Anonygamer430 Posted September 18, 2021 Share Posted September 18, 2021 Hi Everyone, I have long, painful history with video games. I am 28 years old, and I have been gaming since I was 7 when my parents bought me my first computer. I was instantly hooked and I gamed addictively, to the exclusion of other healthy hobbies and social activities. I battle with social anxiety and gaming was an escape where I could feel a sense of self-worth without needing to interact with other people. As I grew up, I continued to become increasingly addicted to video games and I would often stay up late gaming. I did relatively well in middle and high school, thanks to my mother keeping close tabs on my gaming time and making me do my homework and study for tests. Once I got into college, that was when it became a serious problem. I was gaming instead of making friends, studying, or taking care of my own health. I failed many classes and almost got on academic probation. I barely graduated by the skin of my teeth I felt wracked with guilt for many years after that. I felt like I had let my parents down, who paid a lot of money to put me through school. After college, my addiction became very serious and I would spend 10+ hours a day gaming. I would game as soon as I got home from work and often stayed up till well past midnight. Some nights I did not sleep at all. Despite this, I did pretty well at work, so I felt justified in not addressing my addiction. It was around this time I met my now-wife and we did a long-distance relationship. Since the relationship was long-distance, I was able to juggle it with the gaming addiction. It was after we moved in together when she saw the severity of the addiction. It has been a rollercoaster juggling gaming and a marriage. I have been trying to curb my gaming for the past 2 years now with some successes. I just got out of a very nasty relapse and I have made the decision to put gaming behind me permanently. I want to enjoy everything life has to offer, be a good husband, and be able to handle life's problems in a healthy and mature way. Thanks for taking the time to read my story. I look forward to finally being able to enjoy life, game-free! Thanks, Anonygamer430 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pochatok Posted September 26, 2021 Share Posted September 26, 2021 Hi, and welcome to GameQuitters! Looking forward on hearing more about your quitting journey. I know it's a small thing, but it's also quite important- reframing who you see youself as is one of the most powerful things you can do to change. For starters, perhaps renaming yourself from a "gamer" to a "gamequitter" could be helpful *wink wink* Other than that, I highly recommend going around and reading other people's journals- there is a lot of great ideas and methods for gamequitting on this forum 🙂 There is a whole book written on why that concept important/true I think you could find it useful: Atomic Habits. Po 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason70 Posted September 29, 2021 Share Posted September 29, 2021 Hello! Welcome to the forums! I'm glad you made the big step to quit gaming for good! I can say from experience that trying to journal each day, even if it is a few words really does help. I'd recommend it! This community is very supportive, and are here if you ever have questions, so don't be afraid to ask! Best of luck on your journey! best jason 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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