LEGO addiction help! Semi-Serious

colay

Hey folks, long time reader, first time poster (well, conversation starter)

Like most of you, Ive had Lego as far as I can remember and always played with it. Over the years, I bought the odd set that looked cool (Star Wars YWing and Tie fighter, speederbikes and land speeder) but as I was a student didnt have much money, that was saved for booze. Sorry, books, that was saved for books!

I saw sets pop up and was like wow, that great and Id buy the odd ones, like Indiana Jones etc, that, i never got round to building and is till in my mums loft.

Then I came across more and more cool stuff Id missed out on, and over the last 24 months, have bought what I felt like, some i have built, some I havent room for. After adding stuff to Bricklink, I had a heart attack at its worth and was like, OMG, thats a years mortgage payment!!! I bought a second car recently, and said to myself, lego has to take a back seat, and, it lasted about a month. I said id buy the new MF only, as I have over half off it paid for in VIP points! But, I cant get one lol.

So, my questions are these;, Im not a collector I dont think, I'm a part builder, im part buy what I want, part displayer (911 GT3, new UCS Tie and Xwing, a few minifigures), and part hoarder/never got round to building and now my Ferrrai FXX and Indy sets are worth way more than I paid for them, what do I do? They are sat doing nothing in the boxes, but I cant display all that I have. I am concerened I have an addiction, and Im not sure if im an AFOL, collector, interested party or what!

So, what am I? Am I mad? Do i fit anywhere in a Lego category, or, worse still, as I keep on buying (smaller sets mainy and recent TRU Bricktober sets) am I addicted? Has anyone ever stopped?

Lots or random nonsense I have just written above, but, I do wonder if I need help!!!!

Anyone else know how i feel?

daewoo

First, I wouldn't worry about what you are (AFOL, collector, etc.) as at the end of the day labels don't matter.  What does matter is your personal happiness.  If you are not happy because you have too much Lego, then you need to take steps to reduce your collection.  If you are not happy because you cannot dismiss the impulse to buy Lego, then maybe Lego is more important to you than you realize.  Some serious introspection, and brutal self-honesty, are warranted, along with a change of thinking based on your conclusions of self.  I could go on here but the key is finding what makes you happy and embracing it.

I played with Lego as a child (I had all the original space sets) and then grew up.  I stopped playing with Lego but never did anything to get rid of them - though my mom took care of that when I went to university.  During university, I rediscovered Lego but couldn't afford many sets, so I only bought what I truly wanted.  I went through a grey period after my marriage because my then wife wasn't so accepting of my chosen hobby.  After my divorce, the only thing I enjoyed (outside of spending time with my kids) was building with Lego.  It was the only thing that brought me a sense of catharsis.  Now, many years later, I have fully embraced that part of me that enjoys building and I focus on the products that I see I can integrate into my city.  I can honestly say that I'm happier now than I remember being in quite a long time. 

I hope that helps.  Good luck!

MrShinyAndNew

Lots of people struggle with buying stuff they don't need. It's not just Lego. As daewoo says, you need brutal self-honesty. I think you're probably better off if your mortgage and car are paid for rather than your Lego. Set a budget and stick to it! Within that budget, buy what you want. But then consider your space budget. Do you have room for all of this? If not, consider selling some of it when you don't have room anymore. There's not much point in filling your house with so much Lego you can't enjoy it. 

I'd go so far as to say that for some people, buying things (including some people in the Lego community) is a mental illness. It can be very challenging to deal with on one's own and professional help may be required. One way you can tell if you're in need of help is if you can identify harm that is caused by your behaviour. Big red flags like missing mortgage payments or car payments are obvious harms. Other harms like a growing anxiety or loss of your physical enjoyment of your home due to crowding, etc, are less obvious.

If there's no harm, then just enjoy it! Don't fret over not buying every set. It will never be possible. Have fun, in whatever way the hobby brings you fun. Judging by how much time I spend doing what, it seems I spend most of my Lego time sorting. But when it's all sorted, I feel a certain zen of having a nice parts collection. Then I feel guilt about not building more MOCs, and anxiety about not being that good a builder. But in my case I keep my spending down (if you ask me... don't ask my wife) and try to manage the growth of the Lego in the house, and it's a net good. You just have to find your balance point.

CCC

As above, it doesn't matter what you are. Many people don't fit into the neat extreme catagories of (sealed set) collector / investor / MOC builder / set builder / set displayer.

I also think most people's spending slows down a bit when LEGO stops releasing things they are interested in, only to pick up again when they do new sets that they are interested in. Don't waste money and time on things that don't interest you just for the sake of it.

colay

thank you folk! much apprecaitted. luckily, Shiny, no harm or missed payments, but, a few overdraft run overs from time to time. And, the thing is, there's so much I want, just to say I have it, and thats where I think my issue is. Never actually thought about getting help for it, maybe that is whats needed. My worry about getting rid of anything, is (and this may sound silly) i dont want the older sets i have to go somewhere they arent enjoyed/displayed. I know its for playing with, but Id be upset if temple of doom or the FXX ended up in a big box of lego and mixed up and bits lost!! Maybe thats part of my problem, is that i forget what fun it can bring to others, but i do like it when my neighbours ask what im building next and can they get inolved, so i do like the joy others get from my lego.

I want to make a star wars lego room/display. Maybe if i cant do that, i should consider letting it go, the things that I'll never put out. decisions decisions

LuLego

Professional help?
A psychiatrist would charge #10245 an hour or #10259 for an initial consultation.

I do appreciate mental health isn’t a joking matter so I shouldn’t make unhelpful comments but I couldn’t resist!

Like any hobby, things can become addictive and as others say, if it begins to have an impact and stops being fun then it’s time to review the situation.

We probably all spend far too much indulging in our Lego interests but this shouldn’t justify things getting out of hand on an individual basis.

It might be worth you speaking to non-Lego enthusiasts too who have other hobbies...

Good luck in your reflection.

HugeYellowBrick

I started to enjoy my Lego more, when I discovered I don't like mixing sets and attempting MOCs. Now I just make small adjustments to the sets I build, and display them until the space is required. That makes me happy.

(Also in Oxfordshire)

Hanzo

Had a long post worked up, but it's pretty wordy so the summed up version. 

Do what you enjoy. If you can afford it go for it and don't label yourself.  If your hobby starts to put you in debt or negatively affect your quality of life, drop it like it's hot.