I Kicked the Habit

Addiction is a nasty-sounding word. It is a condition we observe in others with varying feelings of horror, pity, and contempt.



It's not a word we would apply to ourselves. "I can control myself," we say, or "I'm much too strong for that."



So, am I? Are you?



One is addicted when one "has allowed something to gain a strong, habitual and enduring hold on action ,inclination or involuntary tendency." That's straight out of Webster's Dictionary.



Hmm.



Here's another cool word: Insiduous: designed to trap; full of wiles; causing harm by slow, stealthy, usually imperceptible means.



The thing I'm trying to say is: a habit doesn't have to have horrifically bad effects to be labeled an addiction. It just needs to be addicting.



Take games, for instance. They come in all sizes and forms on the internet, and they're free (unless you desire the same spectacular success your neighbor is having).

So where's the harm, huh?



I've been addicted to 'Fog of War' for the past month, feverishly building up cities and armies so I can pillage my neighbor. I can see how Hitler got hooked on the real thing. Not that I would EVER do the things he did in real life, mind you.



So where's the harm?



My wife complained mildly at one point, then said, "At least you're not running the streets; you're right in the next room."



So where's the harm?



Was I given this time (precious time) to squander in such a mindless fashion? Why do you suppose I was irritable when I couldn't have access to the computer? Was that uneasiness I felt actually resentment at my time being occupied by my part-time job? Or by MY Family?!?



One of the keys to changing an undesirable behaviour (after earnest prayer) is to remove all influences toward that behaviour from your life.



So this morning, I pulled up my 'favorites' list, selected the bookmark for the wargame, right-clicked it and pressed 'delete.'



"Are you sure you want to permanently delete this record?"

Yes. Please.