Can Hubbing be an addiction?

One of the great things about the English language is that it is very democratic. Unlike French or Spanish in which official academies attempt to control which words will be officially a part of the language and which ones will not be recognized, English relies on the masses to create and adopt new words. If the majority of the people decide they like a word and begin using it regularly, then it becomes a part of the language. Similarly, words can also be redefined through common use. This usually happens when people desire to focus attention on something by describing it with a stronger and previously more narrowly defined word in place of the traditional word or words used to identify and describe the object. When this tactic works, the object in question increases in importance while, ironically, the word used to describe it loses some of its potency.

Addiction is a word that used to have very narrow meaning in that it was generally used to describe a condition in which someone became physically dependent upon a chemical substance and it was generally believed that that the dependency could be easily broken. In recent times we have used the word addiction to describe any habit that has become compulsive. This has resulted in two things. First, the word addiction itself has gone from describing what most people historically viewed as a physical dependency on a chemical substance (e.g., drug addiction) to a substitute for the expression lack of self control. Second, by using the word addiction to describe a compulsive habit in place of the traditional expression lack of self control, we have mentally shifted responsibility for the problem from the individual to the object to which that person is supposedly addicted.

Going back to the question Is Hubbing an addiction? my answer would be NO as the decision as to whether or not to spend time writing articles for HubPages or surfing the site and commenting on Hubs is up to the individual and not the site itself. HubPages is simply an opportunity to write and earn money and/or a place to find useful and interesting information, meet new people, etc. Reading and/or writing for HubPages can be a very enjoyable and rewarding experience. Since people's situations are different it is difficult to point to a particular individual and say that they are addicted to Hubbing because they spend more time on HubPages than you or I feel is sufficient. It is not the time that one spends Hubbing or any other endeavor but whether or not they can easily decide to sign out and do something else.

HubPages, like anything else we do, can be habit forming and some people may become so engrossed in the site that they find it difficult to disengage from HubPages to do other things. However, I can't imagine people developing symptoms of physical illness, which some drug addicts and alcoholics experience, when denied access to the site.

It is relatively easy to begin doing something like eating candy, watching TV, reading books, surfing the Internet, Hubbing, etc. on a regular basis and find that the activity has become a habit which we tend to do automatically. There is nothing necessarily wrong or unhealthy about habits and many are good in that they allow us to things automatically without having to stop and think. Things like flossing one's teeth before going to bed, getting to work or school on time, signaling before making a turn with a car, etc. are all habits which can make life both easier and better for us. Habits can also be bad when we find ourselves automatically doing things that are not good for us such as automatically watching a late show on TV each night which results in oversleeping and being late for work every day, writing checks and not bothering to note that in the register thereby continually having checks be returned marked "non-sufficient funds", etc.

It generally requires doing something repeatedly for two to three weeks in order for it to become a habit. This can be done consciously where you want to form the habit or unconsciously where you simply fall into a routine without thinking about it. It takes about the same amount of time to break a habit but this always requires a conscious effort to monitor your actions and avoid the action required for the habit you are trying to break.

People form and break habits throughout their lives and are none the worse for it. However, sometimes a habit can become an obsession when a person either becomes so engrossed in something that they ignore other aspects of their life or use the habit as an attempt to escape or avoid a problem or other unsatisfactory aspect of their life. This is a more serious situation but, in my opinion, still not at the level of an addiction. Breaking an obsession is more difficult than breaking a habit but it can be done and it involves introspection to determine what the problem is and then self control and possibly ingenuity to break the obsession.

Hubbing can be a habit, and that can be a good thing. Whether a person's objective is to make money by writing on HubPages, using HubPages as a creative outlet, a way to relax by reading or writing on the site or some combination of these, habits can be useful in developing routines to accomplish the person's objective.

However, if Hubbing has developed into an obsession it will be necessary for you to first determine the real source of the obsession. Introspection comes in handy here as it involves standing back and reviewing your actions and motivations behind them. If you are not used to this, it may take a while to develop the skill but it can be developed. Of course you may discover things that you don't like about yourself but, again, you should just look upon that as one more thing that needs improving in your life.

If you discover that Hubbing is becoming a bad habit in that it is taking increasing amounts of your time, first ask yourself if your objectives for spending time on HubPages are more important or less important than the other things you are giving up. If you feel your Hubbing objectives are less important, then begin cutting back either by setting limits for the time spent on HubPages or do the other things first and use only the time that remains for signing on to HubPages. However, if you feel that your Hubbing objectives (improving your rating, increasing your monthly income from Google and other affiliates, unwinding after a day at work, etc.) are high on your priority list, then the best you can do is get into the habit of continually seeking ways to attain your objectives but doing so more efficiently so as to save time for other activities.

The same is true if spending time on HubPages is becoming obsessive or compulsive. Ask yourself why you need to be so involved. Usually it will turn out to be that you have either fallen into a bad habit that is getting worse or you are using HubPages as a way to escape some other problem in your life. Either way, the healthy response would be to face up to the problem and work on solving it. It may not be easy but can be done with self control and determination. Of course occasionally the underlying problem could be very serious and require professional help. However, the suggestions above for identifying the problem will enable you to see the problem, while determination and a desire to change will be needed to make the decision to seek help and follow through with it.

Religion can be of help in keeping your life in balance so as to avoid having Hubbing or any other object or activity move from being healthy and satisfying to taking control of your life. Human beings consist of mind, spirit and body and, for a healthy and happy life, we need to feed each one as well as keep them in balance. However, the pressures of life often upset this balance. Most of the world's religions include rituals and practices designed to help people to maintain balance in their lives but it is up to each of us to decide whether or not to take advantage of the resources available from this source.

In conclusion, while I think that Hubbing can become a habit that distracts from other things in our lives or even a compulsion, I don't agree that it can be an addiction that affects us physically and can't be overcome.