Revit

@LilChenChen Yeah thinking that I will never game again makes me miss gaming and fixates my thoughts on it. Weird, I know. @Piotr Right, it all began with the tricky thought that I can control myself. Bit by bit I started to fall into this trap, until I realized that I game 10+ hours per week.

Entry # whatever This didn't work out well. I haven't managed to get the full satisfaction from balancing gaming with other activities. The honeymoon was alright, but now I want a divorce. I tried different things and learned something. At first I didn't buy any games and played only from my friends' libraries. This idea sucked because since I don't own the games, I was looking to play them at any moment the libraries were free to use. So I cut these games out and left with whatever I bought on sale. Also multiplayer games make me totally forget about time, so I cut those out too. It helped. Meanwhile, I started to perform worse in other aspects of my life. Mainly, because of accumulated sleep deprivation. I decided to stop playing for "fun" or for "relaxation" and play only when I have nothing to do. Whenever I had 20-60 min to kill, I played. And it usually results into more than 20 minutes, which sucks. So my next step was to uninstall all the games, but have the Steam installed. In this case, I would spend these 20-60 minutes to download the game instead of playing. This trick made "gaming to kill time" impossible. This worked for me for a some time, until I started to realize that I still spend more time on gaming that I would ideally want. I thought about lots of things, until I figured that I have to quit. You see, Steam tracks how much time you spend on games. I didn't like the numbers I saw one month after I started to game... I also compared my state of mind during the detox with the state of mind while gaming. I would compare the emotional experience of gaming with peeing in your pants during the winter while outside. It feels good at first, but then you are in trouble. I also tried to recall all the good memories about gaming when I was 18 and I didn't find any. While I still remember the warm fuzzy feeling of the first dates and kisses and touches. I will not call this "quitting", because, somehow, on the mental level, it makes the detox worse. I am calling it "taking a break".

@Cam Adair I really want to try it out, just for the sake of the stretching exercises. But yoga classes are hold only two days per week at my location and at inconvenient time for me. I hope in August my schedule will allow to at least to check it out.

Thanks man! haha... well, not really Week 8 Day 78 I relapsed. Actually, I prefer to say that I moved to the next stage. My problem with gaming was that it consumed more time out of my life than I could afford to spend on it. Ideally I wanted to learn how to balance things I have to do with things I want to do. The detox helped me realize how little time I have for this hobby. Also it cleansed my mind and helped to reevaluate my priorities in life. I will skip the details of the ecstatic indulging into tasting the forbidden fruit my experience and just say that balancing is very hard. Every time I am about to start playing, I have to ask myself, if there is anything else better to do right now. And if there isn't, for how long I am going to play? I don't feel ashamed that I play again. I feel ashamed when I suppress this inner voice and end up skipping on the planned routine. Yes, this happened a couple times already and it resulted in lack of sleep on the next day, because I had to catch up on what I skipped. Anyway, I am going to continue with this experiment to see how it goes. By the way, I found a private tutor to get some professional help with the English test. The next two month are going to be quite heavy... I also became more or less consistent with the gym. At first I tried to go 3 times per week. This didn't work out, because my body could not recover with this frequency. Now I go every 2 days. Two days is enough for me to fully recover and enjoy the workout. Right, I actually enjoy the workout! Partially because I found the same things I enjoy in gaming in workouts. I am talking about constant and measurable progress I hated to go to gym, because I didn't know how to measure my progress and git gut. For the same I don't like to jog outside and love to do that on a treadmill, because I can see the speed and I can see the progress. Don't get me wrong, I've been lifting on and off since the age of 16, I had a workout log, etc. But I didn't like it much because I used to set unrealistic goals and couldn't be consistent for various reasons. Now I use an app and record all my workouts, weight and fat percentage. Which is way more convenient than a notepad and gives you a nice graph of your progress! At this point I am establishing a base line and slowly pushing my results forward. I also try out new exercises and add them into my routine when I feel that I need something to freshen thing up. I read articles and websites about working out and watch videos. Ha ha I do the same stuff I do when I play video games.

Week 9 Day 70 Nitimur in vetitum, semper cupimusque negata.

