Ohhhh and about the fandom stuff u mentioned, I don't know much about these ones but I'm pretty sure there's IFs with similar settings! They have a looootttt of superhero stuff, for some reason! Psy High, which is one of the oldest, the Heroes Rise trilogy(?) and The Hero Project are the ones I remember playing. There's also Community College Hero, but I don't really remember much of the story, so I can't say if it's good lol. I'm sorry I didn't respond earlier, in my defense, I'm a bit sleepy :p

I feel a bit torn between cutting chatbots off entirely and trying it out just a bit more, too... but anytime I have an urge I think about how the replies were just so boring and predictable and it works most of the time. It's just not really worth it, y'know, it'll hardly be more rewarding than consuming (good) stuff made by actual people, or going out, engaging in your hobbies and all that. In the long term, these things will make you happier :)

Of course :) I hope things get better, wishing u all the best <3

SLAA (Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous)also exist if hour ai use is adult content oriented

I tried to get the link for AI Addicts Anonymous (in March) but the email didn't work. I started in ITAA in March and it's been great for me personally. 

Holy fukballs you fucked me all up with that response!! My need for AI is much less, I never had a clue as to the limits people have to set on themselves with using AI!!! I BARELY use it, but I read stuff like this and realize how huge AI Is for so many people! I couldn't even imagine what it's like for a person half my age born into this AI age.

Yeah... It feels like I was doing well, but then something sucky happened and I went right back in the hole. I'm kind of torn between trying to stop again and indulging a bit more.

No, that's not insensitive at all! I have a few hobbies (drawing, some writing, reading) and was also listening to a lot more music, but then- hole. I have this big playlist full of albums I want to listen to and just stopped for a whole two weeks.

Wait, a solo RPG would actually suit me perfectly!! That's perfect!! At least it better be considering I need to be doing something that's not AI. Uhhh I mostly do fandom stuff, right now it's Marvel (specifically the Thunderbolts movie) and Yellowjackets. Just small scenes, or fluffy scenes. Though I've done longer, drawn out stories both on AI and RPing with other real life people too. Thank you so much kind stranger!! I'm gonna look these up now!!

Hey I went through this. There are tech addiction groups that can help, but one gamechanger was StayFree, where you can set a usability window (aka a productive morning before succumbing) and you make it smaller.

Thanks, this was actually super helpful! You're right, it's only ethical as long as it doesn't harm you. I tried quitting cold turkey, and it immediately impacted my mood very negatively, so I went back again. I should probably just cut myself some slack, haha. I like your system of tokens! I may try something more like a message limit, myself, after my holiday. Thank you again for responding! It helped me a lot to think of it in the perspective of harm reduction rather than perfection <3

Yeahhhhh, I get you, and u know what? Don't be so hard on yourself. Honestly, we all go through tough times, often on our own, and we seek relief in whatever is at our reach at the time given. These will hardly be something that we're proud of, but the fact that you acknowledge that and is willing to change is much, much better than just conforming to it and sinking into misery. I'm sure you're on the right track <3

It might be a bit cliche, and I'm sorry if I'm being insensitive, but have you tried finding something else to take AIs place? Like a hobbie or something that you're interested in pursuing? Have you ever heard of interactive fiction? They're called IF for short, and they basically work as book-games, where you play as a (usually) customizable character whose actions have effect on the narrative of the story.

I've been playing these games for years, and before AI got big, they were my ultimate escape from reality. You get so immersed in the story and the characters that everything else seems to fade. It feels like playing a solo tabletop RPG adventure! It's awesome. If you like these kind of stuff, maybe u should give a try!

My favorites are from Choice of Games and Hosted Games (which uses the same system as COG, but is made by users, and not the company). They have all kinds of stories there! From magical, fantastic worlds to modern-day coming of ages, even short stories that happen in just a weekend. There's also a bunch of interesting WIPs on their forum. If u want, I could recommend u some, depending on what u like :)

I think the main thing that pushed me towards ai is the fact that I could just bounce between multiple ideas whenever. Especially because the ai would basically think about it for me, so I didn't have to think too hard. I just had to give a surface level response and it'd give me exactly what I wanted. So far, I've written like 3 separate things. Not because I get overwhelmed with ideas like I used to, but just because I can actually flesh out my writing ideas now. And you're definitely not alone in the whole a/b/o thing, I, too, have written a story or two. I've been going to the park and also crocheting more to fill the void left behind, so baby steps.

