The Fix
Author: Damian Thompson
Publisher: Collins, 279 pages

“IT’S going to die!” This panicked cry is a common refrain in today’s wired society of smartphone users. And like it or not, the urgency of that cry indicates that this is a form of addiction.

So argues Thompson in The Fix, which examines our addictive impulses, factors that contribute to our seemingly endless wants, and the way that manufacturers are getting more adept at encouraging our unhealthy appetite for various “fixes”.

For one, the staggering amount of effort and research that goes into the creation of “coveted products” has spurred many to develop an actual relationship with their electronic devices. They ensure its well fed with regular battery recharges, dress it up in pretty cases and its efficiency, or lack thereof, can elicit actual pride or provoke absolute panning.

After all, could any one person be depended upon to do for you everything a smartphone is capable of, that is provide directions, wake you up at a certain hour or host hundreds of apps specifically tailored to fulfil your various wants and needs?

Bit of a tall order to place on anything other than technology. And it is this “replacing people with things” that Thompson worries about.

Our desires are being stoked to no end, and Thompson presents his case for how there is now actually more pleasure in the wanting itself, as opposed to the lesser joy derived from the actual fulfilment of these wants.

The chapters in the book tackle addictions to a wide range of things, ranging from iPhones and prescription painkillers to widely available online porn and cake (it’s the new Coke).

They also discuss how addictions take root (and subsequently flourish or flounder) through many fascinating examples, such as drug usage among students who want to both study hard and play harder, the 1970 burst of heroin addiction among American soldiers in Vietnam, and many more.

One chapter in particular struck a chord with this Candy Crush player and casual gamer. Some levels of the games I play are a breeze, while others require a dozen replays or more. After reading in The Fix how gaming is the new gambling, I realised how “carefully engineered frustrations exist in games of all complexities”, as “every operating system pales in comparison to the latest games” when it comes to “stickiness” (coming back for more) and “brain-hijacking” (keeping track of how long till your Lives are replenished so you can keep playing, perhaps). That was a definite reminder to not devote too much time to Candy Crush!

Thompson also debated the 12-step approach of Alcoholics Anonymous, a recovery programme that labels addiction as a “disease”. He disagrees with this approach, as it absolves the addict of responsibility over his or her own impulses, and it is an argument that deserves your attention.

Though the subject matter is not simple, Thompson’s journalistic experience – he is a columnist for Britain’s Daily Telegraph newspaper and editor of the Telegraph Blogs – has resulted in tight, well-researched writing that is fairly easy to digest.

Anecdotes are aplenty: they include Thompson letting slip which politician used to smoke a joint with his acquaintance and describing how his own colleagues descend upon donuts with glee in a chapter discussing sugar dependency.

What makes this even more of a compelling read is how it features Thompson’s own wealth of experience on the subject, one accumulated through his own addictions over the years. They include alcohol, prescription pills, even a penchant for buying classical music CDs!

Cautionary tale aside, it results in The Fix being a more compelling and relatable read, as you are quite certain to turn a critical eye upon your own relationship with things and experiences after completing it.

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