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Who else here is battling other addictions? (May contain triggering or upsetting content!)


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I have seen other people here mention things like nofap or compare gaming addiction to drug or alcohol addiction,
so it made me wonder who else here is struggling in other ways outside of gaming.

It is very common for addicts to be addicted to several things in their lives, not just one particular vice.
Most recovering addicts I know still smoke cigarettes and over consume caffeine, some of them gamble or have porn/sex addictions. Et cetera.

I want this thread to be a safe place for people to share their experiences, please let this be a judgement-free zone! 

(Content warning for drugs and self harm...)

Like most of us here, I'm a gaming addict. I'm also a recovering drug addict. My drugs of choice were weed and abusing my gabapentin prescription, acid and benzos when I could get them, alcohol occasionally but always in excess, so a relatively "softcore" druggie but it destroyed my life nonetheless. I am also recovering from a self harm addiction stemming all the way back to age 12, cutting and hitting myself. I have 19 months clean and sober, have been getting better at not hitting myself when I get mad, and I haven't cut myself in about 3 years.

If it wasn't for getting sober, I actually never would have realized I had a problem with gaming, or even go on to realize I was a hoarder.
I generally just began pursuing self improvement! I have made so many changes for the better.
So I actually find myself very grateful for those years I wasted high every day, the lessons I learned in recovery were well worth it.
Even with the ups and downs I still experience as life throws crap at me, my mental health is better than it's Ever been before.

Fighting gaming addiction is just another step on the path to a fulfilling life for me,
I've been down this road before and I surely will again, but my experiences have made me so much stronger.
 

Edited by GrainSiloEnthusiast
fixing formatting
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I don't check this site very often so I'm just now seeing this. I'm very much the same in that I quit a very persistent alcohol habit of over 15 years and then realized how much of a problem gaming was. The two were hand in hand for me. It requires endless vigilance for people like me because there will always be something to get addicted to no matter what I try to avoid. For example even without gaming and alcohol, I drink at least 2 liters of Diet Coke a day; I don't even like it. I know I still have countless traumas from my past a therapist is helping me work through but progress is insanely slow and I'm someone who needs things to go fast.

I've recently been reading the book The Myth of Mental Illness which is an old book and probably not completely accurate anymore but it makes a pretty good case for the idea that things like depression and addiction are the result of not knowing how to live rather than some chemical or genetic anomaly. That said, I've also read the book The Blueprint which claims nearly everything is determined by genetics so I'll have to parse the two and see which makes sense to me. Maybe a combination of both. Nature vs. Nurture is still hotly debated in psychology after all.

But I'm right here with you. I feel better than I ever have. Even when something bad happens it doesn't ruin my year like it used to. I got in a minor car accident a few months ago and it cost about $1,000 to fix. Not only did I have the money to pay for it, I rebounded pretty quickly and it wasn't even a concern a few days later. I feel like I'm finally living an adult life at 38.

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11 minutes ago, ceponatia said:

I don't check this site very often so I'm just now seeing this. I'm very much the same in that I quit a very persistent alcohol habit of over 15 years and then realized how much of a problem gaming was. The two were hand in hand for me. It requires endless vigilance for people like me because there will always be something to get addicted to no matter what I try to avoid. For example even without gaming and alcohol, I drink at least 2 liters of Diet Coke a day; I don't even like it. I know I still have countless traumas from my past a therapist is helping me work through but progress is insanely slow and I'm someone who needs things to go fast.

I've recently been reading the book The Myth of Mental Illness which is an old book and probably not completely accurate anymore but it makes a pretty good case for the idea that things like depression and addiction are the result of not knowing how to live rather than some chemical or genetic anomaly. That said, I've also read the book The Blueprint which claims nearly everything is determined by genetics so I'll have to parse the two and see which makes sense to me. Maybe a combination of both. Nature vs. Nurture is still hotly debated in psychology after all.

But I'm right here with you. I feel better than I ever have. Even when something bad happens it doesn't ruin my year like it used to. I got in a minor car accident a few months ago and it cost about $1,000 to fix. Not only did I have the money to pay for it, I rebounded pretty quickly and it wasn't even a concern a few days later. I feel like I'm finally living an adult life at 38.

Thank you so much for sharing your story!

I strongly believe that the majority of cases of depression and anxiety are from what we like to call "shit life syndrome".  Not a chemical imbalance, the inability to cope.
Though perhaps there might be a chemical imbalance somewhere in the mix, this type of depression and anxiety generally clears up when the individual learns effective coping mechanisms or changes life circumstances. This was very much the type of depression and anxiety I had, and to some extent still have. My depression cleared up a LOT when I moved out of my childhood home and away from my abusive father. PTSD and anxiety still lurk and occasionally rear their ugly heads but it's so much easier to deal with now.
(While on the other hand, my mom was diagnosed with depression at age 6, one of the earliest cases ever recorded at the time of her diagnosis back in 1973, her depression is a lot more the "clinical" type. So I think it's definitely nature and/or nurture! She also endured a hard life that made the depression worse than it would've been by itself.)

