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The First Step Out Of Addiction - Admitting You Have A Problem

April 4th, 2008 by Ronen Halevy

EnthusiastI will not admit that I have a problem. I like my BlackBerry and thats that. Whenever I read articles like this one on Forbes.com I always wonder why the millions of iPod & Mac users don’t get labeled as addicts. They always seem to get the much nicer label of enthusiasts.

So I decided to do some Googling to define what an addict is:

Slang for person with an addictive disorder. This stigmatizing term is demeaning because it labels a person by his/her illness. …

someone who is so ardently devoted to something that it resembles an addiction; “a golf addict”; “a car nut”; “a bodybuilding freak”; “a news junkie”

And then I Googled enthusiast:

an ardent and enthusiastic supporter of some person or activity

a person having a strong liking for something

Am I the only one who thinks that enthusiast is a better term?

Forbes.com cites the study of David Vance & Nada Kakabadse (love the last name) who found in a study that a third of BlackBerry users show signs of addiction similar to alcoholics. This just brings to mind the old t-shirt I had in college. “I am not an alcoholic, I am a drunk”

So I have to ask what do you think we should be labeled as, a addict? or an enthusiast? Personally I just think it depends on perspective.

BTW: If you want a good laugh check out the Forbes.com “Rules To BlackBerry By”

This entry was posted on Friday, April 4th, 2008 and is filed under Editorial.

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6 Responses to “The First Step Out Of Addiction - Admitting You Have A Problem”

  • 1
    David B
    April 4th, 2008 10:52

    I’ll admit to being both an enthusiast AND an addict! :)

  • 2
    Luciano ES
    April 4th, 2008 11:01

    Millions of iPod & Mac users don’t get labeled as addicts because they don’t drop into manholes or walk into lamp posts. ;-)
    .
    But yes, I’m also tired of so many articles about Crackberry addiction. I just learned to ignore them like I ignore most ads. Every journalist or blogger has a few of those days when there is nothing to write about…

  • 3
    Ronen Halevy
    April 4th, 2008 11:09

    I agree no news so lots of editorial… Sorry guys it gives me a chance to rant!

  • 4
    David B
    April 4th, 2008 14:16

    :) well there was no Rant” tag on your post! hahaha….

  • 5
    Ronen Halevy
    April 4th, 2008 14:21

    Yeah I usually try to preface it if it is not news. I am just getting tired of being called an addict. Somebody even called me an enabler last week. :)

  • 6
    Ybot
    April 5th, 2008 08:30

    *I* was labelled by my fellow employee (an “addict”) of our wireless telecom (where we work) for talking up the benefits of BlackBerry to a store clerk who had asked “What is that thing in your hand? It looks cool and important!”.

    I don’t consider myself an “enabler” of an addiction, I consider myself a purveyor of proven positive experience with a particular piece of technology. Is that addict behaviour? Probably… don’t bother answering me…

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