Is it possible To give up TV?

[dave50]

I find most TV programs these days boring or banal and coming home from work and sitting in front of the box every night is becoming somewhat tedious. Has anyone succeeded in actually given up watching TV and if so what have they done in its place? Has anyone any suggestions that doesn't involve spending a fortune? Even to have to ask this question shows how TV has taken over our lives.

[daffy654]

I haven't completely given up TV but only watch two programmes a week.

[chrissa1]

What do you do in the evenings shortstraw?

[cathfromsaron]

one day for a study skills exercise at uni, i added up all the time i spent watching soaps and gave them all up on the spot, apart from corrie!

from neighbours, h&a to the bill, corrie, enders, emmerdale it was hours and hours per week!

as a single parent i couldn't go out, but still felt it wasn't productive or useful!

so then, as a family, we read and socialised more! i completed my part time degree and got a 2:1! both my daughters did more homework and joined groups!

i still watch carefully chosen series, the news and corrie! but it hopefully doesn't take over any more! xx

[DrFilth]

i have not had a tv on or watched one for well over 2 years, i have read books, have a large cd collection and have the internet

i have watched a couple of things on i player catch up which is legal with no tv licence

must be honest i can't be bothered watching that and it is free
, it has to be something that i really want to see for me to even click the i player link


i plan to set my tv up to watch dvd's and videos, have been saying this for over 2 years as i have lots of videos and some dvd's that i plan to see again

i have a box set of dvd's that i bought in 2008 and they are still sealed in the bag with the receipt

it is just finding the time to do it

[Old_Geezer]

When I was a lot younger the TV broke and my parents didn't have the money for another one, so I was forced to give it up, and least for many months. So it is obviously possible to do. These days i tend to have mine on for background; it's comforting I suppose. Often I find a programme I'd switched to has finished and I'd not glanced at it. If you watch more enthusiastically then, of course, there is all this free time you need to find a hobby or ten to fill.

[riptide]

A friend of mine gave up a few years ago and says she never misses it. I know it is only going to get worse with repeats and reality tv shows. If it continues to go downhill, which I am sure it will with all the cut backs, then I shall definitely give it some consideration, after all you can always watch it on catchup. My friend who no longer has a television, tends to go out more and see people, reads and goes on the computer from time to time. I have bought myself a kindle and I must say I am definitely reading more and not watching tv.

[pa___ul3]

I rarely watch tv if I have my way, I need it to get radio 6 though so it is on, but when I have my own time.. 6-7pm and every saturday morning (I love my Saturday mornings!) I'll have radio 6 on and read the papers / do the odd puzzle, play a bit of spider solitaire, browse the internet a bit. There's only 2 TV shows I'd say I look forward to, Celebrity Juice and Misfits (back on this Sunday! ace!) but neither of them compare to how much I look forward to putting the radio on at 10am every Saturday morning!

[gingejbee]

The secret to enjoying TV is not to expect it to "entertain" you for several hours at a time. Be selective. Only watch what you know you will enjoy- turn it off for the rest of the time. We get Radio Times and highlight the programmes to watch- sometimes there's several, sometimes none.

[piggynose]

move to spain, tv here is rubbbish with a capital R.

[Noraq]

I read a lot, T.V. for sport and news mainly.

[China Doll]

Probably. These days we have a TV that can't get a signal at all so we only really watch telly online (iplayer etc) but then we're usually watching specfic programs we like. Previously I did not have a telly at my old place and again, only ever used iplayer or itv player if i wanted to watch something specifically. At one point in my life I lived for over a year without any kind of access to telly at all whihc was fine, I only got a telly then as some friends got me a DVD player for christmas :-S

I think people might think it is harder than it is, you do get used to not having a telly very quickly. It's kind of nice.

[jno]

I haven't given it up, but I don't watch much. I did watch David Attenborough on ice last night, and Michael Grade on music halls the night before, but that's about it for the last week (and possibly next week too).

[anneasquith]

i dont watch " rubbish " but i would miss news 24. and some films.

[Squitty]

try the government for help - there will be some sort of disability payment for TV addicts no doubt.

[chelle7272]

Only watcha few things, usually while getting the dinner and pottering about. when I sit down of a evening to wind down, I'll read, use the internet, or do puzzles and Iv'e recently started doing jigsaws again.

other times i may watch a film with my son or let him thrash me on the PS3.

[JonnyBoy12]

I prefer to be online here on the best site on the world. The best channel on T.V. as far as I can see in the Quest channel either on Freeview channel 38 or Sky Channel 154.

The best programmes are on after 10 pm at night.

[MsEVP]

That`s good advice from Ginge. I do the same. Every Saturday go thru the TV book to see what is coming up that I wouldn`t want to miss. Have to admit to watching all old re-runs of Foyle`s War, Morse, Wexford, Frost, Pie in the Sky etc. till I know some of them word perfect! Have given up on all soaps including Corrie but thanks to Sky, Discovery channel, National Geographic etc I`m happy enough with my viewing.

[andy-hughes]

I am intrigued by cultural attitudes to television.

Quite a lot of people appear to view it as an addicition similar to heroin, and that 'giving it up' is similarly traumatic, and worthy of public admiration.

Others view 'giving up' television as desireable and noble - rather like giving up smoking, and take a similarly moralistic tone with those who still 'rot their brains' with the devil's box.

I personally adore television and have for as long as i can remember. I find a huge amount of enjoyment and education is to be had, but like all cultural offerings, the viewer needs to be selective and use their time wisely. Thanks to digi-boxes and dvd's, it's possible to keep track of all good programmes, and to walow in nostalgia as well.

My current lunch hour includes eating my sandwiches and working my way through two boxed sets of 'Callan' - which looks very dated, but I can remember how cutting-edge it was at the time - a 'hard man agent' who admitted to being scared on a regular basis.

So I make no apology for being a lover of TV - i could give it up, but i could give up chocolate as well, and why would i want to - both give me great pleasure, and life is to be lived and enjoyed.

If you feel you don't wish to watch TV every evening, there are dozens of things to do - as others have indicated - just try not to feel smug or self-righteous in any way - such feelings are inappropriate, no-one visits a higher intellectual plain simply by choosing not to avail themselves of a television.