A new comer into, and some tips to fellow quitters

[NewComer]

Hi everybody, I decided to quit playing video games a long time ago and with lots of quitting, relapsing, months free of gaming, and then again playing, I'm here to share my experience about before I came to this forum.

First i have to say that one thing was certain for me, I could just shift from games to movies, cartoons/animations, and chatting, and I wouldn't crave for others, for example I could watch movies and not play, or I could do both but do one more. So it really doesn't matter if I quit playing when I'm right back at watching cartoons, there's no progress.

Recently I found out that when I was addicted and I went to school in the time that I couldn't play I became hungry because my mind was trying to replace the lack of receiving the DRUG and also my mind was so obsessed about the game that I couldn't focus on the lessons and sports.And I tried lots of things. Here's a log:

First my parents would take my stuff and saying study or no computer/games, movies, etc. That method never worked and works for me, not a chance. It's like you're deeply addicted to drugs and they take it from you while all you do is thinking about it and you don't plan to quit it, then you just crave more and neither you study nor quit it by not using it, you just lose your mind.

Then I decided to quit cold turkey, deleted my game saves, videos cartoons/animations, and all other things I had. The cravings and my mind's rationalizations to play dominated me. Like I finish this game and that's all, or I watch this series that I never completed and I'm done for good so I then I will practice to write with both hands, finish every book I have and read more, ... . Some times I managed to resist the cravings for a few days but you know what happened in the end.

Once I decided to gradually quit gaming and watching once and for all. I knew that if I were to quit by watching movies less everyday I wouldn't be able to do it, because I would have wanted to watch the next episode. So I decided to quit the addiction of games, started playing 2.5 hours a day, played 15 or 30 minutes less every day or two, aiming to quit in two weeks at most. In the end I thought I quit playing but in the next month I talked to a family member about an ongoing series that i used to watch and then I craved about it, my mind rationalized to watching it, and there I was an addicted again.

After that I tried to quit cold turkey again and again but same story.

Then I searched the web and I found a few websites to help me get through it and this forum was one of them. I watched the three steps of resisting the cravings, read cam's story and other stuff. Here I am, past my addiction and posting here and trying to help family and acquaintances to quit.

I think meditation and DESTROING the cravings really help and I'm resolved to never ever be addicted.

Thanks all,

a fellow former addicted.

[Schwing]

Hi mate

I'm addicted to other things now. Like exercises and fresh air! Exercising is incredibly addictive. And it's also great watching yourself get stronger/ faster. I find myself treating life like a bit of a videogame sometimes. What I really like in games was building your own character and exploring awesome places/ making awesome things. All of these things translate over into real life. I get cravings sometimes because I loved the artistic nature of games. But I tell myself that spending 6 hours a day looking at art is too much. Find out what is it you sought in games / tvseries, apply them to real life, understand why you don't need games/tv to satisfy them and hold your reason when you next get cravings.

If you start a journal you will be able to get awesome advice and make great progress with the reflection it provides for you. It really strengthen the bond with other forum members.

[Cam Adair]

Welcome! Learning to navigate the cravings is a huge part of this whole process. 

[KevinV1990]

Hi! I also think that creating a journal will help a lot with reflecting on your situation, so you can see when the craving increases and decreases.

Welcome! Learning to navigate the cravings is a huge part of this whole process. 

I just tell my cravings to get lost .

[NewComer]

Well, I'm far past my cravings and stuff, and I'm posting this after clearing my mind of games and my past, in my childhood I might had some social problems but in my teens I was ok, games and movies were just an addiction, and that was probably because of the things I couldn't do or didn't have like super powers. I'm all good now. Thanks for replies.

Edited March 19, 2017 by NewComer

[giblets]

Thanks for your post!

I'm curious, you mentioned that you used meditation to ignore your cravings - can you share some advice on that?

[destoroyah]

I too like DESTROING. Haha.