Dannigan

A warm welcome to you, Sahil! I am sorry to hear about your situation, especially the taunting you received from friends you thought would help you through the addiction of gaming. First of all, they are complete jerks, and you are a bigger person than what they think of you. Secondly, you are in the right place. There are many people here who understand what you are going through. We're here to support you! Please start your journey step by step, and remember to be kind to yourself. Your life will change for the better because of this decision to overcome gaming. It will take time and patience, so be very good to yourself and remind yourself that 'rome wasn't built in a day'.

Congrats on your 57 day of detox I encourage you to participate in the forums for both feedback and giving support. It really helps sustain your momentum to get through the 90 day detox. Isolating yourself from a support group can leave you vulnerable, especially during the initial stages of detox. There are great folks here who share valuable advice and also understand the struggles. Danni

I am happy to join my fellow comrades in our May mission. ~ absolutely no gaming ~ max 1.5 hours online daily internet use ~ complete two sewing projects by the end of the month ~ increase running time from 20 minutes to 30 minutes by May 31 ~ read two books by the end of the month: The Power of Habit, and As You Wish (ok, so I'm a Princess Bride fanatic! book and movie!) ` continue writing daily journal entries on Penzu ~ continue attending meditation groups twice a month

This is a wonderful thread, Travis. I like how you emphasized 'mindfulness' of one's body, one's sleep schedule, and one's energy. It really helps others to identify underlying reasons why they might be falling back on maintaining good habits. Thanks so much for adding this!

Welcome Jeremias! I really encourage you to watch Cam's videos, there was one video that I particularly found informative. It was about what to expect when you go through the detox. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDpRDvFvImw I hope you find the forum helpful. Also, I found it helpful to list down my achievements each day, or any task that I accomplished that I did outside my goals. The forum members are great in that many give positive feedback. I think journal writing is invaluable because it can be a great reminder of what steps you've taken to work towards your goals, and to process what struggles you have.. As cliche as it sounds, a journey begins with one step. Cheers!

Very encouraging, Robin! One step at a time.....

Falky! Look who leads an interesting life now! Your trip to the museum sounds fantastic! That was a big step to overcoming agoraphobia. I cope with some social anxiety as well, and it can be harder when I'm around people at my work. I think that the more exposure therapy you do for yourself, it will only lead to better coping skills. I find that my anxiety socially hasn't really gone away, but it's manageable. Interestingly, there are many people i have met at my job and in life that have SA, but I never would have guessed. Glad to read about your progress, and it certainly has inspired me to continue onward with creating a more fulfilling life. Cheers! Danni

Welcome, Sashiku! Great to see another female on this forum! There are few and far between. I hope you find helpful hints and support over here. I think this forum is wonderful, and there are many good folks on board. I just wanted you to know that quitting gaming is a process, and everyone is different in their approach. I think the main goal is to find fulfillment again in your life, that does not relate to gaming extensively. Your artwork is awesome, I had a look at it in another thread! I wonder if you could make a business out of your artwork, perhaps create stickers for school binders? I think it would be an incredible small-business opportunity on a website like Etsy. Anyway, it is late here and I must log off soon. Hope to read more of your posts one day! Sincerely, Danni

Welcome! Glad to have you here. For a period of time, I disconnected my home internet and used the library computers which only allocate 90 minutes per day. It helped me structure my internet browsing due to the limited time frame. I had to narrow it down to the most helpful or interesting websites that I wanted to browse. So, it became basically internet time for 'necessity', rather than mindless browsing. Would you be keen on experimenting this for a short time? I did this for about three weeks. If I have further hints, I'll let you know. Kind regards, Dann

I truly believe in what you and your colleagues are doing, Cam. I just wanted to say that I'm very proud to be a part of this growing community, and also to take part in the study. It's unbelievable how many people this website has reached, and how many individuals are taking steps to enrich their lives without relying on video games alone for fulfillment. I foresee a very bright future for this outreach Detox program! Cheers to all who are making steps in their journey!

Yeah I may check out the audio book suggestion, perhaps learning Spanish in audio book form. Yeah I'm pretty good at craftmanship, but at around 10pm and with no space or money it'd be quite hard for me ^^. Unfortunately were not having a baby anymore...girlfriend did another test and she wasn't pregnant so I think it was just a faulty test maybe Sorry to hear about the false pregnancy, but then again.....it must have been a reality check too, in regards to the responsibility involved with raising a child? Expenses, discipline, lack of sleep, etc. Best prepare for it when it does happen.

