Paul A.

I skimmed through the first and last pages of this journal - you’ve made amazing progress! I’m happy you were able to deduce that moderation just wasn’t feasible for you, and that it makes more sense for you to cut them out altogether. Not everyone is able to come to terms with a decision like that, so be proud of yourself! I’ll be keeping up with your progress over the coming days. Keep it up!

Hey! Just scrolling through and I saw some of your artwork… how did you get started with drawing? Any videos you recommend? Any courses or artists to follow? Or did you just get started right away with practicing? I’m just getting started myself (today’s my first proper day actually) and I’m feeling pretty overwhelmed! I love what you’re doing though, keep it up! I’d love to get connected 🙂

Hello all! Starting today, I’ll be logging my daily progress in this journal. Today marks my 2nd full day of being game-free. Over the past 2 days, I’ve dived headfirst into my new hobby of drawing, and it’s a whole new world. There’s so much to learn and it’s honestly pretty overwhelming, but I’m just taking it a day at a time as I attempt to figure out my next steps. I’ve taken a drawing course on Skillshare and I’m debating whether I want to invest in more courses or just plunge into the drawing itself. I’m also already looking into drawing tablets (admittedly it is a bit early for all that and I am low on funds, but I digress), with the iPad Air looking like a good fit. I’m looking forward to seeing that constant measurable growth over time the longer I stick with it (which I hope I will!). In other news, I’m getting back into my spiritual pursuits. Spirituality is something I’ve taken great interest in over the past few months, with Buddhism and Taoism being of particular interest to me. I’ve started reading the Upanishads, which are Hindu texts famous for their spiritual wisdom and guidance. I plan to go through these as well as the Bhagavad Gita and the Dhammapada over the next few weeks. I also decided to take a break from social media to focus on spiritual growth. All in all, I’m excited for what lies ahead and I’m proud of myself for being able to get into the swing of things so quickly. I’ll be back tomorrow with updates.

Hello all! This is not my first foray into the realm of Game Quitters, but I thought I'd briefly introduce myself. My name is Paul, and I'm currently 19 years old. I was first introduced to Game Quitters at 13, and I was a fairly active part of the community until I decided to distance myself from it, because I began to spend an unhealthy amount of time on the forum. It was like taking one addiction and replacing it with another. I hope to change that this time around though. A lot has changed since I was last a part of the forum. For one, I've grown up a fair bit. I've developed more as an individual and as a man, but admittedly I still have a lot of growing up to do. I started making music (rapping, mixing, and mastering) and I've got a job now selling furniture. A lot has changed since 6 years ago, but the one thing that has remained constant is my on-and-off relationship with video games. I'm able to kick games for a while, maybe even a few months, just to return to gaming with a vengeance. My most recent run was about 2 weeks of nonstop, compulsive gaming, which severely strained my relationship with my family. My dad even threatened to kick me out of the house. Luckily, I was able to cut back significantly, but I've decided I might as well give up this old crutch of mine for good - for real this time. I purchased a copy of Respawn Elite and I've committed myself to quitting gaming forever! I'm not sure what the future holds for this decision, but at the moment I'm excited and motivated to move forward into the next phase of my life - a life that's free of any vices and addictions. I'm simultaneously working to curb my addiction to PMO (porn, masturbation, and orgasm) as well. This is probably the more sinister of my two addictions, but I digress. I've been using a crude practice of mindfulness and meditation to quench my urges and cravings, with mixed results. I'm hoping Game Quitters will provide me the resources to beat both of these addictions. I just wanted to express my gratitude for a community of like-minded individuals like this one, and I wish you all luck and success on your individual journeys!

Hey everyone. I think I'm going to take a break from the forums for a bit. I just can't stop treating it like it's social media, I'm constantly checking for notifications. It has to stop. I'm still going to stick to my no TV and games commitment, but for now I feel like I'm not using the forums the way they should be used: as a way to get through the detox. To be honest, every night I post something on my journal, hoping for notifications the next morning. It's also part of the reason that I'm more active in other people's journals. I'm not allowed to have social media, so I guess I was using the forums as a replacement. But that's not what it's supposed to be. And to be honest, I feel like all the time I spend on the forums is wasted time that I could have used for something else, like the mountain of homework I have. Maybe I'll come back when I feel like I really need support, but for now, it's goodbye. Good luck to everyone

Where are you travelling?

Hey man, sorry to hear you're in a slump. But knowing you, it won't last. You're one of the people that was with me from the beginning, always offering words of advice and encouragement. Now it's my turn.

Don't worry, the first couple days can be hard, but it'll get better. I believe in you

Thanks for the words of advice. Right now I'm busy because of all the schoolwork, but once my schedule opens up a bit then I will start to write a bit, I'll start off with journal like entries, like a diary or something, then maybe it'll evolve into something else. There's also a keyboard in the house so maybe I'll have my parents buy a book and I can learn how to play. My dad actually bought it for me when I was in a musical phase, but right now i think my little siblings get more use out of it than I do Thanks man. To everyone else me being in uniform was nothing special, but it felt especially good to me to be wearing it because I knew I put the work in to get it ready (because preparing that uniform is actually a lot of work, more than you'd expect) Today was another average day. I wore my uniform today for my weekly inspection, still feeling good because I got it ready. I took some quizzes for classes that I missed last week, and I think I did very well (in fact I know I did well on one, because it was an online test and once i submitted it, it returned my results and i got a perfect score). Had track today, and my legs still hurt from the exercise we did (it wasn't fun). I came home and spent time on my homework, and I finally got started on a project that I've been putting off. Luckily the teacher gave me an extension because it would have been due next Wednesday, and I'm not sure I would have met the deadline Last night I decided to watch the Country music awards in the name of "family time" (my whole family was watching), but afterwards I had a killer headache. Don't really know why, maybe it had something to do with watching TV and using a phone at the same time. One thing's for sure, I'm not doing that again (watching TV and using phone at same time). One thing I'm struggling with at school is talking to people. I'm just scared of the awkward conversations that will most likely take place, because interesting conversations are not my strong suit. I don't want to be asking people my age those awkward questions that a grown person would be asking because I don't know what to talk about. That might just be an excuse I'm making because I'm pretty shy. It probably is, but the whole point is that I don't want to talk to people, but at the same time I don't want to keep on feeling lonely like I have been. Pretty counter intuitive, huh? But it is what it is. I'm too scared to deal with it though. I hate to say it but it's true. I just hope that something will change in the future that will enable me to hold a conversation. Even the "friends" I have now aren't really close friends because whenever we hang out we don't really speak all that much. It's pretty awkward. But I don't know what to do about it. Hopefully that changes. Overall, just another day. Hopefully the days will be more exciting when I'm not so burdened by work

