The Keep:Digital Addicts Anonymous

The Keep: Index > The Armory > Digital Addicts Anonymous

As of January 2023, Digital Addicts Anonymous has been converted to private. Habiticans interested in joining should message guild leader Maellen.

As of May 6, 2020, all dead links on this page have been removed.

About the Guild[]

Digital Addicts Anonymous is a guild for those seeking to improve their relationships with their digital media and devices. Habiticans struggling with digital media of all kinds—video games, social media, music, streaming sites, news services, phones, and even Habitica!—are welcome. DAA is not affiliated with classic 12-step programs.

Please don't feel shy if you get the impression that everyone else in the guild is much less or more addicted than you are! This guild is for 24/7 hardcore gamers as well as people who want to check their email only once per day instead of thrice, and everyone in between.

Significant others, family, and friends of digital addicts are also welcome here.

Guild History[]

Digital Addicts Anonymous was originally named "Gaming Addicts Anonymous" but then merged with "Interneters Anonymous", broadening its topic to other addictive activities besides gaming. The names of the original leaders of these guilds has been lost to time.

The guild was among several that were captured by pirates. During subsequent years pirate captain Mara the Marine Marauder dutifully watched over the guild until passing leadership to EliotThe on April 10, 2019. (Note that EliotThe also has a wiki page.) Digital Addicts Anonymous was converted from public to private in January 2023, in the interest of maintaining a friendly space after Habitica dismissed its dedicated team of community moderators; all Habiticans are still welcome to join via invite from a current member, including by request via direct message to the guild leader.

As of February 2, 2023, the current guild leader is Maellen.

Tailoring Habitica for Digital Addicts[]

While Habitica can be a great tool for redefining your relationships with your digital media and improving other areas of your life, some aspects of the game can draw in digital addicts a little too much! Here are some tips to help you make the best of your experience as a digital addict on Habitica.

Use either the app or the website, but not both. You may not need to access Habitica from all your devices. If pulling out your phone to check off a task will lead you to also open a distracting app, maybe it’s best to only access your account from the computer. Alternatively, see some of the app blocking software under Resources to keep your phone and computer activity under control.

Bookmark public guilds instead of joining them. Joining a guild prompts Habitica to send you notifications when there is activity in the guild chat. Currently there is no way to disable these notifications. However, you can read and post in the chat as well as participate in challenges for any public guild without being a member. If you don’t want notifications, just leave the guild and make a bookmark to come back when you want to make a post or check on how things are going. (Note: While this method will work for Digital Addicts Anonymous and other public guilds, it does not work for private guilds since you must be a member to access private guilds.)

Disable private messaging. On the website, you can disable private messaging by toggling "Disable Private Messages" in the upper right corner of your inbox. However, this is generally not recommended since other Habiticans, such as your party leader, will no longer be able to reach you.

Use Habitica Lite + Email to check off your tasks without logging in to Habitica. Habitica Lite + Email by @oraneg is a Google Apps Script that will display your tasks as a simple HTML page. If email is not a distracting activity for you, you can also configure Habitica Lite + Email to send your tasks right to your inbox to be checked off. Parties, Guilds, and the rest of Habitica’s features are still accessible by logging in to the website or app just like normal!

TIP: You can combine Habitica Lite + Email with the blocking apps listed under Resources to set a schedule to block Habitica’s website (and/or the app). Then just use Habitica Lite + Email to see and check off your tasks while the website (and/or the app) is blocked.

Use blocking software to block particular pages like the Tavern, guilds, and party. Some blocking software can block specific web pages instead of entire websites, so you can block just the parts of the Habitica website that you’d like to stay off of.

Use an extension to customize the Habitica website. All of these will work in Chrome, Firefox, or Opera (as well as a few others compatible with Stylish):

Habitica Highly Customizable Navbar by citrusella can hide any button in the header other than the sync button or the user menu button; anything under the user menu except the settings and logout buttons can also be hidden. The pages for any buttons you hide will still be accessible by typing the appropriate URL into your browser.
Habitica Compact Light Header by sonnet73 can remove party information from the header and move the search bar into the header. It can also make the header light gray instead of purple. Party information can still be viewed in the Party page.
Hide Habitica Header by sonnet73 hides the entire ribbon under the navigation bar, including personal stats and all party information. Personal stats are still accessible through “Profile” in the user menu. Party information can still be viewed in the Party page.
Simple View/Hide the Gamification by gpunktschmitz hides all of the gamification elements of the website, including the notification that the player is in the Inn.
Habitica no top bar by Ash B removes the top bar, including promotions for subscriptions or other microtransactions. Note that this also removes the notification that the player is in the Inn, but the player can still enter and leave the Inn on the Tavern page.
Tavern's Closed, Go Home by citrusella hides all Tavern chat. The Inn is still accessible.

