Her hands were shaking.  Heart was beating rapid-fire.  Her head was spinning and she couldn't focus on what her professor was saying.  All she could think of was...

... where is her cell phone?!

I bet you didn't think that was coming.  Something that sounds so trivial could make us incredibly upset if it actually happened.

When I lose my cell phone, I feel like I've lost touch with the world.  A major panic sets in and my mind is constantly on trying to find it.

THIS IS AN ADDICTION

According to a recent article on drugrehabtreatment.com, cell phone addiction is now being cosidered as an illness in which rehab may be used to treat.

"In Spain, two children ages 12 and 13 were recently admitted to a mental hospital for mobile phone addiction. Their treatment will resemble that of drug addicts and those with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Maite Utgés, director of the hospital, indicated that the children were failing in school and couldn't complete normal tasks because they spent five or six hours a day on their phones."

This must be a joke.  Sure, I do rely on my cellular for a variety of things, but... well... 

I guess I'm addicted too.

Several studies have been done on this new "illness."  In China, nearly 1/3 of all highschool students were found to "show signs of addiction."

Not only does this addiction affect one's mental health, it also has shown to decrease work productivity, traffic safety, and learning abilities.

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SYMPTOMS INCLUDE:

• Feeling restless or uncomfortable when not using a cell phone;
• Having irrational reactions to being without a phone if it is lost or forgotten;
• Substantial increases in the amount of time spent talking on a cell phone;
• Mounting cell phone bills that cause financial distress;
• Problems at school and work from constant cell phone use;
• Interpersonal problems from constant cell phone use; or
• Taking unnecessary risks such as using a cell phone during inappropriate times (driving, etc.).

I don't know what to think of this addiction.  If it's something we should worry about, what can we do?

I told him that I used to cut. And what he said really hurt. He told me " Thats dumb. I'de never do that". But to me it wasn't dumb. To me it was an addiction. It was a struggle when something went wrong or when I was angry to refrain from doing it. It was more than just something I did. It was a way out. A way to let myself know how worthless I was and how much i deserved the pain. And then after that it was a way to lose all those feelings and voices in my head telling me I was nothing and that I hated myself, if only for a minute. Drown them out in the pain. It was an escape from the world. So to me, it wasn't dumb. Now, looking back, it's somthing I'm glad to have over come. No one will ever really know how much of an accomplishment it is for me to say I love myself just the way I am and truly mean it. I'm luck my scars have healed over but through the months I was recovering and they were still there, every time I looked down at my thigh, I saw where I was so shortly ago and where I would never go back. And I haven't. Yes, it's a battle every day not to cut, but I'm doing it. But what I've done and where I've been was and never will be dumb. It was a self esteem and self hate mental illness that i've over come. I've learned to love myself again. I've learned to overcome the addiction.

So last weekend, I was watching a documentary on Steve-O's (the daredevil/bad-boy from JackAss) drug abuse and addiction. 

 For any of you who may not remember which one he is,  <-- this is Steve-O.

I hope he was joking.  If so, he should probably never try to do stand-up.

 I'd like to close this short blog post with a message Steve-O wrote to his drug addiction: