Thought question: Tickling and addiction

[alex]

There have been a few threads here over the years on the subject of tickling and addiction. But they all, I think, have skirted the issue. There's been too much defensiveness about the comparison, as though people thought that they were being accused of something bad. I'd like to explore this without value judgments.

So I've noticed a lot of similarities between my love of tickling and classic addiction behavior:

--When I watch clips or I session, I'm frequently surprised to see how much time has gone by without my being aware of it.

--The pleasure is indescribable. An ex-girlfriend once told me after we had done a session that she didn't think she was capable of achieving the degree of ecstasy that she'd seen me reach.

--It's never enough. Once, after being tickled by three dommes for three hours, one of them was telling me about a different session that involved tickling, and I started getting excited again.

--When I'm into it, nothing else matters.

--I build a fair amount of my life around it.

Now, I suppose this might be true for those into other kinds of fetish; I couldn't say. Even vanilla, perhaps, for hypersexual types. And I wouldn't want to hold myself out as being typical.

In any event, I'd be interested in people's thoughts (again, without value judgments) about whether the similarities loom as large for them as for me (or even whether love of tickling might be a FORM of addiction), or whether addiction and love of tickling are essentially different. Or maybe there's a spectrum from those who kind of like it (no addiction) to obsessives like me (addiction).

 

[JS805]

It's addicting like Pringles. Once you pop you can't stop. But I don't have any kind of physical addiction.

 

[Thatsecretchord]

I definitely see where your coming from with the addiction comparisons here. A few people have mentioned trying to cut tickling out of their lives and being unable to do it. I'm also in the camp of if I could stop I would. Unfortunately it looks like I've got this for life!

 

[teamtickleguy]

Interesting post, thanks

I can relate to all of the points you made - I often treat my tickling fetish as a hobby and sometimes almost like a career, with a ladder of achievements - ie people I want to tickle, situations I want to be in. There's a quite a lot of drive and ambition with tickling for me.

I think the element of addiction kicks in when I find that I have tickled all the people that I've wanted to tickle because then I'm not sure where to go with it, so I find I'm then driven to tickle almost anyone as I feel I need to - the urge does not go away just because I've achieved what I'd hoped to.

I found when in a previous relationship with an incredibly ticklish girl that I actually could take or leave it and had plenty of chances to tickle her, yet choose not to - I had initially been worried that I would drive her away with the constant tickling, but found that I wasn't feeling the need to tickle her all the time (like an alcoholic might reach for any old bottle, just because it's there)

Interestingly, with my current partner who is not that ticklish, I find that I am more addicted to tickling her, because I am more determined and driven to achieve that ticklish reaction - if I can't get it then it's like going hungry - I can't get my fix.

 

[cryptohero]

This fetish ruined my life.

- Crypto

 

[alex]

If you want to stop and you can't, it's a good bet that you have something very like addiction going on. But I don't think you have to want to stop for it to be addictive. As I described above, there are a lot of addictive-type elements in my own tickling life. Yet I feel incredibly fortunate to have such a deep source of pleasure. Indeed, I wouldn't trade my fetish for the wealth of the Indies. What do others think about this--?

 

[Thatsecretchord]

If you want to stop and you can't, it's a good bet that you have something very like addiction going on. But I don't think you have to want to stop for it to be addictive. As I described above, there are a lot of addictive-type elements in my own tickling life. Yet I feel incredibly fortunate to have such a deep source of pleasure. Indeed, I wouldn't trade my fetish for the wealth of the Indies. What do others think about this--?

Not only would I trade this fetish for...well pretty much anything, I would pay good money to be rid of it! Here's hoping that magic pill is just around the corner!

 

[Bohemianne]

Addiction is partly genetic, but one can only be too busy to avoid dwelling in a certain addiction. My opinion, of course.

 

[luvgirlsfeet]

I know for certain I'm addicted but I think it's how you use it would determine if you can keep it in control

 

[chicago]

I wouldn't say it's an addiction, though people can surely develop some kind of psychological attachment that they believe to be "addiction" to just about anything. That said, aside from your last bullet point, I don't relate to any of the others listed.

 

[Comfort Eagle]

I'm not addicted to it, but it'd take a very, very, very, very good reason for me to refrain from indulging in it.

 

[wolfman28]

For me it's a rare treat, like a snickers bar, I do like a snickers bar, but I couldn't eat one every day.

I have other vices, beer and gambling.

I try not too drink too much these days and am trying not to give in to temptation as far as the betting is concerned..

Tickling for me is great fun with a willing partner, a very sexy turn on, but for me its not life & death.

 

[piyr]

Maybe the amount of time spent and not wanting to stop makes it an addiction? I don't know.

I'd focus more on whether it's harmful or not. Sure if I spent as much time learning the piano as I have on this then I'd be Mozart but the intensity that I engage in it hasn't in itself caused harm to me or anyone around me so I'm ok with it. And yes, I can relate to nearly all of your bullet points in some form or another.