Calling a chatline can be a entertaining way to spend your free time. Thousands of people use them every day to meet new people, have interesting conversation, and otherwise hang out. But when does an guilty pleasure turn into a full blown addiction? You may not have ever thought that chatline addiction existed, but it’s a real issue. The truth is that any resource or activity can become an addiction if the person is engaging in addictive behavior or has a reliance on what they are addicted to and finds it difficult or impossible to stop of their own free will. Phone chat lines can be the object of a real addiction which can be hard to break free from. If you think you are addicted to chatlines, here’s how you can get help and stop your addiction before it spirals out of control.

Even though phone chat services can be entertaining and fun, using these lines should be done in moderation. If you ever feel yourself craving calling a chatline, coming up with reasons why you “deserve” to use the chatline, or considering using a chatline for the second or third time for that day, it may be time to stop and evaluate. Many addictions that are not drugs or alcohol tend to slip under the radar, especially with the person who is displaying addictive behavior. If you’re just like a gambler in the casino, promising yourself just one more call and then you’ll be done, knowing that you’re giving in to your need to get your fix, it’s likely time to get help.

We understand that chatlines are fun. They’re a recreational activity that almost everyone has tried at least once. Even though these chatlines are fun, that doesn’t mean that they can’t turn addictive. Dating chatlines and phone sex lines both have a lot in common when it comes to their appeal. They are social, and all human beings are social creatures. Although phone sex lines often have a professional worker speaking to you and chatlines are more everyday people, they are still gratifying and even exciting experiences. The human brain has a reward center that lights up when an individual is experiencing something pleasurable. It’s possible for this pleasure center in the brain to crave that same reward, and modify behavior so that the individual is engaging in this feel-good activity more and more.

The consequences of being addicted to chatlines can be severe. Not only can addiction lead to financial hardship, it can lead to you stealing or resorting to illegal means to fund your addiction. At charges of 95 cents a minute or even more, the charges can accumulate quickly– up to thousands of dollars. Such was the case of chat line addict Anthony Brumwell, who stole over fifteen thousand pounds from his 71 year old grandmother’s savings in order to fund his addiction. He was charged with fraud and attempted theft and was sentenced to over three years in jail. His grandmother faced eviction and her life insurance was revoked as a result of nonpayment. Brumwell was spending up to a thousand pounds a month on chat lines that were charging him as much as £2.50 a minute.

You can get help by consulting a psychiatrist or by going to sites such as http://www.slaafws.org and http://www.sa.org. The first is Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous, a site affiliated with AA and the twelve step program. The second site is Sexaholics Anonymous, a site that provides information and allows you to search for meetups.

If you think you are suffering from phone chat addiction, it’s never too late to seek help. Try these resources if you are able. If you are not ready for that step, talk to a friend who can be supportive and encourage you and confide in a therapist if you see one. Consider getting a therapist as well, and look for meetings for sex or love addicts or general addiction in your area. With good resources, abstinence, and an increased understanding about your addiction, it is possible to break free and live a healthy life.

Members of The Intercontinental Group (IHG) Spire Elite reward program who received their membership cards in September 2015 where in for a shock when they tried calling the support line number printed on the back of their cards. Due to a typo on the card, dialing the phone number connects callers to a phone sex line instead.

“It was just a simple mistake” a company spokesperson said; “the cards that were printed in September had the 800 prefix instead of the 844 one.” A slight mistake that connected hundreds of customers to a sex chat line instead of Spire Elite reward program help desk.

Intercontinental group is one of the largest and most reputable hotel groups in the world, owning several popular hotel brands such as Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, and Candlewood Suites. The company admitted that someone mistakenly printed the wrong number on the back side of the membership cards.

Several reward program members went to twitter to share their awe when they called the line.

@ihgrewardsclub r u kidding me??? # on back of Spire card is a PORN #!!! Ur rep laughed when I called to report! pic.twitter.com/peLxibpcHh

— Keith S. Ellard (@bamakeith88) September 14, 2015

Clearly, it was a big surprise to all of them. There are some people who complained that the customer help number printed at the back side of the card took them to a “porn line”. Most people did not take the matter too seriously.

InterContinental Hotel Group spokeswoman informed Consumerist.com that the company had already sent emails to all affected members to alert them about the wrong numbers that were printed on the back side of their cards. They were also told that should expect to get new cards in their mail soon.

