Daily Count Up and Accountability

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Anewho
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Today I've made another step

Today I've made another step forward into the right direction. Monday I'm selling a PS4 game to someone at work and I have listed the other games up for sale. The next step would be to sell the console itself with the game that came with it, but this is going to need more energy.

I'm also a lot more cautious with my 4 year old son's gaming. WHAT??! that's what you all probably are saying right now. Normally I would say, nothing alarming, it's just the ipad. But games are games, and we all started with something. I actually started at the same age. So I'm more strict on that too, and careful about the type of games. Games aren't mandatory. 60 years back, there were no video games so far I know. Toys are better.

Also, my son watched me game and enjoyed it. Since I stopped, he asks daily for me to play so he can watch but I refuse, telling him that daddy doesn't feel right when playing.

No plans to game today!

wazzapp
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Congratulations Anewho :)

Congratulations Anewho :) Also great beeing cautious of your sons gaming. When I worked as a "homework-help private teacher", i met 10 year olds that where as addicted as me to gaming, showing the same symptoms.

I'm having a great day today, working, doing 1 hour of meditation which was really challenging, reading. Some day in the future i would like to attend a meditation course/retreat i've been checking out, and it consists of hours of meditation, so i'm preparing my sore leggs ;)

No plans to game today

 

Never alone, go to meetings <3 Mumble voice meetings on cgaa are great, see you there <3

 

Anewho
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I remember when I was myself

I remember when I was myself around the age of 10, my computer didn't work for days. And I remember crying and being bored a lot! That's because I didn't had anything else as hobby. And at the time I didn't have a gaming console.

So today it's saturday, it's week-end. I have more spare time. I don't really have cravings, at least it doesn't feel like it. But I still have the reflex to think about which game I'm going to play. It's just a habit I guess since I don't actually want to play.

No plans to game today.

 

wazzapp
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My parents where very

My parents where very enabling to me when i was a kid, always buying me games, never questioning my gaming (even when it was the only thing i did). I think they just wanted to be nice parents and give me what I wanted, nobody ever told them that gaming could be as bad as it became for me, an uncontrollable addiction.

I wanna recap on yesterday bcuz it was really a great day, I worked, read, cold showered, meditated, went to the gym, low "screen-time" in general. At the end of the day i did a small 2h sober mingle-session at a nightclub to keep myself social. I felt calm and centered all day. I wish everyday could be this good, and i guess it could pretty much be, being game-free. 

Some small pointers on improvement: Wake up earlier, work a bit more, minimize screen time more. 

No plans to game today

Never alone, go to meetings <3 Mumble voice meetings on cgaa are great, see you there <3

 

McPhee
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Outstanding!

Anewho and wazzap, you two are setting a high bar! Very well done indeed. I'm proud of both of you and happy you are enjoying not playing the games.

My son is 15 and plays a lot of video games. I talk to him about games and how they can be problematic and why real life is preferable. However, my attitude toward kids is generally that it's their lives and my role is to set a good example. Other than that, I like to be kindly and tolerant. So far, that's worked well, at least with these kids. We'll see how it goes down the road. I very much dislike being the iron-fisted rule enforcer and, frankly, have little confidence that I truly know exactly what is best for others. I think people should be able to make their own decisions about how they're going to live what is, after all, as far as I can tell their one life on this earth. I know I don't want to be at the end of my life and think, "Dang! I didn't live the life I wanted. I lived the life somebody else wanted." I think that would suck.

I'm doing okay with my one life at this moment. Some things going fantastic, while others are more or less screwed up. Overall pretty typical, I'd say. No plans to game today.

wazzapp
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Thanks McPhee, happy to see

Thanks McPhee, happy to see that you are staying game-free aswell :)

I was reading something today that kind of randomly reminded me of a specific space-game that I used to play, and i got some cravings, thinking i was missing out on having some fun, and that space genuenly interests me, but i reminded myself of the pain gaming have caused me, and the cravings disapeared after like 20-30 mins. Also, i can enjoy other things, like litterature about space and space movies x)

Also I felt a bit lonley today, but i try not to indulge in it too much, thinking that I was hanging out with friends yesterday night, and i have plans with someone for tomorrow. 

