[sky dancer]

I don't know if this fits anywhere else. I have used the internet over the last couple of years obsessively as a way to avoid uncomfortable feelings.

I'm in treatment for PTSD.

The pattern I have is to go on political forums and find the meanest poster I can find to tangle with--or to support the least popular poster--the underdog.

This is a re-enactment of of trauma bonding from my childhood abuse.

Anyone else have a similar compulsion?

A strategy that I am trying now is that I installed a program that blocks certain sites.

If I find myself --addicted to the site--I ask my partner to put that site to be blocked.

I can still access these restricted sites on public computers--such as the library but it seems to be working so far.

It's ironic, that I would become a new member here, at another forum, but at least, the purpose of posting here is not argument by definition--as it is in political or crime forums.

Looking forward to getting to know some of you.

[Christina86]

Hi ((((((((Sky Dancer)))))))))))))))))

I have heard that sometimes people do that... I don't think it's a very healthy thing to do, but I can understand the motivation. In my brain I'm a big fan of "negative attention is better than NO attention".

I'm glad you're here

[Miracle1986]

My brain tends to say, "Negative attention is better than no attention" too.
And if I think about, I guess I kinda do similar things.
I don't go to political forums, but I use the internet to avoid uncomfortable things too.
I am actually pretty anti-social at times, because I am worried what people will think about
and/or they won't like me, so I use the internet to form "virtual relationships"
so I won't have to risk being hurt in real life relationships.

[sky dancer]

Originally Posted by Manda86

My brain tends to say, "Negative attention is better than no attention" too.
And if I think about, I guess I kinda do similar things.
I don't go to political forums, but I use the internet to avoid uncomfortable things too.
I am actually pretty anti-social at times, because I am worried what people will think about
and/or they won't like me, so I use the internet to form "virtual relationships"
so I won't have to risk being hurt in real life relationships.

Well, I've used the internet forums to re-enact abuse. Not so healthy. I've gotten hooked on battling it out with some very negative people who are very mean.

It didn't start out this way. It was innocent in the beginning. Now I see that one of the feelings I am most uncomfortable with is anger, and standing my ground. So a 'safe' way, my distorted thinking says, is to have on-line arguments--where the worst thing that can happen is I'm called ugly names.

It's not terribly 'B word' of me. B word is my faith--which I'm not allowed to freely say on this forum.