Wombatwarlord777
"...What?"
I think this thread will be ironic and contradictory for a couple of reasons. Also, there will be some whining, and the text will be long. Here goes nothing.
I currently have what I consider to be an unhealthy addiction to electronic media, specifically to the internet and to videogames. I won't get into too much detail, but it's been a bit of a problem. I suspect that I'm somehow predisposed to this sort of thing, as I've always been strongly attached to videogames, even before receiving a Genesis system when I was young. Although I don't play games that often anymore, I more than make up for it in the time spent online. Near instantaneous internet usage at my college, coupled with the fact that I must do a lot of my work using online resources, makes it difficult to stay focused and away from leisurely sites (especially TVTropes and various gaming and animation wikias).
I do think that this addiction, at least in part, may have caused some of the relative unease I have around people in real life and my slight lack of social graces. Perhaps socialization, in turn, is a need that I find continuously unfulfilled and thus supplemented by more internet usage, which then causes a greater lack of social skills which then causes... You get the picture. Anyway, I've suspected that both electron addiction and a lack of social skills may have led to some of my other problems, which include rapid distraction, depression, anxiety or indifference around most people, sleep issues, and others.
Until college I never really thought that electronic addiction was a problem that needed confronting. I was solitary for the most part and had pretty superficial friendships, but academically I was doing fine, so perhaps my parents didn't feel completely compelled to intervene. However, my internet use has increased since living away from home while attending college, to the point where it actually has started to affect school work and render my social life more stagnant than before. But six months ago, after a particularly grueling all-nigher internet session, I decided to try to do something about it.
I first tried an AA-style "going-cold-turkey" approach, eliminating recreational computer and television use altogether, instead reading from books or newspapers, riding my bike, drawing, or developing other talents. That approach actually worked for two weeks, which is a huge accomplishment for me, and I've been doing it on-and-off for about a week at a time since. It's worked relatively well for me, but it's still been sort of hard. There are things online that I really enjoy and find difficult to give up. Episodes of Mystery Science Theater 3000 on YouTube would be one of them, as well as engaging in some of the discussions here. So recently I've tried to limit my internet usage to an hour a day, one-and-a-half hours on Saturdays to allow for complete MST3K viewings. That approach has been less successful, as it's hard for me to stop once my time has be used up.
It was kind of awkward writing this. I know this forum isn't a blog to disclose personal issues and ticks, and I'm not sure how exactly I wish people would respond, if at all. I don't want pity, because ultimately the problem is due to my lack of self-control. I guess if any of you have done through something similar and found a method of control that works for you, I'd appreciate hearing about it. Otherwise, anything goes, I guess.
Also, I want to make clear that this thread isn't meant to be an insult to any of you who do use electronics a lot, either out of necessity or for fun. Like I said, this thread, or at least this post, is meant to be personal, which is why I'm not sure it's appropriate here.
Whatever. Here goes nothing.
I currently have what I consider to be an unhealthy addiction to electronic media, specifically to the internet and to videogames. I won't get into too much detail, but it's been a bit of a problem. I suspect that I'm somehow predisposed to this sort of thing, as I've always been strongly attached to videogames, even before receiving a Genesis system when I was young. Although I don't play games that often anymore, I more than make up for it in the time spent online. Near instantaneous internet usage at my college, coupled with the fact that I must do a lot of my work using online resources, makes it difficult to stay focused and away from leisurely sites (especially TVTropes and various gaming and animation wikias).
I do think that this addiction, at least in part, may have caused some of the relative unease I have around people in real life and my slight lack of social graces. Perhaps socialization, in turn, is a need that I find continuously unfulfilled and thus supplemented by more internet usage, which then causes a greater lack of social skills which then causes... You get the picture. Anyway, I've suspected that both electron addiction and a lack of social skills may have led to some of my other problems, which include rapid distraction, depression, anxiety or indifference around most people, sleep issues, and others.
Until college I never really thought that electronic addiction was a problem that needed confronting. I was solitary for the most part and had pretty superficial friendships, but academically I was doing fine, so perhaps my parents didn't feel completely compelled to intervene. However, my internet use has increased since living away from home while attending college, to the point where it actually has started to affect school work and render my social life more stagnant than before. But six months ago, after a particularly grueling all-nigher internet session, I decided to try to do something about it.
I first tried an AA-style "going-cold-turkey" approach, eliminating recreational computer and television use altogether, instead reading from books or newspapers, riding my bike, drawing, or developing other talents. That approach actually worked for two weeks, which is a huge accomplishment for me, and I've been doing it on-and-off for about a week at a time since. It's worked relatively well for me, but it's still been sort of hard. There are things online that I really enjoy and find difficult to give up. Episodes of Mystery Science Theater 3000 on YouTube would be one of them, as well as engaging in some of the discussions here. So recently I've tried to limit my internet usage to an hour a day, one-and-a-half hours on Saturdays to allow for complete MST3K viewings. That approach has been less successful, as it's hard for me to stop once my time has be used up.
It was kind of awkward writing this. I know this forum isn't a blog to disclose personal issues and ticks, and I'm not sure how exactly I wish people would respond, if at all. I don't want pity, because ultimately the problem is due to my lack of self-control. I guess if any of you have done through something similar and found a method of control that works for you, I'd appreciate hearing about it. Otherwise, anything goes, I guess.
Also, I want to make clear that this thread isn't meant to be an insult to any of you who do use electronics a lot, either out of necessity or for fun. Like I said, this thread, or at least this post, is meant to be personal, which is why I'm not sure it's appropriate here.
Whatever. Here goes nothing.
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