound story, as tragic and merciless as fiction. The High Is Always the Pain and the Pain Is Always the High

Shopping 

Psychologists and economists around the world research compulsive buying disorder (CBD), looking for both a better understanding of why people overbuy and also effective ways to treat them. We do know that shopping addiction is fueled by a powerful cycle of emotions: It typically starts with a feeling of tension or arousal when thinking about going shopping. Next comes a strong urge to shop and buy and temporary feelings of relief during the act of buying. Once a purchase is made, feelings of guilt soon follow. As with other types of repetitive behavioral (or process) addictions, there are cravings — feelings so strong and exciting that they’re frequently uncontrollable — and the shopping addict will ignore the negative consequences that might come from buying, such as angering a spouse, bouncing a check, having a credit card declined or not having money for necessities. Simply put, someone who is a compulsive shopper becomes psychologically dependent on thoughts of shopping, the process of shopping and the euphoric (or trance-like) feeling that comes from buying.

Like all addicts, shopping addicts may try to hide their addiction, and if a loved one is addicted to shopping, they may try to hide it from you. If you hide credit card bills, shopping bags or receipts, you may be a shopaholic. In some cases, shopaholics may try to hide their addiction by lying about just one element of it. For instance, a person may admit they went shopping, but they may lie about how much they spent.

Some of the other emotional symptoms you may notice from a shopaholic include the following: spending more than they can afford, shopping as a reaction to feeling angry or depressed, shopping as a way to feel less guilty about a previous shopping spree, harming relationships due to spending or shopping too much, and/or losing control of the shopping behavior

Caffeine

This one has some truth to it, depending on what you mean by "addictive." Caffeine is a stimulant to the central nervous system, and regular use of caffeine does cause mild physical dependence, but caffeine doesn't threaten your physical, social, or economic health the way addictive drugs do. Most adults in the U.S. use caffeine, whether in coffee, soda, energy drinks, or chocolate. Many are also familiar with the effects of suddenly drinking less coffee than usual: tiredness, headaches, insomnia, and other symptoms. And many people talk about being “addicted” to their morning coffee or energy drink! But is caffeine truly addictive?

It’s all about the dopamine. It is true that—like many drugs—caffeine enhances dopamine signaling in the brain. Dopamine is a chemical that helps control movement, motivation, and emotions, so enhanced dopamine signaling makes a person feel more awake and alert. Because caffeine produces that alert feeling, it’s classified as a stimulant.

symptoms of a caffeine withdrawal may include: Headache, sleepiness, irritability, lethargy, constipation, depression, muscle pain/stiffness/cramping, lack of concentration, flu-like symptoms, insomnia, nausea or vomiting, Anxiety, brain fog, dizziness, or heart rhythm abnormalities.

Video Streaming

Binge-watching shows is here to stay, and Netflix, Hulu and other streaming television companies know it—that’s why they released entire seasons of original shows at once, banking that people like you and me will power through episode after episode. It got me thinking, though, what is it that makes us click the play button for the next episode, even if we don’t really have time for it? Why do we love Netflix so much? Cliffhangers activate stress. The formula for riveting television was figured out long, long ago. End each episode in a mini-cliffhanger, then end each season in a bigger one, and keep people watching. From the famous “Who shot J.R.?” to Claire walking out on President Frank Underwood at the end of the last season of House of Cards, shows know how to keep us hooked, but do they know they are eliciting a stress response from our bodies?

When faced with the acute stress of not knowing what is going to happen next, the body produces an excess of CRH, a hormone that mediates the release of other stress hormones in the body. This causes the body to remain alert (our fight or flight response), which can disrupt sleep. So, when you’re faced with that cliffhanger at midnight, you’re suddenly not so tired and you find yourself pushing through the next show.

Video Games

Could video game playing be an addiction? Yes, says the Center for On-line Addiction -- at least when it becomes excessive, the gamer is overwhelmed with thoughts of gaming while engaging in non-gaming activities, the gamer lies about time spent gaming and feels anxious or irritable when not gaming. These criteria are similar to the criteria for compulsive gambling.

Addicted gamers are typically male and most are under the age of 30. While the cause of gaming addiction is unclear, mental health professionals believe it may be similar to other impulse control disorders. The act of gaming elevates dopamine levels, a feel-good, mood altering chemical our brain produces. Gaming can also give a person who may have poor self-esteem or trouble socializing a way to escape daily life or even a way to cope with depression and anxiety symptoms. Also there's fatigue, migraines due to intense concentration or eye strain, carpal tunnel syndrome caused by the overuse of a controller or computer mouse, and possibly poor personal hygiene.

