I am an addict

Most people start off their morning cursing at their alarm clock and getting prepared for the day ahead. I’m a bit different– I do despise my alarm clock for going off and interrupting my slumber but at the same time it wakes me up just in time so I can have 30 minutes more to read. Sometimes a book can capture too much of my attention and I end up forgetting that I have a life and responsibilities, almost always my reading habit has gotten me late for school.

My every day ritual consists of waking up, reading, doing whatever needs to get done in the day, and reading again before I sleep. The only times I wouldn’t read would be when I’m extremely exhausted and need the extra sleep.

Over the past few years I’ve come to find myself in love with my daily ritual. But I noticed my reading obsession had gone a bit too far when I end up ignoring multiple calls and texts from my friends and family because I get wrapped up in my book.

I realize now, I’d rather spend my time with my face stuck in a book or online book than talk to people. People carry problems, problems that I’d much rather avoid. Why focus on real world people and the problems they carry when you can slip into an alternate universe or some kind of fantasy world of myths and legends? It’s fun to hang out with friends but at the end of the day I can’t help but feel like an addict waiting to get her next fix on the next chapter of a book or screaming internally for a week, waiting for an online author to update. Because reality isn’t as fun as I sometimes wish it would be.

Books are an escape from the struggles we face daily. Books influence emotions, emotions that maybe in real life you could never feel. Books can even be a way to relieve emotional pressure for some people.

“Books give a great opportunity to imagine different worlds in my mind, and it’s a great way to relieve stress,” my friend Alison expressed.

A frequent reader like herself would know the joys of reading and much like her, I find reading to also be a way to temporarily run away from my emotions for a bit. Personally when I feel upset or just done with everyday crap, I read to unwind and lighten my mood. Not only does reading relieve stress, reading can influence young readers, form personality, views, opinions, expand grammar & vocabulary, it can even influence young readers to pursue the passion of writing too.

Through writing authors can express their point of view. Writers can share their imagination and even make characters based on their emotions and struggles. Writing, much like reading is one of the ways authors relieve themselves from the ideas, views, opinions, etc. burning around in their mind. Writing is much like reading; writing’s ability to open new doors for authors and convey ideas a writer never knew was spinning around in their head and have the idea in an actual form that others can interpret.

Books are an adventure I wish I could live in. Books show us places we’ve never been, in some cases, places that only existed in the imagination of an author. When I finally get to read an amazing book all I can describe it as, is a rush of emotions an author is sharing with you. Reading is like having the ability to feel a character’s emotions like the way they scream in pain and you feel your heart shatter because you can feel their agony and heartbreak. The sadness and helplessness you feel when a character falls into a dark place and just can’t seem to get out. But there’s the happiness you feel when a character finally gets to live out their dream that they’ve waited so long to accomplish. There’s even the embarrassment you feel when a character does something stupid to humiliate themselves. The tense feeling in your muscles when we know something is about to go wrong. The chills you get when you know a long-awaited part is coming up, and even the excitement of the happy ending. Even the shock at a plot twist, that rush of emotions you feel when things finally make sense.

Lastly my favorite part, the goosebumps you get out of excitement and the mini-fan-girling at a character. All these emotions that my life seems to lack, I can find in a book.

You fall in love with fictional characters, you fall in love with their insecurities and imperfections. Even if it isn’t real, the emotions you feel are. Sometimes the fictional world becomes all too real and starts to feel as if it was reality. The emotions you feel in a book can convey themselves in the real world as well. The feeling of understanding a character and their struggles can be an emotion you suddenly find yourself feeling for real people going through struggles.

Books teach lessons and let you apply them to the real world. Something nonexistent can influence you greatly and can change the way you are. This just proves that some addictions aren’t that bad.