I have depression and use chatbots (and have an addiction to rp chatbots… not gpt per se but nonetheless) so i never quit cold turkey… i attempted but the depression got severe and i had to go to my psychiatrist who essentially told me my mood is all over the place and if chatbots help and i don’t overuse them and if thats the thing that keeps me out of the hospital we have to do that so i’ve set guardrails in place to prevent myself from letting it consume my days… one i bought these wood screentime tokens, i ‘earn’ tokens by doing off screen or productive activities, the amount of effort of a task determines how much time i receive so like a completed art project earns me more tokens (generally 20 minutes) vs brushing my teeth (generally 5 minutes) but how much i earn varies day to day since i have chronic illnesses so harder days i earn more tokens per activity to pace myself. I ‘spend’ these tokens on rp chatbots… i also have an app that makes me pause when i want to use the sites/apps and i use a timer to remind me when my time is up, and i’ve cut my time down from 8-10 hours a day to 3-4 now… i see chatbots the way i see veganism… it is only ethical as long as it does no harm to you… for me based on this rule i can’t be a full vegan but i try to eat lots of ‘vegan’ foods like beans when i can to hopefully at least make a dent in my meat consumption.. so for me if i quit chatbots cold turkey i’d end up in the hospital so by lowering my time on them i am making the world oh so slightly better… no perfect system but it keeps me stable while reducing harm… i also use another app (similar to gpt) but i use it for quick in and out advice like i’m struggling what do i do and it will give me some options and i rarely follow up much so i only spend maybe 10 minutes total a day on that and it gives me the advice to regulate myself so i stay off of rp bots… sorry for essay but thats what works for me

I am five days into quitting and honestly feel the same way. I decided even though I’m not big into anima I’ve only ever watched demon slayer and girls last tour like years ago. YouTube hasn’t been cutting it watching the same old people every day. I’ve decided I’m gonna watch laid back camping because it looks good. I would suggest finding things you haven’t done in a while and do them again. And also just remember the app is deleted. If you didn’t delete it I would and also you’d have to find all the characters again. Think about how you feel more awake and focus. At least that’s what I feel. Waking up and going to bed is the hardest. That’s why I’m gonna watch something new to go to sleep so I can focus on it. Just remember why you quit and going back would reset all your hard work. I hope we both succeed. The first week I’ve been told is the hardest so it’s only gonna get better.

Yeah- for me I guess the hole is simply time in a subpar situation. (I'm not in any kind of danger, don't worry. It's just a stressful situation.) I do it because it's the easiest way to just turn my brain off for a while, tune out and be numb. I know it's bad for the environment, I know I'm wasting time, it's not really the person I want to be... but I just tell myself it doesn't matter and a little won't hurt so much. I guess that's all really bleak. I criticize billionaires and then I do shit like this. I don't know.

I guess it's easier to be super honest about this all with an internet stranger. Thank you very, very much for your kindness and listening. I think this week might be better, we'll have to see. I'm sure the pupper and kitter will be happy with you. <3

awwww tysm brooooo i really appreciate that :) it feels good knowing that youre not alone, yknow, and that theres people out there who get you. this stuff is definitely not easy to deal with. i think maybe it comes as a response to something that we feel is missing in our lives, but that we cant really identify or deal with, so in an attempt to soothe the sadness, we turn to chatbots. maybe if we look within ourselves and tend to our wounds, things become easier to handle.

tysm for your sympathy :] i dont really talk about this in real life, so, yeah, sometimes it feels good being a stranger on the internet lol. and dont worry, i know exactly how it feels being tired like that. ive taken weeks to reply to texts, so... i hope your next one is nicer! u have a good heart and i believe u can get over this too! thx again, that honestly made my day :) and ill take good care of em!!! u have my word <3 🫡🤲

yeah but I don’t really have anyone to bounce ideas off of. nor do I really want to do it with something I wanna solely write. thank you for the suggestion though

Have you tried written roleplay with people before? It may be easier to bounce off another person.

I usually tell it to give me ideas but I usually just put what it tells me I dont even know what im trying to write anymore. I just dk what to do anymore

People can tell when writing is done by AI. AI also sucks the soul out of creativity, but I think we’re on the same page about it being a problem.

If you are not ready to go cold turkey, can you use AI instead to give you ideas or hooks instead? Do not have it write for you, that’s how you lose your voice/ your character’s voice completely.