I looked up the symptoms of addiction here:
"There are many different addictions, but similar symptoms span them all.
Some of the common symptoms of addiction are:
- Tolerance - the need to engage in the addictive behavior more and more to get the desired effect
- Withdrawal happens when the person does not take the substance or engage in the activity, and they experience unpleasant symptoms, which are often the opposite of the effects of the addictive behavior
- Difficulty cutting down or controlling the addictive behavior
- Social, occupational or recreational activities becoming more focused around the addiction, and important social and occupational roles being jeopardized
- The person becoming preoccupied with the addiction, spending a lot of time on planning, engaging in, and recovering from the addictive behavior"
Tolerance: check. Weekend hikes don't really do it for me anymore.
Withdrawal: check. I get all cranky and achy.
Difficulty cutting down: check. Holy moly, was it difficult when I got off the trail last year. And I scheme for as much time out there as I can.
Activities more focused around the addiction: check. I've jeopardized my job by taking off to hike. I tend to try to get other people to hike with me rather than go do "regular" social stuff. I don't really give a hoot about most non-hiking stuff.
Preoccupation: checkcheckcheckcheckcheck. Hello, have you met my blog?
I can't even really tell you why I do it. I just like to hike long distances. I don't like it more than I like my my husband, my friends, my dog, my cats, or my horse. (I do like it more than I like my job.) And yet very often I take off hiking, and who suffers? My husband, my friends, my dog, my cats, and my horse. You would think that I would at least be able to say WHY it's so important to me. I really can't, though. It just is. It's something I need to do. I think if I could hike long distance and take all my loved ones with me, I would. But horses aren't even allowed on most of the AT, and I don't see my dog being a long distance hiker, and I only have one friend who will occasionally let me drag her out on the trail. My addiction just isn't compatible with the rest of my life.
I've cut way back at least. Last year I took six months off to hike, and this year it's only five weeks. So that has to count for something.
Such an interesting post, Amy. Tell me more about how you feel when you are on the trail. There are lots of reasons for me, just the fact that moving my body feels so good. The sense of accomplishing something so definite and clean (it's not ambiguous.) But I'd like to hear more from you. I'll be looking for your trail posts. They will be on your other blog, is that right? Trailjournal?
ReplyDeleteYup, I'll be posting on trailjournals. When I can get a signal, which might only be in town two or three times on the trail. I'll have to see when I get there. I plan to continue writing a daily entry, but they might get uploaded all at once.
ReplyDeleteI do enjoy the feeling of being in motion. I also love how completely focused I become when it gets difficult. The rest of the world falls away and there's just me and my heart and gravity. Of course, you could get that at the gym. But I also love being in the woods, seeing the seasons change, being able to hear the sound of silence (something most urban adults never, ever hear), and having the freedom to go at my own pace.
I also love hikers, mostly. And the caloric freedom to eat whatever I want. :)