NikO's journey journal.

[Niko_Buccellati]

Introduction to the journal.
Well, to begin with, I never used to have any kind of journals(aside from some work accounting related stuff) nor dairies related to personal thoughts or emotions of mine. So this might be tough but I gotta try my best with it. The reason why I decided to give it a try is the fact that I think this might be a  very useful self-tracking tool and also the fact that I read some other people journals yesterday and found some related and useful experience. So that might be useful for someone else and for me of course.

Introduction to the backstory.
First of all, I should say that I am pretty happy and in harmony with my life(not absolute but as much as possible now) and have no regrets whatsoever. So I don't wanna make video games as a scapegoat for some bad things happened in my life even though some of them especially nowadays are clearly done in a way to be addictive. So before we getting started, I would like to mention some good things that happened to me because of video games.
1) Helped me learn English.
2) I found one of my best friends IRL  from the video game.
3)Found some really cool music bands.
Well, that's all I guess ?

Backstory(I am not going to mention any titles here to not trigger the nostalgia of a potential reader).

The beginning
During my life, I used to play video games a lot on various devices(arcade machines, pc, consoles, mobile devices) and all or almost all genres(yeah even some waifu gacha games facepalm.jpg)  but I will try to put it as short as possible.  I think its worth writing because the experience of the past might be useful in the future.
I guess my gaming experience began in 2k zero or something like that when I entered the school these were arcade machines.  I also remember me playing some consoles of that era. However, at that time my family was short of money so I didn't have any pc at home.  In my country in the early 2ks,  we used to have the so-called gaming clubs where you could pay an admin and play the video games so usually I and some buddies of mine played 1-2 hours various stuff and that was all. I remember that I played longer sessions sometimes but it was nothing extreme really aside from the fact that one summer we spent like whole summer playing one game via LAN(those were not long sessions but we did it almost every day). Prior to attending those clubs I also had a 16-bit console at my home but I wouldn't say it affected my school studies at that time even tho I remember how I had 2 days weekend gaming marathon once. Here I read that lots of people had parental control in their childhood but that was not my case because I was brought up by mom alone and most of the time she simply had no time to control me and what I am doing whatsoever.

First Rig
Later my family managed to get a PC. I guess it was around 2k6 or 7 can't say for sure. It was an average rig, not really gaming related. We didn't have internet at that time so the way to play games was to get pirate bootlegs CDs(so was provincial gaming in Russia lol) or to go with CDS or harddrive to the buddy whose father had internet on his job or something like that and download some stuff. At that time, of course, I started to play way more video games and longer sessions but I was way too busy with outdoor activities(those were some controversial things) but looking back I must say that it was that stuff that helped me to maintain reasonable social living so to say. Later my PC became dated for any modern games and playing old games became stale. Also, thanks to my mom physical activities were not something alienating to me, at that time, I went to the gym and also joined the local soccer club that led to the fact that I was training 7 days a week like a mofo because I was motivated to win the trophy and I did it with my buddies ? .At that time I also had some local powerlifting trophies in my weight and age category.

University time(1-3 years)
So I finished school and entered the university and started to learn exactly what I wanted, the German language cuz why no =). At that time I played games from time to time but not really much and mostly used PC for web-browsing and studies related things. One my first-year of studies I did really well because I was highly motivated to learn German and was the 3rd best student in my group of 9 people(the 1st and 2nd were persons who learned German at school). I also was attending airgun shooting range at that time. So you may think what this dude does on this site he is clearly not an addict well lemme tell you.  I guess the reason behind all that was the fact that after school I didn't manage to make many friends IRL.
This happened unexpected one the second year. One dude sent me a video of some very high quality and at that time my pc was so dated that I couldn't play it without lags. That was the final push for me to make myself a new rig( I had thoughts about it a long time but didn't want to spend money). So I made myself a new rig without intentions for gaming but of course, sooner or later my brain came to thoughts (Yo dude you have such a cool rig and there were a lot of games you missed while sitting on dated rig wanna see em). I installed steam. And well that was a moment that fucked me up, fucked me hard. I started to come to the university like a squeezed lemon because I was gaming all night. Sometimes it happened that I was going right to bed after coming home from the university or shooting range and of course, I was not really productive at the lessons nor shooting competitions. At the end of the semester, I was in the 7 place in my group and ruined the German exam that caused me to lose my scholarship (the cash is not worth bothering about but it hit my self-esteem really hard).
That really pissed me off because I knew that I actually deserve more than I had at that time. But at that time I also was not aware of my addiction and though I started to play video games less I blamed my lack of motivation for it so the reason why I started to play less was simple fact that I started to study harder. That actually led to the fact that I did DaF test really good and went to the summer camp in Germany as an exchange participant and also went on exchange to Latvia for one semester as a participant of another program. So it looked like things went on the right way you may think.

