Quit any raiding guilds of which you are a member. Raiding guilds require your presence and prioritize World of Warcraft time, which is exactly what you are trying to stop doing.
Step2
Try to schedule yourself to a limited amount of time per day. Decide before you sit down when you will have to stop, and stick to what you have decided.
Step3
Ask yourself what specific goals you have in the game. Are you spending 200 hours to acquire enough gold for a fake horsey? Maybe it'd be cheaper to buy a fake horsey. Or maybe you don't need a fake horsey.
Step4
Realize the Grind for what it is. Most of World of Warcraft consists of repeating the same sorts of repetitive tasks over and over and over again. Are you really enjoying killing 400 dread bunnies, or are you mindlessly clicking and not really happy?
Step5
Plan to spend the opportunity cost. Instead of paying $15 per month for World of Warcraft, you could be buying a new interesting game every two months, or seeing a movie every two weeks, or renting a movie every week. Instead of spending five hours a day on World of Warcraft, you could be reading for two hours, cooking delicious food for two hours, and enjoying a walk in the park for an hour.
Step6
Spend time with real-life friends, if you have any. They will likely be much more interesting than World of Warcraft, and when you look back on it, you're more likely to feel your time was well-spent.
Step7
If all else fails, burn your bridges. Delete your accounts and/or give away your copy of the game to a friend who would appreciate it. If you don't have it, you'll find a more productive way to fill your time.
Tips & Warnings
Once you realize how much time you've reclaimed, you'll hardly miss World of Warcraft at all.
Don't give your account to a friend likely to become as addicted as you were.
on 7/6/2008
I love this article. Especially the bit about the "fake horsey" :). You do get sucked into these repetitive tasks that aren't fun at all. My husband once was in a game where he had to mine ore for hours. At some point you have to ask yourself is the time you are spending really worth it.
Enthusiast 
Comments
bookmom said
on 7/6/2008 I love this article. Especially the bit about the "fake horsey" :). You do get sucked into these repetitive tasks that aren't fun at all. My husband once was in a game where he had to mine ore for hours. At some point you have to ask yourself is the time you are spending really worth it.