Here is the email that affected members received:

You don’t have to wait for a new card to get help for the hotel’s customer care department. If you have not received a new card and you need to get help for Spire Elite Reward Program, replace the 1-800 on your card with 1-844. In, simple terms, the real Spire-Elite Reward Program telephone number is 1-844-774-7300. Try not to call the other number!

The embarrassing typo only affects the cards that were printed in September 2015; cards that were printed before and after September have the correct phone number.

I wonder if some people who were looking for help from the hotel decided to stay on line to enjoy what the naughty chat line had to offer. However, you may be a little disappointed if you really wanted to get help from Spire Elite reward program help desk but you ended up in line with people who want to talk about sex.

A late night chat line was the created by advertising agency VML as part of the Midnight Spooning marketing campaign for Kellogg’s Crunchy Nut cereal in Australia.

The viral campaign invites people to call the ‘nutty’ chatline at 1-800-SPOONING where they can choose their own adventure by interacting with the IVR system. Participants can also text 04-677-SPOON to interact with a smart chat-bot.

A few Youtube video teasers imitating late night TV commercials for phone sex lines have been produced. The suggestive style video parodies make use of cliche sexual innuendo but in the context of cereal by using phrases such as “you can have me on the kitchen table”, “no more hidding behind the pantry door” and “its time for some nutty action”. Hilarious!

Check out the teasers below:

For more late night chat line parodies check out this, this and this.

In the 1980s — way before chat rooms, ICQ, SMS messages, Tinder App and Snapchat where available — teens used to call the phone party chat lines to entertain themselves and pass the time. For only 95 cents per minute, teens could chat live on the phone with up to 9 people at the same time. While teenagers loved this innovative new service, their parents weren’t as happy with the high bills they were receiving.

Source: http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/this-day-in-history-when-teen-chat-lines-made-the-news/

Many phone dating chatlines such as Livelinks, QuestChat and Fonochat are still active today. Most of the phone dating services have stopped using premium toll or 900 prefix numbers due to high number of complaints and charge backs. Callers are now required to pay via credit card if they want to continue using the service after a complimentary free trial period.

Due to an increase in underage sex, rape, murder and other other controversies, today chatlines are targeted exclusively to adults; anyone under the age of 18 asked to hang up.

You don’t have to be along this Valentine’s Day just because you currently don’t have a love interest. Don’t just wish for love, go out and work for it. This Valentine’s day, visit your local bar, attend a singles party with your single friends, set up a date through a dating app or phone dating chat line. It doesn’t matter what you decide to do as long as you don’t end up doing nothing.

Remember that no one is going to deliver love in a silver platter; if it is love you desire, don’t just wish for it, work for it. In case you decide to stay home (I get it, every place is crowded on Valentines), then take the time to pamper yourself.

Don’t Just Wish for Love, Work for Love!

This February the 14th, fill out your bathtub, open a bottle of wine and call your favorite chatline. Try your best to have deep, meaningful conversation, and who knows, if you really hit it off you may not every be alone again!

Make sure you have fun but don’t let your emotions put you in danger. Always use protection and take the necessary precautions when meeting new people, especially if you just met over the phone.

Today I met with Jake Cohen, a 27 year old New Yorker professional illustrator and successful entrepreneur. Jake used a gay chatline to find the support he needed to come out of the closet and improved his career and relationships in the process.

In this post I will summarize what I learned from sitting with Jake — or Yacobi how his parents affectionately call him — at Max Brenner’s Chocolate Bar in New York City for more than three and a half hours.

According to Jake, he always knew he was gay deep inside. However, coming from a Jewish Orthodox family, he always found it overwhelming hard to bring out the topic to his family. “Gay people are not normal” — his father would say whenever the topic of homosexuality was being discussed. Jake repressed his gay feelings and became isolated, anxious and depressed.

Eventually Jake found his passion; he became a professional digital illustrator. He found joy of expressing himself through his Wacom tablet and Macbook Pro. Jake became certified in Adobe Illustrator as well as Photoshop. His creations have been featured in art galleries around the country, lately including Miami’s Art Basel where he sold one of his creations for an excess of $180,000.00.