I tried out some yoga today for the first time, have a matress down at the gym and downloaded some yoga videos, i was extremely clumsy and couldn't really do the positions, but was really fun and challenging, and left a great feeling in my body. Gonna go to a yoga class day after tomorrow.

Work-wise: I'm not the peaceful hard-worker that i aspire to be, but to anyone thinking that perhaps gaming is standing in their way of getting things done, beeing game-free increased my performance 10X, and i'm very happy for that

3 weeks game free!

No plans to game today

Never alone, go to meetings <3 Mumble voice meetings on cgaa are great, see you there <3

 

McPhee
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Textbook!

wazzapp, you are really doing this right. Exercise, socializing, appreciating your improvement in other areas, playing the tape to the end, delaying gratification while urges subside, taking note of activities that seem to generate urges -- that's all best-practices for quitting gaming or any other complex maladaptive behavior. Nice work!

I am okay today, facing a pretty routine week after a couple of weeks of travel and other schedule-busting activities. It's been nice, but it's also nice to get back to the grind -- sort of, anyway. I need to pay the bills, after all, and the grind is how I do that. It's not a bad grind, for sure, as these things go. Actually, I have a pretty great life. Now if I can just figure out how to keep it that way.

No plans to game today. Thanks for your help with that.

PS -- Silvertabby! Let us know what you are doing! Are you okay? We care about you.

wazzapp
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Thanks McPhee, that's very

Thanks McPhee, that's very encouraging! Also glad u are staying game-free

I was thinking about looking more closely on the steps. Really only looked into step 1, and read briefly about the other steps. I'll look more into them tonight or tomorrow. 

Good day in general. I'm keeping a daily to-do list now. Getting things done (slowly), but still, things get done lol!

I'm fortunate to have a shared gym in the basement where i live. No one there today during my session so i was yelling like a mad man while lifting weights. It probably sounds wierd to you all, but yelling felt like therapy for me.

No plans to game today!

 

Never alone, go to meetings <3 Mumble voice meetings on cgaa are great, see you there <3

 

Anewho
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Tomorrow night will be one

Tomorrow night will be one week game free. I sold one of my games today. Could sell the others quickly but trying to get the most out of it. I have been watching some anime (Cowboy Bepop). For the rest, I surf a lot which and it's something that I'll try to avoid too, at least not as much as I do now. Just switch off the laptop and watch tv.

 

No plans to game today!

McPhee
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Keeping on

anewho, congrats on the game-free week! That is huge! It means you've been through a weekend, which is one of the biggest risk times for excessive gaming. And every day you go game-free makes it more likely you'll get through today game-free as well. Good work.

wazzapp, I am getting this vision of you yelling as you lift weights. Nice. I can't do that, because I work out at Planet Fitness, which has a rule about yelling. Planet Fitness is all about being welcoming to people who haven't ever been to the gym before, and yelling and grunting and slamming weights and so on is kind of intimidating to newbies, I suppose. I'm cool with that. I like the idea of being welcoming and encouraging people to work out. Glad you have access to a gym and are using it. Keep it up!

I am okay. Not setting the world on fire with my brilliance, but not completely failing on all attempts either. No plans to game today.

wazzapp
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Lol yeah slamming weights is

Lol yeah slamming weights is fun ^^

Congrats Anewho! Happy to see you are staying game-free =)

Yoga-class in 1 hour, excited! x)

No plans to game today!

Never alone, go to meetings <3 Mumble voice meetings on cgaa are great, see you there <3

 

maxreina
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Every zero game day is a

Every zero game day is a celebration!

Today will be a good day for me as I know for sure that I've spent it on meaningful activities to recover from gaming addiction once and for all. This time would be unlike any other attempts before as I now have the tools to combat this disease and you guys at OLGANON to back me up when things go South. 

