Life's Little Addictions - Part One

Per Wikipedia, “Addiction is the continued use of a mood altering substance or behavior despite adverse consequences, or a neurological impairment leading to such behaviors. Addictions can include, but are not limited to, drug abuse, exercise addiction, food addiction, sexual addiction, computer addiction, and gambling. Classic hallmarks of addiction include impaired control over substances or behavior, preoccupation with substance or behavior, continued use despite consequences, and denial. Habits and patterns associated with addiction are typically characterized by immediate gratification (short-term reward), coupled with delayed deleterious effects (long-term costs). Physiological dependence occurs when the body has to adjust to the substance by incorporating the substance into its 'normal' functioning. This state creates the conditions of tolerance and withdrawal. Tolerance is the process by which the body continually adapts to the substance and requires increasingly larger amounts to achieve the original effects. Withdrawal refers to physical and psychological symptoms experienced when reducing or discontinuing a substance that the body has become dependent on. Symptoms of withdrawal generally include but are not limited to anxiety, irritability, intense cravings for the substance, nausea, hallucinations, headaches, cold sweats, and tremors.”Like most people, I have quite a few addictions.

There is an ad on TV that I find amusing.  It concerns an addiction treatment center.  The facility accommodates approximately 200 people and costs $7,500.00 per month, depending on what type of care you need.  They profess that they can cure anyone of any type of addiction problem.  Let me see ....... for $7,500.00 a month I think I could kick anything on my own!  I would like to open a place like that.  Assuming you are filled up, you would make $1,500,000.00 a month, give or take a few thousand.  Yeah, I think I could manage a budget like that <rolls eyes>!

Like I said, most of us are addicted to several things whether we realize it or not.  I am addicted to my coffee in the morning.  If I don’t have any, I am not a happy camper or fit to be around.  I like the taste, the smell and the feeling it gives me.  Yes, I am totally addicted to it, but will forego the treatment center.  I like my addiction and plan on keeping it.

It is probably obvious that I am addicted to writing.  I write stories, poems, this blog, letters to friends and family, emails and countless other things.  Those of us raised in the era before home computers learned to have a vivid imagination to help entertain ourselves.  As long as I can remember there have been stories dancing around in my brain begging to be let out.  Unless I write some of them down and let them have a life of their own I think they would probably drive me crazy.  A writer once said that writers were only as crazy as their readers.  That, my friend, puts the blame squarely on YOUR shoulders!

People in my age group are usually avid readers.  Television was a rare thing in households when I was growing up and reading was the “in” thing to do to pass the time and be entertained.  I love entering the imagination of others in books.  It is, I fear, becoming a lost art.  Although people who have Kindles and such read, there is nothing like holding a real book………turning the pages……..smelling the print………feeling something real.  I wish everyone could experience that love of books but probably, in the not too distant future, books will be a thing of the past and only found in museums.  So sad…….

I am developing a television addiction.  There is a TV show called “Perception” that airs on the TNT network.  Being kind of off centered myself, I find it very interesting and amusing.  The main character is a neuropsychiatrist who helps the FBI solve cases.  The part I love is not the crime part, but the fact that the character’s interest in neuroscience stems from his own long history of paranoid schizophrenia. As a high-functioning schizophrenic, Pierce's hallucinations sometimes enable him to pick out subtle clues in solving crimes.  It makes for a really off-beat type of humor that appeals to me.  If you get a chance watch the show and let me know what you think.

Since this is becoming quite long, I will continue with more tomorrow.  Believe it or not, this does have a point I am trying to make and I will get to it as quickly as possible!