A New Kind of Addiction

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[Applause]

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addiction

funny word isn’t it

the second i say it the room goes silent

the fun lighthearted feel

quickly changes to one of discomfort

you’re probably thinking of the stigma

around an alcohol addiction

or even a drug addiction but

there’s a new kind of addiction on the

rise among the younger generations

high schoolers one that’s been around

for the last few decades

yet no one seems to acknowledge one with

less stigma around it if any at all

one that’s almost encouraged

this type of addiction is one i’m

bringing to the ted talk stage

from personal experience achievement

addiction

let me say that again for you

achievement

addiction now those two words

don’t usually go together we know to be

wary of things like smoking

junk food but setting goals and

achieving them

is supposed to be healthy and a way of

life for many of us

but it’s a way of life that has the

potential to harm

unless we’re careful a way of life

that can be just as damaging as alcohol

or drugs

the way to ensure you avoid this

unhealthy obsession is by looking at why

you’re achieving how many of you know a

student who’s

fairly accomplished maybe a student who

took all ap

courses and overloaded their schedule

with college classes

maybe someone who does anything and

everything

with a title or word attached to it

maybe someone who’s

way too intense during a game of kahoot

small things like this can signal an

unhealthy addiction to achieving

some common signs are stress excessive

competitiveness

reduced sense of self outside of

accomplishments

and being involved in more activities

than a person can count

now there is no dictionary definition

for this term

no miriam webster no oxford

so i’ve coined my own from personal

encounters with the addiction

an obsession with image status and

competition

that results in a person’s worth being

placed in what they are

instead of who they are it’s all a

matter

of motivation take me for example

i’ve always been fairly driven and

competitive but it wasn’t for the right

reasons

i wasn’t doing things because i enjoy

them but simply because i was good at

them

i thought that to have worth as a person

i had to be good at the things i did

every single thing

now take this thought process just a

step further

if i can be good at more and more and

and more and more and more and more and

theoretically i can increase my worth as

a person

i’ve done it life hack i have the secret

for success

no i didn’t think so either

but i realized this in the second half

of my freshman year

first half i was thriving excelling in

classes

sports and anything else i set my mind

i was finding my success to be a

positive addiction

but like some good things it can quickly

and suddenly go toxic

because at some point the status quo

wasn’t enough

i wasn’t satisfied with the thing i did

i thought i had to keep outdoing myself

win more awards stay up later and later

to achieve things i couldn’t do

during my already busy day

but it never really fulfilled i didn’t

know how to simply exist like this

but fear not for this frustrating

addiction

can be explained with science in fact

there are two chemicals that the body

produces

that are at fault first you have

dopamine

also known as the motivation chemical

when you’re working towards a goal or an

active pursuit of something you want

you’re getting a burst of dopamine but

serotonin plays a part as well serotonin

is known as the feel-good chemical

when dopamine produces effort serotonin

provides the reward

we get a hit of serotonin whenever we

receive praise or compliments from

others when

anything from appraising the claw

machine to a national award

get public recognition for a job well

done

or take certain drugs and drink alcohol

in other words we literally get high on

our brain chemicals when we are chasing

our goals

but addicts are left wanting more

they’re experiencing so much dopamine

for such an extended period of time that

they become desensitized

to the dopamine rush and the serotonin

so they pursue more and more and more

and they do things

that a sensible person wouldn’t

but they feel the need for these brain

chemicals so strongly that they will do

anything to get what they’ve been

deprived of many call this

achievers amnesia picture it you’re a

fresh-faced high school freshman

your first ever semester of high school

you get an a

plus while working towards that you’re

experiencing your rush of dopamine

and afterwards you get a hit of

serotonin you start studying a little

and playing a little less you make

yourself and others proud

with your good grades and you feed off

that validation

but at some point the good grades aren’t

enough

you’ve gotten so many in the past that

they became expected

so you seek something else maybe a

leadership position

or a scholarship or a high act score or

admission

to a certain prestigious college they

keep searching

and searching for the fill they will

never get

and the chieftain addict asks themselves

without a next big achievement on the

horizon

how will i define myself how will my

parents be proud of me

how will society see me

how will i see me

high schoolers take this ideal to the

extreme as time has progressed

society has measured teenagers worth in

what they accomplish

what their gpa is how will they perform

in sports

and the prestige of the college they’re

attending

this definition of success seems to have

emerged from both

everywhere and nowhere

we live in a culture that rewards

achievements but glorifies our addiction

to them

we do this all for the sake of surviving

in a society that has forced its

children into addiction

i chose this topic because i see it in

my friends

my family and my peers

but because i mostly see it in myself

applying to be and becoming a tedx

speaker

has forced me to come to terms with my

own addiction

when i applied for this i thought it

would be a great way to boost my college

application

a way to get a nice dopamine rush and a

hit of serotonin once i walk off that

stage

maybe an accomplishment to keep me happy

for another week or two

i thought that by doing this ted talk

i’d be one step ahead of my peers

one step closer to the standard of

success that society has forced upon us

all

but that entire thought process is

draining

and a waste of your valuable time that

you could spend doing something that

makes you proud

not anyone else so here we are

at the end you’re probably on the edge

of your seats

listening intently for the magic

solution to achievement addiction

for a quick fix to curb all of your

achievement cravings

but i don’t have one

there is no cure there is no

magic fix you must simply learn

to manage it it really is

a part of you but even though you can’t

quit this entirely

you can use this knowledge to make a

positive impact on your life

to change your perspective you can

surround yourself with people who value

you for you

and not the things you’ve done or the

titles you’ve won

you can view the people around you as

friends

instead of competition you can do

something you enjoy

a few hobbies but maybe just a few

you can find something you’re passionate

about and do it for the sake of

self-improvement

and self-improvement only managing this

addiction

won’t take away your drive your talent

i can promise you that but it will allow

you to take care of your mental health

to be genuinely happy to know that you

have worth as a person

based on you your thoughts and your

kindness towards others

managing an addiction to achievement is

a lifelong struggle but you don’t have

to do it alone

you just have to accept your addiction

for what it is

and find a way to live your life without

being defined by accomplishments

reach out to a friend odds are they may

be dealing with the same addiction

and when you’re ready achievers

anonymous will be waiting

thank you

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[Applause]

[Music]

you