-sigh-
Marlboro Red
Coffee
Earl Grey
Jaffa Cakes
Civilisation 4
M&Ms
Poker
Lying
Blue Steak
(Fuckpig "That's not even a pound a midget.", Thu 18 Dec 2008, 22:03, 1 reply)

The things I have been addicted to...
My first chemical addiction was coffee, not cheap coffee though and most certainly not that Coffee and Chicory shite that they sell to poor folk. I liked my coffee like tar, strong and black. Milk in coffee was anathema to me and frankly I think that any one who puts milk or cream in coffee is a heathen. My coffee addiction started to get worse after leaving Uni, it started with trying different brands, then it was different brands for set times of the day. Come the end I was drinking between twenty and thirty cups of coffee per day and with each cup my Migraines grew worse. I failed to link them at that stage and complained bitterly about my exploding head pains as I sipped down another tar like black coffee. Finally it twigged and I decided to give up coffee, which hurt. As with any addiction, the body acclimatises the the constant presence of what ever chemical you are administering to yourself. Coming off of coffee was an unpleasant couple of days of stress and head pain. I went from thirty cups a day to nothing in a weekend. Work the next week was hard, no coffee... I think it took me about six months before I decided that I no longer missed the stuff. These days, it has to be very good quality filter coffee to stir my taste buds into craving a cup.

My next addiction was Resident Evil on the Playstaion. It started innocently enough, but quickly grew into long hours of gaming and when I finally turned the thing off, dreaming about Chris Redfield or Clair whateverhernamewas too. Final nail in the coffin was playing R.E. 2 from start to finish in twenty six hours with no rest or sleep and only stopping for the occasional wee break. I became a monster and once I realised what the fuck I was doing, I gave the PS to my sister and now stay away from games for the sake of my sanity.

One addiction I know I can never give up is the feeling of riding my Mountain bike down rocky trails as fast as I am capable of. I know that I will never be good enough to be competitive or actually serious enough to actually train, but I do love my weekly dash down the local muddy slope to arrive back home covered from head to toe in mud, filth and the occasional dog turd if I am unlucky. I love my Mountain bike almost as much as I love my human friends, although I would not put one of them in the bin or leave them in a hedge if they broke a vital limb!

My name is Jayne and I am an addict.
Oh one last thing. I once took an ex to an AA meeting, which frankly freaked me out. I am so glad I have never been addicted to recreational drugs or alcohol. However I have been addicted to proscribed pain killers, despite my GP telling me that I would be fine. Coming off of Pregabeline was the worst experience of my life. I threw up so often that it lost all of its fun...
( Rev. Jayneflakes Buy my book, I need the cash for drugs and hookers, Thu 18 Dec 2008, 21:47, 1 reply)

Thanks, kid!
I started smoking to impress a cute girl back in the mid-80s. Just a smoke or two in the evenings, and next thing I know I was a broke, three-pack-a-day smoker.

What finally made me kick the habit was an event in April 1995. The cute girl, now known as Mrs. Yank, came from the doctor's office, said, "I'm pregnant." and handed me her pack. I quit a few months later, and I owe my daughter a big thanks.

I'd tried a dozen or more times to quit in the past. I tried electronic rationing gizmos, Cancer Society programs, setting a "quit date," eating sunflower seeds, smoking less, switching brands... Finally, I tried the gimmick of going cold turkey and still carrying around an open pack of cigarettes. I had to convince myself that I could have the forbidden cigarettes whenever I wanted, I just didn't want one.

After a month or so I was out drinking with friends. I caved in and had one. It scorched my throat, tasted like hell and about made me pass out. The magic was gone. I was an ex-smoker and have been for the last 13 years.
(Yank, Thu 18 Dec 2008, 21:28, Reply)

I’m an addict. No, worse than that, I’ve become a pusher…
Oh, people of B3ta, hear my sorry tale of woe that you might amuse yourselves and escape such a fate.

It’s been ten years. I thought I was cured. It was hard. After I gave it up, threw it all out, avoided anywhere I could get it and pretended I’d never known it’s sweet embrace, I thought it was out of my life – forever. Oh, how short sighted I was.

It all came back last year. Thanks to a no-good, layabout friend of mine. And, most sickeningly, a police officer. That one phone call was the beginning of the end.

