Compulsive physiological and psychological need for a habit-forming substance

Recently, I wrote a short story about a girl that had to live with her alcoholic dad. Well, I was thinking about addictions, because the dad was addicted to alcohol. I came up with a question I still find hard to answer: Is any form of addiction bad for you?

Well, the obvious addictions that are definitely bad are: alcohol, smoking and drugs. When I hear the word “addiction”, I automatically think of drugs and alcohol. Moreover, and addiction of nicotine prohibits someone to stop smoking. These are the three main things that are addictions, which are obviously bad.

Then comes the phrase: “I’m addicted to candy.” or “I’m addicted to (a particular TV show).” Why yes, these can also be classified as addictions, but they aren’t as bad as the ones I mentioned previously. Of course it’s bad to get addicted to candy or chocolate because then, you become fat. And when you’re addicted to a TV show, you can’t stop watching it and then you’re distracted from doing homework.

I came to a conclusion that too much of something is always bad, even if it’s not as bad as something else. But then I think to myself: Wait… addiction and too much of something… they’re different. After I looked up the definition of addiction, I analyzed it and I realized that they’re different. If you think deeply, they ARE different. When I started typing this blog, I thought that they were the same thing, but then I got confused and I didn’t know if I was talking about addiction or too much of something.

“Too much is just an excess in number. Addiction is not being able to live without the damn thing,” a friend explained.

Anyways, I also realized that both are bad, even if they mean something different. Moreover, an addiction is not good for you because when you don’t have it, you suffer and you can’t live without it. If you ask me, I would say that having a lot of something is better than being addicted to something. Addiction is something terrible, and I’m grateful that I’m not addicted to anything. I can’t imagine how life would be. Wanting something so badly and when you don’t get it, you’re depressed. For example if you are addicted to alcohol, you can’t stop drinking; you drink every single day. Then, when you don’t have anymore, you long for more. Maybe alcohol is not the only thing an alcoholic’s life depends on, but it is very important for him/her (although it’s very bad).

Now about excess amounts of something. I’m gonna give as many examples I can possibly think of. Too much:

• alcohol = kills your brain cells and causes trouble (violence, poverty, bad grades)
• drugs = screws up your body, poverty
• products that contain high oxalic acid = kidney stones
• coke/diet coke = weakens teeth, increases possibilities of digestion problems and stomach ulcers
• intelligence = cockiness
• money = power, manipulation, spoiled
• proteins = kidney diseases
• water = water intoxication
• food = obesity
• TV/video games = electricity

Anyways, you get the idea. While I was typing, I also thought of “too little of something”; the complete opposite of excess amounts. There are some situations where too little of something doesn’t make a difference. For example too little alcohol and drugs doesn’t matter, it’s better than too much, don’t you think? But then if you say too little intelligence, money, proteins, water, and food, that creates problems. So there are many perspectives about this; it goes in all directions.