Bad habits? Sure, we’ve all got some. But what happens when they turn excessive, addictive and extreme?

Hafiza- “I can’t stop smoking.”
This pertite girl chain-smokes when she’s bored. Whenever she quits cigarettes for a few days, she says it does her no good and only leaves her with a terrible cough.

When did you start puffing?
I was 14 and smoking seemed like this cool activity all my friends were doing. I was curious and asked my friend to let me take a puff. I wanted to know how it felt. It started off as a social activity, but soon enough I realised my habit had become as assential when I started craving for cigarettes.

What did your family say when they found out?
My daddy smokes alot too. When he found ciggies on me, he just told me to wait till I was of age. But of course I didn’t!

How strong is your addiction?
I smoke about 10-15 sticks a day. I need one every morning to perk me up, and definately after meals- it’s like dessert. I smoke whenever I’m waiting for my friends, lighting up is just something we do. We don’t really eat, we just smoke. So whenever I don’t have ciggies on me, I get fidgety.

Do you ever think of the consequences?
Actually the warning pictures on cigarette boxes scare me; I always ask for the one with the picture of the family! As much as I can, I try to avoid buying the ones with pictures of the frail-looking baby. Too icky.

Do you intend to quit?
Maybe. Well, hopefully. When my career starts out and I can’t rely on my parents for money anymore, I thik that’s when I’ll try to stop- ciggies aren’t cheap ! But you see, I beleive that in order to quit, one must have self-control. And I don’t have that.

Gwen- “I can’t stop tattooing.”
When you enjoy the pain that comes with tattooing, where do you draw the line between pleasure and addiction? This girl’s already got 6 tattoos and she can’t wait to get more.

Tell us about your first tattoo.
I got it at 16 and now, I regret having done it. The tattoo artist didn’t do a good job with the drawing. I later found out he was a drug addict who had just gotten out of jail! I was one of his first customers. At that time, it was definately a thrill. I’m thinking of tattooing another design on top of that one.

We notice most of your tattoos are in areas where they can be easily concealled. Why get them if you’re just going to hide them?
Mainly because of work. I’m still young so I don’t want these tattoos to restrict my career. That said, I would like to do a sleeve (tattoos covering the entire arm and albow_ if the opportunity comes up. That’ll probably be when I reach a point in my life where I know I can commit.

How far will you go? Piercings? Body modifications?
I used to have a lip and tongue piercing which I took out cause they were too troublesome to maintain. But I still have my navel ring. I like the idea of body modification. I’m actually thinking of getting an eat gauge piercing (a large gauge hole in the conch of the ear).

Do you like the pain that comes along with it?
I love it, although my most recent tattoo hurt quite a bit. But of course, that’s not gonna stop me from getting more!

Nicole- “I can’t stop drinking.”

The buzz from drinking and partying is great, but not at the expense of your liver, right? Nicole, who grew up on Smirnoff, disagrees.

When did you start drinking?
At 14, I’ve drink every week since then. My friends and I would sit around after school and polish off a whole bottle of Vodka.

How much do you drink?
I head out for drinks twice or thrice a week. If it’s just chilling out, I down about 5 glasses. Otherwise, a girl’s night out usually means countless drinks! The maximum I’ve imbibed is probably 60 shots of Kamikaze, Tequila and Sex on the Beach at a go with my girlfriends.

Hae you ever gotten into any trouble ebcause you were drunk?
Not really. I have a high threshold for alcohol and I only party with my friends. We watch out for one another. I sober up after puking, then I drink some more. My friends call me “puke machine”. I do have self-control; I’ve never gotten into brawls or picked up guys.

You don’t think your drinking’s excessive or extreme?
Sure, we all know alcohol is harmful. But so are smoking, dieting and bingeing. We weach choose our vice. I don’t mind wrecking my liver, I think we’re all going to die anyway. My philosophy is live fast, die young!

Do you think you’re addicted?
I’m not an alcoholic. I can curb it if I want to. I abstained for a whole year when I was doing my 0 levels. I’ll cut down when I’m older. Or if my doctor advises me to stop.

Watch that Drink!
Heavy drinking has a more significant effect on females than males. Women may suffer irrefular menstruation, loss of sex drive and impaired immune system that leaves one more susceptible to illness. Alcohol is also a recognised carcinogen. When you drink excessively for prolonged periods, you risk getting larynx, stomach and liver cancer.

Juliana- “I can’t stop exercising.”
She took the exercise mantra of “pushing yourself” too seriously when she started working out and it became an all-consu,ing compulsion. But she has managed to check herself and wisely sought help before it got worse.

I was sporty in secondary school but was on the plump side. I’ve been called fat and overweight and was teased since secondary school for not being skinny enough. They’d say I could only find a boyfriend through the Web. My brother was also a fat kid and he had no friends. When he started working, he urged me to lose weight, telling me it’s important to look good. I felt conflicted cause I was quite happy then. But who doesn’t want to be skinnier? I thought I’d be more attractive if only I were thinner.

I exercised every day and clocked about 5 hours in the gym at my craziest. I’d go in the morning before school, take a taxi down during lunch break and return to the gym again after lessons. I even hopped from gym to gym to fill up my days during holiday period so I could do as many classes as possible in a day. When I was working part-time, I’d be at the gym till it closed at midnight. Working out gave me an outlet.

I was rather depressed when I was a teenager and the endorphins made me feel better. If I didn’t exercise, I’d be angry with myself and get sullen towards others. I had so much negative energy that others could notice it too. When my friends asked me to go out, I turned them down because I’d rather be at the gym. It reached a point where I couldn’t kneel or run cause my knees were hurting so badly.

Besides excercising, I took fat-burners. That really affected me bec ause I’d be very emotional and my hands would tremble terribly. I experimented a little with bulimia but my body couldn’t take it so I stopped. I was also slightly anorexic; I starved myself and ate vegan sanwiches every day or just survived on protein shakes. I bought gossip magazines with anorexic celbs on the cover and read about their methods so I could try them myself. My brother offered to buy me a lipsuction treatment for my birthday- till now, I’m considering taking it up.

I realised I was out of control and saw a psychiatrist 2 years ago. I was diagnosed with borderline personality, which means I tend to overdo things and take me anger out on myself. I stopped seeing him cause he didn’t listen to me and merely put me on medication. But recently I decided to undergo counselling again to deal with my weight and exercise obsessions.

The Samaritans of Singapore (SOS) really helped by listening patiently and putting me in touch with a counsellor. I am absolutely self-aware now and in better control. I don’t push myself to exercise like before. I stop if I feel uncomfortable. I’ve stopped being anorexic too. I watch my diet and try to eat healthily instead, And I intend to relocate. Being skinny is a very Sinaporean obession- girls compare weight and inches all the time. I don’t need the extra pressure now when I’m trying to sort myself out. I felt more at ease when I was living with my sister in the US. They didn’t judge me there.

From the magazine Cleo, Singapore edition.