Addictions

In the last couple of weeks some thoughts ran through my head. They are mainly ideas tweaked by my colleague's behaviour. I compared this to some of the behavioral patters of those who were around me and lastly to my own. It certainly was an interesting aspect and food for thought!

Yes, you guessed right. As the headline suggestions this is about addictions but no, not linked with phrases like 'drugs', 'alcohol' or 'chocolates' that are commonly used with the word but other words which we might hardly give a second thought to. They might not be harmful at first glance, but once they become a part of your routine it is hard to survive without them.

Sure, it might serve some good purpose but I realized that it is better not to keep such habits within your lifestyle because if there every comes a day when you are deprived of one, you might feel the urge to put all your work aside and simply hunt for one to satisfy your craving!

Let's start with one of the most common addictions. Food! And not just any food but specific food types. One of my ex-roommates had a craving for chips. Though she was svelte, her dinner consisted of a particular brand of chips and either tea or a glass of flavoured milk. It once got so bad that she had to have it every day. She even dressed again and walked two miles back to the store to get her 'dinner' one day.

Another friend had the craving for chocolate flavoured milk. I picked up her addiction and everyday one of us used to bring a chocolate flavoured milk bottle as an afternoon 'treat' on our way from work. Luckily the stock ran out. The supermarket gave up buying that product. Chapter closed!

My colleague was heavily into Indian food. Everyday he would want to skip the regular rice and curry and settle for a vadai with dosai, paratha, chapatti or puri. It took an amount of cajoling from others to let him stray away from that habit.

Another friend discovered a hangout off the suburbs. Though the prices were a bit extravagant the aura of the place was enchanting. You felt like staying in there for hours, grazing out into the spacious surroundings - acres of water separating you from sea and land. An occasional breeze would soothe you, carrying away your fatigue and stressful thoughts. We loved to visit the place which demanded us to catch a bus and get down five halts away. But everyday? Certainly not if that meant staying additional hours to complete our work!

Then there are those non-food related habits. My cousin is a book addict. He reads at a speed and began buying books at an even greater speed! I used to watch in wonder as he walked about with a great volume under his arm. It changed nearly each day and made me wonder whether he used the books as a mere 'display item'. But I knew better.

Another friend was into painting. She has talent but she painted in a frenzy. The number of canvases grew in her room and were stacked one over the other. There were nearly a hundred but she simply could not stop. The urge just flowed in and she had the 'itch' to paint.

There was a girl at my previous hostel. My friends used to nickname her 'Miss Araliya'. That is because she would use frangipani perfume and nothing else. That's not so bad, you would say. True but what if I tell you that she wore it even on days that she did not set a foot outside the house?

I know quite a few shoppaholics. They could live without food or maybe even water but simply not without the need to shop! Some limit themselves to a category such as clothes or cosmetics. Others simply love to grab anything off the shelves and shop till they drop!

What is Shehara's addiction, you may ask? I, like many, have been through many phrases but the one addiction I cannot get through is simple - you!

Shehara

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