Hi everyone,

I have been an active hobbyist for the last 15 years or so and have come to grips that, while the hobby provides value to many (myself included), it's time to move on. As a small background, I am a 42-y.o. man who lost my wife to cancer 15 years ago and was not ready to enter into another relationship for many years. The hobby (as well as work and grad school) became my salvation grace as it's how I dealt w/ the loss, and quite frankly, was cathartic for me. I now realize that I am an addict (rough estimate of perhaps 1500 appointments in my hobbying career) and cannot stop (even after I started to date other women again). Not surprisingly, the relationships have not sustained. I am certainly not blaming my addiction to the hobby by any means (I know many in the hobby have wonderful life partners), but it's one of a number of items that I believe I need to change to give myself the best opportunity to find love again. I know that I'll never be able to be committed 100% to "the one" again until I kick this habit. Please understand I am not judging the hobby. I just now realize that it has served its purpose for me, and I'm now finally ready to move onto the next phase of my life.

Can anyone suggest through personal experience effective counseling or other mediums to help one kick this habit? I would be most grateful.

I wish everyone all the best.

Regards,

Duchovny