talonkb5

Hey Pete, I'm 39 and find it really hard to quit also. I have a happy marriage, a good job, and 2 great kids, but I still feel the "need" to game. It feels like it's getting worse as I enter middle age due to the humdrum of life. In college I didn't game because I had so much ambition to get a good job and find a wife and all of that, but now I'm just coasting through the life and gaming provides the challenge and excitement that I'm missing elsewhere. At least, I'm guessing that's the issue. I thought maybe you'd feel the same way. Personally, it's obvious that there are better ways to spend my free time but the mental addiction is so strong. I'm quitting for at least 90 days today, hopefully forever. Good luck to you and stand strong!

Hi, I'm new here. I'm 39 years old and I've been a controlled gaming addict for about 15 years. I stay up late playing games and I get up early before work to play. On the weekends I still get up early to play before my kids wake up. It's gross. My brain loves it and craves it, but of course it's a bad lifestyle all around. I can feel my back and neck posture deteriorating from all the time spent in a chair. I've quit for short periods in the past and it's really hard. I get irritable and I'm not satisfied with any other activity, which are signs of an addiction, I know. I've sold and re-bought consoles 3 times last year alone, so selling the console doesn't help. It's just too easy to buy a new one with a couple clicks. Today, I'm committing to 90 days of no gaming to reset my brain. It's a realistic goal (but does sound really challenging) and I'm hoping I'll lose interest in games after 90 days. I'm going to store the console at a friend's house in hopes that I won't waste my money and buy another one. I want to be interested in other things and I hate the distraction that games create. Life is too short to live it in front of a screen!

You can do it! Hang in there for the first 90 days to reset your dopamine levels and re-train your brain. Eventually, gaming will look dumb and immature, and it'll lose its appeal. Hold strong until that happens.