Do you think it is possible to change my special interest?

Hi. 

What's your curent special interest? Sadism? :P Otherwise I'm sure there must be a way to pursue it with out causing so much pain ... discomfort maybe but not pain.

It's funny because I see that aspect in me and 'nipped it in the bud' by making strict rules for myself. One is no online gaming and the other is no games with in-game purchases. I'm glad that you got out!

I watched a video some time ago, unfortunately it was in German not in English. The channel is “Tom Harrendorf- Autismus und borderline” the author talked about special interests being usually random things that for some reason absorb us so much that they become our special interest. In my case all of my interests I’ve ever had were random. Starting with the trams. In kindergarten I was not interested with my peers, while traveling I observed the tram, the parts, I also observed how it moved on the rails, that the rail profile fits the wheel and the rails are not equally situated on the turns, and other things. Tram was also one of my first words I spoke at 3 years old, earlier I didn’t speak at all. I definitely didn’t choose this to be my interest. I just loved trams and still like them. Only some noises and smells there bother me. Especially the smell of sweating people when it’s hot. My other interest - Russian also started somehow spontaneously. UFO started with the Bible. And it was also accidentally. But maybe someone’s interests are more consciously chosen. 

Sorry for replying in two parts - my grocery delivery arrived, so I had to cut my first reply short.

It was preparing for my autism assessment that prompted me to calculate my spending on my then interest (a mobile / tablet / computer game), which had lasted for many years. One of the pre-assessment questions asked what my hobbies / interests were and how much I spent on them. So, obviously (autism, duh), I had to calculate it accurately.

In fact, I'd already recognised that that particular special interest was, by then, doing me a lot more mental harm than good. So it was a timely intervention that enabled me to make a conscious decision to step away from it. 

The game typically involved at least daily interactions (in order to earn / accrue all of the various in-game benefits, and driven in part by fear of missing out) - and often many more daily device pick-ups than that. So it wasn't an easy habit to break, as it had all become so very ingrained in my daily life.

However, once I'd decided to step away, I did so. It actually proved to be a huge relief, much more so than I could have imagined. That was around a year ago. I revisited the game a short time ago out of curiosity, to see how I'd feel. I was relieved to find that it no longer holds appeal for me.

This is an interesting question. I'd like to be able to re-ignite my older interests, as I am having trouble engaging with them.

Maybe for you, you should try just reading about as many different things as you can and see if any naturally catch your eye. You weren't born with your current interest - it must have caught your eye in some way at first. Maybe you can have that same experience again.

Definitely. I chose to change one of mine after I'd forced myself into calculating how much it had been costing me, ending my wilful denial!