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90 day detox #4


CG EYE

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Hi everyone, 27July 2021 is 90 days since I last played DbD.

Prior to that relapse, I relapsed on PoGo for a good month and grinded up 2 levels.

I had definitely experienced some stress and loss leading up to my relapse. The main one being taking my partner to hospital for a medical emergency.

What prompted me to quit was a recent interview I did for a national current affairs program. The journalist essentially asked if someone like me (who knows a lot about gaming addiction) can get hooked, how does the average person stand a chance? It made me realise that you can be the smartest person, but you will never be able to outsmart the game. My greatest weakness is the belief that I can get away with playing, that Im in control. 

I've recently spent some money getting some pokemon tcg card packs and opening one up at the end of the day as a reward for not gaming. I know its an expensive strategy, but it does provide some relief from the cravings i have to game. I still have all my original pokemon cards from my childhood and I've started researching the competitive tcg. its crazy how much they have increased in value, it seems like a bubble to me.

i must admit this time round the cravings seem far more intense. I thought that I could do this detox without journaling, but these journals do provide some relief because you can just unload and its a nice surprise to see someone reply.
I've had to pay a visit to my meditation teacher and I realised that its really hard to empty my mind.
I've been spending quite a bit of time playing golf which is a good way to get out, but I've realised that from all the mobile games i've somehow messed up my tendons from the position i hold my arms. golf is actually good because it stretches my arm out in the opposite way and provides some relief.

Oh and one of the world's famous games UX developers started a twitter argument with me today and trying to convince me gaming addiction doesnt exist! what a day. thanks for reading.

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Ok, not doing too bad, cravings tolerable today. I've decided that I can play pokemon tcg online and get similar rewards but using virtual game pack codes. I also had the pfizer jab this week and gave a 2 half day workshops so I'm pretty exhausted. I've also been playing some golf after hours and really getting a nice swing with my 4 iron (one of the harder clubs to use). Anyone here play golf?

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Had a pretty average day today. A few things that really annoyed me. Could be also that I havent had a chance to play golf the last few days?

We had a mother's day lunch today which was ruined because the venue was absolutely filthy and my mother is friends with the owner and made us stay in order to "save face". 

I've started to collect pokemon cards again to play competitively. My friend also got me onto digimon.

Anyone here play any TCGs?

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  • 2 weeks later...

24 days since I touched PoGO and DbD.. thats just over 3 weeks... doesnt seem that long ago but it actually felt like a long time since I played these. most of the cravings have gone but I did pick up pokemon online TCG which is less convenient to play but still has the streaks and reward systems of ALL online games now so potentially still addictive. I went for some golf today at the driving range which was amazing and body is still sore from swimming 1.6km yesterday. but i need to clean up my diet.. ive been getting into eating fresh cucumber and capsicum whole lately cos it fills me up and i like the crunch of it.

but i had a big bowl of pho today so pretty bloated!

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On 5/22/2021 at 7:24 AM, CG EYE said:

24 days since I touched PoGO and DbD.. thats just over 3 weeks... doesnt seem that long ago but it actually felt like a long time since I played these. most of the cravings have gone but I did pick up pokemon online TCG which is less convenient to play but still has the streaks and reward systems of ALL online games now so potentially still addictive. I went for some golf today at the driving range which was amazing and body is still sore from swimming 1.6km yesterday. but i need to clean up my diet.. ive been getting into eating fresh cucumber and capsicum whole lately cos it fills me up and i like the crunch of it.

but i had a big bowl of pho today so pretty bloated!

Do you track your calories at all or do anything for your dietary maintenance? I use the Myfitnesspal app and it helped me lose 30 lbs last year. It taught me about moderation so I could still eat stuff if I ate better for the other meals.

Careful playing trading card games. They can be a source of "I miss getting this feeling from this old habit and this new one kind of gives it to me" sometimes that leads you back to old habits. I remember I played pokemon go and it made me want to collect things again and I played RuneScape after that because I loved collecting resources. Sometimes one leads back to another, so be vigilant of how you feel.

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Thanks for the encouragement and tips. I really should track my calories, especially since I had a banquet at a wedding last night!
I'm mindful not to log into pokemon tcg today, as it has all the usual tricks, streaks, loot packs, gamified system. 

I'm gonna go use my golf simulator I made instead!

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  • 5 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Can see light at the end of the tunnel. However, got some cravings recently when I saw a stream of DBD came up on my facebook feed. I did watch it for a little while. I've really been seeking flow experiences lately and monitoring my frustration for inefficiencies

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  • 2 weeks later...

Next week is 90 days!
Today, I had some strong cravings because my city is going into restrictions again from tomorrow. This is a trigger for me because I started playing DBD in the first lockdown. I've also been searching for a console game to play at home, but I need to hold off so I can get some work done. Also, I pulled my groin muscle because I have been overworking myself in swimming and running, need to rest..

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  • 2 weeks later...

Yay! so I made it to 90 days without any DbD!

Was a little easier but I still have cravings.

My city also just had a 1 week snap lockdown which overall has interrupted my routine.

I got an indoor cycling trainer and downloaded Fortnite on my switch. It did motivate me to ride (riding 1hr hour indoors whilst playing fortnite, made time go by really fast) however i would still game for a few hours later.

The fortnite merry go round is very similar to DbD. When you win you wanna win again. When you lose you wanna forgot by playing again. The re-playability is very good on Fornite, which makes it dangerous. Even though it was quite repetitive, the flow was there and they really polished the sweet spot.

I deleted it after a few days because my partner started to noticed this behaviour taking over but now I have cravings again. Looks like I'm back at the beginning! 

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