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Week 5 Projects: Simulating Platform: Slow progress this week as I had a lot of workload at work. Also still not fully healthy as recovering from flu. Miscellaneous accomplishments: N/A Summary of Week 5 This week was the worst in terms of cravings. I just miss gaming crazy badly. PS5 is still packed and left in shelf as nobody bought it yet, and I had few moments when I wante to just open it plug in and just say fuck it and play.... Did not break tho. The problem is I'm too ambitious. Still want to gain knowledge on several science topics that requires to read dozens of books , still want to finish Sim to proof myself that I can build working platform from scratch also still have gym goal.... and I know that when I return to gaming, none of these goal will be finished I just know, bc gaming will always take priority. ALWAYS. So for now I will use will power to fight cravings, but I don;t know for how long I will be able to do that.... Dumbscrolling free: 6 weeks

Week 4 Projects: Simulating Platform: I resumed the work and I had some good fruitfull sessions. Still a lot of work to be done but slowly progressing. Miscellaneous accomplishments: N/A Summary of Week 4 Although I had cravings - especially today, I managed to stay game free. I slowly return to reading books as well. Things are not easy without gaming, as I feel I miss a big part of my life, also gaming was part of my identity. Luckily what helps me now is the knowledge, scientific knowledge especially of addiction. I just want time to do its job and it will be easier. Dumbscrolling free: 5 weeks

Thanks for sharing . You know (in 2023) I had relapse after 47 weeks without gaming . This relapse lasted for 2.5 years... I'm game free for 3 weeks now . Won't give up that easily . For me on the beginning of relapse , it worked . As I had good balance preserved . I still read books hit gym , did other activities . But after a year or so some stress from work , broken marriage (we are fixing ) , and from life in general started to accumulate , and I went to gaming completely . Started to miss gym days : as I had to reward myself with gaming for hard time I experienced. There were always a lot of excuses to just play . So the last weeks of gaming (dec and beg of January ) I was doing nothing by playing games . At work constantly, risking being sucked . Did not do proper work at all: only bare minimum ... same with gym . I hit gym twice a month maximum .... anyways I feel you . We just must remember that we are sick . Gaming is not for us anymore. As one game will be not enough . It will be never enough . I remember playing bf all weekend , for me to realise Im still not full ... the neuron path responsible for rewarding is broken forever . Brain learnt that this is the easiest way to hit us with dopamine. And it would all work if only our brain just did not counteract these activities. As since it goal is to keep homeostasis, the receptors for dopamine transport are less sensitive . That's why we can't enjoy gaming for hour or so . It will be always not enough . Baseline dopamine level changed . But this process can be reverted . Luckily for us it takes time for the baseline level to stabilise to previous state. And this can even last few months

Day 21 Projects: Simulating Platform: On hold now as I need to fight properly with cravings. I don't want to do too many things at the same time right after I stop gaming. I just want to take it slow. Miscellaneous accomplishments: N/A Summary of Day 21 So 3 weeks passed. I'm glad I'm keeping the commitment. I do have cravings still, it's not like I think about them all the time, but I kinda miss gaming.. miss that chill, disconnection from reality... Anyhow trying to get myself occupied with something and I go forward. I jsut hope my biggest relapse will be at some point only a bad dream. I really dream to be in a few years from now, and telling this story to some friends as a kind of warning for those who suffer from addiction. Dumbscrolling free: 28 days

@Amphibian220totally agree with you bro on this one. I have resposne prepared for those who would ask me on the details of me quitting: I'm just bored with games. Will not say anything more really. As I don't own any explanation to anyone actually and also it's pointless to argue why I'm doing this ( they won't understand).

Day 14 Projects: Simulating Platform: On hold now as I need to fight properly with cravings. I don't want to do too many things at the same time right after I stop gaming. I just want to take it slow. Miscellaneous accomplishments: Hit regularity with gym Summary of Day 14 2 weeks done without gaming and 3 weeks without dumbscrolling like a zombie. I must admit that the cravings are less intensive only a little bit. But somehow I find myself managing this well. Despite side effects being irritated quicker, intense boredom like never before, I noticed I have more time to contemplate my life, like where it;s going. I found myself putting more time into thinking about some decisions. Also, the interview I had y-day, for which I had limited time to prepare for - I think I used that time to the maximum. So even if they say no to the last stage ( facing the director) , I still can say with pride that I did not waste my time on that one! Something I would totally have ignored ( prepared 100%) when I was still gaming. I bet ( know myself-addicted very well) that I would prepare to some level - then obviously would have given myself a reward very quickly - ironically enough I would say to myself that I deserve that, as I'm under huge stress not only bc of work but this interview.... all bollocks. Anyhows If I would to summarize these first 2 weeks, I would say I am managing it well. Btw also this time thanks to a video from @Cam Adair from 7m ago("How to Stop Playing Video Games ( Full Guide)" ), I took seriously the important things you must do when quitting. I am regularly watching the content there - as this keeps me motivated as well. It's a journey I know, and a lot of difficulties ahead of me but I am on a good path this time ( I believe), and this time I have good tools and methods alongside me. Dumbscrolling free: 21 days

@Amphibian220 aa thanks for clarifying. I hope yopu will get better and better every day. Will keep my fingers crossed for you buddy.

