Do you ever feel like you switche from one addiction to another?

[TonyMelo]

So, I used to be a hardcore gamer back in the day. I used to be a competitive CS gamer and, later, I got really into world of warcraft, where I used to raid every night and spend all my free time. 

Some years ago, I was able to quit playing videogames, managed to get a really good job that allowed me to have a very confortable financial life, got married and have a 6 year old daughter. I think I can say I'm doing good. Sometimes, like a few weeks ago, I relapse and try to play again, with some moderation, but I always end up having to quit  because it is getting out of control. Last thursday I quit from diablo immortal and am feeling some of the drawback effects. Hard to be interested on other stuff, getting angry really easy and feeling depressed.

What I wanted to ask you all about was about switching from one addiction to another. When I first quit videogames I focused on being more social and getting a girlfriend. After I managed to do that, I started spending all my time studying to get a good job. After that, my focus was on my job and reading. I feel like I can't enjoy something unless I obsess about it, and when I get a big drawback on that obssession, I end up thinking about games again as a way to deal with my frustrations.

Anyone else feels like you are just constantly switching from one addiction to another?

[Ikar]

4 hours ago, TonyMelo said:

What I wanted to ask you all about was about switching from one addiction to another. When I first quit videogames I focused on being more social and getting a girlfriend. After I managed to do that, I started spending all my time studying to get a good job. After that, my focus was on my job and reading. I feel like I can't enjoy something unless I obsess about it, and when I get a big drawback on that obssession, I end up thinking about games again as a way to deal with my frustrations.

Anyone else feels like you are just constantly switching from one addiction to another?

I guess a lot of it depends on how you frame it. From the way I read it, I'd say you are goal oriented and progress from one thing to the next. That's not a bad thing. My idea after quitting games was to branch out into multiple important areas of my life and work on them consistently and with passion. Yes, sometimes I can get super passionate about a certain subject for a few months, but then it eventually passes. I haven't had my extreme highs and lows since I quit gaming, but I think the tradeoff for stability and sustainability is worth it.

[BooksandTrees]

On 11/27/2023 at 10:50 AM, TonyMelo said:

So, I used to be a hardcore gamer back in the day. I used to be a competitive CS gamer and, later, I got really into world of warcraft, where I used to raid every night and spend all my free time. 

Some years ago, I was able to quit playing videogames, managed to get a really good job that allowed me to have a very confortable financial life, got married and have a 6 year old daughter. I think I can say I'm doing good. Sometimes, like a few weeks ago, I relapse and try to play again, with some moderation, but I always end up having to quit  because it is getting out of control. Last thursday I quit from diablo immortal and am feeling some of the drawback effects. Hard to be interested on other stuff, getting angry really easy and feeling depressed.

What I wanted to ask you all about was about switching from one addiction to another. When I first quit videogames I focused on being more social and getting a girlfriend. After I managed to do that, I started spending all my time studying to get a good job. After that, my focus was on my job and reading. I feel like I can't enjoy something unless I obsess about it, and when I get a big drawback on that obssession, I end up thinking about games again as a way to deal with my frustrations.

Anyone else feels like you are just constantly switching from one addiction to another?

I quit gaming and started watching porn heavily. It made me realize I had a porn addiction as well as gaming and I had to go to therapy to come up with healthy stress outlets. 

[Amphibian220]

You may be a very competitive person by character and / or desire a sense of progression. A sense of progression (if it lasts) is the reason athletes spend decades competing in a sport. 

[Lifelvlup2]

I quit playing video games. I sold my Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck; and put those accounts up for deletion. But, I spend too much time on the web or on my phone. That also includes online "work" time. I have started to delete old online accounts, and unnecessary apps on my smart phone. But, I will also write in my journal about it.

[Air4ceman]

Yeah, the term is called Cross Addiction: the idea of losing one addiction to gain another addiction trying to take its place.  I use an app called Sure Lock kiosking with the help of a friend that puts in a password for me to remove the Google Play Store and other online habit forming means from being viewable on my phone.  I feel like now I am in the last throws of my Cross Addiction as now the fight is to not binge TV as excessive amounts of TV watching has proven to increase the %'s of potential for depression, dementia, and heart disease among other problems.  I have found ways to successfully cut gaming out of my life for good, but what I struggle with now is finding the motivation to do the good habits, and hobbies in my life to replace gaming.  I allow myself to play one video game called Habit Hunters where you can only advance by completing real world: tasks, habits, and goals.  I use the free version of App Block to limit my time to even accessing Habit Hunters by preventing it during work, sleeping, and church hours.  It's just so easy to come home after work and check out with the TV, but now I'm creating a list of all the reasons I don't want excessive TV watching in my life as a way to create leverage to limiting TV watching to a healthy 2 hours or less a day.  None of this is still really addresses my problem of that I need to take the plunge, and step off the cliff into the realm of new hobbies, and better things to do with my life to invest it in my wife and children, and also into my faith.  This is really the next level living for me, and even Habit Hunters hasn't helped me find the motivation to embark on it though the game is good for creating new basic habits like making your bed and brushing and flossing your teeth etc.  I have long wanted my first hobby to be, post gaming, to embark on playing the drums and even already have a mid-grade professional electronic drum set downstairs.  The fear of being harsh with myself and rejecting myself is real among other concerns, but on the other hand I realize that no matter what happens by playing the drums at least I had the balls to dare greatly.  Rather than put myself on the bench list of life I have great reasons to embark on this new hobby, and believe today is due time to start it!