You made me smile.. did you really just say that?? But no, honestly not in my case.. I come here to relax... I have always done that relaxed online.. I first got online in 1994 and to me this is my equivalent of watching tv.. so I do it in spare time... to unwind.. I also think that it's a way of being less passive in my relaxation. tv is passive, you just absorb it.. or it absorbs you.. here you can interact, learn, parry... and even make lifelong friends :)
I'm here because I'm waiting for the mechanic to finish fixing the rear brakes on my truck. I've been here for a long, long time and they broke the caliper bracket so I could be here forever? Thank goodness for Answermug. : )
I think sites like this are more an outlet rather than a hiding place. A lot of folks are homebound, whether it's because of their own things or because they're a caregiver for someone else. That's the kind of thing that first brought me to AB. I was a stay-at-home mom and my ex was an alcoholic. I'd spend my days with the kiddos and by the time I'd get them to sleep at night, my ex would be wasted. AB gave me the only adult interaction I had- mental stimulation, laughs, companionship. I guess some might consider that an escape from real life, but my online life seeped into real life because I made real connections. I'm not in the same boat anymore, but the connections make AM a destination of choice anyway.
Zack 