I was in the gym the other day working out and I found myself becoming deeply engrossed in a TV show. By the time my workout session was over I was hesitant to leave because I so desperately wanted to see if the Dog Whisperer was going to be able to fix a dog that tried to fight it’s owner’s motorcycle.
I told myself, “no, it’s time to go,” and turned off the TV. I had to drag myself out of there and I thought to myself that I am SO glad that I don’t have cable TV at home.
TV addiction can waste our lives away
I can’t say this about all TV, but most of it just wastes our lives away. Sure there are some educational shows that provide some value and it is good for everyone to get some comic relief once in a while, but as a society most slowly waste their lives away in front of it. It is easy, convenient, and provides pleasure. That is a dangerous combination.
Each one of us are given the same 24 hours each day and everyday we choose how we are going to use them. Our success in life, our happiness, our ability to help others is all based on how we spend our hours. We choose to either seek our own pleasure or to do something more fruitful with our time.
Overcoming my addiction
I have found over the years that I have a bit of an addictive tendency. Maybe everyone is like that – I am not sure, but I have noticed it in myself. This is why my wife and I decided against getting cable when we got married. It is a bummer sometimes when we really want to sit down and want to watch TV, and there is nothing on the 7 or so free channels. But I am so glad we don’t have the option available to us.
I recently realized that this simple step of NOT having cable TV was the key to inhibiting TV addiction for me. The 7 free channels just didn’t have a strong enough pull to get me addicted. Of course I have to tell myself no once in a while, but it is a lot easier with 7 channels rather than 400.
What do you do to keep from becoming addicted to TV?
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{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
Im looking for a 12 step program to get off of TV myself. Still have the cable.
@Gholmes
I’ll bet there are some people out there with their 400 channels that never watch it…
Don’t get me wrong – I don’t have a problem with cable. The problem is me, I just have figured out that cable is a weakness of mine, just like chocolate around the house
I am happy to say that for the last 6-7 years, I have kept to a minimum of 4 hours of TV watching in a month. Oh sure, I set aside time for DVDs and entertainment, but actual TV shows, I haven’t watched one since I went to college. I find it a nuisance, and it distracts me from important things in my life.
To keep myself entertained, I’d read a novel or an interesting legal self-help book to gain more knowledge. They do say that reading helps you maintain your brain function and knowledge.
I believe that in the past 6-7 years, this is the first time that I actually paid pay-per-view for some show (Olympics), and it is quite addicting. Today alone, I’ve stayed in front of the TV a total of 4 hours. Time that could have been spent reading for my paralegal course. But then the Olympics only comes every 4 years, and I missed 2004 (so sad to see Ian Thorpe go).
I only watch tv on the weekends, Saturdays, mostly. The only exception is during the NBA season, and then I only watch games on the weekend.
I have a lot of shows I like, but I’ve been spoiled by living with someone that had tivo. Without it, tv’s completely unwatchable. With it, I know that I can have some entertainment during the weekends.
My wife and I don’t even have a TV. This was a conscious choice for us. Our neighbors must think we’re some kind of weird hyper conservative freaks or something. Seriously though, we don’t have anything against TV in general, it’s just that I have seen myself when I watch TV, and I become a vegetable — my jaw goes slack, I hardly blink, and I hardly move. I don’t want anything to have that kind of control over me.
We do love watching movies though, but it’s not anywhere near the same in my opinion. Two or three times a month we’ll rent a movie on iTunes and curl up on the couch together after a long Saturday of working around the house. We enjoy that time together, and I think the quality and entertainment value of movies is generally much higher than the average sitcom or reality show.
Children. Having children can be a sure way to not get sucked in to watching television– especially if they’re the active sort.
‘Course they could also become addicted and make it worse. Hmm…
@Luke
you are speaking my language – I feel just about the same way… Our friends think we are from mars because we don’t have cable – I can’t imagine what they would think if we got rid of the TV all together!! I wish we would!
What I am hearing is to get rid of TV. To have TV in rural Oregon one needs basic cable. Hate paying for channels other than ESPN and DIYnetwork.
Sorry MInTheGap but I have a 5 week old boy and flopping in front of the TV still happens.
Issue is that I am the one in the household that has the addiction. Others enjoy it in moderation.
I got over my TV addiction when I moved out of my parents house and had no cable and a TV antenna that only got one station that seemed to only play episodes of MASH and occasionally, a show where people would be dancing to polka music. I found better things to do pretty quickly.
I still don’t have cable and I don’t really miss it. However, recently my wife and I have been downloading a lot of japanese anime and watching that; which I am noticing is starting to eat up a lot of our time. We need to nip this time suck in the bud before it gets out of hand.
I’d like to get rid of the TV but I love playing video games on occasion and the Wii is tons of fun. Maybe my TV doesn’t have a digital signal converter, I wouldn’t be sad if it went dark after they switch over.
Well, can’t say that I didn’t try! I just find that with blogging and keeping up with the family I have little time for television– even when I have the desire to check out a movie!
For most of my life I’ve been able to find things I’d rather do than watch TV. The last show I watched regularly was Quantum Leap, which of course went off the air 15 years ago. I once went a stretch of a couple of years where the only thing I watched on TV was the World Series.
The key is to find other things to do instead. Enjoy a hobby, read books, get your news off the Internet (you’ll get more actual news that way anyway, since most TV news is basically the same as Entertainment Tonight). It’s amazing what you can accomplish in that reclaimed time.
Eventually, I got rid of my TV. There were also a few things that worked a little along the way.
1) Unplug the TV. This prevents kids from turning it on without asking first, although they eventually figure out how to do it themselves. It also helps give you time to think whether or not you really want to watch.
2) Cover the TV. Keep it out of site and out mind.
3) Fast-forward through commercials, which cuts TV Time by 25-33%.
4) Try a TV fast. Go completely without TV for at least a month. It was an accidental fast that first led me to question TV’s role in my life. Reintroduce TV back slowly afterward, if you want, that is.
I’ll also second cutting cable and finding other interests as good ways to limit TV, which have both already been mentioned.
But the only way for me and the kids to fully get in control was to get rid of the TV.
Good Luck,
Kathy
TV addiction is terrible, it causes numerous health and mental problems. People become lonely and selfish. People should stop watching TV and communicate more.