“Mate, umm, I was kinda just thinking, it’s been a long time, you know? Maybe we can try it again, see how it goes?”

If I’d had any inkling of the consequences I’d have slammed the phone down, buried it in concrete and never spoken to him again.

You see, I’m addicted to… God, I can’t even say it. I don’t want you all to judge me, but I might, just might, reach somebody else out there.

I’m addicted to Warhammer 40000. I know… It was a slow descent back into madness. It started with a novel, a dog-eared sci-fi fest that a friend recommended.

‘There’s no harm in a book,’ I said. My friends, a few, self-deluding fools, agreed. “It’s not like we’re gonna collect the models, that’d be tragic. They’re for kids.” ‘Yeah,’ we guffawed, ‘we’re not going down “that” road. Definitely not.

We’d chat over beers. “Have you read the latest book? It’s great.” And it was. And for a time it went no further. We kept it to ourselves and kept it ticking over.

Then, Black Tuesday. The day it got out of control. That phone call. “Mate, I was just passing the shop and I bought a squad of Space Marines and some paint… You know, it’ll be fun. Just a laugh… Maybe you could get some too? And I’ve asked the others, they’re gonna do it too. Please? I can’t be the only one…”

And so it began. So began the buying, modelling, painting and playing. Books, paints, tanks and sordid weekends involving D6 and a Codex. Afternoons spent being lectured on rules by eight-year-olds and having our arses kicked by teens with their mums beeping car horns outside.

God, I feel so dirty. But I’m in too deep. Six months in, about £400 in models, paints, books and scenery. Last night I…oh my… I went to Warhammer World in Nottingham…

I’m sorry, I can’t go on. I’m going to have to shower again. But the dirt never comes off… Maybe afterwards I can paint some Shield Drones… *sob*

Length? Dunno about that, but the standard miniature height is 28mm….
(Miraclefish How appropriate, you fight like a cow, Thu 18 Dec 2008, 21:18, 10 replies)

Degrassi
i started watching it like two years ago... there's just something about people with lives more fucked up than mine that captures my attention.

plus, how can you resist finding out all about the valedictorian class president who used to be a social nerd until she started dating her long-time crush only to get pregnant and then give the baby up for adoption before her baby daddy was murdered by a kid from their rival school which later burnt down forcing all the students into Degrassi where Liberty (girl from above) would have to compete for her valedictorian title with one of the Lakehurst kids that was dating one of her best friends who she later stabbed in the back by making out with said competition.

that's only one character.

somebody help me.
(Phoenix211, Thu 18 Dec 2008, 21:13, 12 replies)

Charlton Athletic fans
will like this QoTW


/coat
(Halfy By light alone, Thu 18 Dec 2008, 21:07, 2 replies)

Addicitions eh?
Well I got Drink, wanking and Pro evolution Soccer. Usually in That order actually and I'm drunk Now . . . he he
(Lukekull Fuck, Thu 18 Dec 2008, 21:05, 1 reply)

Mint Imperials.
Though I've been clean for almost a week now.
( Green Spanner and his magical lack of activity, Thu 18 Dec 2008, 21:01, Reply)

smoking
is my main addiction,
unoriginal, but true...

however, I am also addicted to Starbucks coffee, Geo Challenge on facebook, Guitar hero(all of them), Relentless energy drinks, Doritos, Hob Nobs, and pringles
(Lord Chode, Thu 18 Dec 2008, 20:57, 1 reply)

Am I addicted to my own shyness?
As many of you regular QOTW readers know, I'm a shy person. Fortunately, I frequently manage to overcome my shyness for short (yet most of the time, long enough) periods of time. Often when I'm in unfamiliar surroundings or about to meet someone and I'm feeling nervous, I find that the nervousness seems to play havoc with my adrenaline production. I've learned over the years to not focus on my nervousness but to instead, enjoy the adrenaline rush I end up getting. In practice, I still feel nervous, but usually, once I settle in, the nervousness evaporates pretty quickly and I'm left with an adrenaline high. Also, I find that once my shyness dissipates, I feel somewhat triumphant about it, and that just adds to the high.

