Is Television Addictive? Essay

Television viewing is comparable to drug and alcohol addiction as illustrated by Marie Winn in her essay entitled â€Å"TV Addiction†.   In some cases â€Å"addiction† is good-humoredly referred to as a propensity to overindulgence of oneself on something pleasurable like cookie or mystery book addiction but watching television programs results to negative effects in people that somehow consume their lives and leave them feeling a void that can never be fulfilled.   Although it offers momentary reprieve from reality which people sometimes need, it can also become a destructive compulsion. (Winn)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚  The author has quite significantly suggested the perils of excessive television watching.   Instead of offering us a way to relax from our busy daily routine, it may just be contradictorily a contributing factor that intensifies the stress we encounter every day.   In the paper, Winn cited some testimonials of a college instructor, a pre-school teacher, a filmmaker and a lawyer who have directly experienced being â€Å"hooked† on watching television shows as well as mothers who has observed this dilemma on their own young children to the point that the hours they could have spent on more meaningful things are wasted on watching the shows that they do not even like.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The author likened these testimonials to those shared in meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous. Based on the testimonials from parents, its effects became even more alarming when they witnessed their children’s restlessness when unable to watch television just like a withdrawal symptom of an addict.   At some point in a person’s life, overindulgence in watching television happens. For some, it happens during bouts of depression, boredom, procrastination, hibernation or whatever period it is called but when it becomes habitually a part of our daily lives, it may become destructive mentally, psychologically and even physically.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The author presented a different perspective to television viewing.   It gives people a glimpse of how life can become when faced with such a predicament.   For most people, reading these pages is a wake up call since an individual is usually unaware when he or she is in the midst of an addiction such as this. Some people may have gradually increased the number of hours spent in front of their television sets unconsciously and this reading could really open their eyes and give everyone a nudge to change it. Television is a very significant instrument of worldwide communication and information that aids everyone in the awareness of what is happening around us.   It is a tool of improving our knowledge in a lot of things and it has its own purpose. Similarly, legal drugs or medicines and alcohol exists because it also has its uses and is actually beneficial at times but unfortunately,   just like most things in this world, it can be addictive and hazardous to people’s lives when dealt with excessively. It is undeniable that television is a part of our lives but moderation of time spent in watching television should be practiced and parents should also impose this strict rule to their children.   Parents may introduce other ways of recreation to them to reduce their viewing time but before this can be implemented in a household or a community, parents should as well apply this to themselves. Addiction can really be avoided if proper time management and self-restraint is given more focus. A firm decision in employing moderation to the things that people do can truly prevent this to happen.   It may seem impossible for addicts but it can always be done if a person is determined never to be controlled by such weaknesses.   Eradicating addictions can change people’s lives and can enormously generate a more productive, healthy and fulfilled world. Works Cited Winn, Marie. â€Å"T.V. Addiction.† Connelly, Mark. The Sundance Reader, Fourth Edition. Boston, Massachussetts: Thomas Wadsworth, 2006. 193-198.