Personality Addiction

the brightest stars always die fastest

Not a substance
But a disposition

the things that crush us
       self sabotage
a crutch called validation
       deflection
a ruse called self delusion

        self destruction

. . . drugs are just a symptom 
    

Not an addiction
But an obsession

sex

drugs
power

anger

euphoria

attention

rhetoric

knowledge,
and the thrill of almost dying. . . etc.

These come from a family. . .
A family of traits
     spectacular
A family of traits eventually 
     unmanagble
(until it's too late)
Far too soon

     

    all the brightest stars . . . 

they always die faster 

Author's Note

Reviews

[LKBillips]

Why does this make me think of River Phoenix. Not sure but cool structure, nice word usage, and makes you think deep thoughts. Aces in my book.

[Chris Shaw]

I have seen the demise of many a bright star. Young people on self destruct and that has saddened me. Your poem a reminder of how deadly addictions can be.

Chris

[Davidgeo]

Have you ever worked PR before?

[Chris Shaw]

Nope I haven't.

[Alexa Nichols]

Love this. Seriously. Good job. ✋

[Davidgeo]

I keep forgetting to add the final line "for one reason or another".

Thanks for loving this. It's not a good sign for your mental health though.

[Alexa Nichols]

Oh you have no idea... 😅

[Davidgeo]

Fair enough.

[MaximumFlight]

Everyone has some sort of addiction, good or bad, for better or worse, it's there and we all have at least one. Some are more dangerous than others and they do lead to the demise of many people. Wonderful job.

[Davidgeo]

There is a very specific personality type that has an intensity of certain traits that the great majority of us do not struggle with. What some spend time on as a hobby that they enjoy, others spend time on as an obsession because they feel they have to. It's not what you are doing, it's why you are doing it that defines the nature of that disposition. That's what I mean when I say stuff like "drugs are just the symptom"... the activity or substance in question is just the symptom of a deeper psychological pathology. Where that pathology comes from is generally an extremely complex combination of bio/social factors... many are predisposed but only some have environmental circumstances that push them to the extreme.

Everyone has hobbies, interests and the occasional unhealthy preference... but not everyone has an addiction that supersedes every other aspect of their life. The term 'addiction' is thrown around way too much... try telling a genuine pathological addict that your hobby is just like their addiction - you will not, and should not, be taken seriously.

[Relic]

You've described people I know and 'knew.' At the risk of sounding too metaphoric...those traits you mentioned are not always manageable when the train starts going faster. That kind of ticket can lead to an unexpected and perilous destination.

[Davidgeo]

Indeed. The end game for any severely obsession based personality is rarely pleasant. There whole existence is predicated upon the escalation of that obsession.

Thanks for the review, have a happy monday Timmy.