Addiction gives you a new high. The moment you hear the word addiction you would imagine either drugs or alcohol. Well there are other addictions inflecting all of us even as you continue to read. Let me share these addictions.
My friend Prema finds it in shopping for jewelry she doesn’t need, Prakash in buying new bikes, Gurjeet in buying cosmetics, Subhash in books and my aunt in performing plenty of rituals. These material things give us an instant high & adds to our feel-good quotient.
I have also met another set of people who are addicted to bragging, showing off their superiority, wanting continuous appreciation, complaining all the time, putting others down, indulging in criticism, playing the victim card, insult shopping etc.
How much, when all, how often- I am surprised that even I cannot answer these questions when I am the creator of these needs. It is some neurotic dimension in our personality that brings this urge /craving.
It is shocking to realize that each of us is an addict…..social media, food , drink, smoke, drugs, material possession, friends, books, mobiles, ego trips, superiority combats ….and the list goes on. As it is present universally, should I worry about this or simply let it pass!
In our sunset years, it dawns that nobody values our addiction to material collection or our skewed behavior indulgence. This is bothersome to those around us. Collectibles collect dust, have no utility, sulkily occupy available scarce space, invariably attract criticism and creates worry as to what would happen to these inanimate collections after one die! The behavioral addiction anomalies fair no better – others ignore/show indifference, manifest as love and care deficit, simply lead to misery, loneliness etc.
The first step to overcome an addiction is to acknowledge it. Go ahead, get honest and accept your addiction. Acceptance is the only way to recovery or working at overcoming this addiction of excess.
