Pochatok

@Code haha they always do. But they are much weaker and never get a hold of me. Plus, it has only been 50 days- not all that long for the brain to completely rewire itself. After all, I'll probably have memories of gaming for the rest of my life, and so some urges possibly could always persist- but that doesn't mean I will be feeling unhappy or controlled by any means, and certianly doesn't mean your journey will be the same. I honestly don't mind urges- I find the feeling rather nice, although distracting. Plus (totally a secret) I still watch gaming videos about 10-20mins a day; that probably keeps my urges "alive" as well. In terms of rewards: Life is so rewarding! Just reflecting on how much better I am doing since I stopped gaming is amazing on its own- the amount of things I am doing, learning, and most of all enjoying is at an all-time peak that just keeps surging higher. Life is better, and that's enough 🙂 @Jason70Haha yes totally! These questions have been really helpful whenever I get close to a relapse, or any "questionable" activity in general. Thank you for your insight, glad to see other people have a similar mindset when it comes to dealing with urges!

No games: 53. Hey look at me mom I am past 50!!! Honestly, I have 25ish days of school, so it should be quite an easy road towards 80 days. But then, the break kicks in! I know what to do to keep myself busy, and if possible will just leave the PC at school for the whole break- that should get me past 90 days easy then. However, there are still a couple instances where I could relapse- right after finals are over. I will have to come up with a plan for those days. I really wouldn't mind relapsing then, but so far (and all my life) every time I relapse has brought too many problems in despite all the satisfaction I get from gaming. It just never comes without consequences. Gotta quit for good!!! Other than that, been a very busy few days this week, but I'm holding it together, and even catching up in school! At the same time, I've been painting less and watching more porn again- have been doing better the last two days but porn is certainly eating away the time I would otherwise spend making art. Hope you are having a good week 🙂 Po

Hi Code! Wish you strength in your journey. I know you're only four days in but that's already quite good- I couldn't bear more than one without relapsing when I started. I really, really like your journaling format! Keep it up, and no matter what- don't quit on quitting 🙂 Po

No Games: 49. Damn, one day till another zero! Honestly unbelievable how I am this far. I want to play pretty badly and quite often, but my other passions just don't let me relapse. I feel like this is the closest to quitting for good I've ever been to- I shall see if this holds as strong over Spring Break (coming in a few weeks), fingers crossed! I've visited family over the weekend. It was a really nice break. Feels weird being in my room again- I haven't really done anything for the last hour or so. Really should try to make the rest of the day productive- I still have so much to do. Hopefully, this coming week my body will be feeling okay- I've been sleeping much longer than usual, and really won't be able to next week. Other than that, feeling a bit sad- being in my house was super awesome. Local responsibilities (like doing dishes, vacuuming, walking the dogs), mostly physical labor (rather than intellectual), cooking my own food (instead of university food), and my cats/mom/sisters/dad/dogs/brothers- honestly I missed it all so much, and the visit I got was faar too short. It's okay though, I am here for a reason- to help a broader range of people, to forge a better future. Time to work! Po

Ooops how is it Tuesday already.... No games: 44 -- Having some serious urges, but honestly I've been having them for awhile now. There is just too much of everything else that I want to do instead of games. I just gotta remember how not rewarding games are, and that should help me stay away from it. I think Sunday was quite busy, I spent lots of time painting. Monday has been okay; not super productive, but not lazy either. I think I need to increase how effective I am this week in order to catch up with schoolwork and other things. There is lots on my shoulders right now, and I am not doing enough to balance it. Faster, stronger, harder! Today has just started, but I spent 15-ish minutes on social media. Not much, I know, but doing social media in the morning just impacts me weirdly. Honestly should try to hold off the media as much as possible until afternoon. Morning is for work, period. Hope y'all gonna have a nice and sweet Tuesday, Po

Hi Aoli, keep that passion going! Welcome to GameQuitters, I hope you'll like it here 🙂 What are you currently trying to do to help yourself play less?

