Most people think of reading as a productive activity, but when I remember the times I sat alone at lunch to read or the times I skipped class to finish my book, I think of reading as my greatest failure. Society does not condemn reading addiction because people spend so much time encouraging people to read. Common addictions like drugs, alcohol, television, texting, and video games all carry a negative connotation because many understand that such addictions can have an adverse effect on life, but reading addiction carries no such stigma. Similar to others who face addictions, I tried to escape all my problems and build a perfect utopia in my head.
Ever since I was a child, I loved reading. Once middle school started, and I had a huge library of books at my fingertips, my reading habit quickly spiraled out of control. I snuck books into class, got into trouble for reading during lectures, and was reprimanded frequently at home and in school. My grades were dropping, and I constantly felt unaware of my surroundings. I started doing poorly in my classes because I spent more time reading than studying. Inevitably, my
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Reading was my only solace from the realities of struggling in school and not having many friends. When my reading addiction persisted into high school, I started to realize the severity of my actions, and how failure in high school was not an option. I took it upon myself to give up this obsession. Of course, I never expected my withdrawal to be easy, but I understood that the rewards would be worth it. Initially, I was always cranky because books were all I could think about. However, I would remember all the trouble that reading brought me. I started taking small steps towards recovery: I deleted the e-book library from my computer, I threw away my library card, and I avoided all contact with books. Through self-control and encouragement from my family and friends, I broke the