How important are comics to you?

[babyblob]

Since this is a comic book site and we are all fans here I wanted to see just how important comics were to you all. Is it a passion or just a hobby?

For me comics are very important. I had a rough childhood and rocky times with my dad. Archie comics what i started with brought us closer together and helped me escape for a bit.
As I grew older I didnt really read them. But when I went to prison i got back into it. My cellmate had a couple graphic novels and my mom bought a few for me and had them mailed in. They helped me escape a bad time in my life.

Now they help me again. I am a caretaker for my disabled father and have a mental health disorder of my own. Comics help me get through When I am super depressed comics bring me back up. When I am stressed at my dad being sick comics help me through it. When I am manic comics calm me down and even me out. I know i go overboard with it. This may make me sound like a loser but I spend pretty much all of my free time reading comics. Depending on my mood or how my dad is doing this gives me 10-11 hours on some days to read comics. Minus the times I am helping my dad. Some days I dont read any. But most days I find myself reading 15-20 issues a day. Some times more then that. I know its not super healthy to throw myself into my hobby to this extreme but it really does help me. I have a friend who has a larger collection then me so he shares his comics with me, that and the online sites like Dc Universe and Marvel Unlimited help me make sure I have lots to read.
So as you can see comics are a huge part of my life. maybe too huge. But I couldnt picture my life without them.

So how important are comics in your world?