No Games: 41. Yes, past the 40 days mark! It has been getting more difficult lately, largely due to me getting more into gaming subreddits again. Gotta stop- gaming brings me nothing besides relaxation, while reading, painting, or simply watching a music video all improve not only my wellbeing but my professional skills. Gaming does nothing good for my future, only leaving sweet memories (that are filled with guilt and regret nonetheless). If I want my tomorrow be better than today, I need to stay away from gaming. Whew. Honestly journaling cuz I'm feeling sooo close to a relapse. It's getting dangerous lol. I think after I put this entry in I'll go do some arts stuff- paint while listening to a tutorial. After that, I have a few more duties to complete before the night ends + extensive HW for tomorrow. I have to keep myself busy! Today was an incredibly productive day, I have done over 3 hours of tutoring (over 10 total for this week), which is like 3 times the 'norm'. Feels great to be helping so many people with their writing. I also played badminton for an hour- it was an amazing workout. Overall, I am happy about how today has been- although I think I should reduce my time on social media even more. It is still more than I need (although it is only about 20 mins/day total lol). Hope y'all are having an okay Winter, and are staying well! Po

Entry for yesterday. No Games: 40 Resetting porn again. Made the same mistake as yesterday, grrrr!!!! Really got to build my habits. I am dead tired today- my partner's cat was meowing all night and I got maybe 5 hours of sleep. Took a nap after my 1st class. Overall though, it has been really fun and productive! I enjoyed the things I've achieved- a good trombone lesson, helpful tutoring sessions, being happy with my partner. There have been many thoughts of relapsing, but I managed to make my painting super fun and honestly am now only looking forward to painting more haha. Be well all ye who read this Po

Welcome Alex! I think Moonlight has said it all, but one more thing is: change your name to Alex to help you have even less reminders of games. Basically, anything that makes you think of games will increase your odds of relapsing/not being able to quit, so try to take such things out of your life as much as possible! If you want to stop gaming, the first step is changing the way you look at yourself- don't call yourself a gamer anymore hehe :)) Sending you big strength, and hope that quitting will be incredibly beneficial for you. Po

Oh myyyy, this is so freakin inspirational! Congrats on your success, seems like it was really worth it 🙂 I was actually thinking of playing right now (I am really tired from work) but now I'm sure I'll paint instead. Keep it up, I hope you will continue to be able to shape your life positively, Po

Haha yes, honestly hard to believe I've gone so far already. I think I am just too busy for games right now- if I were to start playing my schedule would get really messed up. And yes, it is snow on a window hehe 🙂

No Games: 39 Porn tracker has been reset (I think it has been almost a week, so not bad!). I've been reading more about porn from all kinds of perspective and my brain has tricked me into mis-interpreting some of the texts which led to relapse, bahhh. Not gonna do this again! I'll keep reading! A good day, not as insane as yesterday, although up until 8PM I had virtually no free time. It is very nice to just be able to relax right now, even just for an hour, on my own. I haven't been working on my art project, so I will have to catch up on that over the weekend. I feel like there are some things I have simply forgotten about; I will need to revisit my to-do list tomorrow cuz it is looking rather empty right now. Not having urges to play; some minor urges to watch but honestly just seeing other people play makes me realize even more why I no longer want to do gaming. Hope to keep up this attitude, almost half way through the 90-day detox, although I haven't planned it lol. Hope y'all are staying well, Po. Picture I took today: (internet points if you can guess what this is hehe)

Entry for yesterday: No Games: 38 🙂 Today was soo insane. I've had over 10 meetings back-to-back on all kinds of things. The three jobs are finally catching up to me I guess, all at the same time. Certainly no gaming today lol. Although I've been having urges, it is very important for me to understand and acknowledge how successful and happy I am despite being so incredibly busy- and that is because of that extra 30 minutes I get by not playing games. Yay!