Although he knew he was financially successful, Jake felt empty inside. Repressing his sexuality for 20+ years really took a toll on his relationships. It is then that Jake started to look for help. In an effort to find a phone therapist, Jake typed “Gay Phone Chat” into a search engine. To his surprise, instead of finding a telephone counseling service, his first click landed him on the chatline guide‘s page containing a list of all the gay chatlines page. Jake took a chance and called GuySpy which was offering a 30 minute free trial to all new callers. “I thought chatlines were for phone sex” — Jake remarked. “I never heard about a gay chatline, and so I was curious” — he laughingly admitted.

Jake Cohen was trying to find an telephone-based therapist when he found the chatline guide instead.

No one in his family knew that Jake was secretly calling a gay chat line. He was very careful to call when none of his roommates where home, or really late at night after everyone was sound asleep.  Jake found friends on the other side of the line. “It was not sexual at all. I used GuySpy [and other gay chatlines] whenever I felt I needed someone to talk to without judging me”. “Calling GuySpy was like healing to me. I’ve been in [formal] therapy before but it just didn’t work.”

Jake went on  explaining how chatlines have a bad reputation because most people confuse them with hotlines. “Chatlines are much more than phone sex.” he declared. “Yes, you can find horny people looking for phone sex in there but if you look a little deeper you can find genuine people looking to have decent conversation and make friends.”

Jake met a 36 year old gay man he refers to as “Mo-mo” a nickname for his real name, Moises. Mo-mo had a rough upbringing and he too had been forced to repress his homosexuality until his late 20s.  Like Jake, Mo-mo also came from a Orthodox family where gays where seen as abnormal and unwanted. “Things have changed a lot since then” — Mo-mo said as he walked to join us in the cafe. “My family as well as most Jewish orthodox people now accept gay people as equals. Even my Rabbi is happy to see me and refer business to me.”

“Moises told me his story about how he had to fight the societal notions that gay people where evil or inferior.” said Jake, “and he inspired me to do the same.” It took Jake more than a month to prepare for this moment, but after chatting almost daily with Mo-mo, he felt he was ready. On January 17, Jake invited his parent to Sunday brunch at a local kosher restaurant. After exchanging some pleasantries, he went right to the point. “Mom, Dad. Everything is OK” — Jake said to soften the blow. I asked you both to come here because I want to tell you something you might  not want to hear, but its been killing me inside for a long time” — he continued. “Mom, Dad, I am Gay.” With a tear in his eye, Jake looked down for a couple seconds. Chana — Yacobi’s mom — raised his head while Joseph his dad replied “We are proud of you Yacobi. No matter what happens we are your parents and we love you regardless”.

“It took me 30 seconds of courage to being the issue to the table” — Jake explained. “After that, it was easy.” Jake did not expect his parents would be so supportive. He learned that his parents already suspected Jake was gay, but they too did not know how to handle the sensitive topic. Joseph — his Father — had even consulted with his most trusted Rabbi about the issues years ago. Rabbi Eliyahu Garson explained him that regardless what the text say, God loves all his children equally. That would it is written in the sacred texts are not to be taken literally but interpreted to make the best of each situation. “That is why God instructed the Jewish people to listen to their sages; to interpret the law!” – he continued. “And if the Sages approve, who am I to disapprove.”

Jake is very thankful for having met Mo-mo on GuySpy. Mo-mo frequents the same synagogue that Joseph does, and they see each other almost every day. Joseph’s image of gay people has completely changed, he even invites Moises (Mo-mo) to read from the Torah once in a while. “Moshe [Mo-mo’s hebrew name] saved my son’s live” — Joseph explained. “They say when someone save a life, he saves a country, so Moshe is special to me”.

Irrespective of all the gay jokes they used to tell, Jakes friends and roommates were very supportive too when he came out of the closet in public. “I posted it on Facebook; some people taught I was joking, but in general everyone was supportive.” — Jake recalled.  “I had not one negative comment. I am so happy I had the balls to come out” and if it wasn’t for GuySpy, GuyLine, InteractiveMale and of course Mo-mo (and all the other guys that inspired me to come out of the closet),  I don’t think I would have done it. “Chatlines are good, even if sometimes people abuse them” — he concluded.