Some people take up extreme sports to get their adrenaline rush. Me? I'll just stick to doing battle with my shyness and winning!!!
( mistaspakkaman and the inedible shifting caterpillars, Thu 18 Dec 2008, 20:56, 2 replies)

Cheap Tesco's muffins
submerged in Ambrosia custard.

I really can't get enough of that shit.
(Errorist, Thu 18 Dec 2008, 20:52, 1 reply)

I don't know the best way to word this...
but I always have to have some form of audio or visual stimulation. When I wake up, I go straight on my laptop, working, listening to music, watching films n shows. The first thing to go on in the kitchen is the radio, and the telly is rarely off. If i have to go out, I actually can't manage without my iPod, and I go to sleep watching a dvd of either Simpsons, Futurama, or Family Guy.

My mind is a mess, its like tangled fairy lights, of all the worst punchlines, and most abstract thoughts, and if I stop listening to music, or watching telly, then the volume goes up, and its too much.
(bobman500 enjoys a grope as much as the next fella, Thu 18 Dec 2008, 20:52, 5 replies)

I have a few addictions, but we'll take them one at a time.
I should probably start out with my tales of cocaine addiction (cured now) or my love of scotch (almost cured), but instead I'll tell of the worst one I have, the one that may well ruin me yet.

Women.

(I'll forewarn you, this isn't being written for humour- this is catharsis.)

In the past I've made some pretty awful choices in women, and have suffered some consequences that were quite horrific. I've spoken of some of them in here, and also of some of the good choices I've made. But either way, women have been involved.

Sounds normal enough, doesn't it?

The thing is, it took a friend of mine pointing out a few things recently for me to see a pattern in my own life. I'm a bit too close to the problem to see it objectively, so when she pointed it out I was rather gobsmacked.

As she put it, I don't deal well with being alone.

It's true, I don't. I'm not dependent on a woman to cook for me or clean up after me or tell me what I need to be doing, but I don't like being alone. I end a relationship, then a couple of weeks pass and I find myself out there looking again for someone to share a bed with and to take to dinner. I really can't remember the last time I spent a weekend alone at home, reading the paper and going on walks- I always end up with someone, doing something.

I'm fearful of commitments, yet I can't seem to go for more than a week or two without a woman in my life in some capacity. Currently I have four women that I'm juggling, splitting my time between them and not taking care of my needs at home such as cleaning and laundry. There are those who would look at me and feel a bit of envy, but really it feels as though I'm burning my candle at both ends and the middle as well. The words of Bilbo in "The Fellowship Of The Ring" are entirely too apt: I'm old, Gandalf. I know I don't look it, but I'm beginning to feel it in my heart. I feel thin. Sort of stretched, like butter, scraped over too much bread. I need a holiday. A very long holiday.

So why don't I take to spending time alone in my own home, rather than bouncing all around the place? Damned if I know.

But that's the nature of addictions, isn't it?

Sorry for the lack of funny. I'm trying to process this one out for myself, and you get to listen in. Lucky you, eh?
(Shimrod, Thu 18 Dec 2008, 20:42, 2 replies)

My teenage sister.
Had a bit of an addiction for Playboy merchandise for a few years, until her emo teenage hormones kicked in and she saw sense. Thankfully now at Uni she's discovered booze and pink glittery shit doesn't hold the same fascination as a pint of whatever student concoction they're drinking nowadays.
( girlinthehole, Thu 18 Dec 2008, 20:29, 2 replies)

Artex inversion addiction.
As a kid, I was addicted to inverting Artex on the ceiling, not physically but in a sort of magic eye way, you kind of look through it and you see it the other way round so it looks like all the peaks are going into the ceiling and you get a nice flat base.
I stopped around the age of 14 when I discovered better ways to entertain myself when lying in bed at night.
(stevepetmonkey all your cake are belong to me, Thu 18 Dec 2008, 20:26, Reply)

itboxes!
They are the spawn of the devil. They suck you in like fruit machines*, wanting you to keep winning. You never win more than a couple of quid, and they make you look stupid. Something I REALLY have trouble with.

There's two ways these are better, but in many ways worse, than fruit machines.

1. The games last longer. It's a good thing because you physically cannot lose as much money. However, because the game takes longer, you spend less time drinking, socialising or trying to get laid (surprise surprise, I'm single).

