# Is cubing (already) your addiction?



## Qthulu (Jun 27, 2013)

Hey folks,

I was just wondering if anyone has the same signs of a "cubing addiction" like me.

- Throughout the day, I always carry around a bag (except when I'm in my own room) which contains at least two puzzles
- In my most used rooms are at least one puzzle
- During solving, I am "in my own world" and can't hear anyone and just focus on solving my puzzle
- During conversations, I take out my puzzle subconsciously, scramble it and start solving, just to realize after the solve what I did
- General cubing in every situation
- Creating a cube in my head, starting to scramble this cube in my head and starting to solve it in my head if I haven't been cubing for a few hours
- It's the act of cubing which satisfies me
_- Logging into the computer and type in a cube related username/password_

Can you identify yourself with some of the statements above?
This is not necessarily negative, but I am worried if this could transform into a (bad) habit rather than a sport for me. I am interested if you guys have an actual cubing addiction, if you do something against it (or not, and why?) or if the sport forms into an addiction and you just let it happen.

Best regards


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## TheNextFeliks (Jun 27, 2013)

Yeah. I'm an addict.


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## SirWaffle (Jun 27, 2013)

My name is SirWaffle and I am addicted to cubing.


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## Ross The Boss (Jun 27, 2013)

SirWaffle said:


> My name is SirWaffle and I am addicted to cubing.



Hi SirWaffle




I wouldn't say that I'm a _addict_, I could stop any time I want... I just don't want to. Then again, isn't that what most addicts say?


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## sneaklyfox (Jun 27, 2013)

I'd say that cubing is not as much of an addiction as it was at first, but I derive so much enjoyment from it that sometimes it can seem like an addiction.

- I don't go out very often but when I do, at least one cube is on my checklist before I head out the door. Fortunately, I have a 50mm Zhanchi which I usually just keep in a bag in my purse. I still check to make sure though.
- I have a few cubes lying in different places in the house.
- I don't tune out to the world though because I always have an ear out for my kids.
- I don't cube while I'm conversing with people... to do that I'd have to be either seriously addicted or rather rude.

And I agree with Ross The Boss in above post.


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## Patrick M (Jun 27, 2013)

I so do the cubing in my head! Usually F2L for some reason, maybe thats my subconscious saying im practicing look ahead. And some plls too! Wow. This is so me, minus the bag. But i do always have a pocket cube - my 50mm 48 edge point modded zhanchi. My favorite cube is my CCZ, and i have so many solves on Calcube timer that it occasionally glitched/moves slow. I love all my puzzles ;__;

Edit: i also have app on my phone for cubes, and yes. I am very addicted.
Totes gave up xbox almost completely


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## Spaxxy (Jun 27, 2013)

I'm pretty much a cubing addict. My family and friends make fun of me for it


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## CarlBrannen (Jun 27, 2013)

I hate cubing. I could quit any time. I feel like a complete loser doing it for 6 hours a day.

But still, setting a new Ao12 PB feels so goooooood......


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## ben1996123 (Jun 27, 2013)

no its stuped


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## emolover (Jun 27, 2013)

No not really at all. If I want an obsession, I am thinking DOTA coups become one because of how fun it is.


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## McBeef (Jun 27, 2013)

im addicted. if I don't want to think anymore, ill pull it out, do a few solves. I have one with me all the time


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## Eazoon (Jun 27, 2013)

Patrick M said:


> I so do the cubing in my head! Usually F2L for some reason, maybe thats my subconscious saying im practicing look ahead. And some plls too! Wow. This is so me, minus the bag. But i do always have a pocket cube - my 50mm 48 edge point modded zhanchi. My favorite cube is my CCZ, and i have so many solves on Calcube timer that it occasionally glitched/moves slow. I love all my puzzles ;__;
> 
> Edit: i also have app on my phone for cubes, and yes. I am very addicted.
> Totes gave up xbox almost completely


You're just like me! I practice F2L in my head, I keep a cube in my pocket (not a mini cube,) I have (and use) an app for cubing, and I almost entirely quit playing xbox since I got my first speedcube.


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## MarcelP (Jun 27, 2013)

I am very addicted to cubing. Fortunatly this addiction is not a bad habit or controlling my life. I am very happy I have found this hobby.


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## Qthulu (Jun 27, 2013)

sneaklyfox said:


> - I don't cube while I'm conversing with people... to do that I'd have to be either seriously addicted or rather rude.


