It's an Addiction

Hello, my name is Amanda Pew, and I'm a blogaholic.

We live in a society where you can become addicted to almost anything. Most of these addictions require counseling and/or medication in order to be cured or controlled. How do you know you're an addict? At what point do you need to take action?

This morning at 4:30am when I got up to "use the toilet" (as they say here in the UK) and could not go back to sleep, my mind immediately started thinking about what I would post on my next blog. For at least a half an hour, my mind thought through sentence after sentence of what I could write. For someone who does not normally like to write nor considers herself a good writer, I think this kind of behavior is somewhat unusual. Maybe even to the point of being obsessed. I've talked about blogging so much, that even now, my husband has shown interest in blogging. In fact, I got him to post his first message the other day. His is the post about lawn mowing. As much as I'd like to take credit for such an eloquent post, I can not. Those words belong to him. So again I ask, am I addicted? I check my blog everyday, sometimes twice a day, and I post nearly everyday. Do I need intervention?

But then I think of all the good that comes from blogging. It's basically my way of keeping a journal. We've been counseled by our church leaders to keep a journal. When I normally have such a difficult time writing in a journal, isn't this a great tool that allows me to be obedient? Another benefit. In a time when our lives are so busy, and we don't have a lot of time to call or visit friends and family, isn't blogging a great way to keep in touch, and let people know of what's going on in our lives? It's not just sharing our experiences, it's also reading about the experiences of those we love. One more benefit. Being a mother is a hard job. Blogging is my outlet. It's my way of venting, of having personal time, of feeling normal. Am I just rationalizing my addictive behavior, or are these points valid?

Whatever the verdict may be, I'm afraid I can't and don't want to stop. There may be times when I write less frequently than normal. For example, I'm leaving for Czech Republic today. I most likely will not have the time to post. I'm expecting a baby at the end of November. This also might be a time of inconsistent posts. These periods may cause me to go through withdrawals, but I guarantee to make a full come back, whatever the circumstances. I only hope my friends and family who have been so faithful in checking and commenting on my posts stick with me to the end.