SAINTRF

Hi everybody, Today I have completed my 90 days detox! I am very proud of myself! This is not the first time in my life when I am game free for 3+ months but it feels like the first where a relapse could be avoided at all or delayed for a very long time. Because I had previous relapses I started to question whether I can quit gaming at all and it's just part of me. It turns out I can do it: I broke my 2.5k hours of the dota2 streak (several relapses)! I am thankful to Cam for the community he created and for his weekly youtube videos, it helped a lot. Since it's my not firs t detox (previous were my own endeavors) at the beginning of this I started to think deeply again how to prevent future relapses. Any relapse it usually happens due to two reasons: lack of energy (too tired, too much stress, lack of sleep) and/or lack of big picture. Lack of energy is more important since your body affects your neuron connection and your willpower resource is depleted. This time, I decided to address both of this problem in a very simple scheme. a. The key is to be happy, to feel better and achieve my big goals. This is correlated for me with happy faces = smiles. b. To be well rested. This is correlated with meditation (best energy recovery for me so far). The scheme is these: 1) Print our the month calendar for current month 2) Every day after meditation I draw eyes, after game-free day I draw smile => I draw smile face, otherwise, I need to draw unhappy faces (at the end of the day) 3) How it helps: every time you have the urgency to play you understand it violates your big picture of being happy, so you don't play. For me the idea to draw unhappy smile was just unbearable. 4) You can draw different happy faces all the time (reward variability). This is scheme is consistent with the book "Hooked" (trigger->action (i.e. non-play) -> reward (happy smile, different each time) -> investment (collection of happy faces). In fact, I tried on my wife (for meditation) and my Mom (for physical exercise) and it can be applied for other types of positive form habits. So, I hope you can use do improve your life after 90 days as well as to prevent relapses. Here is my example: What my key observation 1) I have found these 3 books most helpful: "Slight Edge", "Hooked" and "Willpower is not enough". The last one is not from Cam's list but gives a great perspective on the addiction in general, as well as a recovery process. 2) Gaming addiction is lasting one, you will never be completely free since neuron's path is carved in your brain and just in "sleep mode". Always, be aware to not to wake it - i.e. by being well-rested and keeping big picture in your mind 3) "Usual" benefit of game-free life (similar to my previous experience) - a lot of energy, much-much calmer, higher willpower, better physical shape and clearness in my head, understanding the importance of big goals and means to them achieve, increased sexual drive and better relationship with loved ones. 4) "Small" decision does matter ("Slight Edge")! 5) I continue my guitar hobby and Toastmaster. I strongly recommend Toastmaster since it a) helps to find you like-minded people b) increase you confidence c) you might have many things to share with - the great environment to do so d) helps in your life and career d) you feel great progress in your speaking abilities after 4-5 speeches. 6) From the book of "resilience", true happiness is tri-color of pleasure, gratitude, and mastery. Every day I am thinking about at least one think what I got pleasure from (physical or intellectual), what I am grateful for and which area I am excelling in. And again, I am grateful to Cam and hope to see him one day to say it personally (I live in Palo Alto and planning to visit San Diego by summer of 2017). Keep do what you are doing, I am sure that you are great role model for many of us! I am looking forward how our community makes more and more people not only game-free but a better version of ourselves. Wish all of you find yourselves in real world!