Do you keep your internet usage in check?

[gustavofring]

I haven't, up to this point.

As I'm becoming more aware of the bad habits in my life, and trying to stop them I realised this is probably one of the biggest, without even realising it.

I tried many times with those website blocker things. But I realised I am compulsively addicted to it and if I were to make an objective honest analysis you could probably say it's controlling my life.

Hours go by of scrolling movie forums, news sites, self-help forums/videos, etc. Not even Facebook or Twitter, because I hate to see friends and acquaintances nicer and more balanced lifes. My thinking isn't my own. I am constantly googling whenever something pops up in me. In the meanwhile, I am forsaking and escaping my own life.

The trouble is that I also have to work on a computer for school so it's VERY easy to get lost on the internet. Hours of unproductivity go by. Whenever I'm off the computer, I feel like I wanna go back on it.

Honestly I don't think there's much difference between this, and addiction to whatever substance or drug. It's probably a very big epidemic of our age that goes unnoticed because there's supposedly no physical damage. But very big mental damage!

I will have to cut it down. I'm thinking of weaning off to 1/2 hours a day. It will require discipline.

 

[Roman Legion]

I'm addicted to video games, I have been off them for going on 3 days now and I constantly think of flying an attack helicopter in BF3.. Internet usage is pretty bad, but I mainly come here, listen to music on Youtube, learn ASL or check my email which I only ever get spam.. If I cut off my internet use while I am trying to get over my gaming addiciton, I will fail.. One thing at a time for me..

 

[gustavofring]

I luckily don't have the game addiction. I impulsively bought Skyrim a few months ago, but I don't really like it/realise the futility in it.

I guess games can be enjoyable, but only once I have acquired a bit of a life (job, finished graduating). So that it becomes what it should be, a hobby, not a day passing time.

Same goes of course for internet, but with internet the lines are a bit blurrier, as it is also a source of information/work/social life related things.

 

[hidwell]

Yes I check mine regularly, if I go over my usage quota they just slow the speed down dial up.

 

[gustavofring]

That's handy.

Mine is superfast all the time. I just realised something funny. If internet use was slower and tedious (like it used to be) it would probably not make me want to be on it so much and only do the essential things.

Also if internet would cost more money, the more you're on it. Now it's simply included with the rent.

 

[Roman Legion]

God I feel like flying that attack helicopter in game.. I'm not sure if I can make it past day 3 of not playing.. :: I might have to indulge in the game, but find a foolproof way to not over indulge..

Oblivion was better than Skyrim in my opinion..

 

[gustavofring]

Maybe try to not fight it, but accept it. Accept your urge, and surrender to it, recognize the need you feel. Then make the concious decision that it's best to not start up the game.

I feel the more we try to fight something, the more problematic it gets. If we just take a minute to breathe and be concious of our thoughts the problem and urge disappears.

 

[Feeling_Nothing]

I spend a lot of time infront of my computer, wether it be videogames that I play with people I met online or just browse forums, listen to music, watch a video etc etc.

It keeps my mind of stuff irl, makes me escape...also I have no limit on my usage (in terms of download) and have fastest internet available in Belgium so that helps a lot

 

[Kat]

I spend a a lot of time. I'm studying full time online IT and graphic design I use to play video games but I'm taking a break whilst studying. I'll probably have a job doing something in computers one of these days the only time I get a rest from it is when I volunteer and sometimes that requires being on a computer. I'm a bit addicted I would say I'm able to take a break from forums but I usually go to the same places.

 

[Flowers-Of-Bloom]

I'm pretty sure I'm addicted to both the internet and video games. It's an escape because I'm terrible at the whole people thing. I have over 250 hours invested in Skyrim alone, far more time than what I spend in the real world. It's just as real as any physical addiction and I believe it has contributed greatly to my social problems.

 

[gustavofring]

It's not problematic when you have a job, a daytime activity. Then it indeed serves as a healthy escapism that doesn't interfere with your life.

I am stuck in graduation hell, working from home. No classes, no job. No progress because of excessive internet use. Which is why I have to limit it.