No Games: 37. Having urges, but I know I am too busy and can't let it slip. I do want to just sit down and relax for 20-30 minutes, but can not allow that to happen right now. After all, spending some extra time painting or hanging out with my GF is so much nicer anyways! Very busy day, still working actually. I finished my art project, and am making good progress with the latest digital painting, which has made me pretty happy heh. And, got to have dinner with my partner for the first time in a while, and watched a bit of HunterxHunter together. Gotta get some homework done soon, can't believe it's Wednesday already. Here's the thing (faar from finished):

Hi Josh! Hats off to you for honestly committing so hard and so quickly to this, from my POV. I took much much longer to realize how bad gaming was, and over two years to discover this community and start doing things. Keep it up, we're all here rooting for you! One thing I recommend is trying to share your journey with someone in real life, if possible- that will help you keep yourself even more accountable and also have a bit of extra support. For me, it was my partner- she doesn't game at all, but has been helping me stay away from gaming subs on reddit and discord. If that is difficult for you to do, that's totally okay! Just keep posting here to keep us updated, cuz we all trying to help each other here big time 🙂 Best of luck with how things go, and don't be discouraged if you fail- it's a part of succeeding. Po

No Games: 35. Have quite a few urges right now (watched some gaming videos), but just thinking of how long it takes me to install the things makes me feel not like it. Like, first get steam, then get the game, then wait for it to load. Plus, I deleted all my save files so ehhh nah I'll probably paint instead. Haven't watched any porn at all today, and I think I don't have urges for it anymore. Good work so far, but will have to keep it up from now! Very long day, and very eventful. First of all, I have a sister!!! That is so exciting 🙂 She was born today at 4:20AM heh. Niiiceee. Besides that, me and my partner scored 4th in a small badminton tournament (10 teams initially). I could have done better, but it is what it is- I am just not very used to a "sports" mindset. I also have had two long night shifts today and yesterday, so can't wait to sleep in a bit tonight. I am overall happy right now, but am very stressed out as well. Oh also, I have almost finished my art project, which has been a very fun ride so far! Random Thought: So many movies/TV shows show character progression in terms of "steps" without often showing the work it takes to take those steps. Like, you see a character, let's say, struggling at volleyball. Within a few days/weeks of "smart, consistent practice" they are performing much better. Although yes, that does feel like real life, the amount of time/focus given to practice vs. its results is very uneven. For me, that has been often creating this illusion that just a little practice will give me the desired result; that if I put in x amount of hours, I will suddenly take the "next step" and significantly improve. But very rarely does simple hard work pay off quickly or efficiently. Practice has to be focused, dedicated, persistent, self-conscious and highly self-critical, and only then it will lead to greater results. Everyone tells me to "work hard", but that is rarely enough. Hope y'all are doing well, stay awesome! Po

That makes a lot of sense! I like the similarities you draw, I never thought of them. Thank you for sharing!!! Po

Yay, glad to be helpful! I got the book you recommended, will check it out next weekend 🙂 No Games: 34. I'm super busy again, so gaming has not been on my mind much today. I am regaining interest in some of my hobbies and trying to read more, so hopefully that will keep me away from games for now! What I've been noticing lately is that I'm noticing things less (haha funny pun). I'm making more small mistakes in my schedule that honestly don't impact anything but my own productivity (things like getting done a piece of homework that is due in a week instead of the one that is due tomorrow). I am still very productive and all, but not as effective as I am. I think I'd attribute that to my business- I have been packing my to-do list like it's my last day on earth, and have been having less time to properly think everything out. Hopefully I will be able to relax more without getting urges to game in the coming weeks, and write out my schedule more effectively. Other than that, my urges have been stronger somewhat due to my habit of mindlessly opening media all the time getting more common again. I think that is also due to my metacognition going down, and also due to my high levels of stress. I have to be more mindful of how I choose to relax and when. Oof, long day today, can't wait for it to be over. Take care of yourself all those kind people reading my journal, Po