It's a good conversation starter for me, I always start slow and end up explaining "how it works". It also makes me less socially awkward because I can fill conversation "holes" pretty well, even with the same persons. I even found out how I can sort of hijack individual people: For some, it's the solving, for some, it's the patterns and again, for some others it's the big cubes which are mind-blowing to use (which is another reason to buy another big cube, I really want the 9x9). Sentences like: "There is a method for this, right?" or "This is impossible to solve!" or "Can you solve this?" or anything similar are my indicators that my conversational foreplay went well and I can use cubing as an extension. It's also really important to use a correct order for this. Only a few people would come over and ask how I do this (in fact, it only happened to me once in about a half year of cubing), but if you already talked with someone (mutual friends are really helpful), they are somehow hooked to you. It's not rude for me to cube, but it would be rude for them to leave without a good excuse, which could be used as an extension, too. I don't talk so much to friends or people I've just met; the real trick is to make them talk about a topic you're really well aware of (in this case, cubing).

I think, it is very interesting how a thing that has a rather negative stereotype ("Only nerds do this") can lead to awesome conversations. 

And after seeing what I wrote over the last few minutes, I think: "Wow. A thread about cubing addiction now leads to a functional / useful addiction and the psychology behind cubing conversations." 

Edit: I love brackets.


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## BoltKey (Jun 27, 2013)

Well said Qthulu, well said.
For me, cubing is not really an addiction yet, I still do it just because I want to, not because I have to.


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## Kirjava (Jun 27, 2013)

no, methylenedioxymethamphetamine is my addiction


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## cubecraze1 (Jun 27, 2013)

Not addicted anymore, was when I started though.


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## Qthulu (Jun 27, 2013)

BoltKey said:


> For me, cubing is not really an addiction yet, I still do it just because I want to, not because I have to.


And at some point, "wanting to" and "having to" merge together...


Kirjava said:


> no, methylenedioxymethamphetamine is my addiction


And I thought Lysergic acid diethylamide is your addiction; the profile picture made me suspicious...


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## Kirjava (Jun 27, 2013)

Qthulu said:


> And I thought Lysergic acid diethylamide is your addiction; the profile picture made me suspicious...



Nah that's just because I'm a big queer.


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## balloon6610 (Jun 27, 2013)

I just cube when i feel like it , I don't cube if i don't want to.


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## applemobile (Jun 27, 2013)

If y'all think these things constitute an addiction y'all wrong. Addictions ruin your life, make you stop going to work, and alienate you from your friends and family. What you are describing is an obsession.


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## Ross The Boss (Jun 27, 2013)

applemobile said:


> If y'all think these things constitute an addiction y'all wrong. Addictions ruin your life, make you stop going to work, and alienate you from your friends and family. What you are describing is an obsession.



an addiction is something that you would often go out of your way to do. cubing definitely does alienate many of us from friends and family to some degree. what you described is a dependant addiction.


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## Ross The Boss (Jun 27, 2013)

CarlBrannen said:


> But still, setting a new Ao12 PB feels so goooooood......



oh ya, that calms the shakes.


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## CuberMan (Jun 27, 2013)

Cubing is my hobby, not my addiction.


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## BaconCuber (Jun 27, 2013)

I kind of feel addicted sometimes, but I stop once in a while. It doesn't just continually run through my head at all times.


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## uniacto (Jun 27, 2013)

I used to be addicted, but recently, I haven't really felt the need to cube as much. I think cubing is more of a stress reliever for me during the school year.


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## FinnGamer (Jun 27, 2013)

I don't think so, I have other ways to use my free time. I definitely don't feel a need to cube, even though it's a good way to occupy my hands when I'm nervous


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## windhero (Jun 27, 2013)

I do solve when conversing but bot with full focus. My hands just need something to do and cubing works perfectly. But yeah, i'd say im a little addicted since all of the stated symptoms apply to me too.


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## danfresh666 (Jun 27, 2013)

I'm not addicted anymore, i stopped 1 month ago but since i restarted, i do it once in a while when i want to and only do an ao12.


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## Qthulu (Jun 28, 2013)

danfresh666 said:


> I'm not addicted anymore, i stopped 1 month ago but since i restarted, i do it once in a while when i want to and only do an ao12.


Well that's not too bad. But another thought: If you want to be good (which could mean anything, let's say sub-20 is a good time), wouldn't this be a bit too less "passion"? I guess I would forget all my new-learned algorithms quickly if I do an ao12 only now and then.


