Are You a Problem Hubber?

How is HubPages like Cheers? When you become a regular, everybody knows your (user) name. Like Cheers visitors, HubPage participants experience a heady sense of camaraderie and fulfillment.

But there's no closing time for us. Luckily, the majority of those participating on HubPages can pick up or leave hubbing alone. They know when to say when and will never develop into problem hubbers or full-blown hubaholics. But for a small percentage of our community, hubbing can be addicting.

Are you Heading for Hub Trouble?

Answer these screening questions and decide for yourself if you, or someone you are a fan of, might be overdoing it.

HUBUSERS, or problem hubbers, are people who clearly hub too much on a regular basis and whose hubbing is self-destructive, non-lucrative, or presents a danger to others. Writers in this category still demonstrate the ability to set limits and establish some measure of control over their hubbing.

HUBUSE screening questions*

Would you answer "Yes" to one or more of the following during the past 12 months?

1. Have you, more than once, driven a vehicle other than a computer while you were hubbing, or after recently completing a post?
2. Have you gotten into situations while hubbing, or after hubbing, that increased your chances of getting hurt-like getting your hand caught in the refrigerator door, using machinery, walking in a dangerous or dark area, or near heavy traffic?
3. Have you continued to hub even though you knew it was causing you trouble with your job, family or friends?
4. Have you gotten into infantile comment debates or physical altercations with other hubbers or with family or friends directly related to your hubbing?
5. Have you had a period when your hubbing activity itself -or being tired or distracted from over-hubbing-interfered with taking care of your home or family, or caused job or school problems?
6. Have you ever gotten your hubs flagged? Have you been arrested, been held at a police station, or had legal problems because of your hubbing?

When hub abuse progresses it is called HUBAHOLISM, Hub Addiction or HubPage Dependence . In this state, the writer loses control and cannot stop hubbing despite severe physical and psychological consequences of excessive time spent writing, reading and posting comments to HubPages.

HUBAHOLIC screening questions*

Would you answer "Yes" to three or more of the following during the past 12 months?

1. Have you had times when you ended up on HubPages more than you meant to, or stayed on HubPages for longer than you intended?
2. Have you, more than once, wanted to, or tried to stop or cut down on your hubbing, but found you couldn't?
3. Have you found that you have to hub much more than you once did to get the effect you want, or that your usual volume of hubbing has much less effect than it once did?
4. When the effects of hubwriting and posting are wearing off, have you had trouble sleeping, or experienced physical withdrawal symptoms such as shaking, nervousness, nausea, restlessness, sweating or rapid heartbeat? Have you fantasized hub ratings that aren't there or had delusions of being a Best Hubber?
5. Have you written other types of material to avoid experiencing unpleasant after-effects of hubbing, or to recover from a poorly trafficked or flagged hub?
6. Have you continued to hub even though you knew it was making you feel depressed or anxious, causing a health problem or making one worse, or has caused writer's block or divorce?
7. Have you had a period when you spent an extreme amount of time hubbing, being overly elated or depressed over your hubbing, or getting over the after-effects of hubbing?
8. In order to hub, have you given up, or cut down on activities that were important to you, interesting or pleasurable?

*Adapted from: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism 

HUBAHOLISM - Treatment Options

Hubaholism is not yet a recognized condition like drug, gambling or sex addiction, although it is closely related to Internet addiction.

To my knowledge, there is no designated 12-step program or rehab specifically for Hubaholics. That's actually good news for us hubbers! It means we get to create our own recovery program - and it's already "anonymous" since all we know about each other is our user names and avatars.

You are all clever people, and very self-aware (as writers tend to be). If you see yourself slipping into hyper-hubbing mode, you might want to scale back or even go dark for a period (just to prove to yourself you can do it).

If you believe you've already crossed the line from hubbing for fun and profit to compulsive hubbing, I hereby invite you to share (as comment or as a separate hub) how you cope with your own dependency tendencies. Whether newcomer or expert hubber, your experience is invaluable to the rest of us -- and may even save a fellow hubber from disaster!