I rebound from tragedy far more quickly as well now. I miscarried in April, the baby was only 7 weeks and 4 days old, but it hit me way harder than I ever could have expected. I am still grieving and will forever be, as we move forward with grief rather than past it, but I am able to cope and go about my daily life again already. I am able to smile and laugh, I am even able to be grateful for her short life. I do not believe this would have been possible a few years ago. I was bedridden for a while following the devastation but I recovered much quicker than I ever would have previously. I handled a breakup with an abusive partner worse than I handled this miscarriage, because at that time I was still deep in my depression and active addiction.

May we all be successful in our battles against these addictions, and find fufillment in our lives! ❤️

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all of my life i had addictions but nor permanently . i was addicted to going to the gym , hanging out with my dude , watching movies , watch football matches , and ...

but they are two things that i am struggling with since the day 1  . one is gaming , well only league of legends , i don't play anything other than that and the other one is masturbating . funny thing is both almost started at the same time and that was the start of 90% of my problems to be honest . i am stuck at 18 while i am 21 ( i didn't continue school and i don't have a job or skill ) . these two ruing my life , or it's better to say i ruined my life by doing these two .  but i am glad that i am making progress  

 

PS : sometimes i ask myself so what , what really happens if i play or don't play games or i don't masturbate , who knows maybe i die tomorrow why should i do this? ... i don't know why but i am doing it maybe when i competently backed to my life , maybe after entering university , maybe after dating someone , or marriage , maybe after i get a job  etc i find an answer for this WHY 

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On 6/2/2020 at 1:54 PM, GrainSiloEnthusiast said:

strongly believe that the majority of cases of depression and anxiety are from what we like to call "shit life syndrome".  Not a chemical imbalance, the inability to cope.

There's a two part episode of south park that covers this really well where stan becomes an alcoholic and thinks everything is shit. You can watch it for free online. 

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Haha, I've seen that one but I'd like to watch it again. It's so true though. Whenever I see people from my former "community" of gamers bitching about the most mundane and irrelevant stuff it just makes me realize how many older gamers are also alcoholics.

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  • 1 month later...

I've been an escapist my entire life. Eventually diagnosed with Bipolar and PTSD. My drug of choice was fast food, games, and constant music/movies/tv shows. I've dropped all of that for at least 30 days ,and the difference is night and day. It's like I'm discovering this new, capable person I never had a chance to get to know. I'm terrified that I won't be able to use electronic media in a healthy way.

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  • 3 weeks later...

@ceponatia, I used to drink 2 liters of Diet Coke a day too, only it came with a large pizza. I gained 30 pounds of water weight over the years. I lost it as soon as I stopped drinking that stuff and it freaked me out. I thought sonething was wrong with me. All I can say is when I game, I drink soda. 

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On 7/31/2020 at 1:11 PM, Dpesuti said:

@ceponatia, I used to drink 2 liters of Diet Coke a day too, only it came with a large pizza. I gained 30 pounds of water weight over the years. I lost it as soon as I stopped drinking that stuff and it freaked me out. I thought sonething was wrong with me. All I can say is when I game, I drink soda. 

Yeah I think gaming comes with a lot of other bad habits like drinking various unhealthy substances. I'm not sure why, maybe gaming just puts one in that hedonistic state where we want to be experiencing complete bodily pleasure in every way possible, lol. When I don't game, all I drink is water and I cook every meal I eat. When I go on a gaming binge, I'm back on the soda and fast food. Clearly one is better for me. 🙂

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  • 1 month later...

Thanks to the OP and other contributors. It's well known among addicts that addictions will morph and change into something else. Just because you've quit one, doesn't mean you're mentally healthy (which is mainly the ability to deal with pain). If you don't arrive at mental health your addiction will 1) come back in the same form 2) take up another form(s). Addiction is a symptom, not causation.

Addiction and compulsive behaviors must be replaced; you can't just focus on "stopping". Don't think about "quitting". Don't think about what problems you have. Don't label yourself as an addict or recount any addictions in your mind. These things only exist if you think about them. FOCUS on the new, positive, replacement behaviors.

Do not think: "I must stop drinking soda"

Think: "I will drink water." Now go and drink water.

Part of your replacement behaviors will be connection with humans (irl), connection with God (if you're open), healthy hobbies and work.

Hard work takes most of my time, and is incredibly satisfying. Lift hard, run hard, work hard, study hard, clean house hard! Now there's no room for problems. Happy life.

 

 

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