Cool thread, Cam! Well, it's almost the end of March, but I just started my Detox March 10, 2016. I am so glad I committed. I will answer the above questions as follows: 1. What is your commitment? No games? No streams? Anything else? No games at all. And limiting my time on the computer, in general. 2. How long do you want this challenge to last? By default it is one month, but 90 days is recommended for your detox. I want to go beyond the 90 day detox, and make this a life-time commitment. I tried moderation two years ago, but it did not work. So, I'm going to be a non-gamer for the rest of my life, and I am okay with that. I've discovered another realm of goals that will and have kept me occupied since the day of my detox. It has not been without toil and emotional challenges, as I did leave a network of friends behind in the online gaming world. But in retrospect, it was for the best. I kept a few friends who still stay in touch with me, and I look forward to meeting new people in person and building a solid social circle. 3. What are your goals? I want to be a dedicated runner and complete a 5K by the end of summer or June 2016. I want to be healthier with my diet and lose at least 20 lbs by the end of this year. I want to save money on clothing, and sew my own work clothes, an entire wardrobe, by the end of this year. I want to learn a new instrument, possibly violin. I want to make new friendships that will hopefully last a lifetime. 4. Why are you doing this? I am doing this detox because I was not happy with my past social and health situation. I was becoming more irritable and started to turn my back against the world, avoided opportunities to meet potential friendships outside the game, ignored my mental and physical health, deprived myself from sleep, and almost gave up on the prospects of living a better quality of life.

Hello Luis! Cam Adair, the founder of this forum, has many good informative videos about boredom and what to do after you quit video games. I'll post the link here. Take time to browse through Game Quitters Youtube channel to find other helpful tips that will help you get through the detox of gaming. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f98t6OVjsiE Falky gave a great list of his activities for an example. I wonder if you could join a kung fu class, or competitive volley-ball, or basketball team that is part of a community recreation center? And if you needed a ride to this place, I wonder if you could catch a ride with any of the members who joined the club, if they live nearby you? I'm sorry to hear that it seems unsafe in your neighborhood.

Hello Falky! I responded to this thread yesterday but deleted it. Anyway, what about audio books? I dunno if you've got that in your local library, but it's a relaxing way to indulge in a good book if you don't want to sit for hours looking at words and unintentionally skipping paragraphs because you get tired from reading. (that's what happens to me sometimes, especially after a long work day. ) Also, as a side project, are you any good with craftsmanship of any sort? Like building things? Well, if you are, I thought it would be a cool idea to make something for your new baby, like a cradle or a small bed, or a night-stand. Painting the wood with non-toxic paint is also kind of relaxing too. Hope this helps!

Those are really good insights about how we can sabotage our goal-setting by rewarding ourselves with things that will only set us back. Eg. exercise => reward of a pie. Although, after I exercise and eat healthy for one week, I allow myself one meal a week that is a bit unhealthy. But I think you mean rewarding yourself with pie after every work-out is not a healthy thing to do. I'm glad you shared how to counteract this by reminding ourselves how much we've achieved and why we did it. I wonder...would a visual sense of achievement help too? Kind of like when you get gold stars as a kid for completing your homework? If a person can SEE how much they've accomplished over time (accumulation of gold stars for task completion), would this be helpful? I wonder.......

Whoo hooo with the tennis! Glad you and your family got outside to enjoy the weather and get some exercise. You resisted the urge to play, and yeah, that's a tough thing to do. But you did it. You must feel pretty good about that. All the best tomorrow with work and daily life. One step at a time.

Sleep! Yes, very important. My mind plays games with my reasoning if I have a bad sleep. Worst part is not being able to function at my work due to lack of sleep. Glad you recovered from your small lapse. It's okay. Keep moving forward! It's good that you learned what might have triggered the relapse. It's all part of the journey in discovering what works and what doesn't work for you.

Yeah, give yourself time for your body to adjust to a new sleeping routine. Have you tried a tablet of melatonin? Try it for about a week, and your body might adjust. Perhaps before sleep, set aside all computer-related distractions, give yourself an hour to prepare for sleep. Dim the lights, drink a herbal tea for sleep, listen to soft meditative music, drink a glass of warm milk, wear ear-plugs if noise distracts you, take a warm shower before bed, don't read an hour before you sleep. Just a few suggestions. I haven't applied all of them, but just chose what works best for me. Hope this helps. Glad you went outside for a walk! The beauty of nature is a great healer for the restless mind and in general for overall well-being.

