People Are Sharing The Worst Kinds Of Addictions, And Some Of These Are More Nefarious Than You Might Think

The story below references drugs, alcoholism, and disordered eating.

Many people deal with addiction, yet it continues to be widely misunderstood and stigmatized. As of 2023, over 48.5 million people in the U.S. over the age of 12 have battled a substance use disorder in the past year — and that number doesn't even account for addictions that fall outside of drug and alcohol abuse.

Recently, Reddit user u/Keke_Dudu asked, "What is one of the worst addiction[s] to have?," and so many of the responses are truly eye-opening. Here are some of the most thoughtful answers:

1."My Dad has a serious hoarding addiction. The intense anger that flares any time he catches someone else in the family throwing something away that belongs to THEM that he doesn't think should be thrown away has wreaked havoc on my mental health. His hoarding addiction has also cost us tens of thousands of dollars because, for several years now, we've been living in a house that we basically can't afford, but we can't downsize because we need this house to fit all of his hoarded stuff."

2."Benzodiazepines like Xanax or Valium. I can tell you personally that getting off them is pure hell."

3."I spent years in NA/AA. We used to laugh at this one guy who was in the program for gambling — until he told his story. It was a very dark, selfish story. We all listened with our mouths wide open."

4."Nicotine. [It] took me years of lying to my family to finally quit cigarettes."

5."Food. You can't avoid it. You can't ignore it. You can't quit cold turkey. You will forever be dependent on the source of your addiction and you will need to manage your relationship to it for the rest of your life."

6."Anorexia. As someone who has battled it for years, I suppose [it's] because it never fully goes away. And you can’t avoid food. No matter what happens, you always have to come back to it to survive."

7."Alcohol. It’s legal, readily available, inexpensive, and very insidious. I often wonder how many alcoholics are just treating their anxiety because they can’t get a script for anti-anxiety medication."

8."Heavy opioids. Literally hijacking your reward system in the rawest way."

9."[I was] addicted to heroin in my 20s, and yes, it’s the worst. I’m just glad I got off the heavy shit before fentanyl took over. I work with addicts and families of addicts, and that shit is a whole new level that's hard to come back from."

10."Cocaine. I have seen the level of complete destruction it causes."

11."Sugar. It's legal and it's in everything."

12."For me, it's always been sex or anything related to it. Needing attention and feeling wanted only through [sex]. Not being able to stand being lonely and the idea of ​​being forgotten."

13."Social media. It's only now starting to be seen how damaging it is."

14."Smartphones. It's normalized to an extent that a screen time of two hours is considered low."

15."My personal worst addiction is caffeine/fast food. They go hand in hand in my life. I’m trying to kick them both currently. I’ve kicked cigarettes and alcohol, but these two replacements have got their claws in me deep."

16.And finally: "Negative thinking. I know it sounds stupid, but it’s so hard to get out of, and before you do, it [becomes] so normal to you that you feel you’re stuck in a loop."

Do you have an addictive behavior to add to this list? Please let me know in the comment section, or use the anonymous form below.

Note: Some of these responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.

The National Eating Disorders Association helpline is 1-800-931-2237; for 24/7 crisis support, text “NEDA” to 741741.

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