After reading some extensive posts, I'll attempt to recall my own EQ experience and throw out my current situation.
I started playing nearly 2 years ago. Almost immediately a couple of my best friends joined me in the elaborate world of Norrath. We thought of it as hanging out when we weren't able to see eachother in RL.
The first several months were pure fun and adventure. Then came my first summer away from EQ. It was really about 5-6 weeks away, but i spent an enormous amount of time on Everlore and EQCastersrealm just looking at info.
Of course most of my friends had outleveled me while i was gone. I left my guild and soloed from about lvl 40-51. None of these things helped my EQ social life (and forget a RL one).
Over the next year i don't even know where i lost my time. I think it was between porting for PP and blowing it on twinks that i never leveled above 30.
At the end of the school year I realized that I didn't like where I was and voluntarily quit for the summer. I called old friends, made some new friends, and tried hanging out with them as often as i could. None of the groups i met resulted in any good friends as i had hoped. School came around and I haven't done any more than go to the movies and dinner all first quarter.
I'm spending a lot of time in front of the computer, playing some DIablo2, and CS, but mostly tired of both and just rotting my eyes into the screen. I've joined the art club at my school to meet new people, but i still come home to sit infront of my computer for the good part of every weekday evening.
This week i started talking to one of my old EQ/RL friends about resubcribing. I just called him while i reinstalled EQ/Kunark/Velious and got all the patches. I'm gonna call him again tonight before i sign up. Thought i'd spend the time really putting some thought into rejoining.
I was never addicted like some of these stories of 100 hours a week or deteriorating physical health. It's just that, if i can't get a social life even when I quit EQ, why not go back?
Sorry if this post was a bit length, but it just spilled out once i started typing... ^_^