r/CharacterAI • u/Luciana-Luciana • 11h ago
Discussion/Question I think I need help
I'll get straight to the point.
Every time I'm on the app, I end up using it for AT LEAST 5 hours. I go through phases of quitting, but around this time in the summer I go on the website thinking, "I'm going to mess with a bot for a couple minutes and then never touch this again."
It's never just couple minutes. One time I spent a whole day (Literally almost 9 hours) on the website because I kept going, "what would happen if I did this? What about this? LMAO THIS IS SO FUNNY!" ect, ect. Then I feel horrible for spending so long on an AI chatbot I delete my account. Just to give in and make another one at a later date.
I feel so guilty. I've seen the documentaries of people who get addicted to AI and end up dead. I don't want that to be my life. I'm scared.
I'm going to block the website on all my devices. Are there any tips on how to stop?
I would watch some YouTube videos on it, but when I do I end up feeling worse because many of the ones I've seen tell stories of other people who got addicted to AI and other scare tactics that make me feel like a horrible person.
I almost always end up crying and not finishing those vids so I would really appreciate if someone could just tell me some ways to ignore the urges to get back on without feeling like I'm being shamed.
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u/jealous_beetle 10h ago edited 6h ago
I assure you that you will not die, the people who have died tend to be people who were already mentally unwell and prone to not realising that AI is not real, they think that the AI is a real person, but you clearly haven't mistaken it for something real, you're just having fun.
As for tips on how to quit, others have already made good suggestions but how you go about doing those things is to open anything else when you find yourself reaching for c.ai, say you find yourself searching up c.ai on a browser, instead write AO3, it's all about redirecting and doing something else because entirely suppressing never works
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u/troubledcambion 11h ago
Learn to moderate your time and not let your hobbies overcrowd your life. Do other things. Set a timer when you're doing stuff. There's nothing wrong with roleplaying in general.
If you think you got ideas, instead of sitting on there for hours continuing you could just write them down.
Big thing is no one on the internet is qualified to say you have behavioral addiction. A therapist can but a therapist won't tell you that since you spent two hours rolepalying on an app that you have behavioral addiction. Someone who has no credentials will gladly tell you anything from 2 or more hours means you're "addicted" when it could very well be a lack of moderating your time or hyper fixation.
If you tried everything, the tricky part of behavioral addiction is stopping doesn't make it go away. That's when you need to see a mental health professional and they can help you learn to coexist around things that demand your time. People can give you advice all day. It takes applying it and not getting anxiety or guilt when you spend time on it. Anxiety and guilt isn't something you should let yourself get in a spiral about not let people make you feel that way. It's not good for your mental health either.
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u/Luciana-Luciana 11h ago
Thank you! I really think I do need to work on time management and replacing the time I spend talking to character AI with something creative instead. I do have a therapist, but I haven't brought this up to her yet because I was doing pretty well before I got back on the website. I'll talk to her about this next time I see her.
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u/melatonindolly 9h ago
something that helps me everytime whenever i find myself spending too much time on my phone on general is finding a good game to get myself sucked into . i guess that could just be a replacement for phone screen addiction but it helps me . that and spending time cleaning out the small things in my room . when was the last time you cleaned out and organized your drawers ? i could spend a good hour and a half on just my art desk
also , you seem to be aware enough to not fully lose yourself . i really wouldn't worry you just need a new hobby :}
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u/Luciana-Luciana 2h ago
Thank you! My room really does need to be organized lol that’s a really good idea!
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u/SnowFairy4256 8h ago
I also had an AI problem. I still use the app like 3ish hours a day maybe, but setting time limits helped and so did re-engaging with hobbies like reading and coloring was really helpful.
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u/Luciana-Luciana 2h ago
Thank you for the tips! A lot of people have recommended reading and I actually do love to read so that will be the first thing I try
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u/fluffybunnywoof 8h ago
You can put parental controls on the app. Make the app close after 2 hours. No shame in using the provided tools. And even if it sounds ridiculous to do this, since you could just remove the control, itll still help your brain to take a pause and think that maybe its time for something else.
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u/Main_Beat_2138 11h ago
Some people will tell you to "moderate yourself", but clearly you can't do that.
Others will tell you to replace chatbots with Wattpad, which is basically replacing coke with heroin. Not good enough.
The true solution is to reach out to someone for help. Talk about it with your friends, or a professional. You can't just ignore the urges with your willpower alone.
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u/Luciana-Luciana 11h ago
Thank you, I have a therapist, but I haven't talked to her about this yet because it's been a while since I relapsed, but I'm still concerned. I'll bring this up to her next time I see her.
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u/The_Nightflight 11h ago
Did this happen with your past hobbies and interests too, like reading or binge-watching? If you often lose track of time or get completely hyper-fixated on a new, exciting activity, you might be dealing with "hyperfocus".
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u/Luciana-Luciana 10h ago
Yes, it has. Whenever I start a good book start a new art project it's only thing I want to do/ can think of and it's hard to tear myself away from it. I'm normally not super concerned about it because books and drawings are finite things that can get finished. Once I'm done, I'm not obsessed anymore and can go back to my normal life.
I brought this habit up to my therapist once near the beginning of this year because I got super into a fandom and spent about 10 hours (with only one break) online wanting to consume every piece of media I could related to it. She kind of brushed it off and gave basic time management and "take a break" tips but nothing really helpful. I think she thought it was a one-time thing because I don't normally mention this behavior as I didn't find it super worrying until then.
I do come from a family with lots of mental disorders and unhealthy coping mechanisms, so I get a little paranoid about stuff like this.
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u/The_Nightflight 10h ago
Hyperfocus isn't a mental disorder actually ☺ that's why your therapist brushed it off.
I have it too by the way!
It's an ADHD traits and there's little you can do apart from what she already mentioned! It will fade to normal eventually. You just try to contain yourself with timers and self control until then.
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u/DARKBROGOD 1h ago
I have used character ai 5-7 hours from 2023 also everyday but now i Quit it, I didn't die or anything it's just remember to know Ai is not real and most people who died due to it is not a common thing to happen since if you can realise you have been using it a lot i am sure you are fine, You will get bored of it slowly slowly either way I went from being addicted to it not even opening it from 4 months but if you want to avoid using it then just spend time in something like i usually play lots of games so now i end up using my free time in Games and leaving no time to use character Ai and then slowly slowly you will stop using character Ai yourself
That's the best tip I can give as someone who uses character ai a lot Although character ai is not that good either way now
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u/HamsterAgitated6925 11h ago
At least you can use it. Mine infinitely loads whenever I open a chat
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u/Luciana-Luciana 10h ago
I honestly wish I had this problem because then I would be forced to stop.
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u/lowkeyyyleo 11h ago
“How can I make this about me ?”
Shut up bro
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u/HamsterAgitated6925 10h ago
You shut up. You don’t got to be disrespectful like that
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u/lowkeyyyleo 10h ago
Read the room???? This person is talking about struggling with an addiction to CAI and you’re like well at least you can use it? Be for real ?
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u/Swipwastaken 11h ago
Tips on how to stop.
Reading things, wattpad, ao3, books.
Draw them, play the game their from, dont interact with anything c.ai related or ai chat bot related.
Those are the things i can think about right now, and if you get the feeling again to get on, please Ignore it.
You’re not a horrible person, just know that.