Addiction

This summer I have been around some people that are addicted to some of the typical addictive substances; caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, etc. It provided me with more indepth and thoughtful personal observance. The Word of Wisdom as explained in more detail here (under the Word of Wisdom heading) talks about avoiding addictive substances as well as other harmful behaviors. This commandement was given to protect our bodies and our spirits. As I observed and thought about addictions I came to understand it better. It's not like if you drink one beer you will become an alcoholic. Or if you smoke pot once, or twice, or a lot that you will become a homeless panhandler. It's more subtle then that. To me an addiction has two parts. First, it is more about how much time you spend thinking about and doing things to make your addiction possible or to participate in it. As in, thinking about how wonderful it will be to smoke again, and how and when you will buy your next pack and then actually the time it takes to smoke. The second part of addictions, is the desire to change your mood by some outside force. Drink away the blues, get buzzed, etc. In reality I think this is a very natural desire, but it is also a counterfeit. As one of my friends once said "If someone has felt the Spirit and then lost it, they would do anything to have it back again." Unfortuntely that is not always the case, but having the Spirit with you is truly an amazing feeling. Sometimes I call it "inexplicable joy." It's wonderful to be filled with the Spirit, but the thing that's different between a "spiritual high" and a drug induced one is that drugs limit your agency, your ability to choose, while the Spirit magnifies it with the motive of love and doing good.
I hope this isn't all too thick.
So the "moral" of my story is that not only the above mentioned substances can be addictive. Many things can become too time consuming and mood altering. I have heard many people talk about chocolate constantly, or they are on facebook for hours. After all this you may ask what my addiction is. Books. This past week I have finished 4 books in 5 days. I need to work on that. . .