HACKER Q&A
📣 amichail

Why is computer programming addiction not taken seriously by society?


Shouldn't there be computer programming addiction programs just like those for other addictions?


  👤 h2odragon Accepted Answer ✓
If others think they can get some use out of an addict's aberrant / harmful behaviors, its much easier for those others to indulge in the same excuse finding and justifications that the addict does.

Someone trying to help the addict and point out how they're damaging themselves isn't just threatening the addict's pleasures, then; but possibly the livelihood of the people profiting from the addict. So multiple times as difficult as usual.


👤 gregjor
Probably because no one thinks of obsessive programming or workaholism as a medical or clinical condition.

Obsessive behavior of any kind, and working too much, do get taken seriously. Substitute “stamp collecting” for “programming” and you might understand the difference between obsessive behavior and addiction.


👤 raxxorraxor
There are effective treatments like Perl, Haskell and C++.

👤 farseer
I need this addiction! What I have instead is an hn addiction :(