Is chess my new drug?

It's so euphoric

Don't Bogart That (Game) Point

No drugs are your new drug.

Just say know...

Chess over drugs?  Definately!

If a person is addicted to playing chess it can be just as unhealthy as taking some drugs. It can cause obsessive compulsive behavior, paranoia, and problems socializing. Similarly "drugs" is such a broad term. What drugs? What are they taken for? Are they prescribed? Many people abuse alcohol but they won't call it a drug even if they become alcoholics. Tobacco is a drug. Also very bad for you. But many people, particularly in Eastern Europe and Russia smoke this garbage. At the same time it's difficult to say those substances interfere with chess abilities of those players, even though there is absolutely proven that alcohol and nicotine are very bad for health.

Obsessive compulsion can be just a personality trait, and behaviors like chess playing can be obsessions.  Training the desire to comform to functionality in life(keeping a workable set of priorities) prevents the obsession from becoming compulsive behavior.  This practice is true for all obsessions, and it is good for you.

it seams like a drug sometimes. i get a real high playing when its going well. That being said, i never drink or do drugs so i have nothing to compare it too.

If you think chess is good, try mixing chess and alcohol...

lol. im not good enough to spot my opponent that kind of advantage before any moves have been made.

I have tried playing chess after drinking beer. And even if I thought my move was good later it frequently turned out to be a poor move. It is same way with me when I wake up in the morning. I check my chess games through iPhone since it is quick and I do not want to let myself lose due to time out. In the morning I frequently will think I got the right move but those moves most frequently were bad or just crude blunders.

But in times when I might have drunk too much coffee or black tea I actually become jittery and nervous. It seems to me that it is difficult to find the right chess moves but they usually turn out to be better on average than when I hadn't drunk coffee.

Of course I am sure many young players will see old photos of chess players smoke cigarettes when they play. I just want to mention that it is an illusion that cigarettes help concentrate. So if someone wants to be better at chess please don't bother trying cigarettes. You increase your chances of cancer and heart problems and you will screw up your concentration at tournaments since smoking isn't allowed indoors at tournaments. That is one ban that I'd support.

Anyone have similar experience?

madhacker wrote:

If you think chess is good, try mixing chess and alcohol...

@Drawgood, based on your highest rating I would guess you frequently make bad moves even during your best games.

Playing drunk is a blast but only casually.