And woe betide ANYBODY being on the itbox when I walk in the pub, I pace up and down behind them like a caged lion, waiting to pounce on their usually lost bounty (tip: NEVER play Deal or No Deal. It's an arse rape curteosy of Noel Edmonds).

2. They are more sociable than things like fruit machines. Yes, unlike Fruit machines that require you to press an intricate series of buttons to get £25 out, everybody can play this. So, instead of being a grunting loner hunched over a one armed bandit, there's usually about 3 or 4.

The issue is that some people really have no business being near an itbox. They reach over pressing the screen (my mate's girlfriend did think that the capital of Italy was Nice - "Well it is nice!" she laughed it off with. It was my quid, bitch), and then when it goes to the game over, they demand you to play again. With your quid, as they had fun.

And, it is exclusively itboxes. On some of the other quiz machines, there's a games called "Pints Win Prizes", a hangman variant based on drinking. They have easy (Days of the Week or Football Teams), medium (Football Players, Celebrities or Colours) and hard (Pharaohs or Terrorist Groups) categories. One of the hard categories is Commodore 64 Games. I always get them, if that category comes up, and I must've won more money than I've gambled on it.

Click I like this if you believe any game based on a TV show are designed only to take your money.

* I did put a large amount of my student loan in fruit machines in Liverpool, so I consider them my cigarettes, and itboxes are my nicorette patches.
(rhyswynne - on every social network mullarkey known to man, Thu 18 Dec 2008, 20:23, 7 replies)

Perfect alignment
I'm a bit OCD about things sometimes, and seriously can't concentrate or focus on the task in hand if things in my surrounding area aren't straight.

Whether it's a keyboard that needs to be lined up to the edge of the desk (and the mouse has to be lined up next to the keyboard too) or a pile of paperwork in my in-tray, it all has to be straightened up before I can do anything.

I've been known to interfere with the alignment of placemats on dining tables, making sure they line up precisely with the edge of the table (even when friends or family are eating) just because I can't enjoy my meal otherwise!

I even have moments when I insist that my boyfriend waits for me to straighten the sheets/pillows/quilt on the bed before he can have his wicked way with me... in the very same bed that I've just straightened out.

So there you go - I'm addicted to making things align perfectly with their surroundings. My family think I'm insane, and I'm starting to wonder!!
(etak, Thu 18 Dec 2008, 20:19, Reply)

Counting
I'm slightly addicted to counting the letters on posters and adverts.

I like to do three counts. The first one is just the letters, the second the letters and I count the dots on the i as a separate chatachter lastly, I count the letters, the dots on the i and I count the underline as a letter.

I get a bit frustrated if I am on a bus and it pulls away before I am finished, or is someone stands in the way while I am counting even if I already know what is there and I can work out the total.
(lympicita_ie, Thu 18 Dec 2008, 20:16, 4 replies)

fags, salt, irn bru
all healthy stuff really. i have a weakness for star trek books. yes i know they are sad and shit.
my biggest addiction would be football manager or champ back in the day. i've had every version and even buy the psp one. i play it for at least 5 hours a night.

christ reading that back i really am a big fat geeky fucktard. *pumps inhaler*
( mark morrisons prison shoes I love Willie, Thu 18 Dec 2008, 20:14, Reply)

Demon dope
During college my cohorts and i became serious fans of gear,spending most of our waking hours completely stoned.
Our favourite hole was my pal Christians house as his parents lived in Australia.One evening we found ourselves utterly bereft of any ganja so someone (i forget who,not surprisingly) hit upon the fantastic idea of actually running round with the dyson to see what goodies we could findin the carpet.
filthy i know,but after sorting through the dust,fluff and grit we had collected had about a quater of hash,plenty to get us removed from reality for the night.
No moral to this story,except to say that you should always have enough money to buy your drugs.
(yob soddoth happiness is a Dane called Hamlet?, Thu 18 Dec 2008, 20:10, 4 replies)

This story is true, I swear......!
In case anyone hasn't read my profile, here's a small recapitulation:

I have done a fair whack of stuff. I've done a wide range of drugs (legal or otherwise), I smoke, I drink, I gamble and I'm an adrenaline-junkie.

I've done it all and I could take or leave it. I don't really have an addictive personality. But there is one thing I went through utter hell to break free of.....

