Hi, I’am Priyanka and I’am an Addict.

It is the age of addictions, and the most powerful drug is the Internet. Internet has crossed the point of being a necessity to an addiction long back. The side effects of this addiction can range from temporary insanity which is why without internet one feels the urge to kill the person in front especially if after a rainy day all your webpage says is -“Internet Page Cannot be Displayed” to depression. With TV shows easily downloaded and viewed privately on a PC, the nail-biting American-TV-show-Indian-viewer relies solely on the internet to bring her daily dose of American television to her room.

No internet and a perfectly sane person (some might say not you!) starts showing signs of a ‘I-have-newly-joined-rehab’ drug addict. With no TV shows to download the withdrawal symptoms are there to see – watching reruns of older episodes, disinterest in routine activities like eating, sleeping and taking bath regularly. The once charming friend shows no interest in picking up your calls. She entertains no connections with the outside world until she gets her next fix, her next episode. A student addict would see a fall in grades and a professional will see her work taking a beating. Extreme cases lead to break ups with partners who don’t understand this addiction and the final blow is when they laugh/make a joke of it. In some cases the addicts become disillusioned and start talking like the characters in the TV show would, repeating dialogues and mannerisms never seen before. They visit friends/family only to use their internet and once the episode has downloaded they lose interest in them and become incommunicable. Look out for these symptoms – dilated pupils (crazy eye), fidgeting in seats, and spilling drinks over themselves, talking to the host with one eye to the door – all signs showing they would rather be elsewhere – in front of their PC watching their favourite TV show.

Hope there will soon be a support system for TV show addicts on the lines of AA – Alcoholics Anonymous, like ATSAA – American TV Show Addicts Anonymous. If such a thing ever happens I would be one of it’s first members! Hi, I’am Priyanka and I’m an Addict.

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