Here is a post I always enjoy reading, I am about to post a comment from a fellow former hobbyist, he was considered a marginal poster, at the moment, I will give an anonymous credit
I am not the author of what's following, I can't take credits.
Here is his version of the addiction to the hobby:
The Five Phases of Hobbying
Here are the five phases of hobbying as I see them:
Phase #1: From Porn to Escorts sites
You are tired of watching porn all day. You wanna have sex with a hottie so you run a search on Google for "Montreal Escorts" and presto you find a website full of pics of beautiful ladies.
Phase #2: From Lurker to Dipper
You decide it is time to meet an escort because you can't take it any longer. This is a difficult decision because deep inside you know you shouldn't be cheating and you know you shouldn't be paying for sex.
Despite your ambivalence, you decide to take the plunge. Unfortunately, you go for the ladies that look good but do not have authentic pics.
After getting burned by a few bait & switch operations, you start reading the reviews to try and make sense of this jungle they call Hobbyland.
You start reading reviews, getting to know which players are worth reading and who is full of shit. You pay attention, take careful notes of who are the respectable agencies and which ladies are worth meeting.
You register your handle on both Montreal escort review boards and start actively writing reviews on SPs and MPs
Phase #3: The Manic Phase
This is the most dangerous phase. You become completely engrossed by this activity. It consumes every fiber of your living being.
You start writing glowing reviews on every single lady you meet. You experience a whirlwind of emotions and an adrenaline rush as you move from one masseuse to another escort, always trying to get another "fix" to surpass your last "fix".
You deny that you've become a full fledged addict but your actions, your finances and your thoughts all point to a different direction.
Phase #4: From the Brink of the Abyss to Sobering Reality
Right before you hit rock bottom, you pull yourself together. You stop hanging around with people who remind you of hobbying. You stop trying to help SPs, realizing that all they care about is $$$ and themselves.
As you learn more about Hobbyland, you become totally disgusted with all the lies and bullshit that permeate it.
You still hobby, but not as intensely, realizing that you will never find anything of value in Hobbyland.
Phase #5: You See the Light and Wither Away
The final phase is a long one, but most guys see the light and wither away. They realize the banality of this activity, accepting the that their physical and emotional insatiability will never be quenched by this inherently vacuous activity.
For the lucky few, they rediscover the virtues of true love and move on.
Again, I can't take credit for that post, I am not the author of that post.