When I was in the media, there were times when I could not write. I felt my creative juices fail me and struggled to express myself despite having something to say. That’s when a song that I learnt in school would come to my mind. Here are the lyrics:

“What shall we do with the drunken sailor?

What shall we do with the drunken sailor?

What shall we do with the drunken sailor?

Early in the morning.

Hooray, and up she rises.

Hooray, and up she rises.

Hooray, and up she rises.

Early in the morning.”

What’s the significance of this song in the context of writing? Very simply, it is the link between being a slave to an addiction and being unable to gather your thoughts and write.

During my media years, I was a smoker. This song served as a reality check whenever I faced writer’s block. It reminded me that if I wanted to perform at my peak, I would have to first work on quitting smoking.

All addictions are ultimately self-destructive. They gnaw at your confidence and self-worth and, over time, harm your performance at work.

Some theories claim that the best writers smoked up, that somehow, becoming dependent on drugs replenished their creative juices. Research has found that the best writers and artists did well despite, not because of, addictions.

Does anyone want to share their experience with an addiction? I’d love to know how you handled it, or whether you are still struggling with it.