marcopolobus

Day #2 Today I am grateful: For a bright, clear day cross-country skiing in the Rockies. VGRM report: Stayed away from video games and related youtube videos today. Wasn’t too hard since I was out of the house most of the day though. Probably a sign that I should strive to get myself out of the house more when reading week is over. Just being alone in my room is a large trigger for me. @Cam Adair It was your youtube videos that gave me the extra push to start this journey man, thank you. Also reppin’ Calgary ;)

Day #1 Hello game-quitters and life-partakers, This is the start of my Video Game and Related Media (VGRM) 90 day detox. Through the rescue-time app, I've become aware that my consumption of video game related media (YouTube mainly) surpasses the playing of games themselves. From experience, I know that watching gameplay usually leads to playing, so I'm setting myself the additional restriction of no video game related media during the detox to increase my chances of success. I'm making the promise (you all are my witnesses) to post in my daily journal every day for the next 90 days, and to be completely honest if I relapse. However I am also promising, as a fallible human being, that if I miss a day or relapse, I will be compassionate towards myself and continue where I left off. All or nothing mentality has no place here. The content of this journal will be variable, but I will always begin with one thing I am grateful for and a report on my success or failure to abstain from VGRM that day. Here goes... Today I am grateful: For having a father who is willing to go outside his comfort zone and discuss issues like addiction with his son. VGRM report: Passed with flying colours today, no desire to partake whatsoever. Probably mostly from that new journey surge of motivation, but hey I'll take it. I know tougher times are ahead but I gotta take my wins where I can, and appreciate them. To show myself that I am committed to this goal, I uninstalled every game off my laptop, and started the administrative process to delete my accounts. This wasn't a decision I made lightly, but I realized I couldn't do half measures here. If I keep my accounts, I'm telling myself that there will come a time in my future where I will be in control of my video game consumption and want to continue playing. I'm saying that I won't be able to find healthier alternatives to video games that satisfy the same needs. Finding healthier alternatives is exactly what we're all trying to do here, so to hold on to my accounts is to already place seeds of doubt in my mind. I am committed and I am confident (coming from a day of low stress, it isn't too hard to be confident about quitting, but I have this community to bolster my defenses when I'm struggling).

@Zeb Tis the season for change I guess, loving the support, thank you! @Regular Robert Thanks for reading, this is one more step towards making that inner voice that dominant one. @dwalk77 Thanks friend, this community seems to be so positive.

Congrats on your first day man!

Hi Brian, I really like the brutal honesty and sincerity that came through in this introduction post. You obviously want to change, and the next step is learning how. I think you've come to the right place. Looking forward to hearing more about your journey on the forums.

Its great that you're still keeping up with the journal even after missing a day here and there. I'm also in University so I have some idea of the journey you're on right now. Keep going!

I've found that music can give me a pretty good rush if I'm listening to an upbeat/inspiring song. It's also on demand and you can do it while walking, or even to distract yourself after surfing the urge. Using a free subscription to Google Play I got with my phone allows me to listen to literally any song I feel like without needing to go on YouTube and expose myself to video games.

Hi Brian, I know how hard (and sometimes counterintuitive) it can be to have faith in some self-improvement strategies. I think joining this online community is definitely something worth trying and I hope it works for you.

Hey Dave, glad to hear you're taking steps to improve your life. I hope this community can help you achieve your goals.

Hello, my name's Gavin and I'm a university student in Canada. I don't think I've ever posted on a forum looking for help before (other than homework), but as the title says, I'm more committed to change than I've ever been. My history with video games starts back in elementary school, playing with a neighbourhood friend. It didn't become a noticeable issue until high school when I noticed that I had abandoned most of my childhood hobbies (badminton, trombone, soccer). While I still had a core of friends at school, most of my free time was being spent on video games (WoW and some PS3 games). One night, I remember getting drunk, walking into the middle of a field near my house and vowing to stop wasting my life playing video games. Fast forward a few years, and I've made it through first year of university, but am struggling in second year due to a combination of factors, but mainly depression. Through my engineering program, I got an internship in my hometown (a job I left prematurely). While there, I actually purchased a gaming pc specifically to play World of Warcraft (which I had renounced back in high school). I just wanted so badly to feel good again, and I thought WoW could do that for me. Temporarily it did, but I made an uncharacteristically wise decision and sold my pc, and stopped playing video games again. However, throughout all this I would spend long hours clicking through YouTube videos of gameplay (Hearthstone, Minecraft, WoW). A year later, I found myself renting a house with a guy who played League of Legends. I was excited to have someone to play with in person, and the social connection was a great boost. Sadly, the guy ended up being an asshole, and I continued to play LoL by myself. LoL has pretty much become the ultimate crutch for me now. It gives me escapism, challenge, rewards; all those things Cam says video games provide. Perhaps differently than most users of this site, I spend more time watching gameplay videos on YouTube than actually playing, because I can watch videos anywhere, anytime. Instant escapism. Its like watching satisfies the same urges as playing the game. My addiction has got to the point that I'm in danger of failing 3 of my 4 classes this term, I'm spending student loan money like I won the lottery, and my social life is nearing the state it was in the depths of my depression. I'm missing multiple classes each week due to poor sleep habits, or just skipping to play games. I'm skipping my yoga classes (my only source of exercise). As I'm expecting to graduate in May 2019, I'm realizing that I won't make it out there the way things are going. I've always told myself, "Once you get over this, you'll be able to be fit, sociable, eat healthy and have a rewarding career", but "getting over it" was always something future me would take care of. It's time present me takes charge. Sorry if that seemed over dramatic, but I honestly do want to change, and I hope joining this community can help me. It seems like an active community with friendly and helpful advice. Cam's videos resonated strongly with me, and I like the attitude he brings to the forums here. I'll be starting my daily journal tomorrow for the 90 day detox. tl;dr: Played video games as a kid, wanted to quit and get more out of life. Still feel that way today, except its become an addiction. Gavin