How long was the longest time that you've been alone?

BikeAge

Junior Member
May 15, 2008
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I thought about this earlier today. I'm fairly independent person and I was thinking about how in the past I could easily be away from home for a few months and not be bothered by it. But then I realized that I wasn't truly alone and that I couldn't really recall ever being by myself for a long period of time (at most a day or two). So ATOT, what is the longest amount of time that you've been without human contact?
 

Dumac

Diamond Member
Dec 31, 2005
9,391
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A day at the most.

Well, do you count talking to someone online as human contact? Cause if not, then my max may go up to 2 days, lol.
 

Excelsior

Lifer
May 30, 2002
19,047
18
81
Like one day, at University when everyone else was home and my suite was empty. Hell, that might have only been a night.
 

AreaCode7O7

Senior member
Mar 6, 2005
931
1
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Hm, probably a long weekend. In both college and for two years after i was sufficiently alone in my location that I had nobody to interact with and I often had no reason to leave my house. So, maybe four or five days at a stretch if school/work didn't claim me. Although, if the internet counts as human interaction then it definitely wasn't that long.
 

zinfamous

No Lifer
Jul 12, 2006
111,610
30,886
146
Oh, and by truly alone do you mean no contact? no phone, email, anything? just you and your thoughts?

that's totally different than mere physical presence.
 

gorcorps

aka Brandon
Jul 18, 2004
30,739
454
126
Don't even remember, a couple days maybe at the most. Not even a full week for sure.
 

KingGheedora

Diamond Member
Jun 24, 2006
3,248
1
81
Does it have to be friends and acquaintances? If interacting with people only to buy food and stuff doesn't count as interaction, then I've gone 2-3 weeks being alone. Not talking to anyone at all, maybe 5 days.
 

BikeAge

Junior Member
May 15, 2008
16
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Originally posted by: zinfamous
Oh, and by truly alone do you mean no contact? no phone, email, anything? just you and your thoughts?

that's totally different than mere physical presence.

Originally posted by: KingGheedora
Does it have to be friends and acquaintances? If interacting with people only to buy food and stuff doesn't count as interaction, then I've gone 2-3 weeks being alone. Not talking to anyone at all, maybe 5 days.

I was thinking no physical interaction with anyone. I guess I'll include phone calls with that just to make it interesting. As for the internet I'll say that it doesn't count as contact
 

QueBert

Lifer
Jan 6, 2002
22,899
1,094
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5 months, I didn't utter a word to anyone, no online or offline contact. It was very peaceful. I used the internet only to have groceries delivered but the deliverly person left them in the garage (I left a note for him) so I didn't even have interaction with him or the mail man.
 

zinfamous

No Lifer
Jul 12, 2006
111,610
30,886
146
Originally posted by: BikeAge
Originally posted by: zinfamous
Oh, and by truly alone do you mean no contact? no phone, email, anything? just you and your thoughts?

that's totally different than mere physical presence.

Originally posted by: KingGheedora
Does it have to be friends and acquaintances? If interacting with people only to buy food and stuff doesn't count as interaction, then I've gone 2-3 weeks being alone. Not talking to anyone at all, maybe 5 days.

I was thinking no physical interaction with anyone. I guess I'll include phone calls with that just to make it interesting. As for the internet I'll say that it doesn't count as contact

yes and no.


but then you are interacting with someone. When truly left with your own mind, things can get dicey.

just lock yourself in a cork-lined room for months like Proust did.....
 

theblackbox

Golden Member
Oct 1, 2004
1,650
11
81
my wife went to anaheim in the begining of november. i have been here and staying in since then.

the weirdest thing about serious isolation is what you hear. i hear the refrigerator hum, and its hum outweighs any other silence.

it is weird o not talk to people and see people. after a month, isolation gets quite weird. i am glad she gets back tuesday.
 

BrownTown

Diamond Member
Dec 1, 2005
5,314
1
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The longest I can think is my senior year at college I didn't go home for Thanksgiving and so I was by myself the whole week more or less, but even then there is human contact since I would be watching football or other TV on the big plasma TVs in the student center and some of the custodians would watch too (totally slacking off from their jobs :p) And obviously with the phone and internet you are never too far from anyone. Given the social nature of our species I would have to say you would have to be intentionally TRYING to avoid human contact to not have it all the time. Like I said, just watching TV in a semi-public area and complete strangers will come up and strike up a conversation with you. Would be kind of interesting to see how long a person can go with out going stir crazy, I know my sister would probably slit her wrists without a real person or her cellphone for more than a few hours.
 

TallBill

Lifer
Apr 29, 2001
46,017
62
91
Originally posted by: QueBert
5 months, I didn't utter a word to anyone, no online or offline contact. It was very peaceful. I used the internet only to have groceries delivered but the deliverly person left them in the garage (I left a note for him) so I didn't even have interaction with him or the mail man.

That's crazy long. Longest for me is at most 1-2 days. Nothing special.
 

Casawi

Platinum Member
Oct 31, 2004
2,366
1
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4 days. Last years Christmas actually.
I had internet tho, and I am sure I was in contact with ATOT.
 

Flammable

Platinum Member
Mar 3, 2007
2,602
1
76
Originally posted by: QueBert
5 months, I didn't utter a word to anyone, no online or offline contact. It was very peaceful. I used the internet only to have groceries delivered but the deliverly person left them in the garage (I left a note for him) so I didn't even have interaction with him or the mail man.

any reason why?
 

adairusmc

Diamond Member
Jul 24, 2006
7,095
78
91
About 3 months. Right when I got out of the military, I stayed up at the family's cabin for the entire summer by myself. Didn't leave, no phone calls, internet, TV, or any other guests. Just my ipod and a whole lot of fishing and hunting. Best 3 months of my life.
 
L

Lola

Originally posted by: adairusmc
About 3 months. Right when I got out of the military, I stayed up at the family's cabin for the entire summer by myself. Didn't leave, no phone calls, internet, TV, or any other guests. Just my ipod and a whole lot of fishing and hunting. Best 3 months of my life.

Did you find your were happier with yourself after the 3 months? Were you bored at all? Why do you say it was the best three months of your life?

I would love to take some time (even if only a week) and do something along those lines.
 

TridenT

Lifer
Sep 4, 2006
16,800
45
91
Probably 3 days? My parents usually don't go away for much longer than a weekend, and I typically get phone calls from them. :-/ If internet counts then 0.
 

adairusmc

Diamond Member
Jul 24, 2006
7,095
78
91
Originally posted by: Lola
Originally posted by: adairusmc
About 3 months. Right when I got out of the military, I stayed up at the family's cabin for the entire summer by myself. Didn't leave, no phone calls, internet, TV, or any other guests. Just my ipod and a whole lot of fishing and hunting. Best 3 months of my life.

Did you find your were happier with yourself after the 3 months? Were you bored at all? Why do you say it was the best three months of your life?

I would love to take some time (even if only a week) and do something along those lines.

Nope, not really bored - I had plenty of things to do. It was the best 3 months of my life because there was no one else in it - I loved just getting up in the morning, not having to interact with anyone, and doing whatever I wanted whenever I wanted.

I basically stayed up there until I ran out of propane for the hot water heater, cook stove, and the refrigerator.