Today Jake is completely different person. His parents describe they can see a sparkle in his eyes once again. His business is thriving and he no longer isolates himself hide his pain. Jake is a big supporter of a pro gay marriage movement and other gay support and advocacy organizations such as Advocated for Youth and ReachOut.com; resources Jake didn’t know existed before he came out of the closet. Jake also contributes the tithe to his Jewish synagogue — “they’ve really evolved on these kinds of issues and they do good community work so I am happy to help”. Since Jake’s revelation, other young members of this orthodox community have been inspired to come out of the closet publicly as well.

Some look for long term companionship while others look for short term fun. Whatever be the reason, with the increase in the number of adults considering dating options, the ways and means of facilitating it are also increasing. Dating sites have been in the market for a while now but the option of phone chatlines are keeping users excited. The increasing options are now posing the question, “Phone Chatlines vs Dating Sites, Which is better?”

Dating sites let users create their profile, mention their interests and upload their pictures. They let you browse through the profiles of other members and even make recommendations based on the criteria entered by you. Taking up a paid membership of online dating site lets you contact individuals whose profiles you have liked. And if all goes well, you could be in for a romantic relationship.

Phone chatlines on the other hand let the users record their introductory messages. The users can listen to introductory messages of other members and if they like any voice or message, they can contact the person for a live conversation. Some chatlines also offer the option of leaving an offline message for the person. And again, things can stay over phone or progress to in-person dates depending on one’s interest.

To understand which of the two options is better, we have compared both over some parameters that are essential to every dating media and identified the winner of the two options.

It cannot be concluded that any one of the dating medium is better than the other. For those who are too shy to speak up, online dating works best. For the quick and fast moving ones, phone chatlines work better. The better of the two depends entirely on who you are and what you are looking for.

Most dating chatlines are owned and operated by a just a few major chat line companies.

Teligence Inc

Teligence own the most complete portfolio of dating chatlines including straight, gay, black and latin phone lines.

• Livelinks
• RedHot Dateline
• Tango Personals
• Vibe Line
• Fonochat Latino
• GuySpy Voice
• Interactive Male
• Lavender Line

More About Teligence Chatlines

First Media Group Inc.

Founded by Mr. Grant Hood in 1988, First Media Group, Inc. provides interactive voice, web, and SMS technologies for dating. It offers interactive personals and dating content in various mediums, including telephone, Web, and mobile. It has operations in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. The company is based in Toronto, Canada.

FMG owns some of the most recognizable chat lines in North America including:

• QuestChat
• Lavalife Voice
• Nightline
• Hardline

More About First Media Group

Talkee

Talkee is a leading provider of free telephone chat line services that has been operating for over 20 years. Thousands of people use our chat lines for fun and entertainment.. All we ask of you is that you tell your friends to call our chat lines so that there are enough new people calling in to keep the phone lines fun and exciting.

Unlike other chatline companies, there is no charge for our service. Talkee provides local access numbers for most major cities. The most popular chatline brands Talkee operates include:

• Raven
• Donut
• Alibi
• Blade
• Cuervo
• Loach

More About Talkee

VoiceHub

VoiceHub is a relative new comer to the phone chat industry.

VoiceHub owns chat lines such as:

• AffairHub Live
• ChatlineUSA
• RodeoChat
• VoiceRoulette
• LatinChat
• Masturline
• Cheat/Chat
• GuyLine

Chatline Network

Chatline Networks owns a variety of niche chatline including:

We are mostly a marketing company for dating, social, and chat lines globally. We believe in the power of connections with live people that share the same interests that can benefit parties and strike interests, fun, connections, and entertainment in someone’s life. We love the fact of connecting people with others that they would not have the chance of met if they would have not found us. We like to provide an instrument to build community and also relationships and even someone to talk to in times of need. Regardless of race, sex, sexual orientation, we want to bring people together. We want everyone to be treated as equals and best of all have fun. Chat Line Network works on being the instrument to meet people that share the same interests as you and sometimes different that could bring excitement to your life. Live life, be safe, meet new people, and have fun!

• Azul Line
• Local Hot Chat
• Espanola Chat
• Sexy Live Connections
• Ambience Chat
• Oriental Chat Line
• College Party Chat
• HollarLine
• Howl Line
• Black Singlez
• Hot Latinas Chat
• Gay Males Line
• Lesbians Chat Live

Social Tech Unlimited

• Megamates

Based in San Diego, CA, Social Tech Unlimited owns Megamates.

Telemania

• Talk121