2008 Woodie Awards
You can get hooked on `soft addictions' in so many ways
Julie Deardorff, Chicago Tribune
Issue date: 4/2/07 Section: Life
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When Rich and Gertrude Lyons first admitted they were powerless, television was the first thing to go. Then they weaned themselves from mail-order catalogs, electronic gadgets and sugar.
Today, the Chicago couple is still grappling with their "soft addictions," or ordinary behavior that, if overdone, can wreak havoc on your life. Unlike hard addictions, which are usually related to a chemical substance, you don't die from soft addictions.
"But you don't really live, either," said self-help guru Judith Wright, who labeled the phenomenon more than a decade ago.
People have always had ways to zone out, but experts such as Wright say soft or mild behavioral addictions are escalating, partly because there are so many new things to get addicted to, and many have the disposable income to do it. But identifying and treating a soft addiction are difficult. Because whether it's watching the NCAA tournament, checking e-mail, editing Wikipedia entries or walking into Starbucks, the activities are seemingly harmless behaviors. The problem is that when even healthy habits such as exercise are used too often or for the wrong reasons, they sap our time, money and energy and prevent us from living the life we want, according to Wright, founder of the Chicago-based Wright Institute, a personal development and training center and author of "The Soft Addiction Solution" (Jeremy P. Taracher/Penguin, $16.95).
Rich Lyons, 41, for example, habitually zoned out in front of the television at night, staying up far later than intended and waking up crabby the next day. That resulted in another soft addiction, he said, to a grumpy mood. His wife, Gertrude, 41, meanwhile, found she had a soft addiction to shopping for adorable but overpriced baby clothes that, ultimately, her children didn't want to wear. She also had a bad habit of paging through mail-order catalogs when she had better things to do.
"It wasn't an overspending issue as much as it was buying stuff you knew you didn't need," Gertrude said. "It was like buying something felt like it would make me feel better."
Today, the Chicago couple is still grappling with their "soft addictions," or ordinary behavior that, if overdone, can wreak havoc on your life. Unlike hard addictions, which are usually related to a chemical substance, you don't die from soft addictions.
"But you don't really live, either," said self-help guru Judith Wright, who labeled the phenomenon more than a decade ago.
People have always had ways to zone out, but experts such as Wright say soft or mild behavioral addictions are escalating, partly because there are so many new things to get addicted to, and many have the disposable income to do it. But identifying and treating a soft addiction are difficult. Because whether it's watching the NCAA tournament, checking e-mail, editing Wikipedia entries or walking into Starbucks, the activities are seemingly harmless behaviors. The problem is that when even healthy habits such as exercise are used too often or for the wrong reasons, they sap our time, money and energy and prevent us from living the life we want, according to Wright, founder of the Chicago-based Wright Institute, a personal development and training center and author of "The Soft Addiction Solution" (Jeremy P. Taracher/Penguin, $16.95).
Rich Lyons, 41, for example, habitually zoned out in front of the television at night, staying up far later than intended and waking up crabby the next day. That resulted in another soft addiction, he said, to a grumpy mood. His wife, Gertrude, 41, meanwhile, found she had a soft addiction to shopping for adorable but overpriced baby clothes that, ultimately, her children didn't want to wear. She also had a bad habit of paging through mail-order catalogs when she had better things to do.
"It wasn't an overspending issue as much as it was buying stuff you knew you didn't need," Gertrude said. "It was like buying something felt like it would make me feel better."
Article last update: 3/30/07 at 6:43 AM CST
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