Top 10 Addictions: Do Montanans Want to Quit?
Typically, when most of us think of addiction we think of substances, but people can get addicted to everything from social media to video games. You're probably familiar with the show My Strange Addiction. The series proves that people can get addicted to literally anything.
Sabino Recovery, an addiction and mental health treatment facility, analyzed Google Search data relating to America’s various vices, such as porn, gambling, and alcohol, to see which people are struggling with the most. They used search keywords like, "_________ therapy", and "help with ________ addiction".
While they do not break out the data state-by-state, the nationwide snapshot is interesting and we can assume that many Montanans struggle with the top ten on the list.
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1. Porn
Porn addiction is the #1 thing Americans are looking to curb, with a whopping 30,749 searches for help per month on average.
2. Booze
Second place goes to alcohol, with 9,057 searches on average per month across the country.
3. Gambling
Gambling addiction is real in Montana, and it takes the third spot on the list, seeing an average of 6,128 searches per month nationwide by people seeking help with the issue.
4. Opioids
Fentanyl is getting the most attention in Montana, but opioids are still a problem in Big Sky County. Nationwide, an average of 5,761 monthly searches are made by people seeking help with the issue.
5. Food
Food is generally considered a good thing; we need it to survive. It can also be an addiction. Food was found to have an average of 4,155 monthly searches nationwide relating to treatment and help on the topic
Rounding out the Top 10 Addictions that people are seeking help for online are marijuana at #6, video games at #7, shopping at #8, social media is #9, and benzodiazepines at #10. Interestingly, smoking, vaping, or other tobacco use did not make the list.