this post was submitted on 20 Apr 2026
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[–] Dasus@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

addiction" used to mean physical withdrawals

No it didn't. That's dependency. They're two medically distinct things. Addiction is a brain disorder, dependency isn't.

If stupid people didn't exist and the world wasn't as unjust as it is, I wouldn't get any withdrawal from quitting weed. As it is, I get quite irate, but I think that's just my default setting nowadays, not a withdrawal symptom.

[–] Mulligrubs@lemmy.world 0 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Yeah, it did, and does.

I'm speaking of common vernacular, not in medical terms. The common vernacular has changed over the years (as it always does).

Things without (and with) dependency are called addictions often, even "habits". I see it constantly in social media. The term "addiction" used to be much more limited.

If you don't believe me, feel free to consult a dictionary.

Medical terms are a different matter. Like the word "retarded", a word can mean one thing medically, and quite another in common parlance.

Your correction has been corrected.

[–] Dasus@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Your correction has been corrected.

Lol no. You're just angry I corrected you. "Nuh-uh, I'm actually right, also go and do your own research."

I have. I've also been using the terms for like 30 years in several languages.

Addiction is a brain disorder. Even in common vernacular. Dependence is different. Usually with SUD they overlap, but for instance cannabis doesn't cause dependency (because there's really no physical withdrawal) which is why you hear a lot of addicted teenager weeders saying "weed isn't addictive, man", because they don't understand the difference between those two words.

Just because they are using a word prescriptively wrong because they don't understand what it means doesn't make it wrong for them to use in that context, descriptively. And no, not everyone who knows the difference of "addiction" and "dependence" is speaking in 'a medical context'. They're really not that challenging as concepts.

Feel free to consult a dictionary for what "prescriptive" and "descriptive" mean. ;> Perhaps you should also check what "vernacular" means?