Abroad
The trip to Germany was really a good thing to me I passed tests at the local university even better than in my hometown and attended C1\C2 courses(the highest levels possible). I also was living in the hostel with other foreign students because that was my plan to be settled with the foreigners so we will have to speak German to communicate with each other and it worked well. I don't think I played any video games at all at that time because I was traveling a lot and was busy with RL stuff.

The trip to Latvia really fucked me up though. First of all, it began with the fact that I couldn't receive my insurance at the time and because of that I was unable to apply for a VISA at the time. That forced me to go back to Moscow only to find that they lost my scheduled appointment at the embassy so I had to go to the Visa center and they checked all my papers and asked me why didn't I attended the embassy because my appointment was scheduled. Marvelous! That really frustrated me nonetheless (and usually all that paper stuff drives me nuts easily) but I managed to settle my paper troubles and returned to my hometown waiting for the visa. I went to the university and explained them the situation and even attended classes for a couple of days but got bored and decided to go back home play video games that led to the fact that I didn't attend classes at all and made them think that I  actually left for Latvia at that moment. In reality, it happened 10 days after it.
In Latvia, I started to play games  more due to the fact that at that time I was living in the flat I rented and I really felt isolation because I couldn't speak local language and for some reason I completely lost my motivation because at that time I was doing a nice dough from scholarship and some side-job at Asia-food restaurant so I really felt like I proved anything to myself and teachers from the university who underestimated my abilities.
At the beginning gaming actually led to the fact that I couldn't attend my Tuesday classes at all because on Monday I had classes from 9 am till 6 pm and I played video games after that and was unable to wake my ass up at the morning next day. Somewhat I managed to make myself a sleep regime though and started to go to sleep at 10 pm and waking up at 6. But I guess it was more due to the fact that I attended some basic courses of Spanish and that was the only subject I was really interested and motivated that time.

I did some occasional trips some of them with the dude whos flat I rented. He was really a nice dude and he clearly saw that I am doing not a healthy lifestyle so he tried to drag me with himself whenever he could. In fact, at that time I hated him because of that. I guess it got something to do with the comfort zone and stuff. Somewhat I managed to graduate with decent marks in all subjects aside from one.

University time(4-5 years)
When I returned home things really went down the hill. Because at home I had my gaming rig and also the thing was that I had to undergo my practice at school while also attending the university(normally it is done separately but I was abroad when all other students did it). That meant that I had to go to the university and after that also go to school for my teaching practice. I also had to pass some exams that didn't match with those subjects I studied in Latvia.
That, in fact, stressed me out pretty much and I started to play even more. Because of that, I stopped attending university at those days in which I had my practice because I had to sleep and then prepare my lessons. That also led to the conflict with my curator whom I said that I don't attend classes because I have to prepare my lessons for practice, in reality, I simply needed that time to sleep. Somewhat, somehow I managed to pull it off again but that was really close to the failure so that really made me think about things. I analyzed the situation and realized that my gaming hours tended to be higher when I had to deal with something that I don't like. So shortly I realized that I used gaming the same way as alcoholics use booze.  I also started to think that its really a waste of my time. It was the beginning of my awakening but not really it.