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## Clarkeeyyy (Jun 28, 2013)

I'd say I'm addicted. Better than being addicted to drugs.


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## Lt-UnReaL (Jun 28, 2013)

Kirjava said:


> no, methylenedioxymethamphetamine is my addiction


I wouldn't say I'm addicted to methylenedioxymethamphetamine; I just frequently use it in combination with alprazolam when I comedown from railing some benzoylmethylecgonine.


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## tx789 (Jun 28, 2013)

it can be an obsession for me if I start cubing a lot


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## cxinlee (Jun 28, 2013)

I dunno cos everything that seems fun to me is "addictive".


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## Kirjava (Jun 28, 2013)

cxinlee said:


> I dunno cos everything that seems fun to me is "addicting".



*addictive


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## kasochi (Jun 28, 2013)

Yup, I'm also addicted, literally... Oops, not literally, but figuratively.


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## Yellowsnow98 (Jun 28, 2013)

I admit it I'm a cube-o-holic

I can't survive without cube-ohol


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## Dene (Jun 28, 2013)

applemobile said:


> If y'all think these things constitute an addiction y'all wrong. Addictions ruin your life, make you stop going to work, and alienate you from your friends and family. What you are describing is an obsession.



urtotes right. Smoking is SO not an addiction; every1 in da bigwideworld has it all rong.


As for me, I was once addicted to cubing; now I am addicted to Tekken Tag 2 and chocolate.


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## pipkiksass (Jun 28, 2013)

I'm addicted to cubing. Shooting up Lubix instead of heroin has saved me a fortune over the last 6 months, and the joints in between my toes move much more smoothly!


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## applemobile (Jun 28, 2013)

Dene said:


> urtotes right. Smoking is SO not an addiction; every1 in da bigwideworld has it all rong.
> 
> 
> .



Smoking is a habit.


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## szalejot (Jun 28, 2013)

applemobile said:


> Smoking is a habit.



Usually it is addiction.
Of course it can be habit, but in most cases isn't. This is why it is so hard to give smoking up. When you give nicotine to the brain on regular basis you become addicted.


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## ultimatecuber (Jun 28, 2013)

cubing in the head. u got that right!!!


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## sneaklyfox (Jun 28, 2013)

Ross The Boss said:


> an addiction is something that you would often go out of your way to do. cubing definitely does alienate many of us from friends and family to some degree. what you described is a dependant addiction.



Addiction implies dependence. A lot of people travel hours and hours just to go to a competition. I'd call that going out of your way. If that's your definition of addiction then it's an addiction.

addiction. n. the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming
addiction. n. the condition of being abnormally dependent on some habit, esp compulsive dependency on narcotic drugs

I guess it depends how you define "abnormal" and what degree of "enslavement" counts.


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## applemobile (Jun 28, 2013)

sneaklyfox said:


> A lot of people travel hours and hours just to go to a competition.
> 
> .



Even more people travel thousands of miles to watch men kicking a ball about, yet they don't get classed as addicted to football/soccer/spots ball. It just defines a hobbie.


EDIT: Check dat post count


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## CubezUBR (Jun 28, 2013)

I quit xbox, minecraft and coding/hacking for cubing time. i take a 50mm zhanchi to school and whenever i hear the word cube or speed or solve or sticker or edge or corner or core etc i look up and think about cubes.


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## Schmidt (Jun 28, 2013)

I would cube more if I wasn't so addicted to this site. The countless times I have refreshed to see <5 new posts.


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## sneaklyfox (Jun 29, 2013)

Schmidt said:


> I would cube more if I wasn't so addicted to this site. The countless times I have refreshed to see <5 new posts.



This is me too.


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## Qthulu (Jun 30, 2013)

New addition to my statements: I wanted to log in into my computer and typed "Speedsolving" as my username :fp


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## FluffyDucky (Jun 30, 2013)

I cube when I don't have my computer around me. On my lunch break, waiting for the bus, on the bus.....but I wouldn't say I am addicted.


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## Ninja Storm (Jun 30, 2013)

I cube a lot. However, I do not believe I'm "addicted" simply because not cubing for a few days isn't some horror to me(although it has been in the past). With that said, I've cubed for every day for the past two years.


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## ultimate enemy (Jun 30, 2013)

In the shower I visualize a cube in my head and solve f2l, usually not LL.


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