RTBTCKI Addicted to...
Mar. 6th, 2022 11:17 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
puppetmakerI am putting a warning on this one for those who don’t want to read my thoughts on addiction and how that word has been twisted all kinds of ways.
Addiction (noun)-
1: a compulsive, chronic, physiological or psychological need for a habit-forming substance, behavior, or activity having harmful physical, psychological, or social effects and typically causing well-defined symptoms (such as anxiety, irritability, tremors, or nausea) upon withdrawal or abstinence : the state of being addicted
2: a strong inclination to do, use, or indulge in something
Obsession (noun)-
1: a persistent disturbing preoccupation with an often-unreasonable idea or feeling: compelling motivation
2: something that causes an obsession
I was working when I heard someone on their phone talking to someone about scrapbooking. Then they said those words that raises my hackles, “I am addicted to this” with a giggle attached.
“No,” I thought, “Right now you are obsessed with scrapbooking. Addicted would be that you cannot stop scrapbooking to the point of self-harm or harm to others.”
I guess one of the many reasons I have such an issue with which word is used is that I have lost friends to various forms of addiction.
I have had to walk away from some people that I was really close to because of addiction. They chose their addiction over their friends and family and career.
I have also had other friends get their acts together and got help with their addiction.
Addiction does not have to be drugs or alcohol.
I lost a friend over their obsession with the gym that turned into an addiction to exercise to the point that they put themselves into a hospital and, according to their then partner, was panicking about not being in the gym or able to get out of bed and do some squats. They were not, to our knowledge, doing steroids or any other performance enhancing drugs. They did get help and seemed to be in recovery until they were out of supervision and back to the gym they went until they died of a heart attack.
I have never been addicted to something, but I have been obsessed with things to the point that I recognized I needed to back off.
Most of it, as those who have known me for a long time, is science-fiction or fantasy based media.
Doctor Who is a good example of this. In my teen years I tried to get as many of my friends to like it as much as I did. I do apologize to those people. Now I enjoy it but I don’t crack-up if I don’t know everything.
I can find my obsessive tendencies poking out when I find something interesting and then try to learn as much as I can on that subject. Sometimes to the point of absurdity.
But when push comes to shove, I can put that to the side and get onto other things that need to be done.
I do believe that some people are addicted to their cell phones or an app on their cell phone. The excuses I have heard for that usually start with but I need it so people can get in touch with me. OK, that’s a good reason to carry it. Not a good reason to be on it most of the day and panic when their battery starts to go. Also crossing the street while looking at your cell phone is not a good idea no matter where you live.
Alcohol is another substance that people become addicted to. That one can sneak up on you. I hear people talking about how drunk they were over the past weekend or ask the bartender for a drink that has enough alcohol to be a Molotov Cocktail. I have dealt with hungover theater folk and rehearsal. I have driven friends’ home because they are four sheets to the wind, and I am sober.
Here is the tricky thing. Some people can see what is happening and back off or just stop. Others can’t stop and need help. I like good drinks of the adult variety but once I found out I was pregnant with Caroline, I stopped until after she was weened. Now I would say I am a social drinker who understands their limits.
I read an article about “Dry January” where people stop drinking for a month. It does help people to drink less during the year. A suggestion from the author, Dani Blum, was practice mindful drinking. One should pay close attention to why, where and when they were drawn to drinking. From that one stops and thinks, “Do I really need this drink or is this out of habit?” and then make a conscious decision to drink alcohol or not.
Addiction can come in many forms, and we are just starting to learn about the genetics of addicts and how that affects them. There is also the brain science going on. We are trying to figure out addiction and why some become addicts while others don’t given the same set of conditions for each.
Obsession can lead to addiction. However, being obsessed and being addicted are two totally different things.
I know a lot of fans of all kinds of things. Some dabble and others become obsessed with their fandom. I know soccer fans who will root for their home team and take serious umbrage to anyone dissing their team. Same for most professional sports. I know Star Wars fans and Star Trek fans looking down their noses at the other group. I know dollmakers who are obsessed with giving credit to the artist to the point that gets absurd since that technique has been used since the (Fill in the year here).
I have had a couple of rouses over the years with obsessed puppeteers that they owned various techniques and the like. I have given them evidence that what they are doing something that was done in the 1800 or 1900s. The only change is that we have a new material to make it with that has made it easier. I can still construct the device using older materials.
Cos-players can be a very obsessive group. God help you if you are trying to recreate a costume from any sort of media, except books unless you are trying to create the character on the cover, and you have the wrong colored cloth for the fourth under piece of the costume which is never seen except that one time on screen.
There are groups of costumers who are making costumes from one specific film or tv show (I am including Anime in tv show) and they have a specific list of what you must do to make your costume authentic enough for them. It is a rather obsessive.
I am the lead judge of the DragonCon workmanship contest on Friday night. Yes, we can seem to be a bit obsessed with tiny details especially when we know how it was originally created. That is because everyone who enters is just that doggone good. People win by the narrowest margins I think in just about any costume contest that weekend. If you say that your costume is authentic from the inside out, we will test you on that. The brain trust I work with for that contest is one of the best I have. Shout out to Rob, Freddy, Scott, and my fellow puppeteer Cheralyn along with the Costuming Track Gang.
