JD - I sense great potential in you and your poker future and would HATE to see you blow it all by getting over your head and going broke.
STICK TO THE TOURNEYS. You are Mr. 180, after all. If that's not enough of a thrill for you, start playing in some $100+ ones. Hit the weekly $215s...
As for your cash games, if I were you, I'd be playing $2/$4. Hell, that's what *I* play when I play cash NL. If you must play 3/6, so be it, but 5.10 is definitely over your head, and I definitely don't want to hear about you playing $10/$20 again in 2006. I'm not even kidding. Just don't do it.
If you are afraid of being "addicted," do yourself a favor. Pick a time frame and go COLD TURKEY. That's right - no cash games, no tourneys, no TLB points - don't even log on. And don't make it be like 2 or 3 days. Make it at least 2 weeks. Honestly, if you are really worried about it, I'd make it February 1st if I were you.
And here's why..... if you can't make it, then you might have a problem. IF you can, then GREAT - you'll feel a lot better when you come back and won't ever have to worry about this again. Because you'll know you can quit, and I'm willing to bet you'll know you can live perfectly happily without poker. Spend some more time with your friends, your girlfriend, do some projects you've been putting off, whatever.... but no poker for the whole month. You can READ about it all you want (here, books, etc), but no playing. And if a week (or whatever) goes by and you feel fine, don't talk yourself into playing again. Don't rationalize it. Pick a date and stick with it - don't come back a day sooner.
BTW, I'm not just making this advice up. This is something I HAD to do for myself a couple of years ago.... just so I'd know for sure. And for what it's worth, when I came back, I went on the best tear of my life... that's what REALLY kick started my online poker career.
Take it or leave it, but that's my 2 cents. And based on the last sentence you wrote in your post above, I think it might do you a lot of good to follow it yourself.
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