OLGA New York City Chapter/ Westchester Chapter

Good luck, Yaakov.

Many are watching, and hoping with you.

Go New Yorkers... you can make it happen!

Awesome ! Great News !!!

I really was looking forward to a big meeting this past Monday. Unfortunately noone showed up. As an incentive there will be chips marking months of sobriety or if it's your first day feel free to ask for a keep coming back chip. PLEASE come to the meeting next monday. I would prefer not to have a solitary meeting again.

Yaakov

If you want to call me my number is 917 703 5770 or email me at recoveringjak@gmail.com

Sorry, jak. Maybe a different day of the week would work? Anyway, hang in there.

Yaakov -

Hang in there! The truth is, that when you start a new F2F group, you may indeed to have endure some meetings without anyone else before others start to show up. When I started the DC Chapter, I was fully prepared to sit in a room alone for weeks on end, because I knew it would take some time for the idea to catch on. My expectations were born out the first week - no one showed. But by the second week, to my surprise and delight, I wasn't the only one attending anymore! Even now, our core group is very small - but it's a solid core group. And, with patience and persistence, I am sure we will grow. I am confident your group will grow as well! Just give it time. :)

Excellent advice by Wes87bar. I know that from my solitary presence in chat meetings here, that when you go a few weeks all alone, and then decide enough is enough and you dont hold the meetingthat next week, THATS the meeting where a couple of addicts really needed the help you could have offered them!

Please have the patience to endure several weeks without anyone attending. New groups start out slowly, but the rewards of helping another gaming addict by showing him or her that there is hope is immeasurable.

I will do my best

Yaakov,

Maybe if you moved it to an evening or weekend it would help.

I live and work on Long Island and cannot get into NYC mid-day on a work day. Others in NYC may be on their lunch hours and unable to attend.

In any event, I am very please that you are doing this, and wish you the best of luck.

CALLING ALL NEW YORKERS!!

The meeting will be held tommorrow (Monday 12-1 pm) at Beth Israel Synagogue (directions have been posted above)

PLEASE COME IF YOU CAN.

Your friendly addict,

Yaakov

Glad to hear it.

"Your friendly addict..."

Is that like your Friendly Neighbourhood Spiderman?

:)

There's no rule that says if you contact one another and set a separate time and place for a just-meet-gettogether, that you can't build off of that and still have regular meetings scheduled.

There's also no rule prohibiting any region from having more than one chapter in the long term, but for the short term keeping one chapter a going concern is more important.

Flexibility in the early stages is a must, that and patience.

Do you hold these meetings every Monday? I have 14years old son, that has been playing PS3 games, and I was woundering if I can bring him to the meetings.

I don't let him play on the weekdays, but he plays 24 hours on the weekends. He doesn't do anything else, just play, doesn't even take a shower or eat. Any ideas? what should i do? he becomes very agressive every time i try to talk to him about it. Thanks!

I think it would be a wonderful idea for you to bring your son. I wish we lived closer so I could bring my son.

Jane in CT

I believe I see three olg-anons from three different locations, who potentially could meet one weekend just to meet, the way they do in the South Florida Chapter...

which is NOT to say that the regular Monday meetings are a bad idea, structure is important too.

whatever works, works, right?

I am open to attending an in-person meeting in NYC.

Could we have a few time options... perhaps monday night or saturday noontime?

Just to follow-up post...

I am utterly amazed there are no existing in-person meetings for game addicts. I even called a hotline, and the volunteer there said, "I just cannot believe that in a place like New York City, no in-person options exist."

SO.... if a group DOES exist in NYC, then please post about it here or private message me.

If a group DOES NOT exist in NYC... then who else would be interested in joining one?

Hi, did you see the side-bar listing the F2F in NYC?

Jane in CT

No... and I still don't see a listing for it.

Where in the side-bar is it supposed to be?

In the "My Links" section. Thats on the right side of each page and it shows the New York City Chapter link.

When I click that, it brings me to this thread. There is no "New York City Chapter" info contained on this page.
Why are you pointing me to a link that just re-loads this thread, and calling that the New York City Chapter??

Therer are no "devoted pages" that are specially designed for the chapters.

If you read the OP (original poster's) remarks, he is announcing the intent to begin meetings in New York City:

"

Hey my name is Yaakov and I am a game addict. I have the good fortune by the grace of GOD to give you some awesome news. There will now be a NYC OLGA meeting this Monday (and everyone after it from 12 - 1 p.m. at 347 West 34th street. It's in a synagogue but not in the room where they pray.