Welcome! I have been a fan of The Minimalists for over a year now. Since then, I've donated or sold many items in my home that were of no value to me. I realized that these extra items just added more clutter to my small space. I like The Minimalists' philosophy about living with less and limiting time on the computer. After doing that purge, I instantly felt liberated from clutter, and felt like I could 'breathe' again. I feel very stressed around clutter. I was glad to read your journal entry as well as this introduction. You'll find many people on this forum have moved on from gaming while doing the Detox. Others have discovered that moderation works for them with gaming after they completed a certain period of abstinence from computer games. It's interesting that many of us now see the 'ridiculousness' of gaming excessively. For example, all that farming for ore, making leather, and crafting in a game was such a time sinker. That's why I think writing a daily journal will help us see how we are allocating our time to do other things. I was amazed at how much a person can get done in ONE day, and tasks that are unrelated to gaming but are more meaningful and productive. We're all in this together and hopefully you'll feel well-supported in this forum. Cheers!

Hello Tanvir, I think it's easy for a person to jump from one addiction to the next. Your mind is still craving the instant gratification that's associated with gaming addiction. I think that watching movies is more of a passive hobby, versus gaming is utilizing different parts of your brain that require engagement in the activity. Maybe it would be helpful to ask yourself the following questions.... 1) Is this activity causing me to neglect myself, my responsibilities, and the people I care about? Furthermore..... a) Is this activity causing me to lose sleep? b) Is this activity causing a shift in my mood? Or causing irregular mood patterns that I have difficulty controlling? c) Is this activity interfering with my work? d) Is this activity causing me to isolate myself from others? e) Is this activity taking too much time in my day where I could be doing other things that are more productive? Don't get me wrong, I love watching movies too. But I also think that watching six movies in a row in one day is too much. In my personal journey, I would probably use a movie as a reward for completing a hard day's work at the gym, or on the weekend I'd invite friends or family over to watch the movie with me.

Hey there Merdoc Yes, I agree that the withdrawal feeling is part of the process. Also, these periods of down times are useful because it gives you those moments to reflect on your life. I think that gaming distracts us from taking a deeper look at what is causing us to feel sad, or empty, or lonely, or angry. Your goals that you completed so far are awesome. Keep working towards them. I think that every time you look back on the goals you accomplished, it will give you motivation to continue. Every little step counts. You are moving forward, not backwards!

Cam I really appreciate the link and your thoughts on this subject. It has been bothering me for some time. I watched your link and was very relieved to hear your solutions to finding a new social circle. It was also a relief that the cycle of friendships changes over our life-time, and that people may not be lifelong friends. You are right, it doesn't just happen with a gaming community. Great link, Cam! I gotta thank you for starting this website, because it has helped so many people including myself. You made a great point about focusing on the person instead of the surface and superficial levels. Maybe I'll shoot them an email and ask different questions that are open-ended and divert the topic away from gaming. I have never tried Skype, but maybe Teamspeak or a VoiceChat communication of some sort would be helpful too. Here's another observation. Perhaps when people are gaming as I did, and others, they game for so long that each day seems like the same day to them. Whereas, for people who are replacing gaming with other activities, the days are very different now and time is more measurable. What I'm trying to say is that my gaming friends may not realize how long time has lapsed since they last made contact with me because time is no longer measurable to them due to their excessive gaming? I remember time went by quick when I gamed, and Saturday seemed like Sunday. In other words, they might not have noticed how long I've been gone. You know what I mean? Anyway, I have digressed! I am looking forward to new social circles which are already in place: meditation group, yoga group, running group! Oh! I also joined a theater arts group as well, and will be attending a ballet on Friday!!!

Alright, most of us have friends who are still gaming fanatics. I have at least a handful of online friends who continue to game for very long hours at a time. Whether they are managing their own lives while gaming is another question, that I would be hesitant to ask them. So, my question is, how do you relate to your friends who game? I noticed that since I stopped gaming, there has been less communication from my online gaming friends. Our only common ground was gaming, it seems. Sadly, it's this group of friends that I am drifting from. Also, maybe I'm being judgmental, but I think most of them are addicted to gaming, and prefer this lifestyle instead of what we are all doing: finding other activities which makes us feel good about ourselves and adds to our life. I never thought that gaming added significant benefits to my life, even while I was gaming on a daily basis. I am amazed at how many people on this forum have changed their lives around, simply by quitting gaming, btw. Hope to read your responses soon, and thanks Dannigan

Hiking trip sounds like a lot of fun, I'll check that out. There are mountains all around where I live so I'm sure there are lots of opportunities. Thanks Cam! Take a picture and post it here! awesome photo!

Grats on Day 62, btw. I have a long ways to go still, but good to see that people are making it through the Detox. Yeah, I know what you mean about one day at a time. My dad used to say, "Everything adds up". It's a really simple statement, but has a very profound meaning when you apply it to goal-setting. Every step counts.