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I find the definition of addiction by mainstream media really weird too. I was addicted to games at one point, then to partying, then to soccer. Partying 3 ti

I find the definition of addiction by mainstream media really weird too. I was addicted to games at one point, then to partying, then to soccer. Partying 3 times a week has affected other areas in my life a lot more than gaming, my life basically disappeared outside of partying/recovery; and soccer has lead to many injuries, some permanent. Yet I don't see people calling out people addicted to partying, or to sports. It's almost as if those editors/writers are seeing the world through their own limited/biased lenses.

lukeschlather 8y ago
When you say partying/recovery do you mean heavy drinking/recovery?
quicklime 8y ago
There is definitely a concept of "overtraining" in sport, and people do talk about it being caused by an addiction to exercise (e.g. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overtraining#Cause https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overtraining#Cause, https://www.trainingpeaks.com/blog/the-dangers-of-exercise-addiction/ https://www.trainingpeaks.com/blog/the-dangers-of-exercise-a...). It's a problem because it results in a lack of progress (e.g. it's hard to build fitness/strength when overtrained), and it increases a person's susceptibility to injuries. Strava even has a built in feature to warn users if they appear to be overtraining (I think you need a heart rate monitor though, and possibly the paid version too). But I would guess that this isn't well-known amongst the general public, since it doesn't affect much of the population - most people live sedentary lives and overtraining/exercise addiction is only a problem for a subset of active people. I presume by "partying" you mean "drinking", otherwise there wouldn't be much recovery involved. In which case that's an addition that is well-known and often talked about.
- paulcole 8y ago
  While a fashionable self-diagnosis, actual overtraining is essentially impossible for the average person to do. They’ll end up with soreness or other minor injuries that will prevent exercise before actual overtraining sets in.
  - konceptz 8y ago
    While I agree with your sentiment I believe that body builders and strength trainers do experience this as they reach semi(pro) levels. It is extremely hard to do and is often an incorrect self-diagnosis. Please let me know if there has been some research on occurrence rates.
    - paulcole 8y ago
      Semi-pro athletes aren’t average people.
  - tjoff 8y ago
    What definition are you using? Wikipedia: Overtraining occurs when a person exceeds their body's ability to recover from strenuous exercise. This is not hard to do. The average person will recover at a slower pace than an athlete. Many dedicated people underestimate how much food is required (very common in professional athletes too). But more common among average people I'd guess is overtraining certain parts of your body, because it isn't hard at all.
    - cc81 8y ago
      I think he is using a definition closer to the one used in this paper: >Athletes experience minor fatigue and acute reductions in performance as a consequence of the normal training process. When the balance between training stress and recovery is disproportionate, it is thought that overreaching and possibly overtraining may develop. However, the majority of research that has been conducted in this area has investigated overreached and not overtrained athletes. Overreaching occurs as a result of intensified training and is often considered a normal outcome for elite athletes due to the relatively short time needed for recovery (approximately 2 weeks) and the possibility of a supercompensatory effect. As the time needed to recover from the overtraining syndrome is considered to be much longer (months to years), it may not be appropriate to compare the two states. It is presently not possible to discern acute fatigue and decreased performance experienced from isolated training sessions, from the states of overreaching and overtraining. This is partially the result of a lack of diagnostic tools, variability of results of research studies, a lack of well controlled studies and individual responses to training. https://link.springer.com/article/10.2165/00007256-200434140-00003 https://link.springer.com/article/10.2165/00007256-200434140... So it is not the normal aches or reduced performance you get from training a lot in a short time, sleeping too little or anything like that.
specialist 8y ago
"Self harm" is my catch all phrase. Addiction, neglect, denial, etc. are all just facets.
bambataa 8y ago
If by partying you mean clubbing, possibly with drugs, I think it’s fairly common for people to get super into it at first and then gradually pull back. But I suppose it’s usually presented as an underlying addiction to whatever drugs rather than the whole alternate lifestyle.
C1sc0cat 8y ago
In the UK injuries from football (soccer) are a significant reason for time off work I believe.

lukeschlather 8y ago

When you say partying/recovery do you mean heavy drinking/recovery?

quicklime 8y ago

There is definitely a concept of "overtraining" in sport, and people do talk about it being caused by an addiction to exercise (e.g. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overtraining#Cause https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overtraining#Cause, https://www.trainingpeaks.com/blog/the-dangers-of-exercise-addiction/ https://www.trainingpeaks.com/blog/the-dangers-of-exercise-a...). It's a problem because it results in a lack of progress (e.g. it's hard to build fitness/strength when overtrained), and it increases a person's susceptibility to injuries. Strava even has a built in feature to warn users if they appear to be overtraining (I think you need a heart rate monitor though, and possibly the paid version too). But I would guess that this isn't well-known amongst the general public, since it doesn't affect much of the population - most people live sedentary lives and overtraining/exercise addiction is only a problem for a subset of active people. I presume by "partying" you mean "drinking", otherwise there wouldn't be much recovery involved. In which case that's an addition that is well-known and often talked about.

paulcole 8y ago
While a fashionable self-diagnosis, actual overtraining is essentially impossible for the average person to do. They’ll end up with soreness or other minor injuries that will prevent exercise before actual overtraining sets in.
- konceptz 8y ago
  While I agree with your sentiment I believe that body builders and strength trainers do experience this as they reach semi(pro) levels. It is extremely hard to do and is often an incorrect self-diagnosis. Please let me know if there has been some research on occurrence rates.
  - paulcole 8y ago
    Semi-pro athletes aren’t average people.
- tjoff 8y ago
  What definition are you using? Wikipedia: Overtraining occurs when a person exceeds their body's ability to recover from strenuous exercise. This is not hard to do. The average person will recover at a slower pace than an athlete. Many dedicated people underestimate how much food is required (very common in professional athletes too). But more common among average people I'd guess is overtraining certain parts of your body, because it isn't hard at all.
  - cc81 8y ago
    I think he is using a definition closer to the one used in this paper: >Athletes experience minor fatigue and acute reductions in performance as a consequence of the normal training process. When the balance between training stress and recovery is disproportionate, it is thought that overreaching and possibly overtraining may develop. However, the majority of research that has been conducted in this area has investigated overreached and not overtrained athletes. Overreaching occurs as a result of intensified training and is often considered a normal outcome for elite athletes due to the relatively short time needed for recovery (approximately 2 weeks) and the possibility of a supercompensatory effect. As the time needed to recover from the overtraining syndrome is considered to be much longer (months to years), it may not be appropriate to compare the two states. It is presently not possible to discern acute fatigue and decreased performance experienced from isolated training sessions, from the states of overreaching and overtraining. This is partially the result of a lack of diagnostic tools, variability of results of research studies, a lack of well controlled studies and individual responses to training. https://link.springer.com/article/10.2165/00007256-200434140-00003 https://link.springer.com/article/10.2165/00007256-200434140... So it is not the normal aches or reduced performance you get from training a lot in a short time, sleeping too little or anything like that.

specialist 8y ago

"Self harm" is my catch all phrase. Addiction, neglect, denial, etc. are all just facets.

bambataa 8y ago

If by partying you mean clubbing, possibly with drugs, I think it’s fairly common for people to get super into it at first and then gradually pull back. But I suppose it’s usually presented as an underlying addiction to whatever drugs rather than the whole alternate lifestyle.

C1sc0cat 8y ago

In the UK injuries from football (soccer) are a significant reason for time off work I believe.