The closest trains are the A C and E trains. There is also the 1 2 3 B D F and V trains nearby. If you come from the east side there is a crosstown bus M34 or M16. When you get to the building go all the way up the left staircase (3 flights).

I have some material and flyers and will ask for volunteers to help with chairing the meeting.
Many thanks for all your support."

That is all that exists, unless you start another chapter!

I find it odd that you guys are responding to my request "if a group DOES exist in NYC, then please post about it here or private message me", contained in this thread, by telling me to click on a link that comes back to this thread.

The other thing that is odd is you guys are meeting online to talk each other through online addictions. Isn't that kind of like basing AA in an Irish Pub and drinking Miller Sharps?

I'd be very interested in connecting with others in NYC who have concerns about online gaming habits. Again, if a group exists, please share it with me. If no such group exists, I am willing to start one.

Lastly, I am still utterly amazed that with ALL the online game addicts out there (it has to be far greater than the # of gambling addicts), there is not one regular in-person support group meeting in the USA's largest city.

Contact me here or privately if you are interested in giving & receiving support.

JW

johnwilson wrote:

The other thing that is odd is you guys are meeting online to talk each other through online addictions. Isn't that kind of like basing AA in an Irish Pub and drinking Miller Sharps

Can't speak to everything else, but I think this may be misguided. Since a number of us are online gaming addicts specifically, it makes sense to have a presence here. Only gamers think the web is exclusively for gaming. There are folks who use the internet for work, research, entertainment (non-game related), file storage and sharing, etc. There are folks who only ever use the web for specific things like stuffs related to knitting (hello ravelry.com for example). The point being, the internet is used for a wide range of things. For those of us who were addicted to games, it's often a relief to have *someplace* instead of our game and/or gaming forums to go to.

Likewise, we also have folks come here who are addicted to games that are not online, including iPhone apps, xbox, etc.

As a recovering alkie, I would also like to point out that there are drunk tanks and detox centers in the parts of many cities that are most likely to be frequented by drunks and addicts. Why? Wouldn't it be better if the detox centers were in more savory neighborhoods?

Maybe, but maybe not. The truth is that drunks don't hit bottom in nice nieghborhoods where they decided to crash in the bushes--if they live long enough to want to stop drinking they are typically not in a nice part of town, so a detox center close by is not such a bad thing.

You might try contacting user jakholiday, who attempted to start the NYC chapter. He posted his personal phone number in an earlier response in this thread.

Personally, I think that is IS ODD that there hasnt been more support for face to face meetings in NYC. Yes, I agree with you there johnwilson.

Now as far as you having the desire to start one... well we have meeting materials that exist in an email attachment that could be sent to you. And there are brochures which could be sent (in limited quantities, sorry) as well. As far as promoting your meeting you could make fliers yourself which describe the meeting, maybe put the mission statement on it, maybe the facility location with a map, etc.

I started meeting here in my hometown and we have been meeting once every couple of weeks in a pancake house (the coffee is good) with plans to meet more regularly in a facility like a room in a church or something similar to an AA clubhouse. The cost of meeting in a facility like that is blocking us right now as we are only two right now... word has not gotten out yet to our satisfaction.

I trust your enthusiasm to start a meeting or maybe get in touch with Yaakov remains strong for awhile yet, its nice to see the fires burning hot in someone.

Alright fine I'll get it going.

I wrote Yaakov/jakholiday a PM, have not heard back.

So I'll call Yaakov next. Also I'll call lizwool & somebody else PM'ed me offering support - many thanks.

If anybody else is interested in attending, IN PERSON in NYC, please post here (the more public messages, the faster the momentum will build so ENTHUSIASM is KEY!!!!), and also PM me your phone number, where you live, & the best times of the week for you.

Can't do it myself, folks - let's make it happen.

JW

There is ALSO no rule that says we can't have TWO working chapters in New York City-- it IS a very large place after all.

So if Manhattan on Mondays doesn't work for you, and you'd rather meet in coffee shops or malls in Brooklyn on Sunday afternoons, get it out there...

We'll back you.

UPDATE

-------

Two Mondays ago, Yaakov and I met in a NYC restaurant. We had a great conversation, ate some food together, and shared a lot of stories. All-in-all, it was a good start.

We would like to do this again. Would anybody else here be interested in attending the New York City "OLGA" meeting, on Monday May 10th at 7:00pm? Please post here, write to johnqwilson@gmail.com, or send me a private message.