No Games: 32. Doing well right now, less urges and more time spent doing valuable things. A busy day. Not super productive, but far from being a lazy one. Just could have been a bit more effective with how I do things. Other than that, I am feeling stressed out by resisting my urges all week, but hope to stay strong! be well, Po

No Games: 31. Keep it going! Stronger urges day to day as I am getting back into gaming communities, step by step. Today I watched a lot of Youtube videos that were gaming-related. One thing that has helped me not get too much into this (again) is thinking of consequences, and how different I am from the people that I watch play games. With my lifestyle, responsibilities, and dreams, gaming is simply not affordable. I can not let myself play games right now. Maybe when I retire. In terms of quitting porn, it has been going okay. I still get urges, but am able to counter them well enough to not get drawn back into the void again. Today was okay. I wasn't very productive, but at the same time have done a lot of smaller, more important things like sending pics to my grandpa, joining an art community, and sending tons of emails. Overall, I am feeling very tired, and full of unfulfilled gaming urges, but also satisfied. Stay safe! Po

Thank you for joining GameQuitters, and welcome to the community! Keep us updated- I recommend you start a daily journal 🙂 Cheers, Po

There are a few things! For my Samsung Phone, I installed stay focused (later bought the premium version for the password feature which has been super helpful!). For my iPad, I used Screen Time and had my partner set up a password. Works very well. For my computer, I have ColdTurkey- it blocks websites fairly well in the free version. Additionally, I uninstalled all social media that was not good for me- facebook and reddit, as well as twitter left my phone and iPad, while uninstalling steam (you can deactivate/give your account away if you're feeling nice) from my PC helped my gaming urges. In general though, all of these apps are possible to override/turn off if your urges are strong enough. Try to take your time to discover things you enjoy doing, and pay attention to when your addictive urges appear. For me, I tend to want to play games whenever I am stressed out, so I've began trying to predict when I will have a lot of stress, and plan out my actions when that stress arrives- instead of playing games, I go to this forum, watch art tutorials, or exercise/go for a walk. None of these were immediate solutions for me, I struggled a full month before turning them into routine/habits. Might be longer/shorter for you, who knows! But I believe that some of these should work for sure. Po

I had a similar issue. What helped me was to change what I used social media for- on Instagram, I unfollowed all the "fun" accounts, and instead began following topics focused on real-world issues, like climate change and prison reforms. On youtube, I deleted and turned off search/view history, and would only follow my favorite musicians and art tutorial channels. But for twitter and reddit, I simply deleted my accounts as the feed for those is more unpredictable, uncontrollable, and addictive. I also quit all of my Discord servers besides the ones that had only real-world value, like my Art Club. Basically, all of this helped because instead of using social media as a tool for escapism, I instead would reconnect with different parts of real world through it. Watching Environmental Documentaries on Netflix, Political and Social stand-up Comedy on Prime, etc., has helped me tremendously to get out of the "feel stress- escape reality" loop, and contributed to learning and developing valuable habits and hobbies. Hope this helps! Po

No Games: 30. Yayyy a full month. The urges are definitely there but I'm just simply too busy at the moment to install a game. Maybe over the weekend, but certainly not now. The day today was fine. The morning was okay, I did some more of the internship application- will have some things to finish tomorrow, and then I shall hit the submit button. Scary! I also had class for almost 4 hours straight, that was a bit tiring but I honestly enjoy it. The rest of the day was kind of lazy; I did stuff here and there but could have been much more productive 😕 Good thing from today: starting a new painting! Hope you are doing well, Po

Jeez, just watched 20 minutes worth of game videos. My brain be doing something weird! Won't relapse today though, but at the same time I have no idea why I did that all of the sudden. I honestly do not need it, and although it was fun, I'd rather be doing something else. Should have read a book, sigh.