Swearing.

Up until 2 years every other word would either the "P-word", the "S-word", "F-Word" or the "C-word". If I were to say "Some gentleman told me go away", it would come out like:

"That 'effing c-word just 'effing told me to 'eff off!"

I was so inarticulate. My turning point was when I read "The Count of Monte Cristo" by Alexandre Dumas. I read his prose and the way he structured sentences and thought "I wish I could sound like that".

From that day onwards, I gave up swearing. It wasn't easy, everytime I couldn't express myself or got flustered or angry, I'd resort back to swearing again. It took 6 months for me to start structuring sentences without any swearing in it without thinking about it.

After 2 years, I've finally given up swearing. I'm quite proud of myself. It was the toughest bad habit I've ever had to break, but I feel it was for the best.

Now it's time to learn some new words. Anyone got a dictionary.....?

Length? Well, after 2 years, I'm still going strong...
(The Stig, Thu 18 Dec 2008, 20:06, 5 replies)

oh
and butterfield, from The Peter Serafinowicz Show

BONBONBONBONS!
(morningtoncrescent, Thu 18 Dec 2008, 19:57, 4 replies)

Fags
Now fuck off.
( Nickalollyoff DOG FARTS, Thu 18 Dec 2008, 19:57, Reply)

Second Life
Totally. Important deadlines? stuff it, I promised to hang with someone in Second Life, until 3am.

Get up, log in, chat to anyone I know for a few hours, be late for work ...

Seriously, I hate myself somedays, but .. I can't give it up.

Must go, got some new poseballs to test out.
(flipper is going to die in a bizarre gardenning accident, Thu 18 Dec 2008, 19:56, Reply)

Tic-Tacs
When I was in highschool I became addicted to tic-tacs. Just the normal mint ones- nothing special flavourwise- it all just kind of started when I got abit stressed and had a few minty pills.

They kind of calmed me down- they stopped me feeling sick (Which I often do when I'm stressed) and helped me think when I needed to.

As school became more work due to exams, I ate more and more of them- I was literally going through a couple of packs a day.

Now one of the interesting things is that tic-tacs include an ingredient that causes you to have the runs...alot-
a constant diet of them and suddenly I'd seeminly built up a resistance to this- though there was a period of time where this wasn't the case and that was very very uncomfortable.

I even cracked 2 of my teeth from chomping on fresh tic-tacs when stressed- and so have 2 crowns in my mouth that I had to get at the age of 16.

Once I left the states and came back home for Uni- I was in full addiction flow- I was literally on 5 packs of tic-tacs per day, I couldn't go in a shop without impulsively buying some.
They had become my vice- jsut like some people smoked, some people drank- bignutter ate tic-tacs. I covered my window in halls with empty boxes- because i could more than anything, and thought it was cooler than empty beer cans :)

At graduation, in the middle of the ceremony, I took out a box of tic-tacs- chewed down a few, then passed the box down the line- I set off a minor disterbance due to all teh teaching students eating tic-tacs and giggling

Those little mints got me through alot- all my exams, my teaching placements, my breakup with my ex fiancee- the bullying at my first teaching job.


Life has kinda calmed down from all that drama- I'm much happier with things- much less stressed. I've kinda kicked the habit, but still keep a box of tic-tacs around in case I need some reassurance or feel sick- they just do the job....


Might be abit weird- but its better than alot of other addictions- and a hell of alot cheaper :)


Shame about length...they are about 2cm long at the longest :(
(bignutter, Thu 18 Dec 2008, 19:52, Reply)

The Chords.....
B7 & A7....... Is that allowed?! i think it is...
(Limousine, Thu 18 Dec 2008, 19:48, 6 replies)

Shapey shapes
i have to turn everything into shapes. so if i see a door, i have to figure out exactly where a door of scaled down proportions would fit perfectly to keep a line going through each corner. also works with gaps, poles, windows floors and basically everything shaped.

length? depends on the door i guess...
(morningtoncrescent, Thu 18 Dec 2008, 19:48, Reply)

SCUBA diving
How low have I sunk?: 41m
What am I doing to beat it?: Technical diving training :-)
(regthing Scouting for boys, Thu 18 Dec 2008, 19:46, 2 replies)