TIP: If you choose to bookmark Habitica pages whose buttons you hide with extensions, make sure not to put them in plain sight in your bookmarks bar! To avoid your browser auto-filling URLs to particular Habitica pages, configure your browser to not autocomplete URLs.

Resources[]

Blocking and Time Tracking Software[]

This is probably the most useful section of this wiki page! Blocking software can make it much easier to escape the clutches of a digital addiction. If you know a useful blocking tool that isn't on the list yet, please mention it in the guild chat or the talk page!

If you don't find anything suitable for you in the lists below, you can try searching for similar software with alternativeto.net. (For example, they have a long list of Cold Turkey Alternatives and Similar Software.)

Computer-Wide[]

(Last update: May 6, 2020.)

Listed loosely in order of increasing cost.

The DIY purist version for Windows: Editing one's HOSTS file is completely free. It has the added advantage of preventing the user from seeing embedded content from unwanted sites. For example, if YouTube is blocked from the hosts file then YouTube videos anywhere online—like in blog posts or on websites—will not play.
Cold Turkey Blocker freeware for Windows or Mac blocks selected websites. "Locked mode" prevents the user from stopping a blocking session until its scheduled end. It also tracks time spent on websites and programs. Notably, the collected data is saved locally to the user's computer and is never sent elsewhere.
- The pro version (one-time payment of CAD $29) can also block executable files (like offline games), specific web pages (instead of entire websites), all websites except a whitelist, the entire internet, and/or your entire computer. It is also capable of scheduling and executing Pomodoro sprints. (Note: As of May 6, 2020, more features have been added to the free and pro versions which are not yet reflected here. The price is accurate.)
SelfControl open-source freeware for Mac blocks selected websites. A blocking session cannot be stopped until its scheduled end.
Chomper is a Python command-line program for Linux. It can block selected websites or all websites except a whitelist.
RescueTime freeware for Mac, Windows, Linux, Chrome OS, Android, and iOS tracks time on websites and applications and assigns a "productivity score" to the user based on their activities. Activities and their productivity scores are entirely customizable. The user can set goals for their activity, receive weekly email reports on their performance, and view their usage history for the previous three months.
- RescueTime Premium (USD $9 monthly or USD $72 yearly subscription) can track time away from the computer (meetings, calls, etc.), alert the user when their daily goals are reached, and block websites according to different levels of "strictness" with or without a locked mode. User data is available for their entire time using the service.
- Note: Android and iOS versions do not have website blocking or app blocking.
ActivityWatch open-source freeware for Windows, Mac, and Linux tracks time spent on websites, applications, and specific active windows. It can also detect and record when the user is away from keyboard (AFK). Collected data is saved locally to the user's computer. A word of caution: This one is best for more tech-savvy users since everything is on GitHub, and it does not have an installer. (Note: Tracking specific web activity requires installing browser add-ons.)
FocusMe (USD $5.99 monthly, USD $39.99 yearly, or USD $149.99 lifetime subscription; 30% discount for students and educators) for Windows, Mac, and Android can block selected websites, all websites except a whitelist, and/or executable files (like offline games). Includes time tracking. "Forced Mode" prevents the user from stopping a blocking session until its scheduled end. Highly customizable and flexible, although may be a bit complicated. (See the FocusMe Guide for details.) Partnered with Habitica in 2016.
Freedom (USD $6.99 monthly, USD $2.42/month yearly, or USD $129 lifetime subscription) for Windows, Mac, ChromeOS, Android, and iOS can block the entire internet, particular websites, or particular desktop or mobile apps. "Locked Mode" prevents the user from stopping a blocking session until its scheduled end, but can be overridden by rebooting the computer. It is capable of scheduling. Syncs across all devices on which it is installed.

In One Browser Only[]

LeechBlock blocks selected websites or all websites except selected ones, either immediately or after an allowed time, blocked/allowed websites can also be specified via regular expressions, free extension for Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Opera, and a few other browsers
Productivity Owl closes selected websites, or all websites except selected ones, after a short while, free extension for Google Chrome
StayFocusd blocks selected websites, or all websites except selected ones, free plugin for Google Chrome
WasteNoTime blocks selected websites or all websites except selected ones, either immediately or after an allowed time, does time tracking, blocked/allowed websites can also be specified via regular expressions, free extension for Google Chrome and some versions of Safari

Dedicated Mobile Apps[]

(Last update: May 6, 2020)