Plan this week:

Wednesday: 1st game-free birthday, Olganon day (reading, learning and sharing), meditate at night before sleep.

Thursday: Classes, school activities, borrow the required books, study in between breaks, go home to do some shopping, buy healthy food stuff and cook for a few days.

Friday: Find a part-time job with friends at 14 pm; register for Taekwondo / Kendo / Table Tennis / Yoga / Meditation and other social clubs + professional associations, exercise & sleep for 7 hours.

Saturday: Continue my daily healthy routine, go back to studying for my 1st unit (AM) and 2nd unit (PM), visit library in pm to borrow all required books.

Sunday: Wake up early to exercise & meditate, study for my 3rd unit (AM) and 1st unit (PM), make plan for next week.

No gaming plan whatsoever for today. Deleted FB account for 5th time. Uninstalled game from PC. Slept earlier (3 am!) than usual (6 am!) 

Maxi

13 years since first started gaming (2002 - 2015)
Reborn on July 29th, 2015.

McPhee
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Welcome!

Maxreina, glad you found our way to our community. It's a weird community, I suppose, but the outcome of game-free living is anything but weird. I think you're going to like living without games. I sure do. Who needs to do that stuff? It's crazy. I feel much happier now that I'm not acting like such a lunatic, gaming the days (and nights) away while my real life crumples and I ignore my important responsibilities to myself and others. I so, so, so much do not want to be like that again. Which is why I post here almost daily. It really seems to help. You have a great plan to get off gaming. All those elements -- social interaction, exercise, raising barriers like deleting accounts to make it harder to start gaming, diving into an absorbing interest like studying -- are great ways to fill the time and get you away from your computer and show you a better way to live. Nice work!

I'm okay today. I still have problems since I quit gaming now about five months ago. Life is not perfect. But I feel better about facing those problems than I did about hiding out in a game and pretending that they didn't matter. Life does matter. And I'm very happy to be living mine rather than avoiding it. No plans to game today.

PS Kudos to the Olga admins who fixed the log on process. Now it's just mildly annoying instead of borderline impossible, which is a huge improvement. Well done!

wazzapp
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Hi Maxreina, glad to see you

Hi Maxreina, glad to see you are doing good =)

I was a bit restless today. Went to gamblers anonymous during the evening. It was really great, sharing and listening. I was very relaxed afterwards.

I was thinking today at GA meeting that perhaps it's not a good mindset to try to become "cured" from gaming addiction (one participant had this as a goal). A more acurate mindset is probably that we will never be cured, but we learn how to manage ourselves. We pay close attention to how our minds work.

Im visiting my parents house today. My brother and sister wants me to play a game they coded. I will just post-pone it for now by saying "i'll try it later", don't want to drop "the bomb" right now. I know i should probably talk to them about addiction, but i'm afraid they are gonna think i'm silly.

No plans to game today

Never alone, go to meetings <3 Mumble voice meetings on cgaa are great, see you there <3

 

McPhee
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Good move!

wazzapp, I really like the specific wording you used when you declined to play the game. I have tried a lot of ways to turn down stuff and "Not right now" or some variant like "Not tonight" is the phrase I have chosen to use when turning down alcohol, pot, games and the like. It gets the job done by letting people know you're not going to indulge. But it doesn't insult or reject them or give them too much information that is going to require explanation. It's polite, flexible, efficient and, most important, effective. Basically, it's a put-off, but I think a put-off is the best way to go here, or at least a good way. I think it's smart of you to do that.

For a lot of reasons, I'm not a fan of rejecting offers by saying something like, "I can't do that because I'm an addict." I just think that's not an appropriate response to a casual offer.

I am okay here. Feeling a little wonky because I have been procrastinating on some things, but hope to break the seal on some of those today and feel better. We'll see how it goes. No plans to game.

wazzapp
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Thanks McPhee, you are

Thanks McPhee, you are providing some great tips. A casual response to a casual offer, no need to get all serious. Thanks for writing that out.

