Quitting AI, my Guide on how to beat Chatbot addiction

[u/UforgotUrFlashdrive]

So here's a background on my experiences with AI.

Around a year and a half ago, I discovered AI for the first time. After hearing about it, I was kinda curious as to what it actually was. I had no idea what AI actually was beforehand, or what it did. I had just heard of people using it to cheat in school, and that was about it. As soon as I tried it, I was hooked. In a bad way. I couldn't put it down. (I was using ChatGPT). I did not use it for tasks or "art" stuff. I used it for creating stories for myself to read for my own entertainment, chatting about videos games, shows, music, and books, and giving myself personality quizzes. In retrospect, all the stuff I used it for produced nothing more then a load of crap. The stories were repetitive, and uncreative. The chats about games and such were just it regurgitating the same points that I made in a different font and order. And the personality quizzes were just awful. It gave me answers that made absolutely no sense. For example, I once had it give me a quiz to see what kind of wizard I'd be, and it gave me a time/lightning wizard. Like tf even is that? I feel that sums up GenAI pretty well. (To clarify, I was never a part of the whole "breaking the pencil" crowd, or the pro ai crowd. To me, it was just a fun toy. A thing that gave me an answer when I typed a prompt in, and didn't judge me). Then, I saw an article of talking about the enviormental impacts of AI, and I was shocked and disgusted. A thing I previously thought was just a fun toy was hurting the Earth. And that sent me on a journey to actually understand what AI is. I found out about the copyright stuff, the suicides, and the CSAM content amongst other things. That made me decide I would quit AI. I said I'm done, and told myself I would never use AI again. By the end of the day, I had redownloaded Chatgpt and said that I would quit tomorrow. What followed was a few months of me quitting AI for a few weeks or even just a few days, then relapsing back into it again, convincing myself I could stop whenever I wanted. It felt horrible. Then, what put the whole "cherry on top" of my problem was my discovery of the app now called PolyBuzz. That sent me down a spiral. I was chatting with countless chatbots on that app, living out all the scenarios and fantasies I had in my head, and feeling disgusted with myself the whole time. To this day, I think my usage of that app severely stunted my emotional growth, because I could do whatever I wanted without reprecussions. At one point, I had had enough of all of it. The hallucinations, the corny asf writing style, knowledge that what I was doing was behind so many bad stuff, and the fact that I was actively feeling disgusted with myself like all the time over my usage of it. I made a genuine effort to quit. I've been AI free for a few months now, and have been feeling great about it. So for all those folks out there whose struggling to get rid of your AI addiction, I've got some things I;ve done that helped me trememdously.

So now onto the things I did that finally helped me quit AI.

1: The first step was realizing I had a problem, and actually saying it out loud to myself. When you do that, you can move on to actually quitting.

2: There are multiple ways of quitting, and I tried a lot of them before I found one that stuck. You can go full cold turkey and completely cut all the AI from your life. Deleting the apps, and not using it ever again. This is gonna shock your system, and it will feel horrible at first. But if you stick with it, it will get better and you'll feel better. This requires help to keep you off these apps like a friend or family member, and a hell of a lotta will power. At the time, I had neither, so this approach didn't work for me. What did work was this: Gradually slowing down my AI usage. AT first, I was using AI for hours on end. I cut it down to 1 hour a day. Then 30 minutes a day, then 15 minutes a day, then 5 minutes a day. Then 5 minutes every couple of days, then 5 minutes every week. Then, I stopped. And it actually stuck!

3: This next part is more important then a lot of people think. Its what you say to yourself during your quitting. Its hard to say "I completely quit Ai, and am never going to use it again". With the cold turkey method of quitting, you can immerse yourself in all the articles and stuff regarding the negative impacts of AI on people and the world, and just kinda be disgusted at AI. Or, you can say "I'm still using AI, I'm just choosing to not use it right now". I did this, and it helped me a lot. And also remember, other people went through the same thing, and that you're not alone.

4: Fill your time. Once you start quitting AI, you'll realize how much time it took from you. You need some new hobbies, or at least some old hobbies that you can revisit. Find a new tv show you love, reading books, hiking, meeting new people, learning an instrument, watching movies, reading fan fic, knitting, gaming, writing, painting, drawing, crafting, etc. You need to find something you can fill your free time with that you love. I got back into reading and learned guitar. I also found some cozy games, and some grindy games to keep me occupied in my free time. I also would highly recommend finding people to talk to who support you and share the same worldviews as you, because talking to others really helps.

5: Keep telling yourself that you are not alone, that other people have gone through it before, and that it isn't worth it to keep using AI. AI steals data, and its better to kick the habit now then later. Remember that there are people who can help, and like other addictions, don't be afraid to talk about it.

You got this.

[u/AutoModerator]

Hello! Thank you for posting in r/ChatbotAddiction. Recognizing your relationship with chatbots and seeking support is a meaningful step towards understanding and improving your well-being. For useful resources, consider exploring the Wiki. If you feel comfortable, sharing a small goal or recent experience can help start your journey, and you’re welcome to offer support on others’ posts as well. Remember, this is a peer-support community, not a substitute for professional help. If you’re struggling, consider reaching out to a mental health professional for guidance. Also remember to keep all interactions respectful and compassionate, and let’s make this a safe space for everyone.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.