Being unable to stop reading or commenting on hn can never possibly be the reason you've successfully stopped reading or commenting on hn can it?

He wanted to spend his time reading and discussing articles on hn. His problem was that he was finding it increasingly unrewarding. So he quit.

Your last point regarding the best tech-news site is irrelevant. He is replacing hn with "arguing with people in person or via e-mail, reading disagreeable books, and the like."