I will slowly build up the amount of time I watch Netflix/cable starting with abstinence until July 31st 2020.
Starting July 31st I will watch a maximum of 1 episode of umbrella academy each day with my sister on her account since it’s a thing we do together and we have been looking forward to for more than a year.
I will slowly start building up the amount of Netflix I watch until a maximum of 2 hours each day. This can be a combination of only shows and of a short movie and a show. I may exceed this limit when the only thing I watch that day is a movie that takes longer than 2 hours. Think of: The godfather, Avengers endgame, scarface etc…
After finishing Umbrella Academy, my limit will be 25 minutes of series each day for 2 weeks. I will then increase this number by 5 minutes every 2 weeks until I hit 2 hours per day.
As soon as I watch TV again I can watch a movie instead of series
Watching the news is allowed at all times and does not affect my amount of television allowed for that day.
As soon as I watch TV again I can watch a movie instead of series
This experiment is to figure out if it is possible to reverse an addiction in early stages of said addiction.
Do not do this yourself because thinking you can use moderately can kill you. If this addiction were substance-related I wouldn’t experiment with it.
Despite this addiction not being substance-related, I’m still putting my wellbeing at risk, so I’ll be very cautious. If I fail any of the previously listed rules I will live abstinent of series for the rest of my life.
I’m doing this experiment since there hasn’t really been a lot of research done on moderate use since it doesn’t occur often that someone realizes an addiction in an early phase and because others who’ve experimented relapsed since they weren’t in an early phase of their addiction.
I edited the title to include Netflix, as a title with moderating use may trigger some. I may also add a trigger warning.
We often have threads where people discuss moderating, I believe there are a few currently active ones. Discussing moderating activity is not against the rules.
Seeking Help, as an opt in category, is for posts when users are under the influence. More info is available here on Seeking Help…
Hope this helps clear up any confusion. I know everyone is coming from a place of caring.
I have not discussed yet with the other mods, but added in my thoughts above.
I will add though that we can form addictions to a myriad of substances, situations, things…and certainty Netflix is one of those things. Yes, we discuss watching Netflix on the main forum and that may be difficult for those who suffer with its use. We also discuss sweets, relationships, cough medicine, etc. So…a reminder to myself and all that just because it isn’t an issue for us, doesn’t mean it isn’t an issue for someone else. Empathy, compassion, consideration of others comes to mind.
I am happy to move this to Seeking Help if you would like or others would prefer. I appreciate everyone’s concern for the members. And again, I am so heartened by the care our members show eachother.
And most especially, wish @anon89207786 success with his Netflix issue.
I think you misunderstood completely. I am absolutely not planning on making it a full-on addiction. I wanna see if I have reached the point of no return yet. I am abstinent from Netflix for the first time in weeks. If it were me trying to get addicted i’d definitely not make a thread about it, but hit myself in the head a few times lol. I hope this clarifies it a bit
Not the first time I see someone just “talk” about moderation - like basically just write the word- and their posts are moved here. As I understand it, the seeking help section is for people when they are actually under the influence - not when they are thinking and seeking advice on moderation or trying to. There is no “Moderation” section, so when people are starting to question this (“maybe I can moderate…”) if there’s no place they can post about it so they can outreach (before the “seeking help” section which is when they are actually drunk or using) then where those people can get advice ? Where can we have an open discussion on this? I don’t know but I feel like someone’s who’s trying to get more sober time and moderate is on a certain path to recovery /sobriety… monitoring the addiction is still a part of recovery I think. So if there’s no moderation section, it has to be on recovery life or my story, but not seeking help - which is for the people who are actively looking for help while using ( I used it a couple of time as an emergency place to talk to someone…)
A quick search on moderating or moderation turns up many threads on moderating. I have discussed this with @Robin several times and respectful discussion of moderating is encouraged. Moderators do not move such discussions to Seeking Help unless the poster is actively using when posting. Hope this helps clarify a bit!
Hey yes ! You’re right I’ve seen it too and wrote my post after it was moved back, but still I saw at least 3 times someone’s move a post in seeking help because mentioning moderating or trying to « use less ». It was just an observation I made - not pointing anyone out. Thanks for making this place a safe place.
Yes that’s why I wrote my original post… I think people move thread in seeking help without the right reason (I.e. the member isn’t under the influence while posting, just addressing issues)
01:00-10:00 Thought about Netflix a few times while trying to sleep.
10:45 My sister is watching Netflix in the same room as me. No cravings yet.
21:00 My mom turned in the tv in front of me. Fought the urge to watch, despite my chronic curiosity. Great timing to inform my mom that I’m watching tv less for now.
Did you consider simply restricting your watching to whenever you are sharing that time and experience with someone? This is very different from binging alone.
This is what I will do at first when building up the amount of time I watch Netflix. Once I start watching Netflix, I’ll only watch with my sister.
Eventually I will watch alone, because my sister isn’t really into some shows that I’m into, like one punch man, suits, arrow. She’s more into comedy without a good story.
21:45 After working for 7 hours and cycling I really badly wanted to watch the tv when I sat down, but that craving lasted about 5 seconds
From the fact that there are almost no cravings and that when there are cravings they are short and often weak, and the fact that it has been only 3 days, I can make an educated guess that there’s about 80% chance that the addiction can be reversed.
