Did you realize that we are all addicted to air?

It's true. Try to stop breathing for a few minutes and see if you don't go thru the DTs.

Personally, I saw snakes everywhere. Then I passed out.

Yep. There's a long list of things that I've been addicted too. Air, Pot, Morphine, Rolos (hey buddy. give me a rollo and I'll be your pal!)

But that makes me think back. Dwell deep into the quagmire which is my mind. I remember everything, I just don't always remember what it is, ya know?

But I am digressing. Let's get back to the subject at hand. ADDICTION.

Yes. It all started back in pre-school. I was a wonderful student. Everybody loved me. I was the best at everything. Nap time, counting to 10, saying my ABZs.

But I did have a really bad problem that would ruin my chances to get into a good ivy league college if I didn't take care of it right then. My problem was sentence structure. When talking, my words just came out all wrong. I would say "I bathroom go to need now" or "apple I eat gonna"

No one understood my words.

No one understood my dilemma.

'specially my parents. They were desperate for someone in the family to make it. So they tried everything they could think of. Flashcards, gold stars, hard candy. Nothing worked.

Then they found the video tapes.

At first I didn't want to try them. "outside I'm going play to" I yelled.

"Oh no you're not" my dad said. "not until you've watched this whole tape. Just try it. It's fun."

"Dad am Afraid I" I whimpered

"Don't worry son. It wont hurt you." he reassured.

So I did it. For him I did it. And you know what? I did like it. It was so nice and made me feel so warm and tingly. Oh man. I was feeling so good after it was over I just rewound it and watched it again.

And then I watched it again.

And again.

And again.

After a week, it got to the point where all I was doing was watching that video tape. I didn't want food. Words were my nourishment. No sleep for me. I had all the rest I needed sitting in front of the TV as the little cartoon bunnies explained the proper wording of a statement to me. After about a week, I had to stop going to pre school for even 3 hrs away from it all had me shaking and sweating. I wasn't sure what was going on. All I new was I had to watch. I had too. It had become the most important thing in my young life. Totally hooked on Phonics like the title promised. I never even realized it was bad. All I knew was I just had to have my vowels.

Then one day my Mom came home early from work to find me melting down some alphabits and shooting them up. Oh man she just about hit the roof. They took away my tapes and breakfast cereal. I had to drop out of pre school and go to a vocab rehab. And that is why, today I live in the ruins of my youth. I could have been something. I could have been a contender.

But I let the addiction beat me.

Sigh.