Tanning

The natural high you feel after a day at the beach could be addictive.
A study conducted at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston and published in the August 2005 edition of the journal "Archives of Dermatology" found that more than 50 percent of beach lovers could be considered tanning addicts, and 26 percent of sun worshippers would qualify as having a substance-related disorder.

Tanning, whether at the beach or in a booth, is a high-risk activity because of its known link to skin cancers, yet some people can't give it up. When we're exposed to ultraviolet rays from the sun (or a tanning bed), our bodies make endorphins -- endorphins boost our mood. Researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center found that frequent tanners (people who tan eight to 15 times every month) experience physiological withdrawal symptoms when denied the mood-boosting chemicals produced during tanning. The withdrawal symptoms include dizziness and nausea, much like what a person undergoing alcohol or drug withdrawal suffers. 

Most tanning locations have a 24 hour policy. Meaning you aren't allowed to tan more than 1 time in a 24 hour span. But people often abuse this by getting multiple tanning memberships with different shops and companies. Some of the most unwanted symptoms of a tanning addiction may include: 

fast aging, thickness of skin, wrinkles, vision problems, and the big C-word herself, Cancer. This sort of addiction can be deadly, so please, do yourself a favor and tan responsibly. 

Exercise

For many of us couch potatoes, an addiction to exercise may sound impossible. Thirty minutes a day, most days of the week is difficult enough. How can anyone fit in hours of exercise on a daily basis? Think about it -- why would it be called a runner's high if it didn't feel great? Compulsive exercisers make exercise their focus, to the detriment of their relationships, work (or school) and even their own health.

Compulsive exercise comes from a need for control and many who are addicted obsess over caloric intake or pounds lost. They may work out alone, work out with the same routine, work out for more than two hours every day, skip work to exercise or even exercise to the point of injury (and continue to work out despite their injury). Did You Know? It's estimated that 10 percent of high-performance runners as well as 10 percent of body builders have an addiction to exercise.

Exercise addiction can occur independently or in conjunction with another disorder. There are two types of exercise addiction: primary exercise addiction and secondary exercise addiction. In each case, exercise addiction develops differently. Primary exercise addiction occurs as a form of behavioral addiction, but these people do not have any other psychological or behavioral conditions—exercise addiction is the main problem. Primary exercise addiction is more common in males and usually develops in response to the pleasurable effects of endorphins that are released during and after exercise. This is how exercise makes the body produce its own high, which is what primary exercise addicts become addicted to.Secondary exercise addiction occurs in conjunction with another disorder, most commonly eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia. Secondary exercise addiction is more common in females and usually develops due to body image issues.

Sex

Sex addiction, also known as hyper sexual disorder, is characterized by persistent and escalating sexual thoughts and acts that have a negative impact on the individual's life. Sex addicts struggle to control or postpone sexual feelings and actions. Because most sex addicts fear being abandoned, they might stay in relationships that aren’t healthy, or they may jump from relationship to relationship. When alone, they might feel empty or incomplete. They might also sexualize feelings like guilt, loneliness or fear.The need for sex in ones life is more prominent in some than in others. To some, the sex drive is relatively subconscious, and the media repeatedly nudges this from afar with advertisements and products designed to stimulate. To others, sex is a compulsion to the point where their own self-esteem hangs upon it. Sexual addiction is not as uncommon as you might think. Addicts usually spend most of their social lives eyeing up potential partners in order to have sex; they are often cocky, brash, and think nothing of ‘making out’ with potential candidates wherever they go. They often treat their partners chauvinistically (i.e. without loyalty, consideration or respect), and think nothing of the ‘one night stand’. To these people, the idea of ‘getting a life’ is to get a sex life; and often their idea of a good night out basically involves manipulating their way back to the bedroom. Some teens develop a more benign form of sex addiction; sometimes called ‘sex adulation’; but usually grow out of it by their early to mid 20’s.

Additionally, sex addiction likely has a negative impact on several areas of one’s life. It can lead to:
A decline in personal relationships, social, and family engagement, decreased concentration and productivity at work, physical consequences like sexual dysfunction or sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Other symptoms may include Compulsive self-stimulation (masturbation), multiple affairs, this includes extra marital affairs, multiple one-night stands, multiple sexual partners, persistent use of pornography, practicing unsafe sex, cyber sex, and even using prostitutes.

Some of these are a bit extreme, but legal they may be.

Guilty Pleasures, The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

We all have a few things that come to mind when someone utters the words "Guilty Pleasures". For me, its listening to British people talk or cat videos. But what about some of the pleasures that aren't stereo-typically pleasurable? I mean, to be fair, this is all circumstantially individualized. It's different to each person. Don't you think there is a general consensus on some things? As if some things are all silently agreed upon to be good?  Here are a few that I've come up with.

