I Can Quit Whenever I Want To... And You? Quiz

Answer: All of them

Just as "depression was once used predominately in a clinical and psychiatric sense and is now used as a synonym for "sad", so "addiction" is now increasingly used a synonym for "passionate about". But there is often a discrepancy between scientific or medical usage and a dictionary definition.

Answer: Both of these

Addiction was once a strong term that had a narrow meaning and was restricted in application. Sure, you adore trivia and have a fervent enthusiasm for being tested and challenging others. In a zealous moment you might even state, "I'm addicted to this stuff" - but are you? Certainly not in the traditional sense. David Myers in his text, "Exploring Psychology" blames pop psychology for tainting simple bad habits with the stigma of addiction.

Answer: Trivia

Although David Myers is unconvinced that a disease-treatment model is appropriate for "repetitive, pleasure-seeking behaviors", he admits that treatment is already available for everything from compulsive exercise and work to compulsive shopping and web surfing.

It seems clear that when a habit is undesirable to the one compulsively engaging in it, that effective psychological interventions will be sought. (See also discussion of question 10.)

Answer: Physical dependence

The line between an acceptable and an unacceptable quest for pleasure can be difficult to draw on either moral or medical grounds. The use of caffeine raises as yet unsatisfactorily answered questions in both realms. However, this author believes the quest for trivia and trivia competitions to be intrinsically wholesome and beneficial activity for a number of reasons not the least of which is that much that is truly important is learned, discussed and ultimately practiced in the context of a certain website dedicated to having fun with trivia.

Answer: No

According to David Myers researchers have found that there are more "controlled, occasional" users of alcohol, marijuana and cocaine than addicts. As will be seen, in the case of behaviors, the consequences of the behaviors and their desirability are important features in deciding on treatment.

Answer: Yes

Although treatment benefits some addicts, many addicts improve without treatment. Myers points out that most successful ex-smokers have quit on their own. He also speculates that seeing their problem as a disease might result in patients feeling that the problem is beyond their control and undermine their ability to succeed on their own.

Answer: Pleasure and escape from internal discomfort

In an article in the "British Journal of Addiction" 1990 Nov;85(11):1403-8 the following definition of addiction was proposed: "Essentially, addiction designates a process whereby a behavior, that can function both to produce pleasure and to provide escape from internal discomfort, is employed in a pattern characterized by (1) recurrent failure to control the behaviour (powerlessness) and (2) continuation of the behaviour despite significant negative consequences (unmanageability)." In 1996 an article in American Scientist by Dr. J. M. Blum suggested that a "reward deficiency syndrome" might be responsible for addictive behavior in some cases. According to this model, a congenital deficiency in the ability to experience pleasure could lead to addictions such as binge eating, alcoholism or even drug abuse.

The behavior would then either provide the pleasure or relieve the negative feelings engendered by pleasure's absence.

Answer: You do not meet the definition for addiction that the Minnesota Institute of Psychiatry proposed in 1990.

Addiction implies a repetitive inability to terminate the unwanted behavior. When "powerlessness" is demonstrated, one of the two conditions that characterize addiction has been met.

Answer: Yes

You have demonstrated that you are powerless to control your behavior in the face of expected and significant consequence, so you meet the Minnesota Institute of Psychiatry definition. Treatments might include cognitive behavioral or group therapies.

Answer: 0

The absence of "hits" in a search done in 2005 for "compulsive behavior trivia" contrasts with 208 hits for "gambling" and 748 for "compulsive behavior eating". David Myers has questioned whether, "We can extend the concept of addiction to cover not just drug dependencies, but a whole spectrum of repetitive, pleasure-seeking behaviors." It is clear that the definition has now been extended.

But it is equally clear to this author that "trivia addict" is a term that will most often applied metaphorically to the kind of non-compulsive trivia fans who do, indeed, find pleasure repetitively on this site.