Harry Potter = Crack Addiction

Vengashii · Jul 15, 2007

http://www.thestar.com/Article/235331

Let the grieving process begin

Jul 14, 2007 04:30 AM
Raju Mudhar
Entertainment Reporter

Pottermania has created a strange malady: Let's call it fiction addiction.

The matter is serious enough that a Google search of "Harry Potter Withdrawal" returns more than 814,000 results – so this is not like saying no to a couple of butterbeers.

We really are dealing with crack in book form – and right now the masses are jonesing for that final dose, available to them in just under a than a week.

Whether or not the boy wizard dies in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, one thing is for sure. After the final book in J.K. Rowling's series has been finished, readers will feel the loss of character who has become like a friend.

"There's something that's called anticipatory grief," says Dr. Mel Borins, who specializes in grief counselling and is an associate professor in the department of family and community medicine at University of Toronto. He's also the author of Go Away for the Health of It.

"Most commonly it involves somebody you love who is dying. You know they are going to be gone, so on the one hand you attempt to get close to them, because you know you don't have much time.

"But since you know they are going to be gone, in some ways you also want to distance yourself from them.

"So it's anticipating the loss before it comes. And that really sounds like what's happening with Harry Potter, because people know (the series is) going to be taken away."

Borins says the best bet for dealing with feelings of loss is to look for a replacement.

"The whole nature of Harry Potter is about fantasy and the supernatural and the imagination, and my thought is there would be other kinds of novels and novelists who would give you the same charge. It may not be as good, but get a substitute book that would probably service that need."
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How you can survive the post-potter blues

Feeling Harry Potter withdrawal? Since there are five stages of grief, here are our phase-by-phase suggestions to get through the tough times and onto the path to recovery.

1. DENIAL

Whether Harry lives or dies, there will definitely be divergent views on whether Deathly Hallows' ending is satisfying (see The Sopranos), so the best thing to do is hop online and get your geek on rehashing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows on the message boards. We're betting some servers might go bust when all the speed-readers get on to dissect the minutiae of the last book.

2. ANGER

If you aren't happy with the final page, perhaps you can do better. Or at least read others who have tried their hand. Potter and his cohorts have a huge fan fiction community – the site harrypotterfanfiction.com purports to have more than 41,000 stories. This is a definite stop if you need to feed your addiction.

But be forewarned, there are plenty of folks who also write slash fiction – such as stories in which Ron and Harry graphically and physically express their love for each other – that just might leave some fans even angrier.

3. BARGAINING

Let the imaginary deal-making begin. For instance, even though she's richer than some small countries, one can hope the newly not-busy J.K. Rowling takes up gambling, hits hard financial times, and will need to write another Potter book just to stay in house and home.In reality, though, take heart – just this past week, in an interview with Britain's Telegraph, one of Rowling's people said about the possibility of an eighth book: "Never say never." The representative added: "It's not saying that she definitely is (going to write another book), and it's not saying that she definitely isn't. I cannot comment further."

4. DEPRESSION

This often happens when you realize that you need to get a life.

5. ACCEPTANCE

They were good books. There will be more good books eventually. Of course, you could also get busy and have a child so you can share the obsession and start the cycle all over again.

-Raju Mudhar
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Bwahahahah. Love #4.

Litha Riddle · Jul 15, 2007

Hahahaha, nice find. I liked number 4 and 5 lol

XD

xcel · Jul 17, 2007

Number four never happened to me. Please tell me what I am missing out.

QuaziJoe · Jul 17, 2007

Number four never happened to me. Please tell me what I am missing out.
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It'll come... be patient.

I fear it might hit you stronger than others though... Were here for you xcel

Internet huggles...

#2's end made me chuckle...

DLP Flash Christmas Competition + Writing Marathon 2024!

Hi there, Guest

Harry Potter = Crack Addiction

Vengashii Banned

Litha Riddle Banned DLP Supporter

xcel Looked into the void

QuaziJoe Dolphin Boy

Is Harry Potter addictive?

Changes in the HBO Harry Potter show?

Do you ever have dreams in the Harry Potter universe?

Why did Harry Potter become so big?

Dark moments in Harry Potter

DLP Flash Christmas Competition + Writing Marathon 2024!

Hi there, Guest

Harry Potter = Crack Addiction

Vengashii Banned

Litha Riddle Banned DLP Supporter

xcel Looked into the void

QuaziJoe Dolphin Boy

Is Harry Potter addictive?

Changes in the HBO Harry Potter show?

Do you ever have dreams in the Harry Potter universe?

Why did Harry Potter become so big?

Dark moments in Harry Potter

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