THE GOOD

Everyone has that place they go online when boredom finally sets in. It can range anywhere from everyone's favorite Buzzfeed "Can We Guess Your Guilty Pleasure" list to Reddit's newest archive. One I personally tend to frequent is Craigslist Missed Connections. This is the place where people who think they have made a connection that went un-acknowledged can see if the end of the said connection can confirm nor deny the link. Though, most seem to be a bit unorthodox, the concept itself can be very romantic if you take the time to read any of them.

Another favorite is the infamous FMyLife. People will submit from all around the world their unfortunate stories that just make all of us shake our heads. Unfortunate as it is for some of these people, their turmoil does bring a bit of enlightenment to most people's lives knowing that whatever it was that was so bad didn't happen to them.

A couple new sites that I seem to spend A TON of time on lately are I Waste So Much Time and Sh*t Brix. Both of these cover similar fascinating things to keep anyone busy on the internet for hours on end. So many silly memes...So little time!  Lastly there's the very popular Chive. Keep Calm and Chive On. 'Nuff said.

*****

Some guilty pleasures (GP's) are for those outside of the cyber world. The sweet relaxation of a good pedicure, to the delectable ambiance of a good glass of wine in a bubble bath. These are the types of things that you don't necessarily do every day, but wouldn't be frowned upon if you did decide to do them daily. The things that give you that satisfaction that you can't get from any old day. It could be listening to soothing rain sounds from the outside storm; Snuggling up next to your honey and feeling their heartbeat. These little sanctuaries are enough to bring that sweet smile to your face and the warm fuzzy feeling inside that feeds into the happiness of your heart. 

What else gives you that warm fuzzy feeling inside? For a lot of us, especially our chubby Americans (myself included), that luxury comes from our food GP's. Oh, don't try to deny it! We all have them, and anymore these days, there are so many delicious food opportunities that its hard to pinpoint just 1. Hell! It's hard to pinpoint even 5! But I'm going to try.  My personal Top 5 Food GP's:

1: French Fries - from literally anywhere
2: Pizza - Any kind, any toppings, any style
3: Literally anything with Egg on it.
4: French Toast - any time of day this would make me so happy!
5: Fried Cheese - cheese balls, mozzarella sticks, anything with that melty stringy cheese!! oooh!

Believe me, that was a lot harder than I thought it would be! There would be a much longer list, but this isn't just a list of good foods.

We even have a few secret GP movies that we almost always resort to. The type of movies that you know every line, every background song, every facial expression. What is yours?  Really, out of the millions of movies made, I encourage you to share it because I honestly haven't seen that many movies. Here a few that I've gathered from other discussions and also from my own experience.
With an attempt to find one of each genre, here goes.

Musical: Rocky Horror Picture Show
Fantasy: "The Wizard of Oz"
Comedy: "The Big Lebowski"
Drama: 'To Kill A Mockingbird"
Action: "Scarface"
Thriller: "The Labrynth"
Western: "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid"
Romantic Comedy: "When Harry Met Sally"
Family: "The Cat In the Hat"
Scyfy: "Star Wars" - any of them

I know that not everyone will agree on all of these, but I'll just hope you agree with maybe one of them. As I stated once before, GP's are a matter of opinion and everyone is allowed to have theirs. Seriously though, if you think you have better ones, feel free to share your thoughts and opinions.

*****

THE BAD 

We've ventured passed the good and into the bad. Of course, as anticipated, these are the more frowned upon GP's. These are the type of GP's that give you a little high whenever you experience them. A simple example of this is shoplifting. Knowing that you're doing something wrong that could, in turn, lead you down the wrong path, but as soon as you're in the clear, you have this sudden rush of adrenaline. I'm not going to say we've all done it, but I'll admit that I went through a few phases when I was young. Experiencing that high. The sweet satisfaction beyond what a simply foot massage can bring. Always slowly followed by the guilt. Not everyone can get by without having a conscience. 

Skipping ahead to a much more extreme version of a bad GP, also known as an addiction. Taking or smoking drugs can be the worse kind of GP. Not being personally experienced in the trade doesn't give me much to go on other than research, but I am familiar with the after effects of what they can do to a person, and their loved ones. Not necessarily a recommended GP, but one for some, nonetheless.

I think this last one also falls under the bad category for this list of GP's. For those nosey neighbors out there, I bet you have a good set of binoculars. Right? I mean, you would have to. This is considered a bad GP because this can fall right into what is known today as stalking. I don't know about you, but as a female, I don't particularly like it when people just watch me.