The red pill.
The turning point was the moment when I played some online MMO game which had two modes(arcade and realistic). And I had a chat with one dude who told me that I am wasting my time playing arcade because realistic is better and more realistic. I told him that I am actually valuing my time because more people play arcade and I am not wasting my time waiting in the queue and moreover me and you both sitting on our ass just pressing buttons so there is no difference. And that phrase of mine was something like a red pill when I really realized the things from that moment the desire to quit started to grow on me. I talked about those things with some buddies of mine but aside from one dude(who also quit games "to live real life") and one friend from real life whom I found in the web, I didn't see much understanding.  At that time I had one game preordered which i was really excited about so I decided to play it and then quit gaming once and for all.
I guess it was like the last dose for addicts or something ?
So when the game came out I played the shit out of it. I guess I didn't attend university at all that time like 1-2 weeks. But when I finished it I really got bored. And I quit really cold turkey selling my gaming rig(why would I need it if I don't play games anymore) and my steam(because I knew I might have temptation and why would I need it if I don't have a rig).
At the same time, I got a phone call from my mate from shooting section who wanted to go to the gym and needed a buddy. I knew that this is a good opportunity(buddy is a good thing because he won't let you drop the hobby) and went to the gym. So things were like in their right way.

Backpedaling
The wagon made the wrong turn when the time to start writing down my diploma came. That really stressed me out because paperwork is really a thing that makes me nuts and also I had to quit the gym because I needed more time to deal with it. That led to relapse and because I had no steam and not that powerful laptop I started to play one MMO which didn't need steam to play it and got me hooked because it was about the stuff I am actually interested IRL(I didn't know that at that time). I played that game not that much so I didn't ruin my studies but I played it almost every day. After I finished my exams(best marks possible) and got my bachelor degree. I was ready to go for the army but turned out that they had way too much people conscripted so I had to wait till the autumn. That meant I had 3 months of doing nothing waiting for my enlistment. At that time I made a trip to Belarus because I just wanted to relax and change the surroundings that really did me well after all the stress and stuff. I didn't game that time in Belarus but I really have fallen into the loop of retardance pretty much the same way as I did in Latvia because sometimes I even spent days doing nothing sitting in the flat watching TV or youtube vids and ordering food to the flat.
When I returned home I got an invitation to the clan from that game I used to play because I actually played it quite well even tho I didn't bother myself with any competitive things and played just for fun. So I joined it and basically 2 months prior the army I did nothing but only played video games at my home. I managed to man up somewhat last 2 weeks because I knew that it's wrong and went for the army(one of the best decisions in my life actually).

Army and the ultimate demise later.
Well, the time in the army was tough(and it should) but it was a good experience and also a good detox. In fact, I spent the first 4 months with a simple phone without internet not because I couldn't get one but because I didn't want it. I didn't play any games at that time at all the whole year. I used that time to really develop myself as a person especially mentally and more or less understand what I want in my life also read some really awesome books.
However, when I came back home I fucked up everything again and boy or boy I did it hard. I am not going into details but I had problems with my adaptation back to the civilian life and relationships with family and some other people. That led to the fact that I went home and didn't contact anyone at all for a month even in social networks, turned off my phone, that actually caused some people to worry if something happened to me and made the came to me and knock my door literally.
At that time I only played video games because I felt like I can just relax at least a bit like I deserved it or something. That, of course, ruined my sleep pattern and led to some anxiety issues ( i had something like that before from previous experiences but this one was way stronger). After that month I started to look for a job and well actually I didn't have any difficulties finding one in one local company. I went for the job interview and despite the fact that I was not prepared(I played games all night) I did fine. So I started to go to the job and also kept playing video games. It was a simple office job really nothing special but my brain resisted the fact that I am sitting my ass off in front of the pc at home and do the same on that job. I really felt like I can do better. So one day I quit the job. I had a talk with my mom about it and she supported me(because usually, I used to finish things that I started so I felt myself a bit guilty for quitting a job at that time). At that moment i was really sure that I will find a better job.
Turned out it wasn't that easy. That led to the fact that I stuck in moms home unemployed for a couple of months and developed a crippling depression. My sleep was fucked up, I had mood swings, and feeling like by my sheer existence I am bringing shame and dishonor on my mom, and all relatives. I had days when I woke up in the bed with my laptop and didn't leave it like at all. I even ate in the bed with my laptop. The thing was that I knew I have to find the job and do something for it but because of the all above mentioned I couldn't even apply for it not talking about the interview and that drove me nuts even more. I couldn't stay inside the house because it drove me nuts, but also couldn't go outside because the fact that I saw all people being busy with their job or other activities also drove me nuts because my aimless wondering made me feel really out of place( I felt myself like the Taxi-driver protagonist). That, of course, led to the suicidal thoughts. I had experience with depression before once(not as severe as this one though) so I knew that my brain is fucked up and playing tricks on me and tried to grab all my will to not being sucked into the whirlwind of feels. Oh I should mention that at that time gaming also didn't help to deal with all that stuff, in fact it made things even worse because I was just drifting from one game to another aimlessly and it made me even sadder because I knew that it doesn't work and doesn't make me happy(this gotta do something with dopamines and stuff I guess).

