I don’t have an answer from experience (been here almost three years and have always been a heavy user). I can say, though, that not everyone is that way. Some simply use it as a tool to get questions answered (generally of the mundane “how to” variety). Others probably find their non-virtual lives more compelling.
The best suggestion I have is to consciously monitor your behavior against your expected behavior. If you aren’t going to quit cold turkey, then decide for yourself what an appropriate use of the site is for you. Is it simply to get answers to your questions? Is it to provide free expertise on a subject? Is it to learn about a subject? Is it giving yourself 30 minutes or an hour to just explore and be entertained? You get the idea. After figuring that out, you just have to be diligent about asking yourself whether you’re using the site appropriately. If not, then go do something else. If you find yourself back here “unintentionally,” just repeat observing and correcting your behavior and it should get easier.
Another aspect that might be worth examining is whether this “trance inducing” activity is serving as a replacement for creating meaning in your life. Are you getting an easy fix here, rather than taking on a difficult challenge elsewhere?