There are all sorts of addictions and obsessions. Some good (being a clean freak), some bad (drug or alcohol addictions – or food related in my case) and some ugly (like those who eat weird shit – shoes, toilet paper and… well, in my mind, fruit!).
Then there are some which are a bit of all three.
And that’s where I am at the moment. I’m reading like a crazy person. I. CANNOT. STOP.
I know that sounds ridiculous, but it’s happened before and it’s happening now. I’ve read between 5 – 7 books a week for the last month or two. Generally it’s a book-a-night.
Now reading in itself is not a bad thing. It broadens one’s horizons and all that – presumably even the trashy or crappy stuff. But… my problem is that I don’t do anything by halves. So instead of nursing a book over a period of a few nights, I HAVE to read it all then and there. Instant gratification baby!
Obsessive-reading is fine in small quantities. I’ve often knocked off a book on a Saturday afternoon / evening while lolling in the bath with champagne. But… when one NEEDS to pick up a book and start reading after work every day it’s not necessarily a good thing. Particularly when that same person is prone to NEEDING to finish the whole bloody book on the same day.
Not good when one has to be up and functioning in their workplace the following day.
I’ve gone cold turkey a few times… cut my supply off, if you like. And decided the time has come… So Thursday night I swore off reading. For a bit.
Of course on Friday night I fell off the wagon and devoured an entire novel.
I’d planned to return to the library today to borrow a supply for the week (or just until Wednesday night which is my usual library night – and yes, I do realise I sound like a bloody nanna when I say that!), but fate has intervened. For various reasons I didn’t get there, so… it seems the perfect opportunity to avoid the dreaded printed word – at least for a few days.
Although, as I’ve just been to the local Blockbuster and borrowed the latest season of Dexter (like my food-related addictions) I suspect I’m just replacing one habit with another. Although this one will be short-lived and I suspect Dex Season 6 will be done and dusted by this time tomorrow.
Like I said, instant gratification baby!
Although I must confess, I am hoping some obsessive TV show-on-DVD watching will disrupt the seamless flow of my reading fetish!
Do you have addictions which are okay (or even healthy) in small amounts?
August 4, 2012
I’m addicted to all the BAD things: sugar and carbs.
I’m also addicted to watching episodes of How I Met Your Mother whenever possible. I’ve almost finished going through the whole 7 seasons (in order) for the second time. At least watching that isn’t calorific!
August 5, 2012
I agree that calorie-laden habits are probably worse… I’ve never gotten into ‘How I Met Your Mother’. I’ve seen bits and pieces but cannot believe they’re up to the 7th season!!!
And yeah, I’m with you on the sugar and carbs.
August 4, 2012
That is exactly why I don’t read often…cant stop reading until the end. Much harder to manage with little kids – I’ve been downloading a lot of trashy short romances that I know will only take a couple or hours of my life!
August 5, 2012
Annaleis, someone asked me the other day why I don’t use an eReader or download books and I had to explain I mostly (always???) read in the bath at the moment, so something electronic could be problematic. She did suggest a ziplock bag – but given that I dropped a mobile phone into the bathtub (years ago – a cheap one fortunately) I’m a bit nervous about bathwater!
Deb
August 5, 2012
I love reading but I can’t read THAT much! I love my sleep too much 🙂
August 5, 2012
Hi Kylie… Yes, I love my sleep as well, which is why the reading is becoming a problem… (Sigh)
Deb
August 7, 2012
I love the thought of just reading and reading… I can never maintain the momentum though ! x
August 8, 2012
Hi Tahlia… the momentum is/was my problem. I’d seriously gotten into the habit and if I finished a book at a decent hour during the night I contemplated starting another!!!
Deb
August 8, 2012
Addictive habits? Don’t get me started. I generally replace one with another. Then it can become compulsive- like downloading an entire season of something & just having to watch it until its done. Or re-reading the series of a set of books by a favourite author before I can start the next…as I said, don’t get me started.
August 8, 2012
Yes indeed Jo, and that’s just what I did. With no books / reading I borrowed Dexter and watched all 12 x 50min episodes in less than a day. And when I took it back I thought about borrowing another TV series (Walking Dead S2). Fortunately I stopped myself… It’s like food, I force myself to stop something and another thing replaces it!!!
(And I love finding a new author who’s written a heap of books and knowing you have an entire series to read – ready and waiting!)
Deb
August 9, 2012
A reading addiction doesn’t sound too bad 🙂 I have a similar problem…not as bad but when I start a book I love, I have a hard time putting it down! (meaning only put it down for work and sleep). I wish I was reading more books though!
August 9, 2012
Lilly Sue… I suspect there’s some happy medium. I’ve now been almost a week book-free and I haven’t really missed them. I guess I just needed to break the cycle!
I am planning on hitting the library on the weekend though, so hopefully I’ll have some reading fodder for next week – though I must go about it in a more measured way!
Deb