Homeless,

Mudcat Dependency Syndrome, better known as Mudcat Addiction, has been seriously studied over the years. Please refer to the following citations for more informaiton, including some recovery suggestions.

Help I tink I'm an addict July 1997

http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=2327#9139

Mudcat Addiction August 1999

http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=13243#107936

Mudcat Addiction December 1998

Includes a 12 step program of recovery

http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=8219#50674

Mudcat DT's December 1999

http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=16235#151623

'cat addiction - BS June 1999

http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=11750#89625

How many hours do you Mudcat? January 1999

http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=8514#53639

Musicolism - take the test! February 2000 (includes the MDT = Music Dependency Self Test Test)

http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=18023#176541

Justifying Multiple Guitars (a related topic about GAS, Guitar Acquisition Syndrome, an understudied precursor to much Mudcat Addiction) March 2000

http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=19548#200402

How hooked are you? (a related topic about playing an instrument) January 2000

http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=16804#159847

Test Your Mudcat IQ (a self-test. In the second version, Catspaw mistakenly thinks I married Marge, as if that could ever happen)

http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=12870#103505

You Know You've Been Mcattin' Too Long When ... March 1999 (includes another self-test) Apparently you know you're addicted when you find yourself taking bunches of self-tests

http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=9727#64189

BS: You Love Your Computer More Than Me! March 2000 (describing an obvious symptom of addiction)

http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=19703#202119

BS: Do any of you sleep? March 2000 (yet another symptom)

http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=18844#189571

The Nature of the Mudcat Beastie... March 2000 (More symptoms, March 2000 seems like a defining month)

http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=18792#188328

BS: Neil Young Center February 2000 (more on treatment)

http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=18792#188328

BS: Addiction December 1999 (exploring the concept of "cross addiction")

http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=16245#151072

BS: And Another Thing I Wish They Told Me December 1999 (blaming others, another symptom)

http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=15912#145183

There may be other related threads, but this should serve as a starting point for you. The first step in treating addiction is for the addict to "self-diagnose". The purpose of some of these threads is to define this process in words and music.

Roger in Baltimore