Obsession was like drugs as a teenager

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I may have been a 'sensible' teen that stayed away from drugs (in fact I was too innocent to even know what drugs were), but the obsessions I had makes me think that I might as well had been on drugs.

I developed an intense obsession with some older guys that I didn't know personally but I knew of, and the obsession with them overtook my whole mind. I would freak out if there was any threat of them moving out of town, because of the fear that my life would be empty without the obsession in my life. Whenever I did see them around town, like just 2 seconds of one of them driving by, it would make my whole day.

I nearly got into trouble for stalking, as I suppose that was what I was doing, although I wasn't planning on causing anyone any harm. I just had to feed the obsession by seeing the guys, even if it was just for 2 seconds, coming out of their house to take the trash out, anything. I became an embarrassing nuisance. And I got really defensive if anyone tried to lecture me on the severity of the obsession.

So basically my obsession was like a drug addiction. Nothing else in the whole world was as interesting as this obsession of mine. Not even my grades. Nothing. This lasted from age 13 to age 17, peaking at age 14. Then it started to fade away when I was 17, and I was so happy. I felt free, I felt normal again, and I've never looked back.

Why do obsessions take such a hold like this?

Well. Maybe turn a negative obsession that you know does not feel good in the long run into something else .. like music , art , or physical activity..

I know for me, I get very obsessive about anything, I definitely can. Good and bad.

But like for me, that’s passion, that’s real caring ..

I guess in a way if it isn’t “obsession” than you’re just randomly frivolously doing “what you should” in order to “gain” and “make it” in life..

Maybe pick something else and call it passion and for me, sometimes , the more I privately keep my satisfaction of a passion, the better I’m able to maintain other aspects of my life..

Like self care!

I also had similar obsessions when I was younger. I'm better at seeing what a waste of time it is to live in fantasy these days.

Finding out about co-dependancy helped a lot there. It's such a confusing label (co-dependant). Basically it's the idea that all addiction comes from the same source: losing contact with our self. Whether it's drugs or gambling or sex or an obsession, it's all the same.

Combination of compulsions and poor executive functions.

The former is, well, compulsion. It insists, it persists to enter someone's headspace.
The latter is what controls impulse control and regulate focus.


Some people knew better than to act upon their compulsions or obsessions, but cannot help it due to poor impulse control.

Some can control the impulses to act upon the compulsions, but cannot get it out of their head -- they can't focus at anything else in their thoughts but the obsessions.
They'd be frustrated but still can not act upon it.


I have no issues related to this. At least it never went that bad.

Or if it did, it's too safe to actually upset anyone.
Socially acceptable even -- but that's because the obsession itself just happened to be socially acceptable.

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Hi Joe,

There are a lot of changes happening for a young teen woman and the hormones would have been buzzing, not to mention the neurons trying to form and fire up. Your body was changing and your psyche. Your whole being was having a shake up.

Could the obsession have been a way for you to have psychologically gotten through all the confusion? Like a wisdom underneath taking care of you?

Add autism to the mix and yeah, it would have been a confusing and intense time.

Give you younger self a hug mate.

Art was one of my obsessions as a teenager. My day wasn't complete without me pumping out a groovy piece of art. If I didn't create anything on any given day, I couldn't sleep that night.

At least being obsessed with art is healthy. Stalking and pestering people and getting yourself into trouble is as unhealthy as doing drugs, in a way.

I didn't choose the obsession, the obsession chose me. Then before I knew it my mind was taken over by it and nothing else in my life mattered. One time my mum yelled "so your stupid obsession is more important than applying for a job?" and I said "yes!" It seriously was more important than school, work, money, everything.