--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There's no such thing as addiction…" description: "\"There's no such thing as addiction, there's only things that you enjoy doing more than life.\" — Doug Stanhope" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a1/doug-stanhope-1528_addiction_there-s-no-such-thing-as-addiction-there_111159.png" --- # There's no such thing as addiction, there's only things… ![“There's no such thing as addiction, there's only things that you enjoy doing more than life.” quote by Doug Stanhope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a1/doug-stanhope-1528_addiction_there-s-no-such-thing-as-addiction-there_111159.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a1/doug-stanhope-1528_addiction_there-s-no-such-thing-as-addiction-there_111159.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a1/doug-stanhope-1528_addiction_there-s-no-such-thing-as-addiction-there_111159.png) > “There's no such thing as addiction, there's only things that you enjoy doing more than life.” [Doug Stanhope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-stanhope/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The statement rejects the medical concept of addiction, suggesting that intense passion for an activity is simply a preference that outweighs other concerns. **In simple terms:** Addiction is framed as extreme enjoyment, not a disease. Key Takeaway Passion can dominate life choices. Themes Addiction Pleasure Choice Perspective Mood Provocative Skeptical Type Controversial Anecdotal When to use this quote - Heavy gaming sessions - Workaholism - Obsessive hobbies Key Concepts Subjective valuation Self‑regulation Practical Applications - Assess personal impact of intense interests - Set balanced limits Questions to Reflect On - When does enthusiasm become harmful? - How do we differentiate healthy passion from addiction? A Different Perspective It overlooks neurobiological factors and social harms associated with true addiction. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Addiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/addiction/) [Addiction Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/addiction-things-1320652/) [Doing Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing-life/) [Enjoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enjoy/) [Enjoy Doing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enjoy-doing/) [Funny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Pain in life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain-in-life/) [Things Enjoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-enjoy/) ## Related quotes > [I think the original, 'They're the next Jane's Addiction' things that people said about us in the beginning have been pretty much wiped out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-corgan/i-think-the-original-they-re-the-next-jane-s-addiction-things-that/) [Billy Corgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-corgan/) > [Because addiction is a developmental problem, the developmental stage is important, things like employment are important, things like having a sense of purpose, meaning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maia-szalavitz/because-addiction-is-a-developmental-problem-the-developmental-stage/) [Maia Szalavitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maia-szalavitz/) > [I look to see what things I enjoy doing and just try to figure out how to spend my time doing things that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-buchheit/i-look-to-see-what-things-i-enjoy-doing-and-just-try-to-figure-out/) [Paul Buchheit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-buchheit/) > [The paintings are like prayers, relating to wishing for something beyond everyday life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-rothenberg/the-paintings-are-like-prayers-relating-to-wishing-for-something/) [Susan Rothenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-rothenberg/) > [You can't avoid pain in life. It's how you handle pain, that's what defines you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-maron/you-can-t-avoid-pain-in-life-it-s-how-you-handle-pain-that-s-what/) [Marc Maron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-maron/) > [Maybe poets express more directly a sense of sympathy for other human beings. Painting is a little bit more of a retreat from human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesco-clemente/maybe-poets-express-more-directly-a-sense-of-sympathy-for-other-human/) [Francesco Clemente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesco-clemente/) > [You meet people who are in pain in life and love and you forgive them for behaving the way they do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-handler/you-meet-people-who-are-in-pain-in-life-and-love-and-you-forgive-them/) [Daniel Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-handler/) > [Pain in life is inevitable but suffering is not. Pain is what the world does to you, suffering is what you do to yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/pain-in-life-is-inevitable-but-suffering-is-not-pain-is-what-the/) [Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/) > [I don't mind if people don't like me. Well, I might a little ... but I really mind it when somebody uses their position…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/i-don-t-mind-if-people-don-t-like-me-well-i-might-a-little-but-i/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [The pain of life is pure salt; no more, no less. The amount of pain in life remains the same, exactly the same. