Are you addicted to piracy?

If you've become addicted to downloading free music so much that you just can't bring yourself to pay for CDs anymore, you're not alone. It's easy, it's fast and it's completely unlimited. But it's also incredibly hard to break free from.

The days of Kazaa were the first few hits of the download drug that the virtual dealer gave us for free. Now, BitTorrent is the heroin of data hoarders, and try as they might, it's a hard needle for addicts to dispose of.

I feel it's true for many, this download addiction. The unlimited supply of new music causes a dilemma to those who understand that downloading music for free, while exciting and terribly convenient, is potentially damaging the artists they love. They want to support musicians and they want to discover new music too.

There are ways out, but it takes effort, will and quite honestly, some cold hard cash.

Buy a CD you're unsure about. Pay for it with your limited supply of money and you'll probably like it more than if you downloaded it illegally. See, when you give money for something, you expect something in return. In this case, you expect good music. By taking a chance with your money, you're almost willing yourself to enjoy it because you don't want to feel like you've wasted your hard-earned pounds and dollars. Cherishing the physical object -- reading the liner notes, putting the CD on a shelf -- helps too. This is the first step to going digital cold turkey.

Are you addicted to downloading? Have you gone cold turkey with pirating? If so, please share your experiences (anonymously if you like) in the comments section below.