Committing to my 90 Day Dopamine Detox

[sophsal]

Hi everyone!

My name is Sophie, I'm 22 years old, it's my first time here, and I consider myself a recovering addict of video games (already 16 days clean).

So here's my story: 

Over a year ago, I believe around November 2022, that's when my gaming addiction began. The month prior, I decided to buy an Xbox so I can have something to do for fun and relaxation when I'm not studying. I didn't see anything wrong with this at the time, since I've never played video games for an extended period of time since I started high school. Little did I know this would lead to my gaming addiction. This addiction went on beginning of November 2022 and lasted up to December 2023. As a result, my grades, both physical and mental health, and social life suffered significantly. Nov-Dec 2023 was when I tried to limit my gameplay, either by setting time limits for myself every time I game, as well as reintroducing healthy habits to take time away from video games (e.g., making my bed, brushing my teeth, going for walks, etc.). 

 

However, my official detox didn't begin until Jan 2024. It was extremely difficult for the first two months. I couldn't leave my bed during that time because all my time, energy, and focus went towards ensuring I didn't play video games. During that period, my screen time and junk food consumption skyrocketed (I eventually had to detox from those things as well since they were going out of control). January 2024 was super tough for me simply because of the withdrawal symptoms that I experienced not only from my gaming detox but also from my screen time detox as well. 

Fast forward to now, the beginning of Feb 2024, I will say a lot has happened already, especially once I got over my withdrawal symptoms period of my detox. I feel like I'm beginning to regain my life back again. I'm sleeping better and waking up at a reasonable hour every morning (rather than sleeping in until 11am-1pm). I find myself socializing a lot more, I'm exercising more, I've started taking better care of myself again (e.g., brushing my teeth, taking showers, eating better, etc.), and most notably I started getting back into my studies.

I am committed to finishing these detoxes because I don't want my life to suffer any more than it already has. I'm in my last year of uni, but due to my poor grades in 2023, I'm at risk of not graduating. So, in 2024, with only 3 months left of my entire undergrad, I'd like to catch up and ensure I pass my courses so that I can graduate by June and receive my degree. 

Hope all my hard work will pay off in 2024.

Wish me luck!

 

Sophie