Hi LMo --

I've had a simlar concern. Making a big mess for myself so that I was embarrassed to show my avatar around here helped a lot.

Here are some things that are helping me to cut back:

1. The previous suggestions -- to make time here a reward for fulfilling other responsibilities

2. I removed the Forums icon from my toolbar, so that I have to go into my bookmarks. This extra process to click-through forces me to think about whether I really have time and want to be here. It also reminds me that I've made a resolve to attend to other things -- and to keep my promise to myself.

3. Going slowly. I do seem to need the support I find here and give here, so going cold turkey is not helpful for me. Not being angry with myself when I fail. I resolved that I wouldn't start posting again until April 1. But what was the point once I noticed that I was feeling less balanced without the connection. One of my spiritual mentors emphasized that it's okay to change one's mind when you decide the first decision was wrong; that it's foolish to insist on following through with a harmful course of action.

4. Setting a time limit for how much time I am allowed to spend here. That has led to making more conscious choices about which threads I will read and which I won't. For a period of time, I took pride in being a first or early responder to new people, either in responding to posts and/or with a PM. Now, I am putting my energy into consolidating and strengthening old ties. I think there are enough of us here so that there is room for each of us to put our energy into the threads and activities that bring us the most support and satisfaction.

Setting time limits for time spent here has been very helpful. It really makes me think about what I have time to read and to answer.

5. "Just say no." Sometimes I just have to say no to myself. Very very hard at first. But gotta keep trying without beating myself when I fail, just like with any addiction. I think recovering from an addiction is especially hard when it's impossible to have a complete cut-off -- as in food addiction. So long as one has to eat, there is always the temptation to eat a bit more and things that aren't good for one. Being at PC is like that for me -- I have to learn what my best balance is.

6. Becoming super sensitive to how I feel -- especially bodily symptoms. It seems you've reached a point where you suspect being here so much is not good for you. Become aware of those bodily sensations -- anxiety that you're not doing things on your to-do list. If we become unaware of those unpleasant symptoms, the "payoff" in being here decreases. By the same token, become aware of the pleasurable feelings of being here when you know that you've "earned" the joy of being here.

I am very much going through the same process. Thank you for the opportunity to write out what I've been doing -- because it has really helped me to clarify my thoughts and emotions about this thorny problem.

BTW, you asked for people in the professional counseling field to respond. I am not. I am in long-term recovery (since 1988) from other addictions.

Good luck with it, LMo.