Rehab
I was also wondering how just in 3 months I went from army-men scheduled disciplined lifestyle to the grabastic piece of amphibian shit who is unable to leave his bed laying in his tears(sometimes literally, sweat and misery).
First of all, I made a talk with my mom that my brain is pretty fucked but I am working on it. I just wanted that she didn't think like I am doing nothing and not even planning to move on. Actually, she understood and supported me, that was good. How I fixed it? Well.
I had no better idea than to copy my army schedule(its hard to have an order inside the brain if there is a disorder outside). That meant I forced myself to make my bed every time I woke up(this was very important ritual) after that I did mandatory physical exercises, and after that, I was leaving my home because in my mind I made wandering around not an aimless thing but activity. I also started to eat to the schedule. It was not that easy to fix my sleep(probably that was the hardest thing) because sometimes I had felt like I am going nuts while trying to sleep, I had sudden awakenings during the night but little by little I managed to fix it. Sleep is actually a very important part because if you can't sleep in a proper way you feel exhausted and its hard to fix your brain. I had a person at that time whom i was reporting my sleeping hours progress that really helped me. In a couple of months i fixed the mess my life was, found the place I wanted to relocate to and the job and moved on.

Relocation n stuff.
After I relocated I got acquainted with some new people. Got employed. Later I even went for the better job and later even for even better one. I also met many awesome people because of the WC in that town and found the girl I fell in love with. So everything was going nice. What could possibly go wrong you will ask. Well, it turned out that she was addicted to gaming (what an irony). I was really enthusiastic though and decided to give it a try because well I guess that is how love works but also because I overestimated my charisma and influence over people I think.
Long story short. I was unable to drag her out of her comfort zone because she was in complete denial and aside from the time when she was with me her life was a mess. It broke my heart but I had to break these unhealthy relationships and I executed it. Because I knew if I let it continue it will drag me back where I came from. I should mention that at that time I used to play some games because I accompanied her in them but was not really much into it so it didn't interfere with my life. The thing was that on the same day I broke my relationships I was phone called by my friend who told me that the dude from our childhood we knew committed suicide. These two events really shook me and at that time I had not really much to do because I was waiting for some papers considering my job. Because of that, I spent a week playing some games on my tablet pc. It wasn't that extreme and I had my awareness on so I stopped after that.

Present time.
After that, I had to return to my hometown to prepare myself for another relocation. I didn't play games much at that time but it happened occasionally I guess but mostly I was busy with my job. After that, I had a trip to Moscow for my medical examination(which I passed well) and got acquainted with many nice people. The thing that kinda ruined me was the fact that I caught a cold on the train back home and didn't sleep well because of that I was ill and ruined my sleep schedule I couldn't go workout and the weather was quite bad outside so I started to play 1-2 video games just to pass time.  And so that was the moment when I went into this site and forum and decided to end it once and for all. And guess what at the moment I registered myself I got a message from one dude I haven't seen like for ages who asked me if I wanna play one game.
I said to him "Nah man. I am not interested I got better things to do with my real life". And guess what? That felt really cool.

Edited November 2, 2018 by Niko_Buccellati

[Niko_Buccellati]

So this is gotta be my 2nd day without gaming at all. I am not going to make myself goals like 90 days or something because I don't limit myself to any days. I didn't play games yesterday but it was nothing special really because recently I ruined my sleep pattern(due to one trip) so yesterday I slept till 3 pm(went to bed at 6 am that day) or something like that and watched some youtube stuff mostly,  basically replaced one junk activity with another. So as you can see nothing really to be proud of. I went to bed at 4 am, actually I went to it at 10 pm but was unable to force myself to sleep.

