I am looking for help on where to begin trying to quit gaming. I have a problem with gaming and drinking, and have only been going to meetings for the drinking. However, gaming has filled the void of not drinking for me. It was recommended to me that I find someone to call and talk to about this issue as well as try to find some (online) meetings to attend. 
 

About me: I can't remember the first time I played a video game, but I know that I have always been attracted to them. Any time I went over to a friends house who had a gaming system, that was all I wanted to play with. My parents tried to discourage my gaming, but this only led me to try to hide my gaming habits as much as I could. Fast forward to college, I found that I still games more than most people. I was able to manage college, but I spent a lot of nights in my dorm room playing CoD late into the night. I eventually moved out of the dorm rooms and got an apartment with some friends. We spent a lot of time playing a drinking game based around Mariokart. It was this time that I started playing LoL and that turned into my main game of choice. A lot of my friends moved on from that game, but I could spend all of my free time drinking and playing LoL. I eventually graduated, found a job, and this was my life away from work. I spent my weekends in a sad cycle of drinking, gaming, passing out, and doing it over again until it was time to go back to work.

 

i eventually was able to marry my college girlfriend, who tried to make me stop the heavy drinking and gaming, but this just made me hide my addictions. There would still be late nights where I did game and drank. It is now in my work life, whenever I think I can game on my phone at work, I do. I have a CC that my wife doesn't have access to so I can spend money on my games as I please. If I'm not gaming, I'm in reddit forums or thinking about my games. At this point, trying to be at the top of my gaming leaderboards and community are what I strive for, not my job or my family. Trying to quit drinking wasn't so bad for me, probably because I still had gaming. Quitting gaming seems like it will be a lot harder for me.

 

54 minutes ago, barth9712 said:

I am looking for help on where to begin trying to quit gaming. I have a problem with gaming and drinking, and have only been going to meetings for the drinking. However, gaming has filled the void of not drinking for me. It was recommended to me that I find someone to call and talk to about this issue as well as try to find some (online) meetings to attend. 
 

About me: I can't remember the first time I played a video game, but I know that I have always been attracted to them. Any time I went over to a friends house who had a gaming system, that was all I wanted to play with. My parents tried to discourage my gaming, but this only led me to try to hide my gaming habits as much as I could. Fast forward to college, I found that I still games more than most people. I was able to manage college, but I spent a lot of nights in my dorm room playing CoD late into the night. I eventually moved out of the dorm rooms and got an apartment with some friends. We spent a lot of time playing a drinking game based around Mariokart. It was this time that I started playing LoL and that turned into my main game of choice. A lot of my friends moved on from that game, but I could spend all of my free time drinking and playing LoL. I eventually graduated, found a job, and this was my life away from work. I spent my weekends in a sad cycle of drinking, gaming, passing out, and doing it over again until it was time to go back to work.

 

i eventually was able to marry my college girlfriend, who tried to make me stop the heavy drinking and gaming, but this just made me hide my addictions. There would still be late nights where I did game and drank. It is now in my work life, whenever I think I can game on my phone at work, I do. I have a CC that my wife doesn't have access to so I can spend money on my games as I please. If I'm not gaming, I'm in reddit forums or thinking about my games. At this point, trying to be at the top of my gaming leaderboards and community are what I strive for, not my job or my family. Trying to quit drinking wasn't so bad for me, probably because I still had gaming. Quitting gaming seems like it will be a lot harder for me.

 

Hello there and welcome.  

I would take the time to read other people's journals here.  You will see what they have done to overcome gaming addiction by replacing it with other goals, hobbies, or sports.  And if you haven't done this already, please watch Cam Adair's Game Quitters videos.  There are a multitude of tips and advice he offers for people taking their first steps towards quitting games for good due to addiction.