My collegue has ADHD and while she doesn't game all the time she REALLY gets into it when she does. She even brings her portable gaming device to work so she can play whenever she has a break. Sometimes she even games during work time, if we don't have a lot of customers. I'm autistic and this has played a big role in my addcition as well. I have lots of compulsive behaviours and I get very stressed out by certain routines not performing the way I want. This behaviour made me restart games almost endlessly in order to reach some form of perfection and the ultimate feeling of fulfillment. As soon as I thought about a game I instantly thought about how to organize things in it or make the "perfect run". It was very exhausting and time consuming to say the least and just like you gaming is what brought me to investigate if I had some sort of diagnose. Turns out I did and with this knowledge the step to quit became even more crucial. I've also looked back on many instances in the past where I've felt defeated by games and they have mostly all been related to my compulsive behaviours. It's just so fascinating that it took SO long for me to realize this and finally reach the core of my issue. But hey, better late than never, right?

It's nice to have you here Peter! And it's a great thing that you've come to this realization so early in your life. 🙂 When you realize how gaming just starts to suck the life from every other hobby you have is when you know something is completely off. Trying to beat a superficial level to increase a number on a digital screen can never be as fulfilling as playing an instrument for instance, yet that's how the brain wants to prioritize when we start to slide into addiction. A virtual version of real life can never be as meaninful as actual real life, and we need to remind ourself of this constantly.

The topic of pornography and its affect on the human mind are not brought up enough in discussions. I myself have struggled with food, gaming and porn addiction. Whenever I've altered one of those three the remaining ones have been more exaggerated. I recently relapsed with my gaming addiction and not only did I game every day for several hours, but I was also hyper-sensitive to sexual stimulation and constantly eating sugary foods. It all boils down to a compulsive behaviour where your brain has been shaped over the years to act fast and direct whenever it wants to cope with some sort of obstacle. The brain knows that it has instant access to a powerful release of endorphines and dopamine and it cannot decide if it's truly healthy or not. The mind simply isn't build for the hyper-stimulation that is so common in modern society, which leads to use being hugely responsible for keeping track of the red flags ourselves. It's an exhausting process and probably the main cause for people who decide to move away from cities... there's just too many impressions to take in. The first step then is to admit that you have a problem so I believe you're on the right path now! I hope we guys can open up more about our porn use, not only on the web, but also in real life. So many of us suffer from this addiction and since it's still a bit shameful to talk about many sit and suffer in silence. Or worse yet, they don't understand that they have a problem since it's never brought up with the correct perspective. Hopefully this will change in the future and we can all deal with this more effectively together.

Congratulations on 6 years! That's a really strong effort! What has worked for me as well is to start with sports and strength training. It's a great way to experience progression in real life as your body becomes more agile and capable. For me skiing has been a lifechanger as it also makes for a great sense of adventure and occasional socializing. What I found out rather quickly in terms of finding new friendships is that most people are caught up in addictive loops where they are mostly passive outside of work. Everyone recharges their batteries differently and it's important to set aside some cooldown time, but many people stretch this and get constantly stuck in passive mode. This is especially painful to observe when you've started on the path of recovery and can see things more clearly. Suddenly you are the one trying to live life to the fullest but your surrounding people are mostly benched on the sideline. I think it's important to socialize with people who at least share some of your values regarding a healthy lifestyle; that way you always have access to great activities and important social contexts. People who like to hike for instance are very prone to spend time outdoors, even for the smallest amount of activities. They are used to be on the move constantly and being passive for too long might feel uncomfortable to them. I also feel like people with this kind of hobby have a strong disciplined mindset as physical activity is just a natural part of experiencing life for them, and the more you can tap into that yourself the better off you are in the long run.

Hello Game Game Quitters Members....   I know by the time I'm writing this is there is a presidential debate on CNN (which I don't care and not watching it or was not watching it if you are seeing this after 2024). And there was a lot going on and thought time was going so fast...I miss days and weeks to update you guys.   Right now I'm exercising and trying to keep up on stuff that I didn't checked marked in my to-do list. I'm still reading non-fiction books to visualized my mind on a specific skill that it's trying to teach me based on the specific text from page to page in beginning to end in general. I am still journaling my thoughts in a journal book where I can share my thoughts freely since late 2010s too.   I did notice on my interest towards video games have change. Because it's due to change priorities in general and some are still $70 plus taxes which make no sense to spend and even digitally for someone trying to remodel a house that I still remember visiting as a kid which Grandma gave the house to my Mom. I originally thought we were moving again and my Mom said we are not and now years progress I rather have this house on my name as well so I don't have to worry about moving somewhere else again in general.   I don't care about what is truly going on outside of my house and also TV news and what is being shown and commentated on with these political YouTube channels which I don't think it make sense to watch in general.   I'm more into taking actions in my own life to make it better in general. I don't understand the idea of following most people who is not doing much in their life and getting the same bad results in general while getting mad about it. I don't care about those people...   I can only save myself and the current house I'm living in generally too. Why bother worrying about other people saying about me and other stuff that is outside of my control anyway. Let these people and uncontrolled events and moments go. It's better to worry about stuff that I truly have control over then stuff and people who I don't have control over and they know that they cam improve their lives but choose to not too. So whatever man...   There is a saying ignorance is bliss. Yeah it's bliss to not try to know stuff that is not beneficial in general if you try to have a clear mind and calm mind in general.   So yeah.   Alright game quitters members I'm going to end today by going to bed and watch stuff that has nothing to do with politics. It's just something on YouTube based off skill learning and hopefully finish watching the founder based off of Ray Croc and finally watch Spiderman no way home or the recent spider man movie on blu ray so yeah.   Bye.