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-nepo/the-pain-of-life-is-pure-salt-no-more-no-less-the-amount-of-pain-in/) [Mark Nepo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-nepo/) > [Pain is itself a god: the taskmaster of life. Pain cracks the whip, and all that lives will move. To live is to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/pain-is-itself-a-god-the-taskmaster-of-life-pain-cracks-the-whip-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Grief is neither a disorder nor a healing process; it is a sign of health itself, a whole and natural gesture of love. Nor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-may/grief-is-neither-a-disorder-nor-a-healing-process-it-is-a-sign-of/) [Gerald May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-may/) > [I’ve always wanted to be liked. It grieved me that I was treated with indifference. Left an orphan by Fortune, I wanted—like all orphans—to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/i-ve-always-wanted-to-be-liked-it-grieved-me-that-i-was-treated-with/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [There are two pains in life. There is the pain of discipline and the pain of disappointment. If you can handle the pain of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-saban/there-are-two-pains-in-life-there-is-the-pain-of-discipline-and-the/) [Nick Saban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-saban/) > [Pain is meant to wake us up. People try to hide their pain. But they're wrong. Pain is something to carry, like a radio.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-morrison/pain-is-meant-to-wake-us-up-people-try-to-hide-their-pain-but-they-re/) [Jim Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-morrison/) ## More by Doug Stanhope > [I had no musical or athletic ability, and I wasn't particularly good looking. Comedy was something I could do for attention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-stanhope/i-had-no-musical-or-athletic-ability-and-i-wasn-t-particularly-good/) [Doug Stanhope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-stanhope/) > [Jesus died for your sins. I'm doing it for your mere entertainment dollar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-stanhope/jesus-died-for-your-sins-i-m-doing-it-for-your-mere-entertainment/) [Doug Stanhope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-stanhope/) > [I believe that everyone should be treated as an individual. Women should be treated equally in the right to vote, sure. But if Im…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-stanhope/i-believe-that-everyone-should-be-treated-as-an-individual-women/) [Doug Stanhope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-stanhope/) > [They say 'life is precious'. To who? To you, when you're young and you've got a few dollars in your pocket. Tell that to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-stanhope/they-say-life-is-precious-to-who-to-you-when-you-re-young-and-you-ve/) [Doug Stanhope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-stanhope/) > [The ultimate act of cowardice is the fat-headed wrestling guy sitting behind the frail kid in math class, clipping him on the ear, saying:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-stanhope/the-ultimate-act-of-cowardice-is-the-fat-headed-wrestling-guy-sitting/) [Doug Stanhope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-stanhope/) > [ The whole acting and Hollywood \[thing\], it's just work to me. Stand-up comedy ruins you so badly for doing television. I don't really need… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-stanhope/the-whole-acting-and-hollywood-thing-it-s-just-work-to-me-stand-up/) [Doug Stanhope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-stanhope/) > [You should laugh everywhere you can find even the slightest glimmer of humour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-stanhope/you-should-laugh-everywhere-you-can-find-even-the-slightest-glimmer/) [Doug Stanhope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-stanhope/) > [I have no fear of death, except I hate waiting for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-stanhope/i-have-no-fear-of-death-except-i-hate-waiting-for-it/) [Doug Stanhope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-stanhope/) > [Everybody's angry. They've got nothing to be angry at, so they're angry about nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-stanhope/everybody-s-angry-they-ve-got-nothing-to-be-angry-at-so-they-re-angry/) [Doug Stanhope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-stanhope/) > [People who want to kill other people are the last people I want to party with, because I get mouthy when I drink.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-stanhope/people-who-want-to-kill-other-people-are-the-last-people-i-want-to/) [Doug Stanhope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-stanhope/) > [Democracy is the worst kind of government, I'm sorry. Would you still call yourself a Christian if they elected a new Jesus every four…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-stanhope/democracy-is-the-worst-kind-of-government-i-m-sorry-would-you-still/) [Doug Stanhope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-stanhope/) > [You forget, when you're in the Scandinavian countries, you forget they don't speak English first and they speak better than I do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-stanhope/you-forget-when-you-re-in-the-scandinavian-countries-you-forget-they/) [Doug Stanhope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-stanhope/) > [Life's temporary for a reason, it gets boring after awhile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-stanhope/life-s-temporary-for-a-reason-it-gets-boring-after-awhile/) [Doug Stanhope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-stanhope/) > [The more business gets involved, the less fun it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-stanhope/the-more-business-gets-involved-the-less-fun-it-is/) [Doug Stanhope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-stanhope/) > [I'll defend child pornography, how about that? What's wrong with seeing some child pornography? What if you watch child pornography because you find it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-stanhope/i-ll-defend-child-pornography-how-about-that-what-s-wrong-with-seeing/) [Doug Stanhope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-stanhope/) [Explore all 230 Doug Stanhope quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-stanhope/) ## More Addiction quotes > [What has drug addiction done for me? It's cost me my career, my