We all have that one artist that we treat more intensely than Smeagol’s affection for the ring. We know all their songs, all the inside jokes among other fans, and way too much about their personal lives. As I look at all the posters on my ceiling and the walls, I wonder, how does one get to this extreme? Did it just happen overnight? Here is a simple process of how we fall down the slippery slope of a "bandom."

Step one: The band is introduced to you.

You’re sitting in the cafeteria on a normal Thursday. A friend comes up to you and says, “Hey! Have you heard of this band?” and you say you haven’t. Suddenly an earbud is jammed into your ear while you are trying to eat in peace.

Step two: Find a new song that becomes your jam.

You actually enjoy the song your friend showed you. Now you play it on YouTube while you do you homework. You play it in the background while doing chores or working out. Perhaps you even spent the $1.29 on iTunes to listen to on repeat.

Step three: Find other new jams by the same band.

After a while, the song starts to get old. You can’t get the same rush from the same chorus but you still want more of that same vibe or that same amazing voice to which your friend has introduced you. So you look up other top songs by this artist and create a playlist of fantastic new music.

Step four: Listen to entire albums.

After you make your own playlists, you listen to full albums. This is where you dig into the music and begin to love not only the popular songs but the deep tracks that often don’t make it to the mainstream.

Step five: Memorize every lyric, every note, every pause of breath.

It all makes sense. Yes they are speaking to me on every level. They understand everything I can’t express myself. Every line cuts deeper and deeper and you begin to feel a connection on the band’s personal level.

Step six: Look up the band’s background.

Since you are now distant friends with the band, it’s time to look them up. You watch countless interviews. You follow tags on social media. You even get other fans perspective of their love for the band. You start to learn all the details that make their music amazing.

Step seven: Fall in love with every member.

Through all the facts you have learned, you see that they are real. They have had rough pasts and they sing to you those struggles you couldn’t have expressed before. On top of all that, they are incredibly attractive.

Step eight: Look up the next concert in the closest venue.

Once the obsession has taken over, you need that reality check that they are real. A live show. You check Ticketmaster, LiveNation, and StubHub for the closest concert coming to you, praying it comes at a reasonable time. You find the tickets and finagle a way to attend, even when it happens to be three hours away on a school night.

Step nine: They are everything you love and you buy all the merchandise.

After seeing them live, you need a momento to keep the experience real. You buy a tour shirt that looks super cute and you wear it all time time. Then, you see all these other shirts, bracelets, hats, bags, coffee mugs, keychains, phone cases, etc. Suddenly, friends and family can make a one stop Christmas and birthday shop at your local Hot Topic.

Step 10: Cry into infinity.

There is no turning back. You own every album. You have every piece of merch you could get your hands on. Posters cover every corner of the room, like wallpaper. Your social media is filled with pictures and tweets from them no matter how ridiculous. Everything is that band, and nothing hurts (just kidding)!

You keep loving that band and rocking out to those lines that touch your soul because, no matter what, they will stick with you through anything.