@Cam Adair They are quite humble, because the gym is not my priority right now. The goal here is to be more consistent with exercising. This sometimes interferes with my job and the aforementioned English test preparation. I am not trying to get buff, I just want to stay healthy. The other goal is to try out every interesting group program at my gym and may be stick to one or two.

@Cam Adair Oh yeah, for sure. I am waiting for my degree to be evaluated. Meanwhile I am brushing up on my English to get high scores on the test. I am going to apply in August. But besides that this is how my life looks like without games... work, gym a couple days per week, test preparation on the other days. Weekends are busy with errands and grocery shopping with occasional movie and beer outings. Rinse and repeat. But the detox helped me to realise how little time I have for the things I have to do. In order to have time to game, I used to skip on these things. Also it messes up the sleep routine, it has a negative impact on eyes and the overall health, because it is a sedentary activity.

@Cam Adair I don't have any specific goals, besides getting high scores on the English test and applying for the immigration. This is my only project for this summer.

Week 8, day 62 Wow, I can't believe that two months past already. One more to go. It feels that I haven't played forever! To be honest this week I had cravings like during the first couple weeks. Either that is because I got very tired this week, or because I talked to my gaming buddy about games, his experience of Dark Souls and why he doesn't play Awesomenauts anymore. He said that it is not fun playing without me. We actually talk less since I quit. We were trying to get together for beer or movies, but he has a crazy schedule and I was busy with stuff lately. I am embarrassed and also excited to admit that I am looking towards the end of my detox, because I can game "legally". I even started to plan what games to buy and what should I beat first... On the other hand I try to keep in mind that I am 26 years old and many of my high school friends are married, having kids and I am sorta lagging behind. I have an unpleasant feeling that I gotta do something about it. At the same time I should not rush, because I have a grand idea that I have to better myself before making such an important step as marriage. Even though my childhood and my relationships with my parents are not that bad as some people on this forum have, I still believe that these could have been better and now I am in a search of healthy relationships and myself. Also one of my few buddies from back home sent me a couple of pics of him having a good time with some chick, who lives at his place in exchange for sex. He even said that he did it to make me envy... fucking bitard. But it didn't feel envy, I just felt betrayed and frustrated about it. Good thing that I got myself out of this vicious circle of toxic relationships which I had almost all my life back home. I don't give a crap that the number of people I consider as friends is getting lower and lower. I have been on my own for quite some time already and these people are just ballast in my life. The frustration and pressure are getting to me from time to time, making the idea of gaming warm and fuzzy. I really want to be positive and fun, but there are just a lot of shit going on that I happen to care too much about and I don't have energy to put a smile on my face.

@Cam Adair Agreed. A big journey starts with a small step. I am reading a bunch of personal development books about dating, socializing&making friends. I've been working on the very first advice - change yourself first - for quite some time. And I am actually ready to put myself on the dating and the friendship "market". The problem is the advertising and the product support I have also read about different rationalization techniques that socially anxious people develop. And how to overcome them. Speaking of this, it's the time check out the counter techniques. I almost forgot about these. BTW, in case someone is reading my thread, the book is called "Succeed socially". This is a very good (text)book with advises and exercises.

Week 7, day 56. I am a freaking monk, almost a saint. I don't have sex don't game, don't smoke and I even deleted my dealer's contact. Next time I am smoking weed is only when it is available in a store or when I get my permanent residence. I also rarely drink alcohol, I eat well and exercise regularly. I am cutting the hours I spend on the other entertainments such as youtube, 9gag and TV shows. I about to quit coffee No, this isn't happening. Sometimes I look on my reflection in the mirror and I think I can see a strange circle of light over my head. This is not the first time I tried to follow these well-known healthy routines, but this is the first time I feel that I can go on and on. What's changed? Now I not only know that this is the right thing to do. Now I feel this way. Also I need to channel my atomic energy since I don't game. So, what do I do with all my free time? A lot and not that much at the same time. I am catching up on all the things I made a mental note about. I am developing better habits and routines. One of my little projects is to change the music I am used to listen to. When you listen to such things as Funeral Doom Metal, it affects you in a particular way... So far I discovered that I like Funk, Soul, Jazz and Blues. I still have no luck with Latin music though. However I still find reasons to avoid socializing. I swear, all my reasons are valid! I have to get prepared for the CELPIP test I am taking in July and I also have to keep up with my new routines. Getting out to deliberately look for socializing opportunities is a lot of work and I am simply not ready for even a small failure. Frustration is something that I try to avoid, because I am still vulnerable in a sense of relapse. I used to avoid anxiety about missing out on socializing and dating by gaming all the day long. Now I am doing the same by getting myself busy with something else. Eventually I will run out of things to do and I will have to go out and be ready to whatever is out there. The last thought for tonight is... I will definitely play games after the detox. But only when I really have nothing better to do. My be in winter. May be next year. I don't know. I just like to think that I can get back whenever I want, rather than toss away even a possibility to enjoy one of the greatest mediums out there.

