[DWarrior]

Yeah, that's why I always found addiction tests strange.

I'm personally on the other end of the spectrum when it comes to alcohol: I don't drink, but I was in a similar situation when I talked to my parents about Poker.

Me: I play poker
Dad: You're addicted
Me: No, I'm not, I just like the game
Dad: If you're nto addicted, then quit
Me: Why, I like the game
Dad: Then you're addicted

And sometimes I do wonder, at which point does the enjoyment of playing poker turn into an addiction? I do admit that I check the 2+2 forums often, I'd rather watch a WSOP DVD instead of a mediocre movie, and there's nothing quite like checking my rakeback stats in the morning. 1/4 of my bookshelf (OK, so I only have about 50 books), is poker-related. The worst swing I had 4-tabling $50NL was dropping $200 in one day. And yes, if I play good poker for several hours straight and end up down or even because of a few lucky outdraws, I feel a bit upset. After tracking my performance for 2 months, I realized I had been beating my part-time job. Since I moved, I decided to try playing full-time since it allows me a flexible schedule (i generally have 3-hour blocks during which to play, I can't work 3-hour shifts) and seems to pay better than any job I can realistically get (unless I've somehow been on a crazy upswing).

Does that make me a poker addict?

On the other hand, my friend never talks about poker, he's not interested in any of the theoretical background. He hangs out with his friends more than I do (I'm a little introverted). He's also constantly asking to borrow money, which he loses on the tables every night. He's been up and down thousands of dollars in a single day playing from .5/1 to 30/60 until he went broke, but he's only played for a year, and he's not even good. He just finished high school, and he worked for about $50/week, but he could easily drop $100/night on poker.

I just moved out on my own to be closer to my school, I live about an hour away. This guy's trying to make arrangements to either have me drive up or for him to come down so he can give me $50 to transfer to his account (he doesn't have a credit card). Does this make him an addict?

On the other side, Gary Kasparov played chess since he was 7 years old (In Russia, chess was what poker is now in America). Does that make him an addict?

My dad says "Yes", Kasparov is addicted to chess. If that's true, is "addiction" really that bad? A cake-maker who really loves decorating cakes and works 10 hour days, is he a "cake decorating addict"?

How do I know when a strong interest turns into an addiction? On one hand, the inquiry about my own state would suggest that I am not an addict (since an addict doesn't question whether he's addicted or not, he knows he's not addicted). On the other hand, the act of justification suggests addictive behavior.