Danielk

3 months without games! Well it is something to celebrate! The best thing is I don´t miss it. During these 3 months I have filled my life with new activities especially music. I have purchased instruments and started practise, it is hard work learning your favourite songs since childhood but the emotion you gain when nailing a song is really something. I have also started with dating. Not so much to get a girlfriend actually, but more to talk to women and get used to be around them. I am a strong beliver in the fact that anything you get exposed to will sooner or later become second nature, communicate with women included. I hope I can step it up perhaps 6 months from now and try to find a girlfriend. But it is all a part of a life changing plan, I am not stupid, I do realise I have to have somthing to offer a female. Thats why I try to maximize myself in anyway, I spend time on the gym to get a athletic body, I try to improve my cooking skills, I continue to trade the market to gain better financials, I continue to upgrade my wardrobe and clothes, to sum it up: I really don´t have time to play games!! And that is a fact! You might think, all that sounds booring, especially if you are a gamer, well it can be sometimes (especially coocking!) but playing music really have replaced gaming for me as a fun activity. And I am very blessed and thankfull I have found a new passion in my life

Welcome mushroomhead ☺ I took a long moment to read your story and reflect on it. Believe it or not, but gaming won't help because it actually steal energy from you and valuable time. Time you need to straight you life back up. You have several things working in your favour. You are young. You seem healthy. You are in a athletic state good enough to apply for armed forces. I read between the lines you are not really tied to your location, that is an additional plus if you can move. If you feel burnt buy you employeer, well let me tell you it is not the end of the world. When I was in my early twenties i got FIRED because of inviting friends to my workplace at night and having a huge party trashing the place. Well I joined the armed forces after that (infantry) 1.5 years later finished with ok grades and moved to a new city and studied engineering and that was the most challenging time of my life. 10 years later I graduated (way after everyone else). Today I work as an engineer. My point is life can be shit, I have been there. My best advice when you feel stuck is: - Relocate. Move to a new city get a fresh start. Or even move to a new country. - Study. This is the best way to get a fresh start. Choose a new field in life. You previous employment won't mather that much, your education more and the needs on the labour market even more. - Armed forces. If you are in the US or UK you might get salary and additional benefits. That might help you with studies later on. Lots of great experience comes from serving. You cant change the past that is an absolute true fact so don't live inside it. You can only live in the present moment and thats whats shapes your future. Take small steps to work against a goal. Don't point your nose back, point it forwards. Eliminate anything that pulls you back. And hey we are here to help you on the way ☺

For me it is all about getting a healty lifestyle and grow the f*uck up to be honest. I see no reason that I shouldn´t reproduce (getting a family and children), but gaming is not the most attractive lifestyle in womens eyes. Further more I see no more reason to be a slave under cooperate and financial firms, buying games like a slave, always with the "pressure" to have played the latest product, to be accepted by other "slaves" (gamers) to fill some kind of 2000-century f*ucked up role. Sick and tired of it all.

wunderbar! Jawohl !

Thanks for sharing Suritus I higly enjoyed those videos, had no idea they whereout there. I have to pick this video as my favourite at the moment https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-N_NVOQEaw, had some really good pointers

I agree it is higly likely it is an effect of gamequitting, I did feel it in the begining aswell. Our reward system in the brain is chemical and hardwired to getting nuked by fast dopamine when gameing. The detox period will change the chemical balance in your brain. You will become more calm, think more clear and gain increased emotional control as you progress. This is why fintess activities is very helpfull, You will get dopamine by exersice you body, but it is a more slow reward that acts like a replacement in your detox i belive. For me fintess was incredible helpfull in the begining because you get that "healty" dopamine instead (and you get a nice body as a bonus!). Healthy Dopamine is much better, ask David Beckham!

Hi Torleif I am glad to read your journal You are taking some very impressive steps and you should be proud of yourself! I am proud of you Remeber games are booring. They are repetetive and represents a simplistic version of real life, thus they can never grant the satisfaction real life activities do. You will be amazed in the future how much fun life is outside gaming. A good tool if you feel relapsing feelings is to take a walk and observe nature in the present moment. Norway is one of the most beautifull countries in the world, so it could help you on the way.