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Week 6 I came across a funny thing. Even though I don't spend all my free time on gaming, I still don't have enough time to do everything I want to do. No, I don't waste my time on something else; quite opposite, I am as organised as I was during the school a year ago. I even feel a little bit burned out. This discovery helped me to come to conclusion: I simply don't have the luxury of wasting my time by playing games. All the achievements in our life take much more time to attain in comparison to achievements in video games. That what made them so addictive! Also, the easy achievements numbs "the pleasure receptors", which makes real life achievements so plain. I have another observation. I start thinking about getting back to gaming when frustrated. Games seem to be so much easier than life and so much rewarding. Beating Dark Souls is a piece of cake in comparison to getting a girlfriend. Yup, I am back to dating websites again. So frustrating! Yes, DS is hard, and that's what makes you feel so good when you beat it. You know that with dedication, practice (thanks to the infinite number of tries) and pilgrimage to the wiki you can get what you want. While I have no idea why I am having a hard time even getting a date, what do I do wrong and how to git gud.

@Sahil Chikara You need to understand that only you can take the responsibility for your future. If you don't make your own decisions, someone else will. And believe me you will not like it. It all starts here. That's your new game you can play. Now _you_ is your new character. What do you want to achieve in this world? What "class" are you, in other words, what are you capable of? What are your weaknesses? Oh, it seems like you have a quest to do, how are you going to do that? Oh, there are monsters you have to kill to level up and complete the quest, they are called "cravings". How are you going to defeat them? Nobody knows the answers. Besides you. Now tell us, what are you going to do next? Tell us the story of success you are making happened.

@Sahil Chikara Nah, I already spend most of my time with computers for living. My hobby has to be social

@Sahil Chikara Very good! I used to do 3D graphics in 3DS Max back in the days. The process is very fun, I think you even don't need any other hobby to get distracted from the cravings.

@Sahil Chikara Looks like the things are not that bad as I initially thought Anyway, judging by your posts, you are in a quite stressful environment right now. Quitting gaming is gonna be quite a challenge. But don't be afraid of the difficulties - the game quitters gang is happy to engage in jolly cooperation! First of all, you need to cut the cord. Close all the gaming accounts and delete all the games to start your detox. The first weeks are the worst, because you gonna have cravings and nostalgia. But stay focused! You are in a great position, because you need to achieve the goal, so you will not have time for boredom, which usually triggers the cravings. Second, get some rest and try to stick to the proper sleep routine. Lack of sleep and tiredness are the sure way to relapse. Eat well and exercise your body. Also the pressure with school and no support from family and friends is something that could make you feel desperate, thus triggering "escaping into gaming". You may want to share your decision to quit gaming and ask for help (any help) with school. And again, our community is very supportive - look how many people are in your thread; if you feel desperate and/or you are about to relapse - just talk it out.

Hello Sahil, I've been in the same situation you are right now and I know what you need to do. But first, let me ask you a couple of questions. How bad is your gaming addiction? How bad are you behind your classes? How much time do you have before the point of no return, e.g. when are the exams? Do you think you will be able to catch up? What's your mental/physical condition (are you tired all the time or cannot concentrate)?

@Robin Right on, pal! But what the hell are you doing on this forum, huh? Just kidding, I bet you have your reasons! How did you pick up on dancing?

@Robin Have you danced before? Do you like Latina music?

