Hi, I'm Mouse and I'm from the UK. I'm a 23 yr old trans guy studying maths at university. I'm autistic and have had severe depression since my mid teens. I'm Jewish, have a big family, I like board games and audio dramas.

I want to quit games because they're the main way I procrastinate and escape from my worries. This has led to failing various stages of higher education every year since I turned 17. My only success has been passing the university entrace exam (with flying colours!) 2 years ago, but since then I have hardly studied and it's looking like I'll either have to drop out or take the first year of the course for a third time in a row.

I'm sad to quit games. I really enjoy playing and building and telling stories and solving problems in games like the Sims and Oxygen not Included, but past experience has proven to me that I can't self regulate my playing of games, and also that spending all my time and energy gaming seriously impacts both my health and my studies.

The goal is to get my life moving forwards, instead of being stuck like I have been for the last 5-6 years. This could be getting my degree, or it could be getting a job. This is a huge task and there are also smaller goals like: take my depression meds every day, have more than 1 friend, improve my concentration enough to be able to read books again (I used to love books as a kid).

I am both scared and hopeful but quitting gaming will be good for me even if I don't enjoy it at first.

Small achievable goals are a great way to start, sometimes just remembering to take your meds is a huge feat. You can use the "x effect" to help stay on track, basically just marking a calendar to remind yourself you've achieved your goals for the day and letting that little mark be its own reward. I used that method when I did my detoxes, helps keep track of the days and reminds me to keep moving forward.