How do i break this addiction

[imbalance]

I am addicted to my computer.... Gaming to be precise. I tend to finish any given given work very soon... But starting is a problem and am having trouble keeping my attention focussed for a long period of time ( like concentrating in classes.. studying for a long period of time.. etc ).. I would like to motivate myself in such a way that the enthusiasm doesnt burn out in a short while.. How do i go about it ??

[Jim11]

The constant action and entertainment of video games seem to lead to short attention spans for a lot of people who play them excessively. I used to play FPS games when I was younger and played excessively at different times.

I had to just get rid of the more addictive games and not play them at all. When I was 17-20 I just didn't have the discplinine to play for an hour or so. I would be up until 6 am

It sounds like it might not be a bad idea for you to completely get rid of them... uninstall them for now. Try playing in moderation after your get rid of the addiction to them

[Remiel]

I was in this situation not too long ago. Like Jim11 said I'd recommend getting rid of them. First break the addiction. Then break the habit to play too much when you do play.


So here's what happened to me. I share this in the hopes that you might gain some additional insight into yourself and how to actually promote a positive change. I used to play waaay too much, alot like you do now. In school I managed good grades mostly because of my talents and my ability to absorb and do things last minute. So in my spare time I played games like everquest 2 and then world of warcraft. It consumed most of my waking time. At October last year I began to become more conscious. As I progressed I realized that my habits were not serving me well and that I needed to break them. So in february I tried just "cutting back" but it didn't work for me. So I quit cold turkey in march for a month. Then I tried playing a game again and promptly played for 6+ hours (actually might have been closer to 9-10... I can't recall). So I uninstalled and went back to a video game fast for another month. I did the exact same thing at the end of the second month with the exact same results.

I've come to realize that even if the addiction becomes broken unless I master myself and my use of time in those video games I won't be able to ever have the freedom to play. Over this last month (July) I spent too much time playing video games. I reached a point in my life much like Steve did with his raw foods diet where the energy gains I was getting was just too much for me to handle as I didn't have enough outputs for them. Anyhow the reasons why I slipped back are important to me but slightly off topic. So I slipped back. But you know what? I've gained something by trying and failing a few times. I've learned that I CAN master this. In fact right now I control my time that I spend playing games. Its not perfect but it is working.


Here are a couple of traps I've personally observed with myself when quitting a bad habit.

1. Replacing one bad habit with another. This isn't the first time I've quit MMO's. I've quite 5-6 times before actually. The first 4 times were due to finals being a month away and me wanting to get good grades. So I quit completely. Only to return 3-6 months later. I think my longest stint was a year. Sounds impressive right? Sadly.... no it wasn't impressive. I merely traded one master for another. I went from playing video games non-stop to watching anime or reading manga non-stop. There might've been some book reading in there too.

Solution to problem #1. Fill your newly found time IMMEDIATELY. Do not wait to do this. Find something new for you to do with your time. For myself this last time I went cold turkey I immediately added several things to my plate. First I started taking Taekwondo lessons. Second I started doing voice lessons. Third I started taking piano lessons. And 4th I started planning a video game / video game development studio. It wasn't perfect yet... It worked far better than before. Another tip for success is PAY ATTENTION! I cannot emphasize this enough. Look at what you are doing and think about why you are doing it. If you go from video games and start watching TV 24/7 then congratulations... you've just replaced one master for another. So keep a close eye on your behaviors and figure out if you are making a positive choice or simply adopting a new master.

2. Keeping the games installed on your computer. The easier it is for you to access and play it the more likely you are to play it. So if you want to play world of warcraft and have it installed then all you'd need to do is log in and reactivate the account. If it is uninstalled though you'd have to install it and then download 10 hours worth of patches before you can play it. Not quite so appealing then is it?

Solution to #2. Uninstall the games. I even threw away ALL of my video games. Actually I think I kept 2. Bioshock (which I had already beaten and wasn't going to play again for al ong while) and sins of a solar empire (promised a friend I'd play with him in the future at some point). Both remaining games were on a shelf out of easy access and were games that I wasn't going to have a problem not playing.