At this point, because the club is so new, we are open to anyone & everyone coming by - for moral support as well as to be supported. Support is available! By receiving it, you are helping it grow.

JW

Hello!

I'm new to this group. I'm in the NYC area and would be interested in getting together and talking. Please let me know when the next meeting is.

Thank you

Hopeful, if you click on johnwilson's name on the left side of his post, you will get the option of sending him a personal message. I don't know how often he reads the site here, as his post is over a month old.

Send me the PM and I'll forward it through his regular email address.

This is jakholiday calling all New Yorkers. There is a meeting on wednesday in Crown Heights at 2:00 PM Anyone who can make it or has a suggestion for a different place please contact me at: 917 703 5770 or email yyhelfand@gmail.com

this is hershel in monsey. i am new to this program, and have a year in a anon program. wondering if this meeting is still hapening, and if you have heard of meetings in monsey?

i would be able to come to a meeting at night in ch maybe,

i got contact with a gamer from NY recently, and he is looking for a meeting, i will send him your way, as soon as i can

i am going to be in ch sunday, maybe i can run into some of you guys

going to be in ch, over the weekend, pm me if you are around.

i am already meeting up with 1 guy

Willing to offer any support, as I am a former gamer who broke the addiction. Please let us know when the next meeting is, or if anyone ever wants to meet on weekends or weekday evenings, let me know.

i would be willing to get to a Thursday 10:15 pm meeting.

i get out at 9 pm and need to drive down there, and my Thursdays are open.

so if that works for anyone, let me know

the NYC chapter may be meeting in Monsey NY this weekend (besides for whatever else they do), keep posted for details.

If we need a second chapter, don't let the presence of a chapter way way across the city stop you. Any city with two NFL teams can surely manage two working chapters that can get together occasionally for a regional meeting.

Oooooh, a regional meeting! Cool!

Are there any meetings in NYC or Brooklyn soon? I am the significant other of an addicted gamer and I need to talk to someone desperately.

our closest (and thus far only) OLG-Anon chapter is in Connecticut, hopefully not too far.

Hi Daisy,

I know exactly how far it is from the Connecticut chapter to Brooklyn because my older son lives in Brooklyn, and I lived there myself from 1986 to 2000. Where we meet is east of New Haven, unfortunately too far for someone to come on a regular basis. But, if you'd like, I can come down to Brooklyn on the train and meet with you, and hopefully give you some things to get your own chapter started. Take care...

Jane in CT

Can someone please help.... I live in Brooklyn... My nephew is 14... his PS3 playing is out of control... He does not go out of the house - one time a week at the most - is missing school... tells my sister that he doesn't feel good and lays in bed until it is too late to go to school and then starts playing this **** game... when she tries to take it away he throws tantrums - I turned the power off one day and he cried like a baby. We have tried all different approaches... entice him to come out, come up with 'fun' things to do to get him involved in something other than the game - all to no avail... he'll say in an hour, maybe later, etc - he calls everything else boring, or stupid. I listen to my sister sitting down with him and reasoning, explaining resposibilities, roles in the world - she is saying all of the right things... but I believe her words are falling on deaf ears.

We really don't know what to do. We paid a psychologist to go to the house to talk to him - and he was very reserved and not interactive with the psychologist, actually played the game while she was talking to him. A week later we took him to counseling. The therapist told my sister that he is fine. Well this situation is far from fine. While I know that he is a normal boy it is not fine to just play video games and let other aspects of your life spiral out of control. Just a few short months ago he was such a different person, he used to help my mother around the house fixing things, would come visit, would call to relay stories - now it is just this game - The school is calling everyday, we are scared of what will happen next... we want to help him... is there somewhere we can go in NY to get him the help he needs? Are there any therapists/psychologists, etc that are experienced with this situation that any one knows of?

Thanks so much.

Dear Aunt,

I am sorry to hear about your situation.

Please take the time to read other posts from parents in a similar situation. I think the advice which most often applies to such cases is taking away the game console and banning gaming while the minor child lives under the same roof and is supported by parents.

Maybe sounds like 'tough love', but it is worth considering.

- pete

I remember back in ancient times when I was a kid, if I was too sick to go to school, my parents made sure I knew I was too sick to "Play" any kind of game or even watch TV. If I was sick I was in bed or doing the school work I missed by not going to school.

If he cried like a baby at 14 when you took his game away by turning off the power... Well I think that speaks volumes right there. The longer you wait to start with "tough love" the harder it will be...