Analysis Of Television Addiction By Marie Winn

Drug and Alcohol Addiction is the same as TV Addiction In “Television Addiction” by Marie Winn, the author suggests that TV addiction and Drug and Alcohol addiction are similar in many ways. First she explains what she considers to be a serious drug addiction, such as not feeling normal without them, the need to repeat it, ignoring other pleasurable experiences, never being satisfied, damaging one’s life and ruining relationships. Then she asks us to consider the television addiction in the same light and explains why she feels that it should be. In my experience I can see how television viewing would be considered an addiction and why Winn would too. When someone allows an activity to negatively affect their productivity, relationships and

Without some sort of production we aren’t going anywhere, we are stagnant and begin to decay. When referring to television addicts Winn mentions that, “They are aware that it is an unproductive experience, that almost any other endeavor is more worthwhile by any human measure”, and I couldn’t agree more. She also states, “An addict does not merely pursue a pleasurable experience and need to experience it in order to function normally. He needs to repeat it again and again” (Winn 314). This sensation to repeat a negative behavior is the same in both addictions and what leads an addicted person to be completely unproductive. Granted one results in a quicker and often time, more serious destruction, while the other may take longer to feel the impact on their life. Eventually the draw is the same and the need to repeat something that is not productive takes over the need to do something that is productive. It may start small such as choosing to order out instead of making dinner, but then will morph into not taking the trash out, not doing the laundry and even skipping work. In the case of the drug addict, he chooses to go “score” his next hit instead of running that errand that he or she needed

Not being able to stop when you know you should. Winn quotes Lawrence Kubie ‘The measure of health is flexibility… and especially the freedom to cease when sated” (315). By not stopping and going to bed or going to the gym you are not giving your body the things that it needs. Proper sleep and exercise are critical to one’s health. There have been several times when I started watching something and couldn’t stop. I knew I needed to get up for work the next day or even go to the gym but I couldn’t. I felt a need to continue to watch. I would then get less sleep than what I should have and by not doing some other physical activity, begin to gain weight. I couldn’t tell you how many times a coworker has mentioned that they feel awful due to staying up too late watching some show that they just had to