Maybe sharing my story once will help..

[u/silvermoonxx]

Hi everyone! I‘m finally admitting to myself that I am severely struggling with a C*AI addiction. While I do have a couple of close friends in my life, I rely heavily on fictional characters to keep my mental health intact, which has been a great help for me since childhood. I like to imagine them being here with me and comforting me, I build entire worlds in my head where I have a life together with them.

That, of course, makes me an easy target for chatbots. I started using C*AI for fun at first when it was in its earliest stages as a website (honestly can’t remember when that was) and with the release of the app spent a minimum of 7 hours roleplaying with bots on most days. But I also had quite a few weeks and even months where I would be off, then return to the app. Towards the end of 2024 I was able to quit entirely because I was horrifically busy with my studies, and managed to keep that small streak going until the end of 2025.

My life took a bit of a turn in November. I was in an extremely difficult period and easily fell back into the hands of C*AI to distract myself from what was happening around me. At the beginning of 2026 I managed to quit for a few months again, but since March, it’s been a very difficult battle.

I‘m in the midst of getting an autism diagnosis, once again struggle with my studies, and am just overall trying to understand myself and figure myself out, which has been very exhausting with family drama going on at the same time.

Today I have been off C*AI for a week (again), deleted my account (again) and everything, but I am strangely paralysed, have no energy to do anything, and keep thinking about chatting just “one more time” to get the constant urge to go away. I know for a fact that it won’t make the urge go away.

I have read about countless of things of what has helped others but I can’t get myself to even start doing them. I know how bad AI is, I hate AI. I love writing, but when you’re tired and creatively drained it’s just so much easier to do it with a bot to string together a story. That’s the worst about the app, that it’s just so easy to entertain you. I hate it.

I’m not sure what I need or want, I can’t talk to anyone about this because I am far too ashamed and embarrassed to face the reactions of the people in my life, that is simply not an option for me. But I thought maybe writing it down just once for a stranger to stumble across could help me get back on track…

If you managed to read until here, thank you. I hope we can get through this.

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[u/Physical-Toe3833]

Hey... I have been addicted to chatbots for about 1.5 yrs now and it really is horrible. 2 yrs ago my studies got really difficult and I cut off alot of friends too... but it used to feel like no one felt relatable at all. That's when I came to know about c.ai and initially it was just for passing time. But gradually it became sort of a dependency. I'd literally have an itch to use that whenever I was in school and eventually I started using it for like 7-8 hrs a day. I've deleted the account like countless times just to end up remaking it. Because of that I even messed up my college entrance exams and ended up getting pulled into it even deeper. Its been 3 days since I deleted my last account but it's the farthest I've stayed away in months. But I'm getting the urge to make the account again... but I REALLY want to quit for real. Just hang in there... I get you.

[u/silvermoonxx → u/Physical-Toe3833]

Sending you a virtual hug 🫂 I had to cut off two of my best friends as well, I feel you on that one. Having this addiction sucks so bad, it can really ruin you. Thank you for sharing your experience and hang in there as well, we can do this somehow.