Thanks @Amphibian220 I actually told me wife. We had deep discussion and I told her that I need support. She is on my side, I told her with full embarrassment what situation that involved gaming and how sick it was what I was doing sometimes... for her to finally agree that " yeah this was unhealthy". So far I still have not told my buddies yet. I am planning too but want to have a proper occasion. I am sure they will support me in that.

Hey @Pulse so nice to see so many commitments are going well! This helps me with mine. Appreciate you posting regularly - this is something I need to put some more effort into. I've been on the path of not drinking alcohol for more than 4y ago and I noticed only after a while that friends that I usually was hanging out with, where alcohol was always served, had less and less topics for discussion, they couldn't talk to me normally without alcohol. That resulted in these friendship to die naturally completely. So now I have 3 genuine friends that I know I can meet with, and there won’t even be any mentions of alcohol. I am wondering if you experience the same thing?

Day 12 Projects: Simulating Platform: On hold now as I need to fight properly with cravings. Don't want to do too many things at time right after I stopped gaming. Just want to take it slow. Miscellaneous accomplishments: Hit regularity with gym Summary of Day 12 Sorry for not posting for a while. It was busy and difficult time for me at the same time. During these few days, I noticed I felt deep boredom. Also read in some smart book ( "Never Enough" By Judy Grisel) that boredom is a totally natural and healthy state of humans and we should embrace it, as actually this state helps to regulate our baseline dopamine level. But when I was playing I was so obsessed I think ( subconsciously) to not be bored, ei: in the meantime of game final summary ( literally 90s) I immediately scrolled through instagram wall ). So now I am experiencing the withdrawal effect from that as well. I am embracing boredom, that's what I am saying. When it comes to gaming, I noticed it get easier ( finally) but cravings are there. A variety of thoughts springs to my mind, to only start convincing me that I am again trying to make a big deal out of nothing... Luckily I am able to put aside these thoughts. Anyhow I was busy as well as preparing for the job interview that I have today. It's for Team Leader. That position is a huge opportunity for me,. so for 2 days I am preparing as much as I can. Thanks to @Pulse I decided to keep a dumbscrolling commitment as well. I am planning to be porn free too. But I will take my time on that. Game Free: 12 days Dumbscrolling free: 19 days

Awesome . I want to add pornfree commitment as well, just worrying that th act itself stays ... as this is just human nature . Also I noticed I'm dumbscroling free for 2w now . Thinking if add these too like you to my list of commitment . Also I'm alcohol free for 4.5 y now but want addicted ( as maybe quoted in time tho ... :) ) Jsut saying the way @Pulse your journal is written is something I would like to do it as well . If it's ok with you

Hey man reading up the latest from your journal. Sorry for stupid question as that was clarified before but the basketball thing, can you elaborate more for me on that topic? Are yuo trainer or or assistant or manager of the team? Glad to see another day on your commitment completed.

Glad to see the commitment going fine! Btw managing all the commitments is admirable! Which one of them are the easiste to maintain?

Week 0, Day 4 Projects: Simulating Platform: On hold now as I need to fight properly with cravings. Don't want to do too many things at time right after I stopped gaming. Just want to take it slow. Miscellaneous accomplishments: None Summary of Day 4 I had some cravings, rememebr how good I was at bf how fun I had with online friends... This come back to me with force now - I mean cravings. Again I am asking myself why cannot I play like normal dude. This led to frustration, I was irritated all day. Even when I was playing with my son, I very quickly triggered on something really irrelevant. I felt bad bc of that , as that wasn't fault of my kid. But I manage . What helps is that i packed PS5 - noone bought it yet tho. But it was tough day in terms of emotions and lack of dopamnie spikes that BF was giving.

Also this idea have real market value potential . So it is hard for me to drop it as I put a lot of effort in designing it . Ofc Iam aware that it can cause urge to relapse. If that happens . I will be focusing on redesigning it rather than dropping completely