When does a "psychological" addiction become a problem?

[Martinus]

A question I have been considering - do "psychological" addictions (stuff like WoW, or sex, or food, i.e. activities that do not involve an actual purely addictive chemical substances that cause a physiological addiction, like drugs) become a problem only when they start to interfere with your life, or before?

E.g. if I play an online game to feel better (and, conversely, if I don't have time to play an online game, I feel upset), is this already something that should be worrying, or is it not a cause to worry as long as e.g. I don't skip work or sleep etc. to play the online game?

[The Brain]

I think you know the answer.

[Slargos]

.. when you realize 10 years later that you sacrificed your education, your career and your social life to the substance abuse?

YMMV. 

[Viking]

All addiction is ultimately psychological. Chemical addiction can be treated (either with medicine or time). Alcoholics remain alcoholics (the stereotype is true for the most part) not because their body reacts to alcohol, but rather their psychological addiction is what hooks them if they start drinking again.

My definition would be that any addiction is a problem when it interferes with your desired course of action.

[mongers]

A question I have been considering - do "psychological" addictions (stuff like WoW, or sex, or food, i.e. activities that do not involve an actual purely addictive chemical substances that cause a physiological addiction, like drugs) become a problem only when they start to interfere with your life, or before?

E.g. if I play an online game to feel better (and, conversely, if I don't have time to play an online game, I feel upset), is this already something that should be worrying, or is it not a cause to worry as long as e.g. I don't skip work or sleep etc. to play the online game?

Do you ?

[Ed Anger]

I bet Mart balls his tiny hands into impotent fists when he can't load his Sims games.

[Tonitrus]

I always thought that anything one "likes" doing ultimately boils down to being some kind of chemical addiction in the brain...just that one ends up creating that chemical (serotonin, I think?) themselves.

[CountDeMoney]

I think you know the answer.

He is such an obvious attention whore, isn't he?

[garbon]

That's the whole point of the DSM. It becomes a disorder once it starts impairing your functioning or causes you to hurt others.

[Monoriu]

When the cost of the addiction becomes too high. 

[Norgy]

All addiction is ultimately psychological. Chemical addiction can be treated (either with medicine or time). Alcoholics remain alcoholics (the stereotype is true for the most part) not because their body reacts to alcohol, but rather their psychological addiction is what hooks them if they start drinking again.

My definition would be that any addiction is a problem when it interferes with your desired course of action.

Yes. To all parts.

Martinus, you mention doing something to feel good. That's basically self-medication. Now, obviously, a lot of people do very different things to "feel good". Jogging, drinking, coffee, smoking, fucking, eating. Addiction to a smaller or larger degree happens all the time. And most addictions cause very few problems, at least outside of the addict. The science is still being worked out, but basically the theory that has some support in observation is that the release of dopamine connected to a certain behaviour is the mechanism of addiction. If you add a chemical compound like sugar, nicotine , alcohol or opium, the addiction will take a rather different course than if the dopamine release is in connection to physical activity.

As long as you're quite aware of your behavioural patterns, I see no reason to worry a lot. Unless you feel better when worrying. Which will make you addicted to worrying.