3. Returning to games and expecting the triggers to also be broken. So first up what do I mean by a trigger. Well I'll give you a non-gaming example (its easier for me to visualize). During college I didn't have to wake up particularly early most of the time so I would hit the snooze button 8-9 times for about an hour before finally waking up. I did this for all of college. Guess what I do today? Yup... you guessed it. If at any point I hit that snooze button once I will hit it until it stops working about an hour later. The snooze button is my trigger for waking up early. So for video games. If you simply install a video game after a month and play what do you think is going to happen? Yup you guessed it. You'll do exactly what you did before. The addiction is gone and the habit is also gone but you haven't broken the trigger yet. If nothing is different from what you did before its very easy to do exactly the same thing that you did before.

Solution to #3. Try different ways to not repeat the same mistakes. So you want to play? Set a limit. Set a timer. Whatever it may be. Set mini goals for yourself. So if its an mmo you might set a limit of 1 hour or 1 dungeon (but only if you can get a group in the first 30 minutes). As long as you have set limits and KEEP those limits you can break the habits and triggers.


Keep in mind I'm speaking from personal experience here so your experiences may differ from mine to make some of these areas a moot point. Good luck with this though. I've not mastered games yet but I have mastered going cold turkey. If I find I can't master it then I'll just quit again as its not worth the loss in time to me anymore.

[DayInTheLife]

Quit completely. Let the gaming world go on without you.

I did, and now I realize how much time I spent building up characters and achieving goals that did not really exist. Amounted to absolutely nothing; it was just a way of escaping life for the time I was playing.

Life is a much better game.

[Remiel]

Originally Posted by DayInTheLife

Quit completely. Let the gaming world go on without you.

I did, and now I realize how much time I spent building up characters and achieving goals that did not really exist. Amounted to absolutely nothing; it was just a way of escaping life for the time I was playing.

Life is a much better game.

The reason I don't is I ask myself if I do this here and now with games (i.e. let them play me instead of me playing them) what else in life will be the same type of problem? I find that most of my actions and habits accurately mirror my life in more ways than one. So if I have a habit of doing a partial job on one type of task chances are I do it in others. So if I cannot play video games without them mastering me what other area of my life am I being the slave to? What future things or devices will I be a slave to? So I am chosing to attempt to master it.

To me a good analogy would be a person who overeats by 2-3x the appropriate ammount any time he/she eats good food or goes to an all you can eat restaurant. A solution might be to stop eating all good food or not visiting all you can eat restaurants but what happens when he/she does eat something tasty? or goes to an all you can eat food place? I think that those bad habits will creep back into his/her life.


Let me ask you this DayInTheLife. What do you do for fun? When video games are simply a way to have fun then there is no difference between them, TV, movies, books, football, or any other form of fun. Even those things can control our lives.

@imbalance I would also challenge you to think about the reasons why you play video games. Do you play them to avoid something? Is it a way of escape? Is there a deeper reason that you are driven to video games?

The reason I mention this is that for the longest while (my first 3-4 years of college) I played video games as a way to escape responsibility and life. I was powerful in the game. In life I was a failure and yet in the game I was a master at my class. No one knew that I was a flawed hurting guy. They just knew me as my avatar Andruil. I could have a mask on in there and no one would ever be the wiser. Not to mention I didn't have to take the mask off for any reason whatsoever. I was more relaxed around my online game friends because I had something in common with them.

Well thats how my bad habit got started. Sadly it didn't quite break when I got over the lack of confidence and self defeating tapes that I played in my head. It was just too familiar and had become a part of my comfort zone to not do it.

[Dannyboy1]

Originally Posted by imbalance

I am addicted to my computer.... Gaming to be precise. I tend to finish any given given work very soon... But starting is a problem and am having trouble keeping my attention focussed for a long period of time ( like concentrating in classes.. studying for a long period of time.. etc ).. I would like to motivate myself in such a way that the enthusiasm doesnt burn out in a short while.. How do i go about it ??

Tell them to hide it in your apartment where you'll never find it and don't tell you where for a month. Take away the temptation. If you go really crazy and search for it, you may wind up cleaning the whole apartment. Seriously, as long as the temptation is there, you will not be able to resist. Quit for a month. Give it to someone for safe keeping. Better yet, don't allow the game in the house. If you want to play, you have to go to the person's house that's holding it for you. Just that extra little bit of effort may be enough to get you to quit or at least cut down.

