#chatbot addiction

[otlantispearlxox]

Dear, shapes.inc,

As a recovering c.ai addict,

FUCK YOU

[weirdozjunkary]

We Asked The Obvious Question About SweetDream

Reporting on the AI companion space means fielding one question more than any other, usually phrased with a shrug: is it actually worth it? Specifically, people want to know whether SweetDream is worth trying as an AI girlfriend before they invest any real attention. So we treated it like any beat, observing rather than selling, and the pattern was hard to ignore.

The first thing newcomers notice on sweetdream.ai is how much control they get. You're not picking from a rack of pre-built personalities; you're designing one, from appearance and voice down to the small behavioral quirks that make a character feel lived-in. The second thing they notice is the conversation itself, which is unusually natural and emotionally aware, holding onto context instead of forgetting you between sessions.

Then come the extras that quietly tip the scale: strikingly realistic generated photos and videos, human-sounding voice messages and phone calls, video and live cam sessions with select characters, all wrapped in real privacy. Against rivals like candy.ai, SweetDream reads as the more complete AI companion. The obvious question gets an unsurprising answer.

[weirdozjunkary]

To those who suffer with an AI chat bot addiction, just know that you are not alone in this. These chat bots are extremely predatory, and thrive on taking advantage of those who are emotionally vulnerable. The world, especially now, can seem very isolating and cruel. But just know that there are so many people who care about you, and so many people that you can meet and form bonds with.

And those who have relapsed back into their addiction, or struggle to leave it, you’re not lesser because you cannot easily leave your addiction just yet. It’s an addiction for a reason. It’s not wrong to need more time in escaping such a situation. Acknowledging your addiction and wanting to improve is the first positive step forward.

This post is mainly focused on those with a chat bot addiction. But if you suffer from an addiction of any form, this also applies to you. You all have the ability to improve, even if it takes a long time.

This is coming from someone who has a chatbot addiction, and has relapsed a few times due to its predatory nature.

[rockjulemantis]

Today I am 200 days ai chatbot free! It was difficult to get to this point but I am proud to say that I have managed to go without using Character AI or any other platform for 200 days!

I am extremely proud of myself for making this far and I will continue to not use chatbots!

[suneat3rr]

This is VERY different from what I usually post, but I wanted to talk about ai addictions for a second. Yes it’s a real thing, yes it’s an actual addiction. For a long time, I was addicted to character.ai. I used it every day, I would use it in class, during dinner, when I was supposed to be sleeping, etc. basically I was always talking to ai chat bots. I became uncomfortable and antsy when not using it, and I would talk to my friends less and less. My mental health was at an all time low. At some point I realized I was being completely hypocritical. I was so anti ai art, but I replaced reading books and fanfics with ai chats. Writers are artists too, and I replaced them with ai.

If anyone out there is struggling with an ai chat addiction, here’s what worked for me: see if your phone has a way to limit times on apps. Set a time limit for your ai of choice, lower the time limit as time goes on. When you’re ready, delete the app. It won’t work for everyone, but it really helped me.

[a-silly-poll-side-blog-yay]

hope it is not too personal to ask but i have seen your post and wanted to ask how have you been able to stop using chatbots? i have been struggling for a year and its mentally distressing for me as someone who knows what it is doing to me but i have been unable to pull away i just need advice

Basically it went like this:

every now and then when I hand someone my phone to show something they end up going through my phone instead

And this would be awkward for someone, ANYONE to find my character ai app and scroll through my chats

So every time i knew i was giving my phone to a person like this i deleted the app in shame instead of admitting to having a problem because if they couldn't see a problem there was no problem or so i thought

I've been using character ai as long as it exists, deleted the app, used it in browser or reinstalled the app or deleted the account entirely and ended up making a new one on the same day

I tried using these i am sober apps or any similar things but it just didn't work for me and I was really, really ashamed but i excused myself saying that I'm using it because I'm bored and have nothing better to do {i had, i just ignored everything}

Then one day when I deleted it I was busy, really busy because of the chores and basically I had to do other stuff that stole my time and then I realised that it's been a whole week! This happened and my max timing was like 3-4 days and after a few days the strong urge to re-download the app just for a "small short chat" returned

When this happened I was trying to find ANYTHING just to make myself busy even if it was just staring at my pets or making the cooking time longer on purpose {for example chopping things separately piece by piece} and put the phone as far away as possible just to avoid reaching for it out of habit

Was I more pissed off around that time and moody at whoever who wanted to talk to me? Yes, a lot

Was that withdrawal? Probably because I got really emotionally dependent on this shit

Hope this helps! All stories are different after all and hope you'll manage to also get out from this because as I mentioned once this is addictive as fuck and nobody takes this addiction seriously because they'd rather joke about you having no shower or life instead of asking if you're ok or want to talk

[harpsichordkeys]

there really should be an option to block a specific ad and let another one take its place. all the shapes.inc stuff could be very dangerous or triggering for those who have recovered or are recovering from a chatbot addiction and you aren't even allowed to say "i don't want to see this ad, show me another one." come onnnn

(this post is anti-AI)

[aydien677]

You mentioned a use of ai and how you no longer use it. I hate ai but I find it very addictive if that makes sense. I was just wondering if you have any tips on quitting for good? The longest I've gone is a month but I always get sucked back. (The endless ads & endless access probs doesnt help) I find it harder to quit than literal addictions I've gone sober from. We may use different ai's you mentioned writing stories, I use chat bots cuz I'm lonely, but I figure any advice might be exactly what I need to change.

Ok I should have clarified better that I never used ai to actually write stories ever, I was also a chatbot user that went in with what I wanted in mind because I wanted a story to fill whatever loneliness I was going through. It's actually been around two years now since I stopped after I learned how bad they actually were I went straight to writing and reading fanfiction. You're already sorta writing with responses to chatbots which are basically just interactive stories so there is still a level of cognitive thinking in it since you're still in control of the story going on. Most are usually already going in with an idea in mind of what they want so writing fanfiction is a fast way out, especially with the chatbots hijacking a story and taking it somewhere you don't want it to go you will also be free of that bad interaction. If you need prompts to figure out what to write I'd say look up promptober/angstober/flufftober since those charts provide the good stuff and you can specify. Ao3 is also a good place to migrate to since the tagging system is specific. There's some good fanfiction communities out here such as Obey Me, Love and Deepspace, Moriarty The Patriot, or Bungo Stray Dogs which is helpful for the loneliness and chatbots are sorta similar to x reader fics except the fics are from real people. It's honestly replacing one thing with another similar thing that's less harmful but gets that same result for the user/reader.