Today I woke up at 11 am. So its kinda progress but I know I can do better and considering the fact that I will be having an important appointment soon I must fix my sleep pattern. This also breaks my eating pattern because usually, I eat 3 times a day scheduled +\- 1-2 hours. But I know I will fix it.
So after I woke up I did some activities. Reinstalled windows on my laptop so it's kinda barebones now and no video games of course. After that, I went for a walk until 3 pm. After that, I did some cleaning activities in my room so it doesn't look like a mess now. At 7 pm, I went to do some workout which I have been doing for one hour. I had a week break because I was on a trip before and also caught a cold in a train so I  had to stay home but surprisingly I didn't feel like I really degraded even tho it's a bit cold outside so running started to be a bit harder than it was. I also started to write a story of my experience dealing with gaming addiction and stuff but it turned out quite big(you would expect that from a person who has been playing video games from 2k0) so I even wonder if it's even worth bothering cuz it started to look like one major oversharing. However, I feel quite tired so I decided to not post an unfinished stuff here even though I saved it on my laptop and I plan to finish it tomorrow(still not sure if I should post it here). Interestingly enough it also became quite obvious when I started to write about it how my addiction was growing with time and how unaware of it I was at that time.

Day 3.
I went to sleep approx. at 3 am that is really not a progress but I managed to wake up at 8 am with an alarm clock that is still a progress. I decided to give a try to the herbal tea and some other natural relaxants to make me sleep well because I came to the conclusion that I can't sleep well simply because I can't relax due to various thoughts about some things I find important.
It also turned out that I was in such a hurry to reinstall windows on my laptop that I didn't even format my hard-drive properly so it had no file system at all aside from the part that had windows running on. Spent some time fixing it and installing some drivers because I had to print some work-related papers. I managed to finish my story and liked the process but it made me really realize that in fact, I don't like to sit in front of the computer writing any stuff(prob the reason why writing out reports and related stuff always drove me crazy in the university). Also, it made me realize that it's indeed a bizarre experience because it looked like I was living 2 lives.
Did some wandering to catch some fresh air as usual and also work out in the evening.  Work out session went much better than I expected and that made me really happy. Also called a friend of mine who had a birthday recently( actually 3 days ago).

Edited November 2, 2018 by Niko_Buccellati

[Niko_Buccellati]

Day 4
"Sometimes the only way to win the game is to not play".
I don't know where from I remembered this phrase but looking back it really makes sense. I mean talking about usual games you either finish the game or dropping it so technically the game has only two ends. The MMO's are by far the worst in that part because they made in a way to make the game never ending. That is why the quote. They also utilize the principle of the socialization giving people the illusion of friends or relatives. "I turn off the electricity and where are your friends? They are gone," said I once.

I decided that posting daily routine feels really bland and uninspiring so instead of it, I will just post random thoughts I got on my mind. Moreover, I think I won't be able to post here on a daily basis due to the fact the day after tomorrow I gotta relocate again. I actually like traveling so this feels good even though it's not a touristic travel but job related journey. By the way herbal tea and stuff really worked well I went to sleep at 11 pm,  unfortunately,  I was awakened by my cat and that ruined my sleep so I overslept pretty badly today. But its okay I feel good after all. I also watched some youtube videos today and I felt a wish to create some stuff myself(nothing special really just some meme related things for lulz), I don't know but maybe I will give it a try later.

I also gotta start learning French(I learned some basic stuff a long time ago) but gotta put some effort into it.
Feels good so far. And remember

"Boredom is the first step on the road to relapse".

