15 Commonly Accepted Addictions That Are More Harmful Than We Realize
Addictions are a serious matter, regardless of how innocent some of them may seem. As a result, a lot of addictions are overlooked or justified as “part of the human experience.” Have you ever stopped to consider if you have an addiction that is considered normal? Here are the top 15 addictions we look past today.
1. Sugar and Spice
Sodium and sugar are highly addictive, yet so commonplace in almost everything we eat. No wonder we get attached to sweets and salty foods… It's not just because we can be sweet or salty too.
2. 24-Hour News Cycles
We talk a lot about the human addiction to our phones and scrolling, but what if it's more so the content we are consuming? 24-hour news cycle delivers the good, bad, and ugly straight to us whenever we want, making doom scrolling more prevalent than ever.
3. Adult Films
More often than not, people barely bat an eye when people say they're addicted to adult films. Billie Eilish, for example, admitted she was addicted at a young age, and no one seemed to care or even notice it.
4. Celebrity Worship
Many people don't understand why fans become obsessed with their favorite celebrities. Some fans take things too far, and that obsession becomes dangerous.
5. Borrowing Money You Can't Pay Back Easily
Far too many people convince themselves that if they borrow money, they'll be fine. The same is true with using credit cards. It's a dangerous addiction that can quickly spiral out of control.
6. Video Games
While video games are now a widely accepted hobby, those who are addicted tend to go overboard with how much they play. More often than not, video game addicts ruin relationships, jobs, and friendships.
7. Work
It feels like everyone knows someone that's a workaholic. While there's some respect for hustle culture and being able to provide for your family, it shouldn't come at the cost of spending time with your family.
8. Social Validation
With the growth of social media over the years, the need for social validation has risen tremendously. We've all seen someone whose life has become obsessed with looking or acting perfectly just for validation over the internet.
9. Consumerism
The biggest problem with consumerism culture is that it benefits the economy and a company's bottom line. The more you spend on designer items, the more money goes into their pockets.
10. Caffeine
Caffeine addiction has become normalized so we can stay awake all the time instead of napping and feeling rested.
11. Shopping
Shopping can be a dopamine rush that helps deal with depression. While that boost of short-term serotonin is excellent, spending too much can quickly lead to financial issues.
12. Phone Addictions
It's easy to kick habits like smoking or caffeine, but going without your phone is impossible for some people. We've become too reliant on having our phones with us at all times.
13. The News, in General
The problem with the 24-hour News Cycle, as we said before, is that you can only talk about the news for so long before bringing in editorialized opinions. Before long, you're being presented with information without actually being informed.
14. Ambien
One pharmacist says it “blows my mind that many prescribers write for it too often. It's got to be one of the most incorrectly prescribed medications out there. To stop taking it is a rough process. Weeks of little to no sleep until your body figures out how to sleep again.”
15. Alcohol
Socially drinking is such a normalized activity that it's become easy to dismiss those who struggle with alcohol addictions. Additionally, being an alcoholic and seeing friends casually get a drink after work or on the weekends makes it hard to interact with them.
16. Candy
Sugar tastes good, but it's also not the best for you. You'd be shocked at how many things have sugar in them.
17. Social Media
We're at the point where if you're not on social media, people look down on you. Sometimes, it's unhealthy to scroll endlessly on Facebook and Twitter and spend every waking moment of your day online.
Source: Reddit.