 

[Falkor]

I'm pretty sure I'm addicted to both the internet and video games. It's an escape because I'm terrible at the whole people thing. I have over 250 hours invested in Skyrim alone, far more time than what I spend in the real world. It's just as real as any physical addiction and I believe it has contributed greatly to my social problems.

I can so much relate. My life turned into a virtual world already, I'm online and i become an internet bot, because when someone in the ''Real World'' is asking me a question, I only say ''Ehehe..... Eeeh... Eeh.. Yeah.., i'm sorry what did you say?'' ''Eeheh.. owww.w. ooww.. yeah'' (just kidding, I try to be there for people when I can, I don't use internet around a visitor, only at home, darn I love it..

*if internet were a fetish, I would have had 1000000 orgasms a day :: (in a silly mood:

 

[oldkentroad]

The web is so addictive. Its got this natural random reward profile where you occasionally find things which make you laugh or whatever.. and that hooks you to keep surfing until you find another.

I used to read certain junk web forums obsessively until I realised that overall I was wasting a hell of a lot of time so then I went cold turkey on those sites, and didn't go back. Once I quit a site it seems easy to stay quit.. the problem is I start surfing some other random site in the gap which is made.

So right now my curses are a particular retro gaming forum, YouTube which I seem to now watch more than TV, and the perennial favourite, eBay..

 

[Gaucho]

I waste many hours a day wasting my time by scrolling the internet, and not even having fun, but because of not having enough courage to try to mke friends or make sport or join a club or whatever, i just sit for hours in front of my PC, and not even enjoying it!!!! what a useless life, its unbelievable

 

[AsTimeBurns]

^ same ....

 

[EscapeArtist]

what works more than trying to cut down is just trying to build other hobbies, you end up cutting down without noticing it, and eventually the internet is just not very entertaining when you have teh option to do something else. I am only addicted when there is nothing to do (or nobody to do with)

 

[SilentBird]

I do what I feel like for as long as I feel like doing it, without consideration for the consequences.

 

[Rxqueen]

I have the exact same problem. Since I lack an off line life I supplement it with a pretty crappy online life. I try not to go on facebook that often and have currently disabled my account to prevent myself from seeing the normal lives of my peers. While they are having children, getting married, and starting successful careers I'm stuck at home living a life worse than the one I had in high school. I tend to go through my list of "friends" (mostly high school and college acquaintances that I have probably spoken to no more than five minutes) and compare my life to theirs. Making my already low self esteem even lower.

I'm trying to replace sites like facebook with some like spw because it gives me hope and lets me know there are others like me. Even though many say you should end your online life by starting an offline one and talking to people in person how are you supposed to do that if every person you see makes you want to go hide in the bathroom for hours at a time? Or the fact that you seem to have lost your voice and reasoning skills as soon as someone tries to engage you in conversation.

For now I think it's a good idea to practice online and consider reality when it seems less frightening. A room full of people gives me nightmares....

 

[Rawz]

Yes and no.

As far as how much I use the internet: no. I'll be on the internet almost all day sometimes. If not, I'll be playing video games. Or watching movies.

As far as how much I download (Youtube videos, pictures, etc): yes. Due to where we live, my family has to use satellite internet. There is a limit of 375MB daily, and there are four of us. To help with this, I have an add-on that forces Firefox to only load images from the cache, which helps A TON.

Thankfully there is a "free time" from 2-7AM where nothing you download counts towards your limit. I set my computer to turn on before 2AM and set my download manager to download during this time and shut off my computer when it's done. Unfortunately Youtube video links usually expire after a couple of hours or so, so downloading Youtuve videos doesn't always work.

 

[gustavofring]

I dug up this thread and realised I made absolutely no progress at all since this thread several months ago, like most things my jitterbrain comes up with.

My internet cable at home broke yesterday night and this morning I went without internet. I am in the library now.

I must say I felt quite...at ease this morning. Normally I compulsively start up the internet and go surfing. Now I felt a quietness in my head I haven't felt for quite a while, and a genuine curiosity and will to go out and pluck the fruit of the day.

I think I won't buy a new one for the time being and keep my room internet free for a while, until I can break the addiction. I will go to the library if I absolutely need internet. Hopefully it will stop me being a hermit.