I'm doing good. Starting to wake up earlier. Working. Slowly moving forward. I've been very cautious of my emotions today, doing yoga/meditation exercises whenever a bad emotion comes. It's fun seeing that i usually make the bad feeling dissolve pretty quickly with these exercises

No plans to game today!

Never alone, go to meetings <3 Mumble voice meetings on cgaa are great, see you there <3

 

Anewho
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Watched Star Wars I, II, III

Watched Star Wars I, II, III this week and I must say I had some cravings to game because the last game I played was a Star Wars game. But then I remembered that I deleted my characters so the craving went away. So I'm glad I deleted those.

I'm not feeling great today. It's been a few days/weeks I'm short of breath, but today I really struggle breathing normally, my chest where my heart is hurts a bit. Anxious? Stressed? Surely. Today last day at work and I have 2 weeks off. I'll use those 2 weeks to chill but go for some blood tests and other exams. My dad had a heart attack about one year ago (August 2014). He survived but had an operation  to expand his arteries. I hope I don't have the same illness, I'm only 29 ... :/

I'm a bit depressed I must say now thinking about it. I want to see my son grow up. If I die, I'll have wasted a lot of time gaming! Before he was born, and even after.

Another reason not to game! So much time wasted.

maxreina
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Anewho, wazzup and everyone

Anewho, wazzup and everyone else...Hi!

I threw away my bottle of sleeping pills which I bought 3 days ago and left on the table next to my bed. I don't know what to say. I am still deeply shocked about all of this. What the **** has gotten into me?

I really love this quote from planner the other day:"only those who have been to hell will appreciate the light of morning sun". It's not exactly what he said but I've paraphrased it.

Today is my 3rd zero-game zero-pain day. My progress is a bit slow but thanks to this forum I've managed to steer clear from gaming. 

No plan to game today.

P.S: thanks to all (wazzup, Maylight, orchid, hangar, Kitty, McPhee) those who replied to my post and chat with me. You've saved my life!

Maxi

13 years since first started gaming (2002 - 2015)
Reborn on July 29th, 2015.

sidsel
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39 days

I've been doing really well so far, I feel. Today I was early up to go to the dentist and when I came home I was so tired and aching. The inner voice was getting really insidious, saying "You've been a good girl for so long, you're too tired to do anything, why don't you reward yourself with a bit of gaming?"

So I'm posting here instead, because I know I can't game 'just a little'. Anything is better than succumbing now. I'd let myself down, I'd let my family down. If I try just a little, it will turn into a several hour binge, and I will just end up feeling guilty and disgusted with myself, and feeling I wasted so much time. The voice tries to tell me I have time today, but I don't. Not for that. I have time to read, to play, to draw - but not to game. It is presenting me with the most shiny and seductive memories - and I'm desperately trying to think of something else.

No plans to game today, not ever.

McPhee
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Great job!

I am so pleased to be able to participate in this thread. You folks are doing very well and what's really amazing is that you're doing it just like the script calls for. Maybe this stuff actually works.

Wazzapp, you have put together a great multi-pronged attack on excessive gaming. A model to be emulated. I'm taking notes.

anewho, the wasted time is gone. There's nothing you can do about it. Mourning it excessively isn't going to bring it back. All you can do is look forward and try to make the most out of the time you have left to live, starting with today. Really. That's it. Recognize that you could have done better in the past, and then try to do better now. I think most of us are capable of much more than we give ourselves credit for. You can be a great parent and person. You have made a good start by putting down the games.

maxreina, three days is a lot, as you know, and it's a meaningful amount of time when it comes to breaking the compulsion to game. Good job! Now you're facing the weekend. A big part of avoiding gaming is knowing when urges are going to strike and planning to beat them back. You are likely to get some big urges over the weekend. What are you going to do? I suggest you plan a lot of activities that will take you away from the computer or console and occupy your mind and body in fun and positive ways. If nothing else, it's hard to game when you're waterskiing or square dancing or spending time with friends watching sports or something like that. What's your plan?

