Unless you are among the minority in society who belongs to some faith or following that doesn't permit television, or you're one of those strange breeds that simply has better things to do than sit in front of the goggle box, then the home TV is pretty much part of your everyday life. But how dependent are you on TV viewing? It's often said that we don't miss something until it's gone, but have you ever thought how you would feel if you walked into you home one day and there wasn't a TV to be had anywhere? Only an experiment like this would define whether you are a true TV Addict or not.

Back in the early 1960's when I was growing up, we didn't have a TV of any description, so it was neither missed nor sought after. I think it was around 1966 when my father came home with the first ever family TV. It was obviously a black & white job, which had a bubble screen and a foggy picture. Now, by this time I was used to running around outside and getting into all kinds of mischievous scrapes and games with my little peer group, and so this new and fascinating piece of kit made little impact on me. I was far too busy having fun running amok with my fellow muckers than to be lured indoors by a few moving pictures.

Alas, that was then and this is now, and we have since seen the introduction of color, bigger flatter screens, sharper brighter pictures, vastly improved sound quality, and a limitless supply of excellent programs, movies, and music to choose from. I'm not sure when it happened but at some point in time I became truly hooked. That's right, I'm a self confessed TV addict. What about you, are you a TV addict too?

My brother's wife is so obsessed with her soap operas and long running serials that she turns into an aggressive monster should anyone dare to make a noise or speak to her when her programmes are on. And when she's not watching these feeble performances she's talking about them with her fellow addicts. Because many of her shows overlap the kid's programmes, she has installed TV's in each of their bedrooms so as not interrupt her viewing. Unfortunately, when the kids come home from school, they lock themselves in their bedrooms and switch on the box. And if it ain't the TV, it's the darn PC. At 8 and 11 years, both boys are beginning to show signs of child obesity as a result of lack of exercise.

So, just like anything else, too much of anything is bad for us, including TV and other sit down pursuits. Recent research has shown that we are not eating anymore today than Neolithic man did, but the difference is we're not 'moving', and here's lays the problem with indoor recreational activities (or non-activities as the case may be!).

I love TV. It gives both me and my wife a lot of pleasure, but we've made a decision to not switch it on until a certain time each night. This gives us time to chit chat about our day over a nice dinner while spending a bit of quality time together. We've also taken the television out of the bedroom as my wife used to love laying on the bed and watch TV, but at 6 in the evening, it was a bit much! And we've committed ourselves to getting out and about a bit more. That's right, we're going to start 'moving' again.

TV addicts trying to kick the habit can experience pretty sever withdrawal symptoms if they don't immediately replace that viewing time with something else. If you're planning to cut down your TV fix, make sure you have a plan of action to fill the gap. TV is great in moderation, but if it becomes you life, then you have serious problems. But more importantly, if you allow you kids to get hooked, it can result in obesity and social withdrawal in the children which will have them craving for more of that same right into adulthood.