A reward has turned into an objective

Smoking kills. Yup, it says so on the very product I consume with reckless abandon. Worse still, it says it permanently. For a smoker like yours truly, that pack of 20 holds the highest possible opportunity to see any media could hope for. And, no, it’s not working.

I’m not stupid, mind you. I have tried to quit. I have meticulously laid out a rational plan and worked out the reason behind my seemingly suicidal addiction. Apparently, it boils down to something called dopamine.

To cut a long story short, dopamine is to the brain what Donald Trump is to working class America and nicotine is a Donald Trump speech. The moment it’s over, euphoria drops and my inner white-trash, flag-waving patriot is hurrying to the next convention centre.

You see, what makes nicotine so addictive is not its effect but how quickly that effect wears off, and that is precisely what makes it the world’s most potent drug. Most potent, that is, outside that little village called advertising. Because in adland, there is a far more devastating substance, one that makes crack cocaine a perfectly manageable commodity and heroine nothing more than the feminine form of a legendary character: that substance is Awardeine.

Ask any ad veteran, it was always the first fix that did it. There you were, happily copywriting, art directing or coding your way through your brief when, bang, a piece of metal lands on your desk. Next thing you know, you’re at a big ceremony, you’re covered in sweat and your is heart doing a Keith Moon solo while you wait for the MC’s next announcement.

Awardeine is just a 30-second fix. You step on stage, dopamine runs riot, then you head back into obscurity where you itch for your next moment in the limelight. But it is no individual drug. Despite awards’ value nowadays having the growth equivalent of the Greek economy, it is being ingested with exponential abandon by every agency. From a reward, it has become an objective. From a joy, it is turning into a duty. Indeed, from a moment to savour, it is becoming nothing more than what the dealer urges you to do. Just like any drug, it is as toxic as it is intoxicating. And, although it comes without a warning on the pack, beware: used irresponsibly, it can be just as deadly.

To cut a long story short, dopamine is to the brain what Donald Trump is to working class America, and nicotine is a Donald Trump speech. The moment it’s over, euphoria drops and my inner white-trash, flag-waving patriot is hurrying to the next convention centre.