Today is the 21st day of my 90 day detox.
In order to make it harder for myself to relapse I destroyed my computer. Uninstalling the games and steam wasn't enough in the past and I repeatably relapsed. I timed the start of the detox to coincide with a holiday overseas which made it much easier to get through those first few days.
I experienced similar withdrawal symptoms to what I have previously encountered when attempting to quit in the past however not nearly as bad (loneliness, sadness and anxiety) and they only lasted a couple/few days which is consistant with previous attempts.
The trip overseas was a great experience. It wasn't all peachy but if I had not committed to the trip I otherwise would have spent those 3 weeks in a MMORPG and have nothing tangible to show for that time.
I arrived home two days ago and now the real challenge begins. I need to deal with the stress, anxiety and boredom of my life without using video games to escape from the challenge.
My main hobbies are art, reading and watching movies. I have started getting back into the art and so far I am pleasantly surprised at how much I am enjoying it. I believe that the dopamine detox has already taken effect because the enjoyment I experience drawing is much more of a strong feeling than when I had tried drawing while attempting a regulatory approach to reducing game time. I also get lost in the experience with time passing without the urge to return to the game.
Today has been a challenge. I am hung over and don't have the motivation to do anything. Playing games was a very easy to pass a day hung over.
I am not wildly confident that this game-free time will stick because there are a couple of games coming out in a few months that I would love to play. I have effectively bargained myself into relapsing when these games come out but realise at this point that 90 days without games is definitely achievable, and perhaps the risk of playing these games will either be lower, easier to manage or I may be more inclined to make this cessation of gaming permanent.