It's been a month w00t

[SegaCity]

I'm proud of my month, but what's even more important is the milestone for coming so far as a HUMAN BEING  

Gamequitters has helped me start off to be a better person and play an even better game called LIFE

:') 

 

[Cam Adair]

Woohoo!

[Guest]

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!1111!!!!!!!!!!!  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GwjfUFyY6M

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_Dmilr2T10

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y66j_BUCBMY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hiUuL5uTKc

Sweet victory music aside, seriously you should celebrate! (Not by playing video games though!) Congratulations on month #1 :D!!!! 

[SegaCity]

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!1111!!!!!!!!!!!  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GwjfUFyY6M

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_Dmilr2T10

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y66j_BUCBMY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hiUuL5uTKc

Sweet victory music aside, seriously you should celebrate! (Not by playing video games though!) Congratulations on month #1 :D!!!! 

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

[Alkan]

I hit a month recently. I feel like I'm a completely transformed person.

I'm never going back.

Edited January 6, 2016 by Alkan

[Cam Adair]

I hit a month recently. I feel like I'm a completely transformed person.

I'm never going back.

This is awesome!

[Mercury]

I'm currently at 15 days... I've been WAY more productive but I'm feeling the urges still, my brain is telling me that I'm "good" to play in moderation now. However, knowing how dopamine and addictions work, and the fact that I've tried this before... I feel deep down I need to resist this feeling. It doesn't help that the game I was hooked onto was an MMO, and I realize now that at some point I wasn't playing solely for FUN anymore, but moreso a thirst for reward each time I played. Anyone else have similar experiences/encouraging stories in light of all this?

[kortheo]

Just now seeing this - this is awesome, congrats! That is a really awesome poem too! Stealing that.

I'm currently at 15 days... I've been WAY more productive but I'm feeling the urges still, my brain is telling me that I'm "good" to play in moderation now. However, knowing how dopamine and addictions work, and the fact that I've tried this before... I feel deep down I need to resist this feeling. It doesn't help that the game I was hooked onto was an MMO, and I realize now that at some point I wasn't playing solely for FUN anymore, but moreso a thirst for reward each time I played. Anyone else have similar experiences/encouraging stories in light of all this?

Don't sweat it, urges are normal. I don't really get urges anymore, but that's pretty recent for me; I still had urges at 90+ days.

[Cam Adair]

I'm currently at 15 days... I've been WAY more productive but I'm feeling the urges still, my brain is telling me that I'm "good" to play in moderation now. However, knowing how dopamine and addictions work, and the fact that I've tried this before... I feel deep down I need to resist this feeling. It doesn't help that the game I was hooked onto was an MMO, and I realize now that at some point I wasn't playing solely for FUN anymore, but moreso a thirst for reward each time I played. Anyone else have similar experiences/encouraging stories in light of all this?

Hey Mercury! Awesome to have you join us here. Urges will come and go but the more you dive into the right action (finding new activities, scheduling your day, thinking about your vision for the future) the less intense they will be in my experience. Congrats on 15 days so far. Keep going

[Mercury]

Thanks for the encouragement everyone; indeed finding a new activity seems to be what I should focus my energy on. I keep doing only "productive" things and I feel that will burn me out very quickly.

[kortheo]

Thanks for the encouragement everyone; indeed finding a new activity seems to be what I should focus my energy on. I keep doing only "productive" things and I feel that will burn me out very quickly.

Hey Mercury, I can totally relate here. I went through the same process.

Some activities I've found useful on my journey:

• Reading (non-fiction for intellectual stimulation, fiction before bed to turn off my analytical brain and wind down)
• Writing
• Meditation
• Learning to juggle
• Learning to cook
• Going to social events
• Bodyweight exercise/running
• Drawing
• Rediscovering music and movies

[Mercury]

Thanks for the encouragement everyone; indeed finding a new activity seems to be what I should focus my energy on. I keep doing only "productive" things and I feel that will burn me out very quickly.

Hey Mercury, I can totally relate here. I went through the same process.

Some activities I've found useful on my journey:

• Reading (non-fiction for intellectual stimulation, fiction before bed to turn off my analytical brain and wind down)
• Writing
• Meditation
• Learning to juggle
• Learning to cook
• Going to social events
• Bodyweight exercise/running
• Drawing
• Rediscovering music and movies

I have reading list (fiction and non-fiction) and I think I'll dive into that when I'm feeling drained from work. Yeah, just something enjoyable to relax from work ... although I have to admit a lot of things still feel like "work" right now in comparison to gaming. Some exceptions are: lifting, cooking, board games with my roommates, and certain subreddits I follow (non-gaming related). I used to play a lot of basketball and it was something that I really enjoyed... but now I barely have the motivation to start again despite being game-free for a length of time. Any idea if this changes over the next months? I intend to do at least 30 days but I know the 90 day full detox will be significantly more effective. I also used to devour novels as a child/teen, though that's been completely replaced by gaming over the years... will that desire come back over time?

Edited January 15, 2016 by Mercury
afterthought

[kortheo]

I have reading list (fiction and non-fiction) and I think I'll dive into that when I'm feeling drained from work. Yeah, just something enjoyable to relax from work ... although I have to admit a lot of things still feel like "work" right now in comparison to gaming. Some exceptions are: lifting, cooking, board games with my roommates, and certain subreddits I follow (non-gaming related). I used to play a lot of basketball and it was something that I really enjoyed... but now I barely have the motivation to start again despite being game-free for a length of time. Any idea if this changes over the next months? I intend to do at least 30 days but I know the 90 day full detox will be significantly more effective. I also used to devour novels as a child/teen, though that's been completely replaced by gaming over the years... will that desire come back over time?

Yeah it absolutely will. You're still pretty early on, it takes time for your brain to change and get back to a healthy state. Over time things you weren't as into before will be more enjoyable. Music and movies for me didn't really hold my attention much before I quit and now they're so much more enjoyable. It's really striking to me. Plus, if you pick something and invest in it over time (say cooking or meditation or journaling) and start to notice the value it has in your life you'll feel motivated to continue with it, even if it feels like work at first or some days are tough. With your specific question about reading, I have gotten into the habit of reading as my primary free time activity and it's great. It was hard for me to read that much when I was still gaming. Actually, cutting out mindless internet time was the real change that allowed me to really get into reading (Look up the book The Shallows for more on that). But point being, if you make lifestyle changes to support certain habits or activities that you want to have as a part of your life, it'll work out.