Hi Mark Glad to read about your progress. I think it is awesome you have set goals including yoga, fitness and sleeping. That is exactly what I am trying to do aswell Have you been playing football since you were young or is it a new passion? Do you work on a special project on your car or is it generall maintenance? I am a mechanic myself and enjoy everything with engines and horsepowers

Thanks Mark Glad to hear we share the same view in so many ways. I find that mindfullness is a wonderfull tool (form of yoga) to practise to improve living in the present moment. It is logical aswell, there is really nothing one can do about the past and the future is formed in the present moment. So living in the present moment not only increases life quality and every second we are blessed with life, it helps shaping our future goals aswell. Doing less in life will increase quality instead of quantity. Monks have practised this for thousands of years. There are wisdom that a modern human can apply. In the end it gives you control of yourself and your life.

Välkommen Torleif! Du är inte ensam. Det du upplever är precis vad många av oss upplever. Läs journaler och ställ vilka frågor du vill, tittat också på Cams videos dom är väldigt hjälpsamma. Ser fram emot att läsa din journal inom en snar framtid.Vi kommer hjälpa dig igenom det här English: Welcome Torleif! You are not alone. What you experience is what many of us do aswell. Please read the journals on this site and have a look at Cams videos they are very helpfull. I am looking forward to read your journal in a future soon. We will help you

Thanks a lot Cam! It means a lot coming from you so I am very thankfull for your comment Onwards 2 months next!

Hi Robin and welcome I can promise you this, you will be surprised how fun life is outside gaming. You will have an entire new life filled with quality and fun. We have your back buddy!

So here comes a quick update I have been "clean" from gaming for 4 weeks now. Today I also canceled all my pre-order games. So I have no connection to gaming anymore. I also made clear to my old gaming friends I have quit gaming. I feel my entire life has taken a new turn and I can honestly say I feel much better in so many ways. I feel I have control and I have no desire to ever game again I am strong and very optimistic about my future. I want to thank all of you for your support and wish you all the best in jour journeys to a quality life aswell. My daily rutine in doing less and relaxing more is working good aswell, I sleep better and are more healthy, I really love my life at this point.

Thanks Cam ☺I think I will follow your advice and explore meditation.You been in Southeast asia? That is awesome, where did you do?

Thanks mate, no it is a internet picture but I loved it. Glad to hear you enjoy living in the present moment, I am all with you on that being the favourite of things quitting games ☺

Paul you are young so don't feel stressed about having trouble finding your path in life. Do everything in small steps and enjoy them as you move forward. Test things out. Test things you think are cool. Do you like scouts that track animals in nature? Do you like basketball players, are they cool? Do you like motorcykles or airplanes, do you watch youtube movies of WW2 airplanes? Do you like horror, would you like to test playing a zombie in a movie? Do you enjoy eating? Would you like to be the best to barbecue steak in your block? All this testing and small steps leads you into another path in life and you might end up married with a resturant owners daughter. Let me tell you, gaming is booring. You do the same things over and over again. You play the same games that are like the previous ones over and over again. You are playing and meanwhile you are wishing the game could be so much more. Like an artificial superlife. But that never happens. Instead you could be practising shooting in your local club and in real practising with your AK47 or Glock 17. Or you could in real life be an archer or riding horses in nature and get the social interaction from animals. Games are a light version of real life. A poorly attempt of replicating what is going own in the real world. And if you feel you absolutely need a competative screen time environment, you should test trading the financial markets. Trust me you will get competition but you won't get addictive because everytime you lose control of yourself you lose money, and that hurts like hell. But you get a competative internet environment I can promise you that ☺But do allow yourself to just exist from time to time. No demands or stress. Just relaxing and being present in now.

I fully agree with you patience is an art form and the enjoyment you gain, especially long term, is the highest form of reward. But I do mean the art of doing nothing is important aswell, or allow yourself to do nothing if you wish. This is a subject that somehow conflict with todays society as we are expected to always do something productive with our time. But the other side of the coin shows more health issues and stress related illness aswell. What is life? What is it supposed to contain? Each persons life is a blessing. I belive that one should allow him/herslef to just enjoy the wonders of nature or social interactions from time to time and do absolutely nothing. Just enjoy our planet, it sounds and smells. Live life slow and live in the present and as you said have patience in developing your skills and actually enjoy the journey meanwhile. Because every second in your life is a lost one never coming back. To be here and now.