Week 5 I passed the 40 day mark. According to the researches, in order to develop a new habit or get rid of an old one, you need 40 days. I couldn't agree more with this statement. As for today, I have a very little interest in video gaming. I have no nostalgia, no cravings. The very idea of spending time playing video games makes me indifferent. More over that, the previous thoughts of playing Dark Souls now feel like too much work and little fun; it feels like I can do something more fun and rewarding than that. My new hobby is TV shows and movies. I am on the 4th season of Battlestar Galactica, the TV show I started to watch a year ago and couldn't finish, because it was "too boring" in comparison to video games. I also have a couple of great fiction books in my sleeve, but I am saving them for later. I am a very compulsive reader; books were my video games before I got my first computer. The past week was productive both at work and at home. I've done a big chunk of paperwork for express entry and brushed up on the other aspects of my life. I revised my wardrobe, figured out what household items I need to buy and developed a maintenance routine. My gamer "optimization" habits come in handy I also decided to invest the money I have. My next long term project is to ace CELPIP test; I need to get the score of nine in all the sections of the test. I also noticed some other changes. I started to see dreams. I can't recall when was the last time I saw any dreams. I am also having less problems putting my thoughts into sentences both in English and Russian while speaking. My guess that it is because my brain is no more tired after gaming. That's a good change, I like it.

I thought about what turns me of this idea. Recently I started looking for a new gym, because my old one switched to a summer schedule, which doesn't fit me. I went to the closest to my work GoodLife gym. While I was waiting for staff to come to me, I noticed that women were peeking at me. The attention was flattering, but highly unusual. I rarely notice women looking at me, unless they are about to try to convert me into Christianity or sell a new Rogers plan. I am still not sure, is it a cultural thing, or I am not considered attractive by local standards, or my eyesight is getting worse. Anyway, as soon as a staff member approached me, I learned the reason of this interest to my persona. This was a women only gym, and I was not supposed be there. ....Women hm.. only...? Ok... Let's ask google why such thing exists in the country of equality. Apparently, women are not comfortable exercising around men. Some complain that men stare at them or hit on them, others are just self conscious around the opposite sex. Now getting back to acro yoga... Personally, I am not comfortable used to comfortable with this level of physical contact. In addition to that, during the years spent in Canada I developed a habit to avoid even looking at girls, especially when the girl is attractive, or it is late, and/or the location is half empty. I remember one morning I got into bus and all the good seats were taken, so I had to sit with another person. I've noticed that in the situations like this one girls prefer to sit with the other girls. I am not that picky, so I sat with a girl, while there were spots with dudes. There were many reasons of my choice: I liked the spot, girls are generally smaller and some dudes tend to spread their legs like they rode a bicycle with no seat. After that I took a nap. On a major stop a lot of people came of, and free seats appeared. I felt comfortable enough at where I was, so I continued napping. But I noticed that the girl got tense. Soon enough she asked me to let her come through so she could change her seat. The level of rape/sexual harassment paranoia is too damn high! Now, am I imagining things?

That won't work. My family is on another continent and I literally have 2.5 friend. Taking out these lazy bastards could be a challenge by itself, depending on the positioning of the planets Any other ideas? I am thinking to take a train/bus trip across Canada.

Don't you think it's a bit over the top? Shaming never does any good, especially when there is such a blind hate going on. Do you also think that masturbation is bad? Here you go. Are you religious or something?

Week 4. Surprisingly, I stopped dreaming about Dark Souls and prising the sun. Which is good. However, I discovered that I need to find something to restore my energy levels. This Monday I got so tired, that I dozed off in the subway and had a hard time waking up. I solved the problem with in the other way I knew. I got some weed and relaxed. The trick is that this shit has the same effect as video games in terms of escaping reality. I've been escaping reality in this way for the whole week. I even skipped the gym. Well, this was a major mistake, this wil not happen again. I've put my smoking gear somewhere far away. But despite this little mistake I was quite productive in the other aspects of life, which I was procrastinating on for quite some time. Self five! The other thing though.. I kinda relapsed. I discovered that Windows has a store with some mobile games ported on it. I spent about 4-5 hours on the games during the last 3 days. But as previously, I don't consider mobile games as real games. They don't have the same level of complexity and they don't give any feel of achievement. You just kill time with them. By the end of the weekend my "boner" on gaming even grew weeker. I think I could do casual gaming in moderation with these games. However, let's focus on the goal to reach 90 days without gaming. I rewarded myself with an SSD on my 30 day. The next milestone will be 90 days and my reward has to do something with... being outside and being social. Any suggestions?