I get this too... Withdrawal symptoms and a desperate feeling about when I can next get to a piano again. Feelings of longing while at work and general distraction from things you should be concentrating on because you actually feel a bit ill with wanting to go play so much.

... when you have a photo of your piano in your wallet (and you look at it with love all the time).

When on monday colleagues at work asking if you have had a good weekend. And the only true answer is yes, I played piano! But if you say that, people stare at you if some mathematics is rolling out your mouth. So instead you lie and say something like no, I slipped on a frog walking in the park and fell on my back. It hurt so much, so I stayed home.

When you pay to have your piano's portrait painted by a professional. (Not my piano, but I know the artist who did the portrait.)

When your facebook profile pic is of your piano. I put this up when the piano was new to me, but it's been quite a while now--probably time to change it.

But, really, I have no problem...

My eBay profile is a piano.

... when in an emergency you think of your piano before you think of yourself, and are ready to happily die with it if necessary.

Rather than having a picture of your hubby, your sister's new baby or your other sister's lovely kids, the pic on your cell phone is of your piano!

...and the ring tone is one of your own recorded pieces

I'd be more worried if the ring tone was the baby crying.

when your wife says : all piano should be destroid

... when you play with your feet when you are eating because you are hungry but don't want to interrupt the bliss.

When you are on a several hour job interview, they give you a break for lunch, and on your way to grab a quick bite you hear an employee jamming on the chapel piano (this was at a hospital) and you're tempted, really tempted...

America is talking about middle class tax. When asked about what class you belong to, I answered Intermediate.

In our new church (episcopal now after born & raised catholic) I stated my observation that they use the organ during the readings and use the piano for intermission. Turning red, I immediatly realized that I should have said "communion" .

you know you're a piano addict when you have a calculus final tomorrow morning and you play piano instead of studying and convince yourself that "at least the music theory will help me learn my fractions!"

When you throw a sickie at work, just to practice (slippery slope lol)

and

Cant wait for your Toddler to go to bed, just so you can play! (terrible mother here ha!)

A smart way to study! It's not so much the fractions per se, but it will maximize all your neural connections . That's how I persuade myself that a break from work to play piano is really efficient.

...When you sing a lullaby to your piano before going to bed.

When you think about your piano more than your husband lol

LOL! Hope you put its lid down so it has a good sleep!

When you agonise all week because you're going crazy without your piano, but you don't want to inflict you germs on the poor thing as its beautiful and it feels wrong to cough or sneeze near it when you're ill. Am staring at it longingly now and wondering about the possibility of playing with a scarf over my face, but I think the noise might hurt my head.

I find this thread a little disturbing. There is more to life than a piano. If I am at home with nothing much else to do, I will sit and play, but I do not go to work and sit and think about the next time I can play the instrument. It is a different matter when you have an exam coming up, but if not, then to sit and think about it too much is unhealthy.

People are different. I dont agree that it's unhealthy - well unless your piano addition is making you unhappy or having a negative impact upon you, then that would be unhealthy yes. Ultimately having piano in my life makes me really happy and I suspect it's the case for everyone else here too. I am naturally an obsessive person and if it wasn't piano it would be something else - I actually think piano is a fantastic healthy thing to be addicted to!!

Also I think a forum especially dedicated to piano is bound to attract people who are little more into piano than others! Especially as adults... Only the most interested are likely to bother signing up to this site.

I know I love piano far more than is normal, but I'm really pleased with that

It is good to be enthusiastic but to think about it day and night is an obsession. I come from a family where we have addictive behaviour and it destroyed a lot of good things. To be over obsessive is not good. In fact it is a bit creepy.

Creepy! Well thanks!

Toastie, unhealthy piano addict and proud of it xxx

No one said you had to be like us you know, but if we're happy then I don't see where's the harm.

I've just had another thought on this, adult pianist, if we are the creepy obsessive addicts you are claiming, it's very unlikely your advice here will get through to us you know. I mean that in a genuine way; I love piano! I don't want to be helped to think about it less!!

Really, though, the topic is quite humorous really.

I enjoy piano as much as any of you, but I take it in moderation. I find if I do something too much then I no longer look forward to it. I was playing every single day without fail but now I play every other day and find that much more rewarding and relaxing.

It depends. I would like to play more when I worked long hours, say 12 to 14 hours. It's probably an unconscious balancing act. It's the only time I can forget about work and did something nurturing for myself.

Agreed.

Strangely sometimes I won't touch the piano for 2-3 days and I actually take in more of what I learnt on the days I played rather than slogging and learning nothing.