sidsel, I know exactly what you mean about thinking you can reward yourself by gaming because you've been good. Why do we want to reward ourselves with something that we know is going to hurt us and make us feel bad? It's like saying, okay, you did your housework or exercise or whatever, now you can hit yourself in the head with a hammer. It's crazy, for sure. You are doing a fantastic job of looking through that craziness and seeing that you're not going to game "just a little" and that gaming is not going to, in the end, be enjoyable. That's great progress.

Thanks to all for being here. No plans to game today.

wazzapp
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Thanks for all the support! I

Thanks for all the support! I'm happy to see that you all are staying game-free. 

Im having a good day. See you tomorrow!

No plans to game today!

Never alone, go to meetings <3 Mumble voice meetings on cgaa are great, see you there <3

 

wazzapp
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I was thinking today about

I was thinking today about what effect people in our enviourment have on us.

I remember last christmas when I was hanging out with a hard-core student for a couple of weeks. I was staying at his place. My behaviour changed instantly. I was studying harder than i had been for years. It also rubbed off on me when we left eachother. I was still working hard for a week or two. Eventually i started slacking off.

At other times i've been living with gamers, and the effect have been disastrous.

I've been staying at my moms house for 3 days now. I'm quite productive right now compared to the rest of the family, especially my adult brother who seems to be deep into gaming addicion avaraging at least 8h a day. My productivity seems to be rubbing off on my sister. She's been turning off her tv-series and sits beside me drawing (she's into art) when i work. I wish i could stay here more, my presence seems to be good for her.

This autumn I'm looking forward to perhaps rent out my small aptm and move in with 2 guys non-gaming friends that are far more productive than me. They are role-models of sorts. Men that have achieved things health-wise, financially and relationship-wise, that i also want to achieve. 

My question for you. How do you affect other people, and how do people in your enviroment affect you?

Never alone, go to meetings <3 Mumble voice meetings on cgaa are great, see you there <3

 

maxreina
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Choices we make

Mcphee, my plan for this weekend is to stick to the plan. It's been a while since I last had this good feeling of being able to accomplish all the things on my checklist (which I almost did yesterday - only missing one item). You're also setting a wonderful example for me to follow.

Wazzup, you are offering us some great suggestions: meditate, yoga, exercising, living with role-models, staying with loved ones. I bet most of us here must have realized these are some of the many things we always knew we should be doing but couldn't do it b/c of our damaged midbrain dopamine system.

Anewho, keep it up! You're doing a fantastic job by getting yourself pre-occupied with better things to do.

Guys, I appreciate your effort in posting on this forum. I am grateful for the time and effort you spent typing. I am thankful to be here in this beautiful life. God, if you're up there, please hear my prayer and save all the poor souls who are suffering from gaming addiction.

No plan to game today!

Maxi

13 years since first started gaming (2002 - 2015)
Reborn on July 29th, 2015.

wazzapp
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Thanks Maxreina, glad to see

Thanks Maxreina, glad to see you're staying game-free =)

My day was great, i'm on my way home. Tonight i'll hang out with a friend. We will either go clubbing or just work/gym (got some work to do).

Was also talking to one of the guys im hoping to move in with, he just came back from a cool LA-trip. Such an inspiration. this guy is living a boss-life (according to my personal standards). I remember when i once asked him if he plays video-games. His reply was "huh? what?", lol....

Talk to you later

No plans to game today

Never alone, go to meetings <3 Mumble voice meetings on cgaa are great, see you there <3

 

wazzapp
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doublepost

doublepost

Never alone, go to meetings <3 Mumble voice meetings on cgaa are great, see you there <3

 

McPhee
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Hanging in

Everybody sounds so great. Except, of course, for the people we are not hearing from. Just because you're not checking in doesn't mean you are gaming, but it is nice to hear from folks every now and then. We could use the support and good examples of others.