 

 

[Niko_Buccellati]

Day 5
Did quite a good progress with sleeping today. Slept from 22 till 3 am. Actually woke up due to the fact that didn't want to sleep anymore, and that's a no wonder considering the fact that I overslept prior it. Really didn't do much today mostly was just chilling before the tomorrow trip and feel no shame for it. Was a bit sleepy at the midday so went for it for 2 hours. All in all Valeriana and camomile tea work like a charm.
Had a meeting with a friend of mine at the evening. Yesterday we had a conversation over the phone and he was like(let's meet tomorrow instead of phone talking). Of course, it was cool and made me happy. So we just talked about various stuff in the cafe nothing really special but it was nice especially considering the fact that I got not so many people to talk to in my hometown. I am pretty much able to do all the stuff on my own long-term but still, a reasonable amount of communication is appreciated. In fact, I thought about reviving my contact with one girl I used to know but currently, I am way too focused on my personal objectives so I don't really feel for it.
All in all that conversation with a friend just proves my strategy which I called "I don't need dummy bullets in my clip".  What it means is that probably you going to meet maybe a couple of real friends in your life other people will be more like fellow travelers on that journey. In fact, most people will appreciate you only till you are convenient(I like German word gemütlich for it) for them when you will start to do something on your own they will be not happy and will try to hold you back(in their comfort zone), that is usually how it works. That is why I appreciate reliability above all from my friends. that is why such a name, you might have only 1-2 bullets in your clip but you know they won't let you down when you will be needing it.
As for cravings, I had some barely noticeable during those days but honestly, my brain is more occupied with the real-life objectives I got on my schedule and also some women I know ?
Usually, I watch a movie or two when I am on the train but this time I really don't feel for it I guess I will download some materials about French and will give it a try.

Oh, and why I find making your bed every day a very important thing.
1) First of all, it helps you awake faster after you went out of the bed.
2)It's a small step of order from which you begin your day, not in a discordance.
3)It looks nice and it gives you feel like you have already accomplished something and you can actually see it.
4)At the end of the day, it's nice to lay in the made bed, not on a chewed sheet and stuff.
I never liked it but recently I developed this habit and find it really helpful for mental focus.

[Niko_Buccellati]

Day 6 

Not really much to say. Been packing my stuff. And hoped on train to Moscow in the evening. On the train atm.

[Niko_Buccellati]

Day 7 

Did some sightseeing with one French guy just to occupy myself with something. I have been countless times here so I was not really that interested in sightseeing itself more about social activity. Had a strong craving in the morning but it was fast and technically i was unable to play anything even if i tried. The reason was that i didnt sleep well in the train i guess due to some thoughts that made me mad. Going to have an important day torrow have to focus on it.

[Niko_Buccellati]

Day 8

was busy with RL stuff so much that barely had any time for web like at all.I had an appointment at the embassy because next month I have to be in Alabama.The thing is that all in all it went nice and my pass was taken( def. a positive sign)  but I also was cockblocked given a blue slip because they needed additional papers from the employer which i recieved and sent the exact same day, all in all its not bad but i read some stuff about how people have been stucked on administrative processing for months or even years so that made me really really worry about it even though all I can do is just wait. Honestly its just a miracle that I didnt loose it considering how paperwork and bureaucracy  easily make me mad because its been a long way, even literally.

At the evening I met a friend of mine who lives here and whom I found from web long time ago.Just had a couple of drinks and ate some junk food, aint no shame in my game though because its not something i usually do. I also been helping the people I am living with to carry some furniture from the 6 floor so I guess I worked it out;)

Current plans, chilling in Moscow waiting for papers and doing sightseeing.

[Niko_Buccellati]

Day 9 ?

So i did some sightseing today. A good walk is always nice. I also got acquainted to some hispanic people. We had a long conversation with one guy from Chile mostly about psychological matters. Turned out he was impressed that even wrote about it in the journal he is doing. Had to tell him that I have been doing sort of journal recently too;) After that we had a conversation about gaming addiction and stuff. And I told him that basically its like fap, you get short joy but after that you regret and feel miserable. There are also some DJs who going to have a session at the club tomorrow but I got a train to my hometown the day after tomorrow. So I didnt really feel for it because i have to stay focused on more important things even though a part of me just wants to let it loose and go yolo due to the fact that i am really not happy about that administrative processing and I cant stay here forever that is why i ll have to go back to my hometown to wait for my papers to be ready and then go back to pick them up asap. I am not happy about but there is nothing I can do just wait and hope for the best.

Edited November 8, 2018 by Niko_Buccellati

[Niko_Buccellati]

Day 17
Well that's been a while since I last time wrote here but it was simply due to some things that escalated quickly? Was way busy with RL affairs and simply had almost no time for the web. What I noticed that I have cravings only when I am stressed about something and not occupied with anything at the same moment otherwise feel no interest whatsoever for gaming.

