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Thursday, April 10. 2008

Addiction

I read compulsively. I read fiction and non-fiction. I read shrink-related stuff also, but less so than other stuff. I read plenty of history. I read 2 books per week. I do not watch TV because it interferes with my reading and my family, and because TV is idiotic. Yes, I am proudly snobbish about many things, and I happily know little-to-nothing about pop culture.

Do I have a Reading Addiction?

Some of my fellow shrinks seem to want to make a diagnosis out of everything people like to do: Internet addiction. As you all say, Good Grief.

Editor's note: See Dr. Bliss' piece on The DSM: Not the Shrinks' Bible

Posted by Dr. Joy Bliss in Psychology, and Dr. Bliss at 07:00 | Comments (8) | Trackbacks (0)

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I have a reading addiction, an Internet addiction, a food addiction (I'll eat 3 or four times in a single day!), and a sleep addiction (every night). Clearly, I need help.

On the other hand, I'm not going to seek it from the likes of YOU. "Joy Bliss"?? Who expects to be taken seriously going around with a silly name like that.
#1 Mister Snitch (Link) on 2008-04-10 07:30 (Reply)
My question is; "What are you doing with all of that knowledge?"
#2 _Jon (Link) on 2008-04-10 08:31 (Reply)
Reading is an addiction? Not life-threatening, I hope [unless you are reading while trying to cross the street]. And Jon [#2] some people read for knowledge. Some people read for fun. And some people read for both, and to put off contemplating that they are going to be 80 this year. Which kind of person are you?

Marianne Matthews
#3 Marianne Matthews on 2008-04-10 08:41 (Reply)
Actually, Jon, I believe the answer to your question to Dr. Bliss, "What are you doing with all of that knowledge?" is probably "Making a lot more money than you are." :)

And besides, since you indicate that you are not an avid reader, wouldn't the question for you, in turn, be, "What are you doing with all of that lack of knowledge?"

Probably making a lot less money than Dr. Bliss. :)

Oh, and Mister Snitch, you're right -- Dr. "Joy Bliss" sounds like she looked up "feel-good words" in one of her many books and went for it. Were you aware her middle name is "Harmony"?

Note to Doc Bliss:

1. If you use the word "voracious" in front of "reader", people won't call it a syndrome.

2. Add Michael Crichton's book "Next" to your reading queue NOW if not sooner. With the recent "discovery" of the "aggressive gene" and the "smokers gene", the nightmare Crichton portrays just started to become real.
#4 Dr. Mercury (Link) on 2008-04-10 09:02 (Reply)
You're probably wrong on both comparison counts, not that it matters. I read on computers all day. I have a subscription to books24x7.com, where I read books online. I also have 3 books in progress in my house and car. I know your inference is incorrect. Therefore, I infer that your comparisons are incorrect as well.

My point - I don't know why I am bothering on someone with fangs as yours, but hope springs eternal - was to point out to Bliss (and others) that her "addiction" is fine as long as there was a positive outcome of it.

I have CEO clients who are "addicted" to their industry - they voraciously consume every possible piece of information that is related to the products and services they offer. They believe their success hinges upon providing their customers with superior experiences. They took their "addiction" and made use of it. They bettered themselves and their customers.

I love the knowledge that I've accumulated. I use it to help others improve their lives. Given Dr. Bliss' other posts, she clearly uses her knowledge to help others. Therefore, my comment was intended to be interpreted as a rhetorical affirmation of her "addiction".

In simpler words, I was saying "I think it's ok to have that 'addiction'."
#4.1 _Jon (Link) on 2008-04-10 09:53 (Reply)
You have an addiction: the need to have one.

What is the difference between an artist and a shrink? The artist knows he's nuts; the shrink thinks he's cured. "Ha Ha"!
#5 njartist49 on 2008-04-10 09:03 (Reply)
"I happily know little-to-nothing about pop culture."

How does a shrink shrink effectively when they know nothing about pop culture - especially when the more nefarious and destructive elements of pop culture are often what drives someone to a shrink? How does a parent parent effectively when they are clueless about what their children are submerged in the minute they leave the house?
#6 Meta on 2008-04-10 10:24 (Reply)
You're an information junkie. We have a whole family of them - my wife and second son in particular seem to read things by mistake that they wander past.

I think it is one of those traits that is constant in the gene pool even though it doesn't often come up for use (except for entertainment among those of similar affliction) that often. A certain percentage of folks in the tribe have to be like that for survival, to take advantage of serendipitous events.
#7 Assistant Village Idiot (Link) on 2008-04-10 22:29 (Reply)

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