what does it take to be a labeled "drug addict"?

[snowfield]

swim loves drugs. but can live without them. but if swim has money, swim would only buy weed. but if swim has enough money, swim wouldnt bother buying e, or taking meth. swim only takes uppers if it is given to swim or every few months. but swim very much loves marijuana as well. last night swim took meth and took a half a tab of a yellow e, and another half tab of a yellow smiley an hour later.

swim was pretty wired from 9pm to 6 or 7 am (that was the best meth ive taken so far!!), i guess the meth intensified the extacy as well. that morning when i was burning out, havent slept yet, swim was smoking dope and chatting with swims bff. swim told her what swim has done and now swims friend labeled swim as a drug addict a. swim is really confused because swim doesnt think swim is a certified addict, just a mild acceptable kind. swim does not steal or sell swims body for money, doesnt look for it but there are times when swim would look for it but thats just the dope. swim is also cutting down smoking dope right now. what do you guys think? swim also takes drugs if swim encounters something very depressing.

[Electric Wizard]

It's all opinion really, SWIM used to get called an 'addict' just because he smoked weed alone. SWIM knows people who take cocaine every weekend, they aren't addicts in his opinion, but they are in others.
Other than that SWIM has no more real advice, he believes it's something SWIY'll have to figure out on your own for the most part.
Peace.

[guntroll]

You can't be an addict because of what drugs you do, but how often you do them. Someone who smoke an eigth or quarter of Norcal weed (where Swim's from way better then other places) a day is much more of an addict then someone who does cocaine on holidays.

If all you think about when you'r sober is drugs, if you get irritable without drugs, if in certain situations you just have to have drugs, if you can't go without them when you tell yourself you will, if your life just revolves around getting high. You have problems, most likely.

Though the line from drug issues to drug problem could be discribed as being able able to keep a job or not, being able to keep commitments, etc. You have very well have a major drug problem and do these things; many are, most aren't. The people who drink a fifth a day, but work a well paying white collar job have often been has long been the used example of this.

[frasorto]

theres 2 things actualy addict is you have to have drug every few hours or withdrawell will happen. dependent is you do diffrent drugs and are high more then twice a week

[chillinwill]

Originally Posted by frasorto

theres 2 things actualy addict is you have to have drug every few hours or withdrawell will happen. dependent is you do diffrent drugs and are high more then twice a week

This is not correct. Addiction doesn't mean you have to take a substance every few hours as it can vary by substance. For example, a cocaine addict might be snorting some coke every hour or so while methamphetamine addict might have to only take methamphetamine once or twice a day. Some of the stages of addiction can include preoccupation/anticipation with the substance, binge/intoxication from the substance, and withdrawal/negative affect from the substance

Dependency means that one has to keep doing a drug to avoid psychological and or physical withdrawal. Also, it can mean when one keeps using despite problems related to using that substance.