Screen Time is built into iOS for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. It can set allowances for screen time, time spent in individual apps, and content ratings. Its summary includes time spent on apps by category, app use by time of day, an overview of notifications, and how often the device is unlocked.
Google’s Digital Wellbeing is built into selected Android phones, including the Google Pixel. It can set allowances for time spent in individual apps. Its summary includes screen time, device unlocks, and an overview of notifications. Its “Wind Down” feature can set a schedule to toggle grayscale mode and Do Not Disturb.
Forest is an app for Android (free) and iOS (USD $1.99); it also has browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox. You choose a period of time to focus, during which a digital tree grows in a digital forest. If you leave the app, the tree dies! Successful sessions award gold which can be used to unlock other types of trees.
- Forest Pro Version (included in iOS version; USD $1.99 for Android; browser add-on syncing requires purchase of either app) includes planting real-life trees, a customizable whitelist, personalized tags, phone usage and screen time statistics, and planting digital trees with friends.
Moment is a free app for Android and iOS. It tracks screen time and phone pickups; it also displays the percentage of time that spent on your phone since installing the app.
- The iOS version includes Moment Family which helps families set time to disconnect together.
- The Moment Coach subscription (USD $7.99/month or USD $59.99/year) helps users reduce their screen time through habit-building courses.
Other blocking apps: Nowadays there are myriad options for third-party blocking and time tracking apps. Apps recommended by Digital Addicts Anonymous members include:
- Digitox for Android is a free app which interrupts the user with a reminder whenever they have gone over a preset screen time limit. It does not forcefully block apps.
- Stay Focused for Android. (Note: No whitelist feature.)
- AppBlock for Android. (Note: No whitelist feature.)
- Off the Grid for Android locks the entire phone unless the user pays money.

Tips and Tricks[]

Some blocking software (for example Cold Turkey and Focus Me ) can be used in such a way that blocked apps and websites can't be unblocked during a blocking period. If your blocking software doesn't have this as a built-in feature, sometimes there is a workaround that allows you to simulate it: If you include the blocking software itself in its list of blocked apps, you can't access it during the blocking period, and, hence, can't change the list of unblocked apps and websites to unblock anything. (For example, this method is possible with AppBlock .)

Self-Help Websites[]

Online Gamers Anonymous
reddit: StopGaming
SMART Recovery (about addiction in general, but with no specific advice for gamers)
zen habits (has various tools for and articles about quitting a bad habit, for example the Quit Plan & Journal Template, A Brief Guide to Quitting a Bad Habit and The Quickstart Guide to Quitting a Bad Habit)

Challenges[]

This list doesn't just contain the challenges within the guild, but all the on-topic challenges that the editors of this page could find in Habitica. (Latest search: October 07, 2016. Latest edit: May 6, 2020.)

If an anti-addiction challenge is in a generally pro-gaming guild, a gaming addict might not want to join that guild permanently.

Digital Detox: The First 30 Days in the Digital Addicts Anonymous guild
I am the Night! (Official TAKE THIS Challenge Archive) in the 📜 Library of Tasks and Challenges (focuses on switching off screens in time to go to sleep in the evening)
It’s Dangerous to Go Alone! (Official TAKE THIS Challenge Archive) in the 📜 Library of Tasks and Challenges (encourages you to cultivate offline friendships and relations)
It's time to move - Ingress and various other Ingress-related challenges in the Ingress Players guild (not really anti-addiction - but if you have to game, you can at least play a game that takes you sightseeing in real life)

There are probably more. If you find any, or notice that some have ended, please help by editing this page accordingly!

It can also be very helpful to start a duel challenge in the ⚔ The Duelling Grounds ⚔. That way, there is often a stronger sense of accountability, and you can customize the challenge to your situation. For ideas how to set up a duel challenge, please read that guild's wiki page.

Guilds[]

A list of various Habitica guilds that might be helpful in this context.

Gaming/Internet addiction-themed guilds: We're currently the only active one. (That's a good thing! One guild per topic is usually better than many small half-abandoned ones.)
General addiction-themed guilds: Bad Habits and 12 Stepping Habiteers (the latter focuses on the twelve-step program approach).

About This Wiki Page[]

Changes and Updates[]

Former guild leader EliotThe is no longer actively updating this page as of February 16, 2023.

If you think something should be added, removed, or changed on this page, you can edit this wiki page yourself! If it is a major change, please notify the guild leader before the edit via Habitica Private Message, or chat in the Digital Addicts Anonymous guild. If it is a minor change (updating a link, correcting a typo, etc.) notification isn't necessary. If you don't want to make the edit yourself, you can write your suggestions on this page's talk page, tell them to the guild leader (the same way as with major changes), or ask for help in the Wizards of the Wiki guild.

Search Keywords[]

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