TV and a social life

For a Stay-At-Home mom to have a social life, it means making the effort to get involved in things outside the home. It also means keeping in touch with family and friends via phone, e-mail or even snail mail, right? Well, sometimes the day gets away with us SAHMs and before we know it the evening hours have arrived. We are tired, wanting some companionship and wanting to do something that does not require much effort. This is where TV creaps in. TV is company, entertainment and effortless all wrapped into one. But sometimes it is also a very lonely thing, a thing that drives away friends and leaves us feeling even more lonely than when we first turned it on to stave off lonely feelings or provide companionship. My husband works second shift, so I am home with just my daughter in the evenings. We have just one working car, so going out in the evening requires some juggling and usually doesn't happen. So, this leaves a social life involving what is within walking distance (and can include my daughter) or calling someone on the phone. Often I have turned on the TV rather than make the effort to call a friend or walk over to a neighbor's apartment.
Last night I realized that I am profoundly lonely and I had a good cry. I need to get a social life. I have let TV substitute for a social life and instead of companionship I feel more lonely. I usually turn the TV on when I have my lunch, around 6 o'clock in the evening. From there it is easy to leave it on till my husband gets home around 11:15. Calling friends at 6 doesn't seem good, because I'm eating and they may be as well. So, how do I make myself turn it off and call friends before it is too late at night to do so? Should I leave the TV off and eat in silence or with a CD or the radio playing? Or, can I discipline myself enough to turn it off after feeding Millie her bedtime bottle? Do I need to stop watching TV to force myself to call friends or go and get involved in activities with others? I don't like an all or nothing approach to TV but perhaps I am incapable of moderation right now. TV is not evil in and of itself, but is it bad for me personally? How much is too much and how much is reasonable? Perhaps I should set a timer or an alarm clock so I am reminded to turn off the TV and have interaction with people. Or, perhaps I need to have the TV off completely for a while. Then I could gradually add back TV as I can handle it. If I find I cannot just watch an hour or half hour here or there, do I have the guts to get rid of the TV? Perhaps I could try limiting TV to 2-3 evenings per week? Tuesdays and Thursdays have the majority of the shows I like, so I could keep TV to those nights. I need to try something and see what will help. I will try limiting TV to Tuesdays, Thursdays and one day on the weekend for now, and see how it goes. I plan to re-evaluate in a month. Perhaps this public commitment to a plan will help.