So a myriad of my friends have been saying that I am addicted to puzzles and I just play it off saying that it is simply a hobby, but none of them ever believe me. The main reason for their disbelief is that my collection is going on 75-ish puzzles, is steadily growing, and if I don't have a puzzle with me I am either playing Minecraft or spinning my rifle (military school so...).

This lead me to think of how you all see this, whether or not there is such an addiction, and if so if you "suffer" from it. Also today I took two tests: the Geek test and Nerd test; and was wondering if there was such a test for Puzzle Addiction (or if anyone would be willing to make one ).

P.S. First topic I have started yay.

The funny thing about puzzles is that if you become an enthusiast, it's inevitable that you WILL become addicted.
There's just no way around it.

That makes sense and all but, when exactly does the addiction set in? Is it at a certain number of puzzles, a certain time for solving, or some other factor that I am completely missing?

I don’t think it’s so mathematical an addiction is something mental.

You're making it sound like a medical condition

There is nothing wrong with you that hasn't been discussed before Your friends are the ones with the problems.

Most of my friends treat it as such.


That makes me feel a whole lot better about this, in two ways:
1. I am not as addicted as others
2. I have something to strive for

And having said that....I'm off to see if I can find any new and interesting toys....

rnc1839,

My collection is similar in size to yours.

I have had similar comments.
"is there a Betty Ford clinic for puzzle obsession?"

And yet, many of those who are critical, have some habit that cost far more than what I can spend on puzzles.

we all need some diversion from the mundane.

this is healthier that many alternatives.

There's a fine line between a hobby/passion and an obsession/addiction:

A hobby/passion is something that you do with your spare time/money because you enjoy it, but without letting it significantly interfere with your "normal" life.

An obsession/addiction is something that you feel compelled to do even when you don't have the time or money for it, to the detriment of other (more important) things in your life, like eating, sleeping, work, hygeine, physical excercise, social interactions, general health and mental wellbeing, etc.

Of course there will always be some cost/compromise involved in any activity, but as with everything else in life, the key is to find a good healthy balance for mind, body and soul.

So just ask yourself (or rather your friends/family, people who care about you) if puzzles are making you unhealthy, antisocial, or unhappy, then you'll have your answer...

But the fact that you still have a "myriad" of friends makes me think that you're probably OK for now.

Hobby: A harmless, but time consuming, activity which I enjoy doing, but which may seem a little strange to you.
Addiction: Your hobby (unless it's the same as my hobby).

I am a full blown addict myself! If I dont order at least a couple of puzzles each month I start getting the itching and sweaty feeling all over!
Joking aside I dont think you should worry too much. I dont think you would be questioning youself this if you actually was a real addict.
If you are ordering stuff without actually wanting it, well that would obviously be a problem.

One last note, as long as it doesnt hurt you or creates money problems or has any other major negative effect on your personal, social or prefessional life, I think you can go ahead and call youself and addict with no worries

Good question, and I'm seeing variations of this topic cropping up. The way to explore this is to ask yourself the question:
Do you
A) Solve and collect puzzles because you enjoy it and it makes you happy?
B) Solve and collect puzzles to keep yourself from feeling unhappy due to the fact that you're not solving or buying puzzles? This is despite having a life that should, otherwise, be enriching even without puzzles.

The key is if you can compartmentalize the collecting and solving to its own area, and are perfectly fine and productive in other areas. If you find that your mood deteriorates and you're unhappy and unproductive simply because you're not actively solving or collecting, then I'm afraid that you may, indeed, have an addiction and should impose restrictions on yourself to "detox."

If its just a matter of, like me, you really really really really like collecting and solving, feel happy when you do it, find that you think about it quite often and review strategys in your mind, but can otherwise enjoy many hours and days with family and friends without puzzles, and can remain productive, then you don't have an addiction, but you may have an obsession. As long as they don't result in compulsive and dubious behavior, then obsessions are fine, and can be fun!

So with 75 puzzles, I think you're fine! At least you better be, because if not, that would mean I'm much worse off then you!

I do agree with all of the above, but now I'm thinking about how it would be cool to have some sort of a "puzzle quiz". Maybe it would be through Youtube videos or something, but there could be multiple choice questions (for example, How many axes does a Helicopter Cube have? A: 6 B: 10 C: 12 D: 20).