I'm doing okay. Lot of driving to play a show last night, and another, shorter drive to do another one tonight. Then we're off for three weeks, unless I book something else. My son gets back from camp tomorrow and will be with me for a week. I'm looking forward to that, and not scheduling music or ambulance shifts during that stretch (although I do have to keep up the writing work.) I hope we can have some fun, I am very fortunate in the kids department, as my three are all quite upstanding citizens and, in fact, role models for me. It's just good luck, though, as I am an undistinguished parent. Right now, I could use a nap before heading out for tonight's performance.

No plans to game today.

Silvertabby
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3 Months Game-free

Yesterday was 3 months of game-freeness for me, since a relapse.  I am still having some cravings to game off and on, but i don't want to give in to them.  I know that if I do, I'll just have to quit and go through withdrawal once again.  My addict brain tried to tell me the other day that I should try gaming again for at least 6 months....that 12 days wasn't long enough to really see if I could moderate over a long period of time.....after all, before when I was gaming I was able to get other stuff done....why not again?  It never gives up, does it.....and I'm amazed at the "good" reasons to game again that the addict brain comes up with.  Crazy!

Anyway, I don't want to game again, not today anyway.  Glad to see so many of you are haning in there, too.

 

Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending. ~Maria Robinson

maxreina
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No game today

Slept at 1:15 am yesterday, not because of gaming but because I was up studying until late.

I don't know why but I am usually able to concentrate the most on my studies right before doing something that I know I must do.

Sorry again but I don't have any plan to play games today.

I am off to the gym in the next few minutes.

Will keep you posted!

Maxi

13 years since first started gaming (2002 - 2015)
Reborn on July 29th, 2015.

Anewho
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maxreina, I'm glad that you

maxreina, I'm glad that you decided to stay with us and fight the addiction. Keep it up! Studies are great. I failed to continue my studies due to gaming, indirectly. After High school, I took a 1 year break because I felt good gaming. I didn't continue until my mid 20's where I tried to get into college (using those terms, I'm frop Europe) but I got demotivated by a teacher and the fact I was feeling better surfing the internet and playing some "forum games" ... But it's not like I would have suceeded though, it was too hard for me.

Silvertabby, congrats on the 3 months of game-freeness. I hope I will be able to say the same in less than 3 months.
Tuesday will be two weeks game free. I have some cravings now and then because I'm bored.

Gaming was my main hobby. I don't have anything else. Since I stopped, when I came back from work, I watched some anime or a movie and play with my son. Wife is working evening shifts a lot.
Now that I have two weeks off, it's going to be harder.

Gaming made it real hard for me to be inactive. I just can't lie down in the garden or go at the beach, I have to be busy doing something. I guess watching anime on the smartphone is the alternative.
There is the option to pause. In a lot of games (esp. online games), it's harder to just take a break, or some breaks! And aren't the online games the ones who are the most addictive?

 

wazzapp
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Congrats on beeing 3 months

Congrats on beeing 3 months game-free Silvertabby, also nice to hear from you.

I feel very relaxed today. I think beeing game-free makes me a lot more peaceful in general. When i was gaming i had a hard time relaxing and just breathing. I needed that next stimuli.

Talk to u soon!

No plans to game

Never alone, go to meetings <3 Mumble voice meetings on cgaa are great, see you there <3

 

McPhee
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doing well

Silvertabby, thanks for the check-in and I'm thrilled to hear you are still doing well at three months. Congratz!

Anewho, that sucks about your studies getting interrupted because of gaming. I fear it's a pretty common situation, however. I'm sure glad we didn't have computer games when I was in college. I likely would never have graduated. Two weeks off could very well be challenging when it comes to avoiding games. It sounds like you would welcome some activities or hobbies. It's not hard to turn an interest into an activity. For instance, you could check Meetup for gatherings of anime fans or parents of young children. Those are things you're already involved in. Good luck with it!

