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[davidthedad]

Hi all. I am a dad of 2 and married. I want to detox from gaming to improve my relationship with my wife and self. I'd love to talk to anyone here. I've been playing games on PC mainly nintendo consoles for over a decade. I want to do other things besides gaming all the time. I'd like to meet new people also. Thanks for the help! 😄

[DanielG]

Welcome davidthedad!

If you're looking for things to do other than gaming, there's a nifty hobby tool on the main Game Quitters website that can help you narrow down some options. I think you're in the right place if you're looking to detox from gaming.

I myself am still new to quitting games, a little past the halfway point for 90 days. I'm committed to fully quit gaming though, I've sold/gave away a bunch of my stuff. I think for me, I need to treat it similarly to my alcoholism: I've abused games to the point where I can no longer safely enjoy the privilege of them.

Feel free to shoot me a message whenever!

[D_Cozy]

Hi David! I went through gacha gaming addiction a few years back, and taking that first step to stop staring at my phone and committing for 90 days was tough. I found it helpful on my end to start by cutting back in doses before fully committing to the detox; I went from 8h a day to 5h day, then less and less.

I filled in the other time I had gained back with other activities or responsibilities; in addition to the hobby tool recommended by Daniel, I also recommend making a list of daily responsibilities you can do each day, and scheduling them to repeat each week. Start with small things like making the bed, cleaning your washroom on a weekly basis, etc that can become a regular part of your routine. I also took the opportunity to schedule some quality time with my family, I recommend looking for any nearby parks or trails that you can all go for a walk on together as an example. Doesn't have to cost you money to be fun and fulfilling.

In regards to cutting back gaming, I found setting screen time limit apps was very helpful to take that first step and enforce it. For me, this was a necessary first step, as I had failed repeatedly to quit cold turkey (for 3 months straight), and so I had to bring myself down from the high slowly. The good news is that pretty much any modern platform has some kind of Parental Controls that can help you enforce limits. Since you also have kids, depending on their age, this might be something you'll want to consider even if you plan on fully quitting yourself.

Edited July 5, 2023 by D_Cozy

[davidthedad]

Thank you for the feedback. It means a lot to me! 😄