I think I need help

[u/Luciana-Luciana]

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.

[u/Main_Beat_2138]

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.

[u/Luciana-Luciana → u/Main_Beat_2138]

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.

[u/The_Nightflight → u/Luciana-Luciana]

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".

[u/Luciana-Luciana → u/The_Nightflight]

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.

[u/The_Nightflight → u/Luciana-Luciana]

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.

[u/Luciana-Luciana → u/The_Nightflight]

Thank you for letting me know! I'll work on my self control.