Nurse equates special interest with drugs, true?

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First of all, I was inpatient in a hospital and found out that for sure my mental makeup includes Bipolar Disorder (I had the most clearly BP mania symptoms ever.) For natural comfort, I turned to birds, reading my books that my husband brought to me. Anyway I overheard the staff talk about me and possible Asperger's, though I don't think I was actually diagnosed yet again. (Now I think my dx is Bipolar, Anxiety and Borderline, but the doctor said they only diagnosed me with Borderline for therapy reasons)

But anyway, I wanted to skip a movie about drug and alcohol addicts because I am not addicted to these things. The nurse said something like "You are an addict, you are a bird addict, you can't leave those birds alone, what is the difference between that and a drug addict?"

I took offense to this, but is there reality to what she is saying?

I can kind of see her view though, both types of addiction bring a person pleasure when they engage in it. But of course there is not bird addiction rehab.

Just wanted some thoughts.

Is your special interest in birds disrupting your life and causing more problems than helping?

People will ascribe this 'addiction theory' to just about anything, and most are very absorbed in it; either from the standpoint of actually having addictions, seeing the same pattern everywhere they choose to or both. I've had to cop to being an 'internet addict' lately because it's really just contemporary rhetoric, no matter if it makes any real sense. Personally I just love learning, same way you probably enjoy biology; big whup if it gives me insomnia, I know how to respond to that.

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There are similarities, but the treatment of each is vastly different. Therefore, I don't think it's a generally helpful analogy.

Perhaps for others to understand you, it could be helpful. But, not for improving yourself.