Addicts lose all control

Apparently, there is no such thing as ‘good addiction’. Anything you get addicted to basically takes over your life. Whether you are addicted to someone you love, your work, workouts, favourite food, best friend or even romedy on screen — addiction is bad for you. Period. The moment something takes over your life to the exclusion of everything else, it ceases to be good.

I’ve been punch-drunk on South Korean drama series on an OTT platform this past month or so, a welcome refuge from the long-drawn out pandemic-induced social isolation. I loved the make- believe world of romance, comedy, compassion and drama offered by these ‘swoonworthy’ series. I had a perennial smile on my face as I replayed favourite K-drama moments and became more and more indifferent to the non-K-drama world. It became an addiction. I even began obsessing over the private lives of my favourite K-stars — the clothes they wore, who they were dating, what they ate and so on.

I was losing control of my life. I had stopped reading. I had writer’s block. When telephones and doorbells rang, I scowled and sat glued to the screen. What started off as entertainment was now consuming me. This has to stop, I told myself, as I began extricating myself from the K-grip.


To seek an altered state of consciousness that frees you from real-world misery is a good thing, only if you can strike a balance between the real and the unreal and stay in control. Otherwise, what was meant to be a happy experience will turn into the bane of your life.