How do I get rid of a special interest?

Post Reply New Topic

I am obsessed with The Simpsons, but for reasons I don't want to get into, I need to get rid of that interest. But no matter what I do, I just get sucked back into watching it and talking about it. It's what I imagine a drug addiction is like; I NEED to watch it and talk about it, or else I can't focus on anything else until I get my fix. Does anyone have any advice on how to kick this addiction?

Wear rubber bands on your wrist. And snap them against your skin every time you get a Simpsons related thought in your head.

I once tried to get rid of a special interest. I slowly weaned myself off it, making that "fix" shorter and farther between each time. Now, years later, I still need a tiny "fix" once or twice a year, but that is enough for me and I can repress the impulses the rest of the time (they aren't so strong or frequent anymore).

^Those are both really good. I like that rubber band thing.

You could physically remove yourself from the TV/computer, so its more awkward to watch.

Remember to replace it with an incoming interest. Autistic people need to have interests to avoid negative wellbeing like depression and anxiety. If you are having trouble latching onto something, I recommend spending time with an animal you like, even if you have to go to a pet store, zoo, or someone else's house. Even watching birds and squirrels outside can be soothing.

Replace one special interest with the oppisite special interest.

Your new special interest is not watching The Simpons.

Make a game out of it. Go for as many days as you can without watching the Simpsons and then try to see if you can beat your record.

The way to successfully break obsessions is to remove the anxiety associated with not following through on the compulsion. Like, you don't -need- to watch and talk about the simpsons, what you -need- is the satisfaction associated with doing so. Ergo, your need is of satisfaction.

This is why drugs of abuse tend to not be abused in social settings, because the drug is a sh***y fulfillment for what seem to be innate social needs.


I don't know how to do that, and I know a lot of things that -don't- work (pretty much any sort of negative self-thought/self-talk), but I know that that's the solution :-p

Are you putting us all on?

How is "watching the Simpsons" interfering with your life?

Its not gambling, its not poisoning your lungs with cigarette smoke, its not boozing.

It doesnt even have a social stigma (like being a grown up who watches kid cartoons, or being a male person who watches "My Little Pony"). Its an animated sitcom for grown ups. Harmless, and socially acceptable to watch.

So whats the problem?

Well if you must know, I've posted on a Simpsons forum for the past nine years, but I said something I shouldn't have, and while I tried to fix things, I just kept making things worse by not seeing the big picture and having trouble seeing things from others' perspectives. They restricted my access to the Simpsons part of the board after I tried posting innocuously and everybody jumped on me for it, and the only reason I'm not banned is because I didn't actually break any rules. So my time there is over and I don't want to watch Simpsons, because it would make me want to go back to that board to talk about it. There are no other Simpsons boards out there.

Some people replace one habit or addiction with another one, eventually accumulating a long list.

But, I felt it would be more functional, to examine when and why this became so interesting.

Good luck. The only time my special interest wanes is just naturally

Getting proper medication is key to stopping you from getting bored all the time which is a big problem with me. Always feeling the need to keep occupied whether tv or computer. Be constructive at least with your special interest for now, try to look into the themes of the simpsons, critique episodes with theories, just make it deep and meaningful.

The problem isn't the special interest. The problem is the addiction. There's an interesting study done on rats. A while ago, scientists gave rats two bottles of water. One was normal, one was laced with cocaine. The rats soon became addicted to cocaine. Then later on the study was done again, but with a crucial difference: instead of being in an empty cage with nothing but water bottles, the rats were all in a big communal cage with other rats to play with, things to climb and chew on, anything a rat could possibly one. They only occasionally drank from the drug-laced water and overwhelmingly preferred the regular water.

Addictions are our way of trying to fill a void in our lives. What is the Simpsons giving you that you're not getting from your real life? You don't have to answer that here, but it's something you might want to think about.

Growing up, my special interest was roller coasters. I memorized, without trying, the statistics of every roller coaster in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. I imagine I may have bored people silly in discussing these rides. I just always thought that since I was interested in them, everyone else was too. Wrong. But I still love roller coasters. But I don't lecture about them anymore. However, you state that you want to get rid of your special interest, and that carries with it an important tool in losing it. You want it to go away. Whereas I don't want my roller coasters to go away. Though it is simpler to talk about it that you actually getting rid of your interest, I would imagine that you could try to find some other TV show to become fascinated with. Or, when you desired to watch the Simpsons and don't want to, you could always use a diversion tactic like work a crossword puzzle, play a computer game, or some other distracting activity. Good luck. Let us know how you do.