Glad to hear things are going well. Keep going!

Sorry to hear about your relapse, but it's important that you realized where you went wrong and got right back up. Keep moving forward, relapse happens but the important thing is that you don't let it get to you, you just keep moving forward.

So today I went back to school after 9 days (nine whole days!) of being absent. I don't really care for school, but whatever. It was just another normal, boring school day, followed by track, which was torture. I was cramping, my mouth felt like a desert, and my breathing sounded like a donkey. But it'll be worth it once I make the track team. I'm taking part in a program in school where I have to dress up in a uniform every Thursday for an inspection. Since I was out the entire week last week, I thought I had to be in uniform the first day I was back in school (which was today), so on Sunday, I actually, for once in my life, took the time to make sure my uniform was ready for inspection. It turns out there was no inspection the week I was out, so I wore the uniform today for naught, but it still felt good to know that I had spent the time to get it ready. One student even complimented me on my dedication, and believe me, compliments from other kids don't come by often. Plus I have an inspection tomorrow, and I know my uniform is ready. I guess I had a pretty OK day today.

Hey @happykhan welcome to the forums! Writing in your journal will definitely help you during your detox, sitting down and reflecting on what you did will help you to understand the reason you played, which will help you a whole lot. Keep writing, and once again welcome!

Hi @Robert Arctor , I just read your entire journal (it took a while, but I read it lol) and wow. You've been through a lot. And even with all the adversity in your life, you've still made it a point to improve your life. That is truly inspiring. Some people who went through what you did may have drowned themselves in addiction, in an attempt to ease the pain. Hell, some might have even committed suicide. But you've found a way to move forward, and you're making an effort to make a better life for yourself. That is worthy of admiration. You certainly have mine. I will continue to read your journal to see your progress. Stay awesome, Robert. Stay awesome.

Curse this reputation limit... I can tell you've really come a long way. I'm proud of you (weird for a 14 year old to say that to a grown man )

I think it's a bold decision on your part to not watch any TV/Netflix/ YouTube at ALL. I mean, I've made a commitment to significantly CUT BACK on watching TV and YouTube and the like. But none at ALL? Now that's bold. Nothing but respect on my end. Nothing but respect.

1000?! That's a lot

Awesome!

I stayed home again today, because I felt like I didn't get enough sleep in the night to make it through school. My dad wasn't too happy with my reasoning, though . The past couple of days it's just been homework, homework, and some more homework. So as you can imagine, the past few days have been SUPER exciting (not really). I found myself struggling to stay focused, and it took me the whole day to finish an assignment that would've taken one to two hours if I could stay focused. That's actually a big issue for me, staying focused. I think it goes hand in hand with my lack of discipline. Something I need to work on. A friend of mine came over later on, and we had a good time recalling past experiences, but otherwise today was just another boring day of schoolwork. I found myself constantly checking the forums yet again for replies, but I didn't get many. But I need to get used to the fact that this is not Instagram. I can't constantly expect replies. This journal is more for me than anyone else, and I also understand that you guys have lives to live outside of the forum. I think it shows that I need to find some way to spend my time better, something I've struggled with in the past. But I have hope. I'm considering learning coding, and also writing. I've also been reading a lot recently. So there's definitely hope for me.

Something occurred to me just now. The past few days, I have pursued almost no leisure activities whatsoever. I mean yesterday I did go trick or treating, and I go for a walk every now and then, but other than that I haven't done anything other than do work and lay around. It's really boring. Maybe that's why I constantly find myself checking the forums for replies, because I enjoy the fact that people are paying attention to me and my problems. But I can't keep doing that. I need to do SOMETHING fun (other than spam up the forum lol) else I might die of boredom, so I'm going to read a few chapters of my book then I'll go back to my homework (stayed home from school again today). Something I have realized about myself over time is that I want attention, but the problem is I hardly get it. Maybe that's the reason that I get bummed out when I don't get a bunch of replies on my posts, because my need for attention hasn't been fulfilled. Nothing I do seems to get me the kind of attention I want (certainly I get quite a bit of attention I DON'T want), but what can I really do about that?

Happy for you bro I really feel for you and your story, and I'm really glad that you've completed your detox and are moving forward with your life, I really am

@Piotr I would just like to say that your dedication to living your best life, and to leaving a mark on this world, well it's inspiring, to tell you the truth. It really is. You're pursuing your dreams with laser like focus, and I respect that.

Well what kinds of things do you try to be positive about but then they end up with negative results, and what courses of action do you take that end up with negative results?

You make a good point... it's perfectly fine to be philosophical, personally when I'm philosophical it makes me feel smart

So true, discipline has been an issue for me for a long time