I Want to Understand This and I Want it to Stop

Hello, and thank you for reading this if you choose to do so. My name is Tim and I live in the Northeastern United States, and I am 22 years old. I have been experiencing MD for as long as I can remember, since I was a child. Ithought that the habit would go away when I got older, but it has not done so. I am heavily involved in these fantasy worlds or daydreams and usually spend 3-4 hours a day, sometimes more, in a state of MD. It is not something I cannot control, I willingly take part in it because it is often pleasurable. But the urge is so hard to resist sometimes, it feels like a behavioral addiction. It has become a part of my daily habits and routines. Most of the time I blast music on my headphones while I partake in it. I often pace around the room, make body gestures and facial expressions that go along with the daydream, and fidget with an object in my hand. Sometimes the daydreams can be so intense that I am covered in sweat and out of breath when they are over, or if they are they can sometimes bring me to tears. I would not say that I hallucinate, but the fantasies can become so vivid in my head that sometimes I don't even perceive what is actually in front of me, I just see the fantasy for a few moments. Sometimes they are short bursts, other times they can last for hours. The fantasies are always unique, it is never a continuation of the same story. Sometimes they involve people I actually know in real life, other times the people can be totally made up. I keep it a secret from everyone I know because I never wanted anybody to think that I was crazy. It makes me feel much better to know there are other people who experience this same phenomenon. I found out about the term Maladaptive Daydreaming a few hours ago when I decided to give it a Google search. I want to stop doing this because I know it is being harmful to my life. It interferes with my ability to get work done and focus on tasks, and I often feel like my real life takes a back seat to my fantasy worlds.Whenever I am alone, I almost always indulge in MD because of the strong urges. 

MD allows an escape from the stress of my normal life because it grants me instant gratification, but it has very negative long term effects on me. It makes me feel abnormal and unproductive. I want to stop this habit with all my heart, but it feels even harder than kicking a smoking addiction. I can't keep doing this for the rest of my life, which is why I want to understand why it happens and how I can better stop it. Thank you all for being a outlet of support, it means more than you know.