cigarettes, coffee, weed

I also self medicate, I think partially because I have not gotten in to see a doctor, and that is my way of coping with life. I wouldn't say I drink alot of alcohol, I may have a beer or two on occasion. But I go thru my moments where I feel I have to have a cigarrette, or I have smoked pot, I also love chocolate and caramel and go thru spirts with that. I currently am trying to watch everything I eat and lose weight. Trying to quit other things such as pot and cigs, but it is tough, it has been a crutch for me. I have to try to manage my moods in other ways, and hopefully get on meds if necessary.. Just not 100% that meds are right for me, they are scary and have alot of side effects. I also am not sure if I am done having kids, and how that all comes into play.

I believe that what that nurse was talking about was illicit drug addiction. Statistically those with mental illness that are not medicated and managing their illness poorly are pray to self medication. The statistics for those of us with mental illness who also have a compounding drug addiction is much higher then those with out a mental illness.

I my self suffer from addiction. I am a former crack/heroin addict and I make no bones about that. I always speak out about my experience with addiction and I will always try my best to persuade any one to avoid drug addiction.

as for other forms of addiction I think that all humans probably have some kind of vice. Mine would be both food and cigarettes. Oops and maybe internet LOL.

Food of any sort/kind is my addiction. I mean I can even binge on veggies. I can and will binge on anything so have to be very strict with my food.

I've been told something similar. People tend to self-medicate or something.

My addiction is sugar and chocolate. Seriously.

Ciggies....coffee

And a certain young man , I can't seem to get out of my system.

I have always considered myself someone who has an addictive personality. I used to smoke and drink heavily. I knew as a young person that I better never try heroin or cocaine because I knew it wouldn't take much for me to become addicted. At the time, cost was more of a reason than health to avoid those drugs. (At least I had something to discourage me!)

Since I don't drink or smoke anymore, I truly believe that I am addicted to caffeine. I drink coffee in the morning, and Diet Mountain Dew ALL day till the time I go to bed.

Alcohol and cigs.

I have a drink and cig once in awhile, though I haven't smoked regularly in about 15 years.

I was diagnosed as having and addictive personality about 35 years ago, long, long before I exhibited Bipolar symptoms. Beer and drugs -- uppers, downers, LSD, pot, MDA -- and bulimia.
I collected one thing or another to the point where it became an addiction. About five years ago, I got addicted to music. I got into as much music from all over the word and would listen to it 24 hours a day. (I slept with the earphones in my ears, playing.) Now I can't stand listening to music at all, just for listening sake.
I go from drinking no coffee for months to drinking more than two pots a day. I smoked two packs a day. I quit for decades, started up again when the Bipolar came out in me and then quit again, a year ago.
Right now, I'm addicted to DS, many boards, and I can hardly wait for this addiction to stop!!! Actually, I don't know if all this stuff is addictive or if it's just obsessive.
I fixate on a movie -- the last one that I got hooked on really bad was Party Monster -- and watch it two or three times every day.
All these things are done to the point where daily chores and duties get ignored. Sigh.

Ambien. Can't sleep without it - not good if I can't fall asleep or stay asleep or not enough sleep.

Music, TV, social networking, anything artistic because I can myself doing it all.

Pho, carbs and fruit.

Whining and sarcasm. Something I need to work on it's annoying.

I smoke. It's hard, since smoking is so taboo now. But, it calms me down. The times I tried to quit were disastrous. Also, coffee. I don't know how people live without coffee.

@Philadendron, I quit and feel better but it's hard at first.

I mean I quit coffee.

alcohol and sweets, & cafiene! That's life!

doorknob, kudos to you for being sober and clean and yes, keep passing on the message that this is OK to talk about and that recognition from other sufferers still in the addiction can be a prompt to change.

As well as being a Beeper, PTSD, OCD, Panic and Anxiety Disorders, I'm going to be 12 years sober in AA next month. We drop like flies from alcoholism in my family so it's way cool to be sober.

I'm also addicted to food - that was my very first drug of choice when I was a small child, and was a panacea to the awful upbringing. I read recently that in envieonments like that, there are certain brain changes that occur, or even the brain development that means people are more likely to be addicts and for the eaters, - it's the carbs of many varieties we crave. There's no doubt that addiction is in part for me genetic -the sheer numbers are staggering, but also the House of Horrors upbringing. So I then began blackout drinking at 14 and was a blackout drinker for 18 years until 32 and for me, I have never drunk again from Day One in AA.

Even my OCD is an addictive behaviour. I have bitten and picked the quicks around my fingers for so many decades that I have ruined the nail base on every finger andmy nails are deformed. I know that I do it because it affects the pleasure centres of the brain and is an anxiety management tool. But of course it causes more anxiety as people look at my nails in disgust (they are often bloody - and when in was in my corporate career - lost it all due to my illnesses and mis-medication, I did it too). I remember sitting in business meetings, even ones I was chairing and I couldn't wait to sit down to hide my hands and hack at them. I remember one meeting with a Managing Director and it was all going well, he repected my work and we were working on something together and I was picking so bad under the table that my hand were bloodied. Of course he could see it as I had to ife my hands to the paperwork. It's very hard to change such long-embedded behaviour and frankly, it the least of my problems mental health-wise.