I found myself somehow so addicted to game. How? Well I used to play a lot of game after my first broke up to avoid myself from crying because it’s stupid. And many other things that stressed me out too, I just turn on my laptop and play game until i become so numb. Just to avoid myself from feeling too sad, or etc. I can’t stop playing even when I say I wanted to stop, even just for a while and I feel a bit mad when I don’t get to play my games. One day, I decided to just play by following the limits, it’s just hard. I just can’t stop. I don’t how to. It’s like everytime I play games I was somehow hypnotized by it and I keep playing it. I want to do my study but games keep getting in my mind. It’s awful. Tried uninstall it, still, don’t work out.
I feel that, but I’d just stay away from dating another person or that person for a while. I had my first break up only relationship and I had people in my life to encourage me I did the same thing to instead of using it for break up issues it was many other things. The only things that have helped are;
*I took the games off my phone computer etc
*I hung out with my friends
*I would stop myself in the moment that I really wanted to play video games and just turn the other way sometimes,
Idk what else to say like im 25 and I use to be so into call of duty tournaments and everything and I just let it go probably 4 years ago and realized it wasn’t what I wanted, and from my first break up I just had been single for a long time. I know my self worth, I know the type of person I’d like to be with. I’ve met and went on dates but it just wasn’t working out. Decided to just hang with friends. If you don’t have any well make some step out of your comfort zone and introduce yourself.
A lot of issues in my life any circumstance I would be in some terror at first and then come to my senses and think alright stop, what can I do differently to make a changes?
And even after the first relationship/ break, I realized it just seems that relationships are like magical and poof it will be good, I made standards for myself and realize if im ginna be with someone it would be with someone I know like a friend I trust and am close with. Change isn’t just internal but it also helps with others around you and would also help your future relationships with people not just a partner.
Hey @AnonymousJ666
I’ve been a gamer since the early 80s and I have thousands of hours of game time in lots of different games. One is Rust which I have almost 6900 hours of game play and of course we have WoW with almost a whole year of gameplay.
I think that most of us use gaming as a way to escape the world and our problems, but in reality we hide from the world an our problems, because they are still there when we click on “exit game”
Right?
One thing that you can do is put a timer on that tells you when it’s time to turn it off. It’s up to you and your own willpower to actually do it. No one can do it for you. It’s like quitting cigarettes or drugs, it has to be a choice only you can make for yourself.
Find an interest that will compete with gaming. That’s probably the best advice I can give you.
You have to find a healthy balance between IRL and gaming or it will become very unhealthy.
Here is a little video that will help you.
Hey @AnonymousJ666
We posted your (condensed) topic to our IRL Support Wall down here in Houston at a mental health awareness event, and asked people to support you. Here is what they wrote, and we hope the support helps!
- John
Hey @AnonymousJ666,
Well done for acknowledging that video games are interfering with the things you’d like to do, and are somehow impacting you negatively. As a gamer too, I can tell when it becomes an escape to me, and when I use them to just have some fun. Through the years, it has been a coping mechanism to me as well, although I’ve always tried to have a stress-free approach to it. Escapism isn’t wrong as long as it doesn’t become a replacement to anything else or an obsession. Right now, you see that it’s impacting your ability to focus on something else.
There are generally two different ways to deal with an addiction: going full cold turkey mode, or reducing progressively. Both are okay, and both would be experienced differently from one individual to another. In other words, what is effective to someone may not be the case to someone else, and vice versa. It also depends on if you want to stop playing at all, or re-learn to live with video games in a healthy way. Whether you decide go cold turkey or progressively, there are little things you can do to help yourself.
As you said, uninstalling games doesn’t help. So what about trying to have two different sesions on your computer: one for games, and one for studies? It would require you to make the effort of switching from one session to another if you ever feel like giving up. You could also install some softwares on your computer that would remind you on your screen the time of gaming you’ve been having, or also softwares to forcefully limit your time on games with a locking option.
You could also ask for a friend or family member to help you keep yourself accountable by sharing your goals, progress and accomplishments to them.
If you can also study without being on your computer at times, use those times away from the screen too! Print your classes if you can, take notes with paper and pens. Overall, try to diminish how much you use your computer for that too, as it would make it less tempting to just open a game at random times.
Eventually, try to change a bit the environment you’re in when you need to study. Switch to a different place at home that would become your “work place”. A spot which would be dedicated to this activity whenever you go there with your work tools/resources.
Finally, what about having an idle game in the background while you study, as a replacement? It might not be the best way to deal with the addiction itself, but having a passive game progressing in the background, one that doesn’t require your attention all the time, could help you have both the “gaming”/escapism feeling while studying too. When I was doing my master thesis, I had in the background games like Fallout Shelter or passive crafting tasks on a MMO. I would check on it while taking a break from my work at some specific/planned times. I would do a repetition of a 45min work/10min break cycle during the day, and overall it functionned pretty well. All in all, make sure to plan your schedule a little bit with both work and break times, so you don’t end up feeling overwhelmed or not knowing what to do - and taking the easiest option: gaming.
You got this, friend. Step by step, you can do it and recreate some balance in your life. Take note of what works or not for you, and take the time to acknowledge when you succeed too. There is no small accomplishment on that matter. Only steps forward. 
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