browland

Thanks for the feedback! Right now I'm in the process of getting settled into a new house so there's plenty of things to do with that. I still shirk that shit and opt to go for a walk or go disc golfing or really anything else besides "work". It seems like I have a habit of doing this, putting off things that I don't prefer doing. I know that they will give me positive returns on my time (clean house, learn about my craft, acquire the fitness) but I'll go so far out of my way to avoid doing that stuff. Gaming was the obvious way to do that, but now it's a little bit clearer to me just how fucking lazy I am. I wanna get outdoors more like hiking/biking/jogging/boating that type of stuff but it's generally not easy to make myself get out there. When I do go I'm always really glad I went, but for some reason I shy away from it. I've picked up disc golfing a little bit. It's cheap, skill-oriented, outdoors, and can be social if I meet up with other golfers. I also love table tennis but there's not much activity for that in my area.

hi Pete! I'm in the same boat as you. let me know if you ever need someone to talk to I'm a pretty mediocre conversationalist!

hi Matthew, godspeed! I'm new here too and I'm down to talk if you ever need someone to talk to.

hi everyone, my name is Brent and I'm addicted to video games. I've been playing games for a long time now and lately I've come to realize that my gaming habit is holding me back from pursuing other worthwhile things I want to do with my life. I'm coming to accept that I have a problem with the way I use games to distract myself from the real world and shirk my responsibilities. I know enough about myself to realize that the only way I'm going to break this habit is if I take it seriously and cut myself off for real. My mom was an alcoholic, she's been sober now for 20 years or more. I actually went to numerous AA meetings as a kid and listened to the wisdom of older folks that had to battle their demons in a very similar fashion. I was fully aware of the beast of Alcoholism so I have been very careful to make sure that it would never happen to me, but I think it has in its own way. I started gaming in like the 3rd grade but it really took a turn in my high school years when I got access to good internet. I spent way too many hours on GTA4 and Halo 3, building friendships with anonymous strangers that were much stronger than any of the relationships I had in "real" life. I'm honestly amazed that I made it through high school and college afterwards. At the moment I'm not involved in any clubs or sports so my gaming habit has returned in full force. I aspire to be a world-class software developer and I want to learn to fly aircraft. I know that if I want to achieve any of this then gaming has got to go. It's been about a week since I quit and it's been much harder than I thought it would be. It almost physically pains me to think about never gaming any more. Because of this strong reaction I know that there's something bubbling under the surface that I really need to follow through on and take a look at. I have a couple questions for you guys and a polite request: - Would you consider a flight simulator off limits? I initially thought no but I'm afraid that it's a "dancing with the devil" scenario. - Would you allow yourself to watch e-sports? I love League of Legends but same issue about dancing with the devil. In Alcoholics Anonymous they do a "sponsor" system where a knowledgeable veteran mentors a newbie. Is there anyone out there that's made it to the other side of this mess be willing to mentor me?