For me it’s driving while under the influence. If you couldn’t tell, I like me some ganja. However I have long since held the belief that it is utterly insane to drive while under the influence of most substances, with maybe nicotine and caffeine being the exception. All too often I see other stoners smoking and driving, which I simply can’t fathom. I’ve only operated a vehicle once under the influence and it was just to move a U-Haul around the block to a different parking spot, which was such a scary experience while high that I refuse to even consider getting behind the wheel again while high.
Some people are just like that. I knew the words Taschentuch and Gesundheit when I set my major to German, and I’m now getting my master’s in German instruction, married to a German, and I’ve lived here for several years.
I’ve thought about what on earth caused me to choose German so thoroughly and unpredictably, but it’s not actually abnormal for me. A friend took me to a community folk dance and within two months I was dancing 14 hours a week. I, uh, really commit.
That said, I’m not in a financial position to spend that kind of money, so it’s pretty low stakes for me
Edit: I am also autistic and have ADHD, so I’m not suggesting this is standard behavior, but there’s a bunch of us
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with throwing yourself fully in to something, especially if you enjoy it.
A different example would be cooking. Most people starting out will benefit from using Teflon-coated pans to stop food sticking and burning. But highly skilled cooks do not use Teflon, and will have pans with very different attributes (thicker or thinner bottoms, stainless steel, copper, ceramic, etc) and choose the best pan for the task. The newbie doesn’t know how to get the benefits, and ultimately performs worse.
I guess what I’m describing are hobbies where your interaction with that activity is through the equipment. In these you have to learn two things simultaneously, how to do the thing, and how to do the thing using this particular thing.
High-level equipment requires you to already be able to do the thing. Entry-level equipment helps you learn how to do the thing.
To be clear, I’m not taking price here.
Lastly, I also have adhd, and really wanted to buy a kayak after my first session too, but knowing that impulse is due to my ND I’m able to stop myself (having learnt the hard way a good few times). I appreciate not everyone can do this. Fwiw, I don’t think this is the only cause of this behaviour.
Definitely not the only cause of the behavior, no. Excitement, just hitting a nerve in a good way, and lots of other things can make people commit.
But I did miss that the pro gear made things harder for them. I have experience with that too, and I can finally do nail stamping, but shot my self in a foot a little by getting the “nice” set. I’m much happier making that mistake with a $30 stamper than several thousand dollars of kayaking equipment.