*****

THE UGLY

This is the category that I feel like everyone who is reading this has been anxious for. This isn't exactly the ugly by looks, but more the disgusting that makes it ugly, but I feel on some level, everyone will associate with at least one. Let's dive right in. 

We all have that one friend that gets that enjoyment out of popping pimples. Well, we probably have more than one friend. For my friends, I'm that friend. Something about squeezing out all the pussy grossness and giving the idea that your pores are now empty and free of all dirt buildup is just the satisfying thing that doesn't have to make sense.  Followed closely behind that comes picking your own boogers. Yes, I know how icky it sounds, but when you know you have a big gooey one stuck in there and you can get it all out in one quick swift pick with a Kleenex, your nose feels better, and that in itself is satisfying. Admit it or not, there are some of you out here. Girls with nose rings know exactly what I'm talking about. That buildup on a ring or stud can be the most annoying thing. 

What's next? Singing and dancing like no one is watching. It's wonderful in theory because it helps people let loose, but there are always those people that can't carry a tune in a bucket and couldn't find rhythm if it was sitting on their face. Just keep this GP to yourself...unless you're drunk. Then just let your moves and vocals fly! For everyone to see, and possibly giggle about, we revel in some of those GP's. Enjoy them, but don't get too carried away.

Lastly, is probably one of the most ugly on the last. Have you ever heard the phrase, "everybody likes their own brand?"  Do you actually know what it means? To put it bluntly, everyone likes what they do, what they create, what they build, what they have. For example, when someone farts, the surrounding people find it gross and often that it smells badly. When you fart, often times it won't be such a bad smell to you personally because its your own brand. I've grown to know people who have what I like to call a "farting sanctuary". This is a place that they find special, that they will use solely for farting. Not to imply that they won't do other things in this place, but that it is the primary place that they like to pass gas. I would share mine, but some of my friends read this and I'd hate for them to view me differently because of this sort of information. But trust me, when you find one, it will become one of your favorite places to be.

*****

Science Behind the GP

We usually think of guilt as a negative emotion. But we all have guilty pleasures like chocolate, alcohol and shopping sprees. Now, a new study has found the psychological mechanism behind the phenomenon of feelings of guilt can actually boost pleasure. Professor Ravi Dhar from Yale University was inspired to investigate the emotion after watching a colleague eat a chocolate bar, and expressing both enjoying and distaste at the same time. 'For certain types of items, when you feel guilty, you may actually get more pleasure,' Dhar says. According to Yale Insights, the idea that guilt and pleasure are often tightly coupled in people's minds, so activating one of these concepts can draw out the other. This connection could prove a powerful insight for marketers, says Dhar. For instance appealing to a negative attribute that is connected to positive feelings can be 'much more effective at persuading people than directly talking about positive attributes.'

The power of guilt can also be seen in charitable giving. In one study respondents were presented with the choice of giving $5 to a charity or using it for a Starbucks 'flat white' espresso drink. Both the likelihood and the amount of charitable donations increased compared to a second treatment group. They were asked to choose between a charitable donation and a $5 laundry detergent. 'When we compare this five dollars to something indulgent, like a cup of flat white in this case, people are more likely to donate,' says Dhar. Mentally contrasting a good cause with a guilty pleasure seems to prod people toward giving. We generally think that we're making choices for considered, rational reasons, he says, but in fact, 'the things you feel in the moment, or the things you think in the moment, have a disproportionate effect on your choices, even if they're irrelevant to the choice.' 

It is the news that will strike fear into the hearts of those who pay off the family credit cards every month. Research last year found that retail therapy - far from being empty and superficial - can be an ‘effective way to minimize sadness.’ It can even help a person feel more in control of their environment, researchers claim. Generations of consumers have been urged to satisfy their desire to keep abreast of the latest fashion by simply browsing in store and window shopping. But researchers from the University of Michigan claim ‘retail therapy’ should no longer be dismissed as it could help people  overcome melancholy. The study carried out three experiments to investigate whether shopping restored a sense of control in people to combat feelings of sadness. The research found that buying something was up to 40 times more effective at giving people a sense of control and they were three times happier than those who only browsed. Previous studies have shown that shoppers enjoy positive feelings when reflecting on their most recent purchase, when that shopping had been motivated by a desire to repair mood.

DailyMail.co.uk

More proof for the science behind GP's he also here.  I won't go into detail because it basically reiterates the above article. 

So what did we learn?  What you need to know is that GP's are there, and they aren't going anywhere. Agree or disagree, that's fine, I respect your opinion and whatever your GP is whether you can admit it publicly or not. 

Have a good day!