Edited November 16, 2018 by Niko_Buccellati

[Niko_Buccellati]

Day 32.
Well that's already pretty far and that's been a while since me posting here last time ? But its okay because I was really busy with real-life problems that almost led to depression but gladly sticking to the schedule helped me to pull it off. Today I had a pretty fucked up dream, I had a dream that I was gaming some stuff and I was really pissed off because I have ruined my streak lol. Gladly I woke up and realized that it was just a dream. Well didn't do many things today really just had a meeting with a buddy of mine at the evening to talk out some stuff all in all the day was good. I guess tomorrow I will have more things to do so I will be having more to write about.

Edited November 26, 2018 by Niko_Buccellati

[fawn_xoxo]

Good job on being games free despite it all! Think about how a lot of us, maybe you too, used to avoid those negative situations by gaming, but no! You dealt with it! Keep it up!

[Niko_Buccellati]

18 minutes ago, fawn_xoxo said:

Good job on being games free despite it all! Think about how a lot of us, maybe you too, used to avoid those negative situations by gaming, but no! You dealt with it! Keep it up!

A good word of support is appreciated. The dream was really weird though. It was actually the same experience as if I played something in reality despite me having no interest whatsoever to it in real life and was like the last thing I ever expected to happen because I didn't have time to think about gaming. Yeah the thing is that I had some plans but because my papers stuck under the "administrative processing" at the embassy (makes me wonder if they even touched them actually)  I lost my contract(I mean i supposed to fly to my workplace at the 30th) and you know of course I was not happy about it because I just threw some money and time away but the thing was that it also put me out of track because I had a plan which was perfectly scheduled and it kinda ruined it, I managed to catch a cold and also I had a bizarre affair at the worst timing possible lol. Well, all in all, I am back on track that's for sure and objectives remain the same. The thing is that I had to adjust myself to some changes so to say.

[Niko_Buccellati]

Day 36
Well recently I had a phone call with my employer we talked out the situation and they said if my visa will be issued they will reassign me to another work schedule. That is good because originally I was expected to be at my workplace today. I mean I am still kinda in a hanging situation but its better than losing a contract I guess. Recently I had a really strong craving to play some stuff interestingly enough it was more like a feeling of interest(related to some game stories), not the urge to game itself. Fortunately, I was busy with outdoor activities and some social stuff so didn't really have much time for it. The thing is that I used to do my workout activities in the evening but recently it became more snowy and colder so doing that became a bit pain in the ass,  so I have to figure out a solution for it(maybe change it to daytime when the temperature is the max). Didn't do many things recently(studied some French though) mostly was just chilling listening to synthwave and stuff and ruining my sleep routine, but I have no regrets whatsoever it really did me good. What I noticed that in my social media I got some people who always post their sermons oversharing and stuff that really annoys me, I guess I will be better deleting them. Gotta have a farewell party today's evening with one buddy of mine who is about to join the army soon.

Oh and one important note. Due to me being sick recently one jogging session didn't really go well. Actually, I died at the half of the planned distance but somewhat I managed to force myself to run all the planned distance,  I just felt like I will die and lose everything if I stop so I kept going. That felt like a huge victory if you ask me because it wasn't as tough physically as mentally.
Update: Status of my visa has changed to issued today. Fells good man.

Edited November 30, 2018 by Niko_Buccellati

[Niko_Buccellati]

Sory folks thats been awhile since me posting here but its because I  am currently busy with my work. I relocated to Miami, Fl one month ago and signed on on one of the cruise vessels.