Maxi, you are sounding great! Keep it up!

Wazzapp, I think it's entirely possible you're more relaxed now that you're not gaming all the time. Games are a lot of stimulation and keep us on edge. Sometimes we benefit from just doing nothing and not having so much stimulation, it seems to me. My son went a week without his phone at camp and said he didn't miss it. I think I'd miss mine a lot, but maybe it wouldn't be so bad. I'd love to go for a weeklong backpacking trip. Maybe I'll do it this fall when it cools off a little. That would be some low stimulation. Thanks for the post. You are doing great!

I'm okay. I've tackled some long-delayed projects and feel much better for breaking the procrastination log jam. Also I have gotten a few positive developments on the financial front. None is too huge but together they make the short-term outlook more encouraging. I hope I can get my writing business back up to a healthier level. It's less than half what it was just seven years ago. The recession and the restructuring of the journalism business from offline to online is taking a toll. But -- hey! -- I'm alive and healthy and right now I can pay all my bills. Things could be way worse. In fact, they're pretty great. One of the greatest things is that I'm not gaming. Thanks to all for your help with that.

No plans to game today.

McPhee
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Onward

Starting off another work week with plans to BBQ some ribs, hit the gym, get some regular work done and ... no plans to game. Thanks for your help with that, 

maxreina
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1 relapse

Had a relapse. Played from 7pm to 2 am (7 hours). Will delete game and recover. Going to sleep now. No plan to game today!

Maxi

13 years since first started gaming (2002 - 2015)
Reborn on July 29th, 2015.

Anewho
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Thanks all for your input, it

Thanks all for your input, it's really inspiring and helping stay on course.

Max, don't worry, just find a wat to uninstall that game and make it hard to install again. What game is it? Some games are easy to resume than other. I muist say that the fact I deleted all my characters in the mmo I played made it just a lot harder for me to get back in. If I have some cravings now and then, they just fade because I deleted the characters. Otherwise it would be easy to install the game and play it agian.

Yesterday my son wanted to play in the garden. Instead, I drove with him to the park and he played there for about an hour with other kids!

Today, I went to another park with wife and kid, lay down and had a break. Then we went to buy some gardening tools for me to work a bit in the garden. I have some hedges to trimm. I have to resume tomorrow, I'm not really looking forward to it since I don't really like gardening but it's better than gaming (well, it surely doesn't feel like that ... :D but at least, there is a result! What results are there with gaming? none).

Working in the garden made me think of those movies with the strong guy and the nerd. Well I felt like a nerd, even if I'm not looking like one, but I think about it. If all the time I spent gaming, I would have worked out seriously, I wouldn't be so tired from the gardening and would be a lot fitter! :p

Another important episode is the fact one of the laptops at home stopped working. So my son is watching his cartoons in the evening on mine. Makes me do something else :)

 

No plans to game today

wazzapp
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I'm happy to see that your

I'm happy to see that your breaking through procastination, McPhee. Whenever i manage to break-through procrastination i get the feeling "what was all the fuzz in my mind about?" Things really change once we get some momentum going.

Maxreina, im sad to hear about your relapse. I've relapsed countless of times. Don't beat yourself up too much, lets get game-free again =)

Anewho, im happy to see your having some activities going for you =)

My brain feels really "switched-on" today. I feel sharp. My voice feels deeper, im relaxed. It might be because of almost no screen-time today, or because i had an hour massage. Probably a combination of lots of things.

No plans to game today!

Never alone, go to meetings <3 Mumble voice meetings on cgaa are great, see you there <3

 

maxreina
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Thank you!

Thanks for giving me such invaluable advice and words of encouragement.

I am listening to inspiring lectures given by famous speakers to help me stay firm on my decision.

Once again, thank you.

Absolutely zero game today.

