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Comment by cesaref | Hacker News Reader

I've always found it interesting that addictive behaviour is often seen as a virtue by our society if it's about the 'right sort of thing' (as far as society is concerned).

We end up considering people as 'dedicated' or 'committed' to some cause or other. If they are a workaholic, or pious, or a sports superstar, or a concert pianist, chances are there is an addictive personality that just happens to have gotten attached to a socially acceptable pursuit.

Meanwhile, the same people with a slight twist of fate end up in rehab.

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Addiction is defined by the negative impact on the addict, not the behavior itself.

It is a semantics game. Drive, Focus, and motivation are just that unless they are maladaptive and detrimental to the individual.

These behaviors only become addiction when they run counter to the goals and desires of the individual.

That's just utilitarianism?

There's a bunch of things where the morality of what you're doing will change depending on a small detail, with the main action being essentially the same.

Eg, if you dedicate yourself to exterminating rats with dedication and professionalism you'll be a hero, do the same thing using the same tools and attitude to cats and dogs and you'll be a monster.

Which is exactly how it should be IMO. We build the world we live in by enacting change in it. Praising actions in a context devoid of its consequences is a good way to end up in a world where everyone basically hacks the reward algorithm without any concerns about the results of that.

There's a constructive/destructive dimension to all behaviours, even addiction. Constructive addictions have probably created a lot of great art, innovations and achievements, where destructive addictions ruin the lives of a person and those around them. Not that addiction in any form is necessarily healthy, but it seems obvious that constructive ones are more healthy than destructive ones, for all involved.

Worth pointing out. I know of a person who was a workaholic and then died pretty young from also having been a secret alcoholic for much of their life.

No such thing as an addictive personality- it was invented by the pharmaceutical companies (the term) to play down the addictive effects of their drugs, doctors were told only people with addictive personalities will get hooked on the opioids

I can't say much about 'personalities' but it has been quite consistently demonstrated that some people are genetically predisposed and more likely to become addicted to certain substances than others regardless of social factors or even (pre-addiction) consumption patterns.

I also think there's something to it: each person is different.

I've smoked and quit a couple of times, and still get urges to go back sometimes. Meanwhile, I know people who casually smoke once in a while and don't get the habit.

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