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Ask HN: How to stop emailing my ex? Any technical solutions I could use?

I deleted her number. However, sometimes I have a few drinks and end up sending her an email when I come home. Then we start talking again. I know it sounds offtopic, but is there any technical solution I could implement? Somehow ban gmail dns on my router from 11pm to 2am? Any ideas please? Thanks a lot.
( 22 comments | 3 points | on HN )
Re:Ask HN: How to stop emailing my ex? Any technical solutio... by pelagicAustral on Friday October 07, 2022 @10:34AM (#33121912)
Seems like self_control.app might be the perfect solution here for both of your problems, drinking one too many and emailing the ex.
Re:Ask HN: How to stop emailing my ex? Any technical solutio... by jjgreen on Friday October 07, 2022 @10:25AM (#33121784)
Don't fight it, you know that "a few drinks" lets the real you out, get back with her and have some kids.
Re:Ask HN: How to stop emailing my ex? Any technical solutio... by yellow_lead on Friday October 07, 2022 @11:02AM (#33122288)
No, "drunk you" is not the "real you"
Re:Ask HN: How to stop emailing my ex? Any technical solutio... by stuntkite on Friday October 07, 2022 @01:05PM (#33124064)
Lol. Brutal.
Re:Ask HN: How to stop emailing my ex? Any technical solutio... by FeistySkink on Friday October 07, 2022 @07:01PM (#33128004)
Disco Elysium vibes.
Re:Ask HN: How to stop emailing my ex? Any technical solutio... by eimrine on Friday October 07, 2022 @10:21AM (#33121719)
Try some interesting for you mathematical course, maybe you are really needing to learn calculus or whatever else topic. After solving all problems from the first chapter (especially if you manage to do it without any help) you will realize that there are lots of way more interesting things than a lust.
Re:Ask HN: How to stop emailing my ex? Any technical solutio... by quien on Friday October 07, 2022 @10:31AM (#33121862)
A cronjob that replaces /etc/hosts with a version that has Gmail pointing to localhost would do.

Now seriously, get help. That's the only way you'll get over it. A couple more drinks will be enough to be able to bypass your own firewall. Hope you're doing okay.

Re:Ask HN: How to stop emailing my ex? Any technical solutio... by joshxyz on Friday October 07, 2022 @10:14AM (#33121633)
just keep doing it until one of you gets tired of it.
Re:Ask HN: How to stop emailing my ex? Any technical solutio... by bombcar on Friday October 07, 2022 @11:04AM (#33122331)
Anything you setup yourself you can bypass if you really want to, even drunk.

Either get her to shitcan your emails on her end or put a passcode/lock on your phone that is too difficult to do when drunk.

Re:Ask HN: How to stop emailing my ex? Any technical solutio... by aintmeit on Friday October 07, 2022 @11:16AM (#33122495)
Gain some self-control? How do you think other people avoid emailing former partners?
Re:Ask HN: How to stop emailing my ex? Any technical solutio... by erellsworth on Friday October 07, 2022 @11:23AM (#33122592)
You don't need a technical solution. You need therapy to learn better self-control.
Re:Ask HN: How to stop emailing my ex? Any technical solutio... by leros on Saturday October 08, 2022 @10:36AM (#33132633)
Not even just self control. He needs therapy so he can let her go and find his own peace.
Re:Ask HN: How to stop emailing my ex? Any technical solutio... by jacobriis on Friday October 07, 2022 @12:22PM (#33123410)
"A few drinks..."

Stop drinking? I know it sounds dumb, but makes sense to a lot of people who do it.

Everyone around you may binge drink all the time, but not everyone does. Most people don't actually.

Reliably not doing stupid things is actually pretty nice.

Re:Ask HN: How to stop emailing my ex? Any technical solutio... by ananiochita on Friday October 07, 2022 @12:23PM (#33123425)
Think of this situation as a warning you should not ignore. Stop drinking.
Re:Ask HN: How to stop emailing my ex? Any technical solutio... by oumua_don17 on Friday October 07, 2022 @12:51PM (#33123866)
Buy this [1]. You only need to be disciplined enough to store all your electronic items (phone, tablets, mouse/kb usb receiver) into this box. You can set the number of hours etc. It's better you switch to mouse/keyboard which are unusable without usb receiver, so the receiver is dropped into the box; you have to ditch bluetooth mouse/kb.

[1] https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00UY0TP84/ref=ppx_yo_dt...

Re:Ask HN: How to stop emailing my ex? Any technical solutio... by Tarsul on Friday October 07, 2022 @02:49PM (#33125392)
I love that thing. Use it for sweets. Have it since 2018 or so and still on my first set of AA batteries. (they have an official website. no need to order from amazon)
Re:Ask HN: How to stop emailing my ex? Any technical solutio... by joemazerino on Friday October 07, 2022 @12:54PM (#33123901)
Realize that you've just posted your dirty relationship drama to HN, be embarassed by this and get your life together.

Don't chase. Replace.

Re:Ask HN: How to stop emailing my ex? Any technical solutio... by thebitstick on Friday October 07, 2022 @01:50PM (#33124685)
Have you tried turning it off and on again?
Re:Ask HN: How to stop emailing my ex? Any technical solutio... by simonblack on Friday October 07, 2022 @06:44PM (#33127807)
Technical: Take her out of the 'contacts' list, forward all emails from her to the 'spam' folder.

Personal: Grow some.

Re:Ask HN: How to stop emailing my ex? Any technical solutio... by airocker on Friday October 07, 2022 @06:57PM (#33127951)
Meditation apps? Calm
Re:Ask HN: How to stop emailing my ex? Any technical solutio... by annie_muss on Friday October 07, 2022 @08:46PM (#33128762)
A technical solution is the last thing you want: if you implement a "perfect" technical solution then it removes your feeling of responsibility to try. What you need is the skills to be able to resist the behavior you want to not do. Things like therapy, meditation, CBT may help.

Not all technical solutions are bad. If you're an alcoholic don't get a job in a liquor store. But there's always going to be times you need strategies to make the right decisions.

Re:Ask HN: How to stop emailing my ex? Any technical solutio... by mickdeek86 on Saturday October 08, 2022 @12:57AM (#33129886)
My advice is that there is no advice, heartbreak is a difficult thing to actually deal with. Conversely you can suppress the feelings via whatever means you prefer eg alcoholism, workaholism, rage-aholism, as some on this thread appear likely to have done. Ultimately the only way out is through and this is a path unique to every person. As for the texting, just stop. There's no amount of alcohol that can make you forget that you'll regret this. More likely it's an excuse to self-flagellate, speaking from my own experience. Oh and one more piece of advice: don't ask engineers for emotional advice, we are notoriously stunted in this area.