Links

This is the first in what will be an ongoing series of links, with comments, to things around the 'net that I find interesting and/or useful re. TV addiction. Mindful that one person's trash is another person's treasure, I am trying to keep my comments positive, pointing out only what I liked, not what I didn't like. I wouldn't want to be the one standing between an addict and a resource that might benefit her.

I invite you to post your links and comments as well. The links that seem to have enduring value will eventually find their way into the Links list on the sidebar.


A Twelve-Step Program for TV Addicts from TV Addicts Anonymous (a site for trading TV episodes, not a recovery site)

Nothing to do with the 12 Steps of AA. But it is 90% thoughtful reflection, 10% tongue in cheek. (Though that becomes 5%/95% when you consider the overall site.)


Let's Talk: Procrastination, by Kat, from her blog The Soapbox

(SOMETHING IS WRONG with the formatting on this site; on all of the pages I viewed, most of the text is obscured by what should be just the background. There are two ways around this: one, click Ctrl-A, which will highlight all text on the page and make it readable, and two, use your browser controls to turn off all page formatting. In Firefox, that's View -> Page Style -> No Style.)

Covers procrastination and Internet addiction in addition to TV addiction ... but then, they're all closely related. Two of Kat's comments especially struck a nerve for me:

I turn on the T.V. when I wake up in the morning and as soon as I get in the front door after work.

Boy, is that me -- only worse. When I'm not abstinent, I turn on the TV very first thing after I get up. (OK, maybe I take a leak first, then sit down at the computer -- which is conveniently positioned so I can see the TV at the same time -- then turn on the TV.) And since I work at home ... the TV just stays on the rest of the day.

Usually, by the time I'm done doing all this ( and mind you, I sign on at least 3 times daily ), it's bed time. Or pretty close to it. By this time, my brain is sleepy and I'll suddenly remember, "OH, I was supposed to write today." Eyes go to the clock at the right hand side of the screen. "Oh, but its too late now. I'm too tired." Shut down CPU. Crawl into bed.

Here Kat is talking about time soaked up by e-mail, blogging, and other Internet use, as well as TV. But that same pattern is also me -- I have my own long list of addictive and procrastinating behaviors. (I'll get to that in a future post.) Point is, I am so wearily familiar with that feeling of "OH. I was supposed to write today." When I think of how many days of my life I've burned through -- with the help of TV -- instead of making money, studying, writing, tending to my relationships with family and friends, playing with my dogs and cats, taking care of my health, gardening and cooking, working on a mountain of important spiritual and social justice issues, and all the other things that I care about ... well, I'm tearing up just writing about it. I'm sad, ashamed, frustrated, furious. How could I have let this happen?


Confessions of an Addict, part one, by Bill, from the Challies.com community blog

This post and the comments that follow it are honest and thoughtful, even though they're not about TV addiction or even addiction per se. Four things in them particularly struck me.

The first four paragraphs describe exactly why, since I began my 12-Step recovery 8-1/2 years ago, most churches have seemed shallow and ineffective to me -- including those that I've joined and helped run, and one that I co-founded. There's just too much looking-good in churches and not enough honesty for much real spiritual growth to happen. (From time to time I toy with the idea of starting a 12-Step church. :o)

When Bill calls himself a church growth addict, he's serious. And I agree with him. The more general point is that anyone can use any substance or process (activity) addictively. So when someone calls himself a gaming addict, or an organizing addict, or a gardening addict -- and I detect that little bit of unhappiness showing through his words -- I know he means it.

Bill tells how easily he was led off the spiritual path by his ego, by his desires to be successful and "look good." It sounds just like the times when I grew complacent about my recovery -- when I felt that I was "better," and didn't need to work the steps, or keep up with my sponsor, or even go to meetings:

I quickly learned that everyone serving in ministry “had it all together” as well.... Everyone was moving forward, living out the vision God had revealed personally to them. And so I learned how to play the game.... After all, God wanted me to be successful, right?

There’s a night that I don’t like to think about and try to avoid in conversation.... Everything was great – I was a success…finally. And I was so far away from God that I didn’t even notice He was nowhere to be found.

Finally, Bill's story reminds me why 12-Step groups need the 11th Tradition: "Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio and films." The first half of the tradition warns us against the dangers of "selling" our way of recovery. And the second half warns us of the dangers of elevating ourselves above our recovery and the welfare of the group. Bill learned both, up close and personal.

This post promises a part 2 ("coming in a few days"), to be titled "Learning to Detox." That was on 11 February 2005, but sadly, there's no sign of the sequel.