Well it is an art. And in todays society it is truly something in need of practise. This might sound like a booring journal, hey are we going to read a journal of a dude doing nothing? Well yes and it is also about slowing down in life. And when you do commit in doing something you take your time and live in the present moment. As I said practise. I think this is much needed for ex-gamers. Our brains are now hardwired to high speed entertaiment with fast stimulation. We or atleast I need to really slow down and this leads into my journal. First two weeks without games. So I have for the first time in 20 years been totally free from games. 14 days of no fast paced enetertaiment, no flashing gaming streams and "must buy game reviews". Let me tell you this, I have never charged my batteries better the now. When I have free time or sleep I get high quality rest and relaxation. But it has taken a great deal of effort not doing something. I do my rutins like cooking and even in this area I see better results. That is because I take my time reading on recipes, buying high quality products and letting the food cook as long as it needs. As I have mentioned before I love the financial markets and trading. It is not because I want a new addiction or hunt dopamine. It is to gain better financial success and understanding our global economics better. And since I have been slowing down I see better results in my trading. I believe it is because I spend quality time with my charts and actually think the market in a slow pace. I am allowing myself to spend hours just studying on single market without doing any trades. So my trades have become less but also my losses and my wins have increased. This month I have increased my trading capital with 70% doing only two trades. How about that. I never thought that could be done. I plan of updating this journal every two weeks or so, so until then ???? The art of doing nothing. Why the hell not? I say screw todays society.

Hi Theo welcome ☺! I feel I can relate to you in so many ways! We are about the same age, I have been in destructive online gaming aswell, I am addicted to porn also. I am currently quitting gaming and tobaco, so I cant quit porn just yet, but I sure will in the future. I can also relate to the feeling of social isolation gaming brings. It is a negative spiral especially when gaming is used for dodge stress, I have been doing it aswell for years. I hope we can help each other to find new ways to handle stress in life, Cam seems to have great ideas and this is topic is quite interesting. Hope to have some more talk with you in the future ☺

Hi Mark and welcome ☺ I want to thank you for giving me the oppertunity to read your story, I believe life have been unfair to you but you are very strong and your post is a proof of that. It takes guts and strenght to open up like you did and share your life with others, I am impressed and I wish I could be more like you ☺. I will follow your journal with great interest and hope to find inspiration for my detox journey I am making now aswell, thank you for being awesome!

Hi David welcome! I am looking forward to follow your journey and rember me and many others on this forum are experiencing exactly the same as you right now. You will make it, the world is full of things so much more fun and rewarding then gaming, each and every day it will become more and more clear ☺

@ Django Thanks buddy I am glad you sold your PS4 console. It takes a lot of willpower to make the final push and you did it, please be proud of yourself! I played Diablo 3 up to almost paragon 1000, so I know how addictive it can be. Quite frankly I am thankfull I hit a wall in that game because it made me realise what a enormous waste of time chasing pixel loot can be in a never ending loop. Truly madness but whats done is done and thank good I will never do it again. @Teho07 Thanks mate I will sure to keep you all updated, I am following your progress aswell with great hopes and interest. ☺

I can relate 100% Django. It is all about practise and commitment. People often tell you what you can and can`t do let me give you an an example. Eventhough my addiction to gaming I achieved some things during the time. As well as I am sure you have done. In my life eventhough everybody said I would fail (including my family) I got my exam in engineering with no technical background. Some years after the rest in my class but I never gave up, I practised and commited. When I started traiding the financial markets, everybody said I would fail. Now I am slowly starting to make some small money and suddenly people seeks advice. People see their own failures in other peoples success. But it has never been about them. It is about you. Your goals and life. And when you achieve your goals you can help others, it becomes as positive spiral. All you have to do is commit and practise. I have many times been wondering what my passion is, my life goal etc. I have figured out that I love it all. I want to do as much as I can before I die. Fly a Mig 29 over Russia, run in the zombie boot camp in Detroit, drive a pick up truck with a skylift on the back through the jungle of the Amazons. And I want to settle with a wife and have healty kids. Perhaps have my own farm and watch the sunset over the fields. Really the issue is time and money. I now realise what a fake life is or a false reality.It is hiding behind a screen gaming. Why? Because other people have problems with their lifes? Because some coperate guy wants to earn millions and you have to work your ass of and use gaming as drugs? Screw all that shit. I know this. All you guys coming to this place are strong. Strong. You have done the one thing many others can´t. Taking control. You guys are alreay winners and leaders breaking out from the herd. Leaders all of you. This place is a wonderfull thing and I can´t wait to start follow your guys and reading your stories. And Cam your are awesome!

Thanks for the support guys it means a lot . Nice to hear you have made the decision WorkInProgress, I am looking forward to follow your journey I will be one of the best decisions in your life, that I am sure of! A journal sounds like a great idea I will start working on it this coming week. Big hugs Daniel