Would you help me to escape from my computer addiction please?

Question

My situation
I really need your suggestions, info, links, et cetera to get me break away from this computer addiction please. I have been living with computer since its advent, and I have been too long in this bit and byte world. I have almost no problem with my family and/or social matters (maybe), but certainly, I have problems with myself. I realize that my addiction to computer and internet has seized big values of my life. Please do not assume that I am addicted to the gaming, gambling, chatting, or sexual leisure online. I think I have really got the most of the computing and internet, I got answers for my quests in life: history, languages, hobbies, health, skill improvement, and other eye-openers, but I realized that at the end I just barely do not recognize myself. I knew that before the PC arrival, I was a simple human with a romantic and artistic mind inside, and then later I evolved to such a robot, to be precise: a slave of the technology. The internet had made me more tied to the PC, at first it delivered me the news of the world, marvelous things found there within the clicks and so on, but then made me deep drown into the pond of information.
 
The cost and the lost
Having knowledge to computer hardware made me always upgrade my gears. It made me spend big cost just to fulfill my lust over those times. My room is full with the old gears, gadgets, and things from online stores. My PCs and notebooks are full with MP3s, PDFs, and many things downloaded both free and paid. I also spent for many external/ portable harddisks for backing up and traveling. I do not mean to showoff, I just tell you how worse it was from time to time during about 20 years. I sometimes think about the lost time for repairing my gears, updating my softwares, browsing; and how many books that I have not read completely.

There was a break
One time, in two straight months last year, I spent my times with my son playing Tamiya, small racing cars in small tracks. It was wonderful that it made me totally forgot my computers. We have had most of the time together for racing, modifying, winding the wires for the tiny motors, etc. My wife was so amazed that the toys have made me away from the PC. It ended because of the coming rainy season that made us packed and boxed back the tracks and cars, and I simply switched back to the old routine.

In search of healing
I remember a precious phrase: Two kinds of those who lost; they are who looks for wealth and for knowledge. This phrase sometimes wakes me up but bad habit is addicting and I found myself always returned into that path. I think it is just similar to drug addiction. As the internet is an endless resource, I search through it for the cure, and I have found some articles about it and tried to implement them, but it always hard for me to liberate myself from my habit. I really hope that finally I find it in this forum, especially from you.

Your helps, Please
I know that some of you are familiar to manage some types of dependence, or maybe you have healed from the same situation. Whether you have some psychological, spiritual expertise, certain medication, or exercises, please share your advice, I need it badly. I do not want to clog the rest of my life in that digital world. There must be somebody else also in pain from the same thing, your kind suggestion will be very valuable and it will save some life. Thank you very much for sparing your time reading this lengthy note. God bless you.

PS:
I post this in Computing & Internet, Health, and Social Science with time interval, hoping to net more inputs.
Please do not waste your time to put any unpleasant or unnecessary words, consider it will not only read by me but also by the other fellow readers. If you are not in the same situation with me, you perhaps still have the advantage of knowing the answers. Thank you, again.

Mordak · Accepted Answer

You obviously enjoy it, however you have let it take over. It would seem that you like writing, why not try devoting your energy into writing a book?
This could involve your family, give you some contact still with the computer but keep you off the net. i would suggest that you discuss this with your family and decide upon an amount of time that you can do this each day, with a couple of days that are non computer days.

Am afraid that this is not expert advice, addiction to anything is difficult to break. you are the only one who can decide to change what you do. Looking for help is a start but to implement a change must come from you. You need to reprogramme your habit and replace it with something you and your family will benefit from.
Good luck.

just julie · Answer

I am curious.  How in the world did you fit all of your details in the question without having to keep adding the details.  My questions cut me off after so many letters.  I was just wondering.

Your question is excellent.  I don't have the answer though.  I heard a counselor say that computers are nice because you just turn them off.  You can allot yourself a certain time frame for using the computer, since you like it.  I have no Mp3 or whatever and have no idea how to use those types of things.  So, I don't know there.  I guess you could enjoy your music that you have downloaded while exercising, driving, etc.  You can always see a personal counselor about this or do hypnosis to get some help, if it is causing you so much pain or detachment from your life.  I am sort of addicted too--especially this summer, to the Internet.  But I have seen worse.  I have seen people on here who have kids and families and stay on chatting for hours that really affected their families.  I have a husband and it affected us, but we do not have children.  Now I am back to work and I don't have as much free time to be on the computer.  But I still get on it when I can and when I feel like it--at home.  Do you work with computers?  You seem to know a lot about them, maybe turn it into a profession.  I don't know.  I am sure that everyone almost has a computer at work, depending on what type of job it is.  Are you having trouble at work with this problem?  It just seems like you need to make a schedule of family time, work, errands around the house, other and then your computer time.   Work around what is important in your life.  What hours or days through the week could you spend time on the computer?  What times on the weekends would be good and not make you feel so guilty or isolated or whatever?  Maybe you should have your wife help you with this plan.    Remember to make time for things you use to do and enjoy doing that you have passed on or given up doing now.  Make yourself get out and do those things.  Plus, praying about what you can do to help you in any aspect of your life is always a good idea.   Plan a vacation--where no laptop or anything is needed or taken.  That will make you get out and have fun and get to know yourself and your family/friends again or in a different light and you will be so busy that you will learn to cope without one.  But I think you should be proud of yourself too, for learning and knowing so much about technology.  Balancing anything is a struggle and you can do this.

KathrynJea · Answer

If you're playing games like WoW/Runescape, then best way is to quit cold turkey. I had played WoW for 6+ hours a day (or more), and it was ruining my life, so I just immediatly quit, uninstalled from my computer, broke the discs, and never touched it again. If you just go on the computer for random stuff, then turn off the computer, turn off the monitor, unplug the mouse, unplug all the cords.. Make it hard for you to get back on the computer by doing that, and you will eventually stop using the computer so much.

Joe B · Answer

The only thing that truly requires attention is e-mails.  If your Facebook friends are true friends, they don&#x27;t require online attention.  Sounds like your biggest problem is finding another outlet.  Try walking, running, weights, swimming, etc.

Anonymous · Answer

Turn off your computer. And seek addiction counseling. Get rid of all that junk you have collected and spend more time with your family.

-------- · Answer

I am not trying to be smart.  Get out and do something.  GO to the mall.  Go out doors!!!!!

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Would you help me to escape from my computer addiction please?

6 Answers