So can we start using the word obsessed rather than addicted when we describe something that we enjoy. For example, I am obsessed with making puppets.
I am grateful for people who use the right word.
Addiction (noun)-
1: a compulsive, chronic, physiological or psychological need for a habit-forming substance, behavior, or activity having harmful physical, psychological, or social effects and typically causing well-defined symptoms (such as anxiety, irritability, tremors, or nausea) upon withdrawal or abstinence : the state of being addicted
2: a strong inclination to do, use, or indulge in something
Obsession (noun)-
1: a persistent disturbing preoccupation with an often-unreasonable idea or feeling: compelling motivation
2: something that causes an obsession
I was working when I heard someone on their phone talking to someone about scrapbooking. Then they said those words that raises my hackles, “I am addicted to this” with a giggle attached.
“No,” I thought, “Right now you are obsessed with scrapbooking. Addicted would be that you cannot stop scrapbooking to the point of self-harm or harm to others.”
I guess one of the many reasons I have such an issue with which word is used is that I have lost friends to various forms of addiction.
I have had to walk away from some people that I was really close to because of addiction. They chose their addiction over their friends and family and career.
I have also had other friends get their acts together and got help with their addiction.
Addiction does not have to be drugs or alcohol.
I lost a friend over their obsession with the gym that turned into an addiction to exercise to the point that they put themselves into a hospital and, according to their then partner, was panicking about not being in the gym or able to get out of bed and do some squats. They were not, to our knowledge, doing steroids or any other performance enhancing drugs. They did get help and seemed to be in recovery until they were out of supervision and back to the gym they went until they died of a heart attack.
I have never been addicted to something, but I have been obsessed with things to the point that I recognized I needed to back off.
Most of it, as those who have known me for a long time, is science-fiction or fantasy based media.
Doctor Who is a good example of this. In my teen years I tried to get as many of my friends to like it as much as I did. I do apologize to those people. Now I enjoy it but I don’t crack-up if I don’t know everything.
I can find my obsessive tendencies poking out when I find something interesting and then try to learn as much as I can on that subject. Sometimes to the point of absurdity.
But when push comes to shove, I can put that to the side and get onto other things that need to be done.
I do believe that some people are addicted to their cell phones or an app on their cell phone. The excuses I have heard for that usually start with but I need it so people can get in touch with me. OK, that’s a good reason to carry it. Not a good reason to be on it most of the day and panic when their battery starts to go. Also crossing the street while looking at your cell phone is not a good idea no matter where you live.
Alcohol is another substance that people become addicted to. That one can sneak up on you. I hear people talking about how drunk they were over the past weekend or ask the bartender for a drink that has enough alcohol to be a Molotov Cocktail. I have dealt with hungover theater folk and rehearsal. I have driven friends’ home because they are four sheets to the wind, and I am sober.
Here is the tricky thing. Some people can see what is happening and back off or just stop. Others can’t stop and need help. I like good drinks of the adult variety but once I found out I was pregnant with Caroline, I stopped until after she was weened. Now I would say I am a social drinker who understands their limits.
I read an article about “Dry January” where people stop drinking for a month. It does help people to drink less during the year. A suggestion from the author, Dani Blum, was practice mindful drinking. One should pay close attention to why, where and when they were drawn to drinking. From that one stops and thinks, “Do I really need this drink or is this out of habit?” and then make a conscious decision to drink alcohol or not.
Addiction can come in many forms, and we are just starting to learn about the genetics of addicts and how that affects them. There is also the brain science going on. We are trying to figure out addiction and why some become addicts while others don’t given the same set of conditions for each.
Obsession can lead to addiction. However, being obsessed and being addicted are two totally different things.
I know a lot of fans of all kinds of things. Some dabble and others become obsessed with their fandom. I know soccer fans who will root for their home team and take serious umbrage to anyone dissing their team. Same for most professional sports. I know Star Wars fans and Star Trek fans looking down their noses at the other group. I know dollmakers who are obsessed with giving credit to the artist to the point that gets absurd since that technique has been used since the (Fill in the year here).
I have had a couple of rouses over the years with obsessed puppeteers that they owned various techniques and the like. I have given them evidence that what they are doing something that was done in the 1800 or 1900s. The only change is that we have a new material to make it with that has made it easier. I can still construct the device using older materials.
Cos-players can be a very obsessive group. God help you if you are trying to recreate a costume from any sort of media, except books unless you are trying to create the character on the cover, and you have the wrong colored cloth for the fourth under piece of the costume which is never seen except that one time on screen.
There are groups of costumers who are making costumes from one specific film or tv show (I am including Anime in tv show) and they have a specific list of what you must do to make your costume authentic enough for them. It is a rather obsessive.
I am the lead judge of the DragonCon workmanship contest on Friday night. Yes, we can seem to be a bit obsessed with tiny details especially when we know how it was originally created. That is because everyone who enters is just that doggone good. People win by the narrowest margins I think in just about any costume contest that weekend. If you say that your costume is authentic from the inside out, we will test you on that. The brain trust I work with for that contest is one of the best I have. Shout out to Rob, Freddy, Scott, and my fellow puppeteer Cheralyn along with the Costuming Track Gang.
So can we start using the word obsessed rather than addicted when we describe something that we enjoy. For example, I am obsessed with making puppets.
I am grateful for people who use the right word.