[Niko_Buccellati]

Hah it's been more than 3 years since then. I did game occasionally after that  for sure ,  but not in a drastically amount, and I am pretty sure that I did 90 days not even once. I been mostly playing videogames when i was on vacation as my job by that time was at sea and during that time I didn't play videogames nor had to deal with computers at all.  Overall been doing good despite the fact that I had some troubles in personal relationships  and a depression which caused me to play more during the lockdown. However despite that I have managed to find a job during the pandemic and after that I have managed to find an even better job and relocate to another country. Which was exactly what  I needed and what my goal has been. 
So i have moved to another country, learned (still improving) the language from 0 and even managed to land a promotion recently.
The reason why I decided to visit  is because a few months ago I had some issues with gaming that caused me to stay awake for too long and affected my job and my sport activities negatively and right now I am already working in front of the computer so an idea to spend even more time in front of a computer after that doesn't look appealing to me. 
So here I am on my day 28 already

[blu]

hello. welcome back. although I'm practically new here. You seem to be doing pretty well apart from those few setbacks. 28 days strong is pretty neat. wish u all the best (^///^)

 

Edited November 6, 2022 by blu

[Niko_Buccellati]

2 hours ago, blu said:

hello. welcome back. although I'm practically new here. You seem to be doing pretty well apart from those few setbacks. 28 days strong is pretty neat. wish u all the best (^///^)

 

Thanks, from my experience once you have managed to make an initial detox even if you relapse it's easier to get back on track because you will have the memories of how good it was when you were grinding IRL instead of a virtual world and actually enjoying it and how big the positive influence of that on your mental health was.  I mean I must be honest I had some days and weeks when it spiraled all the way down the hill with gaming, junk food, sleep deprivation, porn etc.(all those come along very often and it can escalate very quickly). In my case most of the time I gamed in order to escape from some real life stress factors or problems. Positive motivation is  a key here.
What helped me the most are physical activities as they prevent you from sitting at home when you don't know what to do with your free time while also helping you to get  a healthy dopamine and sense of accomplishment.

Edited November 6, 2022 by Niko_Buccellati

[Pochatok]

6 hours ago, Niko_Buccellati said:

asier to get back on track because you will have the memories of how good it was when you were grinding IRL instead of a virtual world

Second this so much! Completing a full detox once, or even a considerable part of it, helps so much. Pat yourself on the back for every day you pass through 🙂 

Happy you're already 28 days in, and acclimating to being in a new country so well @Niko_Buccellati. 

[blu]

8 hours ago, Niko_Buccellati said:

What helped me the most are physical activities as they prevent you from sitting at home when you don't know what to do with your free time while also helping you to get  a healthy dopamine and sense of accomplishment.

very true. spare time can be as dangerous as valuable it is.

[Niko_Buccellati]

On 11/7/2022 at 4:03 AM, Pochatok said:

and acclimating to being in a new country so well @Niko_Buccellati. 

I know the reason why I left first place and I know the goals that I am pursuing here. When you have both of those you will be doing fine. Because if you have reason you won't go back and if you have a purpose you will know where to move forward. 
Same principle can be applied to many other things even if you workout you should have some goals both short term and long term. Like for example you don't wanna work out to become strong you wanna work out to be able to do 10 pull ups. Like goals ideally should be as concrete and measurable as possible.

 

  

On 11/7/2022 at 6:28 AM, blu said:

very true. spare time can be as dangerous as valuable it is.

The reason why I have mentioned physical activity is that I work from home so I already spend time sitting at home in front of the PC. And as many of us (I assume) I don't have a super specific hobby, PE is something that doesn't require any big thinking and that everyone (unless you have a serious disability) can do, in fact I believe that many gamers have that issue of overthinking things which results in no action instead of any action. So yeah PE is the easiest and the best thing to begin with if you quit something and don't know what to occupy your time with.
Plus you know most games also apply to our inner masculinity and it's hard to have that masculine "warrior" mindset  if you are unfit not just on spiritual level but simply due to a hormonal balance in the body.  In 99% of games we don't play as a guy who sits at home and does nothing but mostly we play for a person who shapes the world around itself through it's actions.

Edited November 8, 2022 by Niko_Buccellati

[Pochatok]

On 11/8/2022 at 2:24 PM, Niko_Buccellati said:

Like goals ideally should be as concrete and measurable as possible.

Yes! Took me so long to realize this simple concept. So helpful.

On 11/8/2022 at 2:24 PM, Niko_Buccellati said:

know the reason why I left first place and I know the goals that I am pursuing here.

I like that! When I think of moving to another country, I usually only have the reasons to leave, not to pursue. Thank you for sharing this 🙂