fortune and basically my sex life when I found out I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robbin-crosby/what-has-drug-addiction-done-for-me-it-s-cost-me-my-career-my-fortune/) [Robbin Crosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robbin-crosby/) > [“The idea that creative endeavor and mind-altering substances are entwined is one of the great pop-intellectual myths of our time... Creative people probably do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-idea-that-creative-endeavor-and-mind-altering-substances-are/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [I really think the disease aspect gets lost when you're talking about alcoholism and addiction; it's not like you're battling leukemia or a heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-irsay/i-really-think-the-disease-aspect-gets-lost-when-you-re-talking-about/) [Jim Irsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-irsay/) > [I had an addiction to artificial points of success. Like being able to run for this or run for that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruben-gallego/i-had-an-addiction-to-artificial-points-of-success-like-being-able-to/) [Ruben Gallego](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruben-gallego/) > [“Addictions are just symptoms of underlying issues, and in my view Nikki self-medicated the emotional pain of his childhood, and being away from his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-sixx/addictions-are-just-symptoms-of-underlying-issues-and-in-my-view/) [Nikki Sixx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-sixx/) > [“Oil. The great addiction of the civilized world”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-warren/oil-the-great-addiction-of-the-civilized-world/) [Andrew Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-warren/) > [“They say when you fall in love in love with someone that person becomes like a drug,an addiction you don't want to live without.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/they-say-when-you-fall-in-love-in-love-with-someone-that-person/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Addictions - Run to Jesus instead of running to your addiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/addictions-run-to-jesus-instead-of-running-to-your-addiction/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) > [Music is my personal addiction. So much of everything I've done has only been to open more doors for the music itself. It all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolly-parton/music-is-my-personal-addiction-so-much-of-everything-i-ve-done-has/) [Dolly Parton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolly-parton/) > [“I am made of a thousand ghosts. Only you can shoot me down.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bella-james/i-am-made-of-a-thousand-ghosts-only-you-can-shoot-me-down/) [Bella James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bella-james/) > [Religious work is one of the best ways to keep from facing your reality if you are Christian, if you are using it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-miller/religious-work-is-one-of-the-best-ways-to-keep-from-facing-your/) [Keith Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-miller/) > [Cold sweats, hallucinations I wanna speed to stop. The hell I'm going through The addiction's taking you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bullet-for-my-valentine/cold-sweats-hallucinations-i-wanna-speed-to-stop-the-hell-i-m-going/) [Bullet For My Valentine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bullet-for-my-valentine/) > [As addictions go, reading is among the cleanest, easiest to feed, happiest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/as-addictions-go-reading-is-among-the-cleanest-easiest-to-feed/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [“Alcoholism is a choice... not a life sentence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-norman/alcoholism-is-a-choice-not-a-life-sentence/) [David Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-norman/) > [“Suckers think that you cure greed with money, addiction with substances, expert problems with experts, banking with bankers, economics with economists, and debt crises…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/suckers-think-that-you-cure-greed-with-money-addiction-with/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) [Browse all 2,134 Addiction quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/addiction/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There's no such thing as addiction, there's only things that you enjoy doing more than life.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Doug Stanhope" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-stanhope/there-s-no-such-thing-as-addiction-there-s-only-things-that-you-enjoy/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Addiction" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-stanhope/there-s-no-such-thing-as-addiction-there-s-only-things-that-you-enjoy/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a1/doug-stanhope-1528_addiction_there-s-no-such-thing-as-addiction-there_111159.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a1/doug-stanhope-1528_addiction_there-s-no-such-thing-as-addiction-there_111159.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a1/doug-stanhope-1528_addiction_there-s-no-such-thing-as-addiction-there_111159.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There's no such thing as addiction, there's only things that you enjoy doing more than life.” — Doug Stanhope", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Doug Stanhope", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-stanhope/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "There's no such thing as addiction,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-stanhope/there-s-no-such-thing-as-addiction-there-s-only-things-that-you-enjoy/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-stanhope/there-s-no-such-thing-as-addiction-there-s-only-things-that-you-enjoy/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```