ADDICTION- NOT LIMITED TO DRUGS ALONE

The word addiction has always been perceived as a negative word, and is associated most of the times with substances such as alcohol and cigarettes. So, primarily, addiction is related to ecstasy inducing products. But hey! Addiction is everywhere. Look around you, at the surroundings, at other people who are not into alcohol and cigarettes; are they addicted? They are!

I have known many people who just wouldn’t get out of their bed without having ‘bed coffee’. Some cannot do their daily morning chores in the bathroom without a brush in their mouth and most importantly a newspaper in their hands. Girls are no exceptions to addictions, too. Girls have such a sugar tooth that they always want to feel ‘sugar high’. They eat lots of chocolates, ice creams and cakes. Want to hear the most interesting thing?? Well, addiction starts in a baby as young as a 1 day old. A baby is addicted to his mommy’s milk. The baby feels so good afterwards that he sleeps immediately and again wakes up, only to find himself wanting more of that heavenly drink. Look around closely and you’ll say “yeah addiction is in everyone”. Addiction is there in everybody- young and old.

Now, having proved addiction exists in some form or another in every person, is it possible to conclude that addiction is not bad after all?? The point I am trying to make here is that addiction is not always good. Confused?? Let me explain.
For everything there is a limit, a boundary, and if that boundary is crossed, it becomes dangerous. For example, people who just cannot live without chocolates and carry chocolates with them in their handbags (women) or in their pockets (men), face the risk of becoming fat and eventually threatening to become potentially obese. I shall call these people chocoholics or more generally, foodaholics. Similarly people who work a lot put themselves in great danger of having a nervous breakdown or getting stressed out. I call them workaholics. So many young couples are getting divorced early in their married life because there is no work-life balance. Likewise, you can add the suffix ‘aholic’ to almost everything that is done without limits. But the bottom line is, getting addicted to good things always brings good to you and getting addicted to ‘other’ things will make you end up in the hospital paying bills unnecessarily. Probably this whole article explains why the ancient saints, seers, prophets and philosophers asked us to practice ‘detachment’. Completely detaching oneself from the pleasures of life is highly improbable. But, all that we have to understand clearly is to know when and where to draw the line.

Remember, nobody can bring about a change in you unless you wish it yourself and willfully act for yourself. Change should come from within. I can only write and make people realize what they are doing. But it is wholly in their hands to try and turn into a new leaf. Change comes about slowly with constant determination. We are humans and not mechanical switches to turn ourselves on and off as and when we like. We are old enough to realize what is right and what is wrong and also take the correct decisions. Motivation is something that can inspire, and is always available in plenty, but to make decisions is in your own hands. Life can be fun if we all take the right decisions at the right time. Ahh... Life is so beautiful.