Is there such a thing as a good addiction?

Yup. Fluther.

Yes, many suffer from a strong addiction to the sexy mojo of eponymoushipster. is it good? oh yes, it’s very good.

also, many are addicted to learning new things, meeting new people, in a certain sense of the word.

that being said, many things are good in measure, but nearly everything is bad when there’s too much of it (even water).

except the eponymoushipster thing, that’s always good for you.

@dverhey Are you so sure it’s a good addiction? I know several people who are getting into trouble with spouses due to the amount of time they spend here.

@dverhey – Nice, well my brother (RandomMrDan) is very addicted to Fluther. Me?, not so much even though I do enjoy reading the questions, I usually am too busy to respond to a lot of them before there are a lot of responses that sum up what I was going to say, or circle the same general thesis. I suppose Fluther can be addictive, but is it good?

Everything in moderation.

I agree Fluther

When I am exercising regularly, I actually become irritable and depressed when I am unable to get a workout in. I don’t think it’s a negative addiction (I don’t take it to an extreme of damaging myself, etc).

@Judi, Definitely true. The only thing that I could really think of is maybe running. Working out can be excessive, and definitely can lead to harm to the body. Running, even when addicted can only do so much damage I think.

Yeah.

Well, there is this.

@whatthefluther wow, you’re addicted to chicks in black cocktail dresses, too?!?!

My brother’s back is destroyed from running. (he’s 60 something)

@eponymoushipster….You, too, huh? We’ve much in common, monkey man. It’s those gorgeous expressionless faces that drive me wild. It would be fun seeing just what it would take to make them crack a smile.

@whatthefluther I had to watch it 8 times to make sure I wasn’t addicted. I can quit any time. Well, once more just to make sure…

Breathing.

@lloydbird ; unless you hyperventilate.

Taking your question seriously (but speaking only as a layperson, not as a professional): I say no. An addict forfeits the power of choice. Nothing comes between the addict and his or her addictive substance or behavior. This is never a good thing. We can speak jocularly of being addicted to things that are positive and fun and good, but those aren’t real addictions, or if they are, they’re no longer good (the thing might be good, but the uncontrollable dependency is not).

A good habit is not the same thing as an addiction.

@Jeruba ; you’re always the voice of reason :-)

@whatthefluther remember those worms for Star Trek 2? well, i’ve got a similar idea.

@Judi, not always, I hope! That is like going about in sensible shoes and never running barefoot. Sometimes I want to be the voice of goofiness or whimsy or mysteriously alluring enigma.

@Jeruba – Well you are in my book : )

According to Buddhism all attachment (addiction) eventually leads to suffering. In Zen Buddhism we believe this is because it conditions your mind to feel dependent on the attachment and then you suffer when you cannot appease your dependency, either due to the nature of the attachment or when you die. To have a peaceful death, it’s recommended to absolve your attachments.

This is not to say that you shouldn’t love people or become involved with sports, etc.. But that’s a different story.

In general and in my opinion, it’s better not to be addicted to anything. But since we’re human we have likes and dislikes and as long as we try to maintain moderation we’ll be fine. But as soon as your attachment causes suffering for others or keeps you from performing your duty it should be cast away as soon as possible. Of course, that’s easier than it sounds…

@Judi Breathing in moderation, of course. Kate Bush would agree.

By definition, an addiction has to impair your functioning in some way. Otherwise it’s just something you do a lot.

I have a friend who I would call an exercise addict. She is one of my closest friends and I have never once hung out with her during the evening because she is so resolute about her exercise regimen. It definitely impairs her social life, and probably other stuff too, but it’s hard to know exactly what’s going on in her head from the outside.

I think we’re all moderately addicted to many things. Maybe more than we’d like to show at the surface. That’s what makes us human and normal.

@atlantis Eating.

@whatthefluther How weird. I was just about to post that…

@dverhey How about ‘Sleeping’ ?

There are no good addictions. They all detract from an area of your life.

@dverhey….I’m telling you kid, considering our identical music tastes, you are me just 40+ my junior, or vice versa. However, by the time you are my age, your music knowledge and collection will make mine appear to be but a drop of water in an entire ocean.

@The_Compassionate_Heretic What, even Fluther?

@lloydbird Absolutely including fluther. Internet addiction is a very real thing.

@The_Compassionate_Heretic You are of course right. Addiction by definition suggests detriment. I’m just trying to answer the question imaginatively,friend.

Yeah. @The_Compassionate_Heretic is right. The Fluther thing was actually just a joke. I don’t really consider myself addicted to Fluther, but people lurved it, so that may mean…

I’m addicted to crystal-lite, can’t be bad since it helps me drink lots of H2O.

I am addicted to non-chalant apathy. It hasn’t really been a problem.

@Jeruba You have always been a mysteriously alluring enigma to me! Alas, you will have none of it. “you don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone…” :-(

@daloon- Awwww

@daloon, have none of what? I still love to go barefoot.

i’m addicted to being awesome. is that a bad thing? nope. not for anyone.

No. Addiction implies that you don’t have control over what you are doing, that you are compelled to do something whether you want to or not. That is never good. It means you are a slave to whatever it is you are addicted to and not in control of your own destiny.

@Jeruba And pregnant????

No such thing as a “good” addiction.
When it becomes an addiction it is bad.
Do not get confused by what you enjoy and what you cant control.

Early to bed early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise

@eponymoushipster , @Lupin , @dverhey…I watched this again, which led to this, which then led to this, then this and finally this only to repeat the entire cycle again and again.
CAUTION: Repeat viewing may be hazardous to your health. Please keep in mind that Mr. Palmer passed away several years ago from a massive heart attack at the age of 54 years. Don’t let that happen to you! I’m over 54, so fuck it…back to youtube! See ya…wtf

@whatthefluther all that proves is that you’re addicted to middle-aged, dead Englishmen.~

@eponymoushipster This is a total tangent but, can a person be middle aged and dead? I think you have to be either/or there.

@The_Compassionate_Heretic well, he was middle aged at the time of death. can someone truly be “young at heart”, unless, perhaps, they’ve received a transplant? it’s all semantics.