[DayInTheLife]

Originally Posted by Remiel

Let me ask you this DayInTheLife. What do you do for fun? When video games are simply a way to have fun then there is no difference between them, TV, movies, books, football, or any other form of fun. Even those things can control our lives.

When it is an addiction it is not simply a way to have fun. It is a way to escape and defer responsibility. It's a way to avoid improving yourself and your life. There are distinct differences between various forms of 'fun.' These days if I am looking to entertain myself I will read, play guitar, study French, visit a friend, play sports, work out, maybe get a movie, if there is one I have been wanting to see. I like to pick leisure activities that make me better at something. If it's something that is done purely for gratification (with no education or health benefits) I try to limit the amount of time I spend on it. A movie only takes two hours, and I don't watch TV anymore. I just flatly refuse to burn my short life away with activities that give me nothing back that I can use.

See, responsibility brings me the things I want in life. So if I feel bored, I do something on my to do list. I used to look for something easy and fun, but that's just running away from the things I want in life, because it's running away from my responsibilities.

If I get all my to-do list done, I feel free to do whatever I want, but I no longer want to do something sedentary like video games. There are better rewards.

The reason I don't is I ask myself if I do this here and now with games (i.e. let them play me instead of me playing them) what else in life will be the same type of problem?

You just have to be aware when a behavior becomes addictive. When it is something you think of every time you meet adversity, it may be an addiction. So if you quit video games, decide what you will do instead when you have the urge to play. Pick a healthy activity and make it your new habit.

My issue with video games in particular was that they took huge amounts of time I could have spent on something more productive, and I had trouble stopping at a reasonable time. There were no skills to gain, no insight to achieve, nothing rewarding about it. It's just safe, easy and gratifying, and I deserve better. It's all about developing the sense of responsibility to care for yourself, instead of escaping yourself.

Take care.

[EnduranceNinja]

I wish I knew how I did it but I too use to be addicted to computer games. I think I just could not afford to get the newer games so I got bored with my old ones. I know not to get any because if I do I will just want to beat the dam game. Yes, it was an addiction but I think quitting cold turkey is not all that hard compared to other things you can be addicted to.

Good Luck

[imbalance]

I feel i use games to escape something, though i dont know what !! I've already mastered the games i play but i still play them... I have a month of free time before i start my masters and though i know i have to prepare myself for a whole 2 yrs of slogging, i cant get to stop this constant playing.. But i'll take ur advice and see how it works out.. I'll uninstall all the games, and delete the setups too.. I am pretty good at studies, i have distinction throughout.. But how can i keep myself occupied ?? I have the gym to look forward to and basketball and swimming and a lotta other activities... but then again, starting is a problem.. The replies have given me quite an amount of confidence.. In fact, i was playing a game before i saw the replies.. I'll get started with the change immediately.. U guys have no idea how good it feels talking abt this !! Thanks a ton...

[g00016138]

I agree with the past notes, just get rid of them. You'll be amazed at how different your life can be without tv, and video games. Once we were forced to spend a summer vacation in kenya without tv (notice the word 'forced') because the tv was not working. However, we had so much fun, because we actually took the time out ot connect, sometimes making up our own games to play with each other. There's so much one can do without the internet, or tv, or video games.We just don't bother to try. Take a break and visit an african country with poor infrastructure. you'll learn how much fun you can get despite being 'disconnected'

[DayInTheLife]

Originally Posted by imbalance

But i'll take ur advice and see how it works out.. I'll uninstall all the games, and delete the setups too.. I am pretty good at studies, i have distinction throughout.. But how can i keep myself occupied ??

Pick activities that pay dividends. Instead of just filling your time, do something that gives back. All your time is an investment.

Do anything you can build on, anything that makes you stronger or more skilled. Fitness is a great one, play a musical instrument, learn a language, start a website, teach yourself a new skill, read (!), volunteer... anything but the easiest of the easy: TV, video games and drugs/alcohol.

