Food, Wine, and Fun: How BetterHelp Helps Define the Difference Between Pleasure and Vice

A pleasure and a vice often seem indiscernible. What one person considers harmless pleasure, another might consider an immoral vice. What one country defines as standard enjoyment, another might view as a moral transgression. While the differences between pleasure and vice can tread on some moral, religious, and philosophically murky ground, there are some instances in which pleasure and vice are carefully defined, particularly as they relate to an individual’s mental health. The most significant difference between the two comes when a pleasure tips into the territory of dependence or addiction. 

Pleasure and Vice: A Quick Definition

What is pleasure, exactly? What is a vice? Both are terms that are kicked around frequently, but may not be entirely understood. Pleasure is a state defined as “a feeling of happy satisfaction or enjoyment.” Pleasure often has sexual undertones to it, or is seen as a cut above typical enjoyment, but a pleasurable activity is simply an activity that brings happiness or enjoyment, and will vary substantially from person to person. 

A vice, conversely, is identified as “immoral or wicked behavior.” The two seem to be quite at odds with one another, but because the definitions of immoral and wicked are left largely up to societal standards and norms. Nailing down exactly what constitutes a vice can be a little bit tricky. Although the term “vice” is often used casually, there is a very real line that can be crossed when engaging in a vice—and that line is typically the line identifying typical, healthy behavior, and addicted or dependent behavior. 

Pleasure Versus Vice: Food, Wine, and Fun

Enjoying food, appreciating wine, and engaging in fun are not necessarily immediate causes for concern; even the most highbrow individual indulges in all of these things from time to time (or even on a regular basis). So when exactly does a pleasure become a vice? BetterHelp has some answers, identifying when a pleasurable activity or item morphs from an innocent indulgence to a dangerous habit or addiction. 

Seeking pleasure, in and of itself, can actually venture into being a vice. While it may seem innocuous to seek out pleasure, doing so at the expense of responsibilities (parenting, working, schooling, or other responsibilities), health (sacrificing sleep, activity, or relationships), and sanity can quickly turn the search for pleasure into a vice. Vices, themselves, often elicit feelings of pleasure; whether a substance abuse disorder is at play, or an individual experiences a high when clicking “add to cart” while shopping online, vices are typically engaged in (and kept around) because they bring feelings of pleasure. The greatest difference, then, is not necessarily the actions or items themselves (gambling, drinking, shopping, and more), but the health and control of the person involved. 

Symptoms of Pleasure Morphing Into Vice

How do you know when pleasure has morphed into vice? There are a few telltale signs and symptoms, many of which are readily recognized by mental health professionals, such as those working through BetterHelp. These include: 

• Loss of control. Feeling out of control, overwhelmed, or controlled by something typically indicates that a behavior, experience, or need has reached an unhealthy level, and has become a compulsion. 
• Feelings of shame. Shame can indicate that a pleasurable activity has veered sharply into vice territory.
• Concern expressed by loved ones. Loved ones expressing concern is often a sign of vice, as the people we love may be better able to recognize warning signs. 

Seeking Help 

BetterHelp’s online therapy platform is one that can help you or a loved one distinguish the difference between activities and items that are firmly within the “pleasurable” realm, and those that have teetered and fallen into the realm of “vice.” Although there is often a great deal of stigma associated with having a vice, addiction, dependence, and compulsions are all firmly within the realm of declining mental health, and are not defects of character or other symptoms of nefarious intent; instead, they are symptoms that mental health is struggling, and unhealthy coping mechanisms are the medication of choice for an individual—often without realizing. 

BetterHelp can help shed light on the difference between a vice and pleasure or fun, which can lead to the reinstallation of pleasure and fun; when an activity or item has delved into “vice” territory, working through whatever led to its development could mean being able to engage in the behavior again (shopping, for instance), though there are certainly some exceptions (the most common being the use of substances such as illegal drugs and alcohol).