People with hobbies should stop calling themselves addicts and junkies, because their commitment to those activities is not comparable to someone’s physical dependence on drugs.
“I’m a total adrenaline junkie,” someone who likes skydiving might say.
“I’m a complete film addict,” someone who likes movies might say.
“I’m such a chocolate junkie,” an overweight person will tell you.
Stop saying that. The feelings you experience during your favorite activity are not interchangeable with the effects of heroin.
To see why, try putting the comparison into a different context.
“Hey,” someone in this context would say, “do you want to go running with me today?”
“I don’t know,” you would say. “I’ll think about it.”
“What do you mean?” the person would say. “Running is like injecting a powerful narcotic directly into your veins.”