You will become much stronger and more confident. You will never need the meager ego trip of leveling-up an imaginary character again; your achievements will be real.

Best wishes

[Matt Willard]

Mmmm. imbalance, go cold turkey if you feel that is truly what you need, and if so, I wish you luck, but I don't neccessarily agree with the whole notion I'm getting from this thread, IE, "video games are inherently worthless". I find them to be different from television in that you're actively taking a part and not just passively viewing. Maybe it's just because I'm a gamer myself. Of course, there is that fine line between gaming for fun and just gaming as an addiction. By all means, get rid of them if you can't keep it in moderation and find balance in other things, but like television, it's not the evil here. The self is what determines them to be harmful or just a way to pass time for a while.

[moriez]

I share the opinion of going cold turkey. Ive been there myself and in my case didnt bring any side effects. The only side effects were that I actually started having time for other stuff that interests me. Imbalance, try to use the computer as a tool, dont let it make you a tool If you dont want to give up completely use an alarm clock and set it at one hour. When the hour is over switch off the computer. That way you are in control and not the dumb machine.

Good luck buddy

[Remiel]

Originally Posted by imbalance

I feel i use games to escape something, though i dont know what !! I've already mastered the games i play but i still play them... I have a month of free time before i start my masters and though i know i have to prepare myself for a whole 2 yrs of slogging, i cant get to stop this constant playing.. But i'll take ur advice and see how it works out.. I'll uninstall all the games, and delete the setups too.. I am pretty good at studies, i have distinction throughout.. But how can i keep myself occupied ?? I have the gym to look forward to and basketball and swimming and a lotta other activities... but then again, starting is a problem.. The replies have given me quite an amount of confidence.. In fact, i was playing a game before i saw the replies.. I'll get started with the change immediately.. U guys have no idea how good it feels talking abt this !! Thanks a ton...

No problem. I feel the same way when it comes to sharing and getting feedback from people who've had the same problems.

I'd suggest doing some 30 day trials if you struggle with starting. Find things that you want to do and enjoy doing and just go for it. I started Taekwondo, piano lessons, voice lessons and got a personal trainer for the gym. I added these over the coarse of about 5-6 weeks so its not like I started all of this all at once.

I would suggest searching for your purpose in life if you feel so inclined to doing so.

[ar81]

So you are addicted to games and that does not let you to study...
Play Orbiter ( Orbiter - A free space flight simulator ) and I tell you that you will need to study to play the game...

There is nothing like a game that makes you to enjoy playing with knowledge.
I used to hate chemistry, but for an addon I am making for that game I learned to enjoy it.
As you learn the joy of studying, you wil start having more stamina when it is about studying.
The good thing is that you will become addicted to Orbiter and since you learn a lot, you will be permanently studying and learning.
I joined in 2005 and I haven't learned everything. Orbiter seize your addiction and turns it into learning.

Just to inspire you, this is from a trip I made to the moon...

[lasti]

Originally Posted by imbalance

I am addicted to my computer.... Gaming to be precise. I tend to finish any given given work very soon... But starting is a problem and am having trouble keeping my attention focussed for a long period of time ( like concentrating in classes.. studying for a long period of time.. etc ).. I would like to motivate myself in such a way that the enthusiasm doesnt burn out in a short while.. How do i go about it ??

Maybe you really don't want to study for a long period of time.
What do you actually want to do besides playing games?

[lasti]

Originally Posted by ar81

So you are addicted to games and that does not let you to study...
Play Orbiter ( Orbiter - A free space flight simulator ) and I tell you that you will need to study to play the game...

There is nothing like a game that makes you to enjoy playing with knowledge.
I used to hate chemistry, but for an addon I am making for that game I learned to enjoy it.
As you learn the joy of studying, you wil start having more stamina when it is about studying.
The good thing is that you will become addicted to Orbiter and since you learn a lot, you will be permanently studying and learning.
I joined in 2005 and I haven't learned everything. Orbiter seize your addiction and turns it into learning.

Just to inspire you, this is from a trip I made to the moon...

I think this sounds very interesting! I looked at the page but didn't find too much information: What exactly do you learn with this game?