yeah, you're not crazy. First of all if you are a new/returning player like me, chances are you don't really have the option of leeching cause you don't have cruor to buy keys and most folks if they are going to allow a leech, are going to want to give that spot to their friend or their other account.
Second of all, exp is actually really fast without leeching. I went from 42-51 playing on Friday night and Sunday afternoon/night, and did my first level break. That really isn't that slow. The key is getting a party together though. Soloing just gets demoralizing and it is half the speed of even the slowest party.