Maxi

13 years since first started gaming (2002 - 2015)
Reborn on July 29th, 2015.

sidsel
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Good job all

max - I had to fight my pride to realize and accept that relapses happen. But then we go on, a little wiser. Good job on being gamefree today. I'm at 6 weeks now, and still happy I made my decision. It's 2pm, in my gaming days I would have done NOTHING so far today. But now, I have tidied the house, meditated, cleaned both bathrooms, clothwiped the main areas of our home and started the laundry. Time for lunch, a pat on the back, and my arabic lessons.

McPhee
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One day

Maxi, sorry to hear about the slip. It's hard to be perfect, and there are not many people who come here, quit and never pick up another game. To put it another way, slips are a nearly universal part of the experience of quitting. But that doesn't mean you are doomed to failure. Keep trying. You'll get better. You're going to make it! And it'll be great!

One thing I noticed, Maxi, is your signature says you quit gaming forever. A lot of people, including me, think that it's not necessary or helpful to talk about quitting gaming forever. For one thing, you can't really quit forever, at least not today. All you can really do is not play today, or even right now. It's sort of like eating. You can't eat every meal you'll ever eat today. And you can't not game forever today. I think that thinking about not gaming forever also puts some added stress on you. Anyway, I suggest you not try to quit forever and instead just try to quit today. The past is gone and tomorrow is just a dream. All you have is today. Try to make it the best you can. That's all you really can do anyway. Good luck! We are with you! You can do this!

Wazzapp, you are so right about the procrastination. There is this one exercise called "Pleasure Predicting," where you write down something you are going to do and then a prediction of how much you'll like it, on a scale of 1 to 100 where 1 is agony and 100 is ecstasy. Then when you've done whatever it is, you write down how much you actually enjoyed it. It is interesting that often the things I think I'm going to hate the most -- say, cleaning out the garage -- turn out to be the most enjoyable (at least when they are completed.) Also, things I think I'm really going to love -- say, gaming or watching TV or something like that -- turn out to be not very enjoyable after all. It's good to have accurate info about what makes us happy, and  strangely enough it seems we are making a lot of our decisions on the basis of bad info on what makes us happy. Thanks again. I hope you are doing well

No plans to game today.

Anewho
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McPhee, I feel the same about

McPhee, I feel the same about your quote:

 

Quote:

It is interesting that often the things I think I'm going to hate the most -- say, cleaning out the garage -- turn out to be the most enjoyable (at least when they are completed.)

I did some more gardening today. And while the task seems huge, I split it in parts. And the part I did today was satisfying, seeing the garden looking better and better each minute I worked in it. My body aches from the gardening tasks of yesterday, but I don't give up. I take it easy though :)

I also don't think about gaming when I'm doing a physical activity.

Tomorrow, if it's sunny, I'll go to the same place I went yesterday. But this time, I'm taking my e-reader with me. I uploaded a new book, and began to read it yesterday in bed. The e-reader had some dust on it, since I didn't use it for quite some time. At least 7 or 8 months!

And now, I'm actually looking forward to continue the gardening tasks and see the results so I can lay down there under the big tent, and ... read, while I'm in company of my family, or alone if I need a break from technology ;)

No plans to game today!

wazzapp
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Thanks McPhee that's some

Thanks McPhee that's some really hands-on advice!

Im great, did yoga today. Felt some negativity a bit early in the day. Managed to deal with it through reasoning ("well, feeling sad about it isn't gonna make it better, lets change!") and meditation (feeling the emotion without judgment). I didn't crave gaming.

Talk to u later!

No plans to game today!

Never alone, go to meetings <3 Mumble voice meetings on cgaa are great, see you there <3

 

McPhee
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Rockin and rollin

Anewho, that sounds like a great plan! Well done!

wazzapp, life without gaming is better than life with gaming, at least for me. But I haven't found that avoiding games equals avoiding all negative feelings. There's no guarantee that your life will be free of sadness, depression and other bad feelings, even if you never game again. I do think that there is less of that negative stuff without gaming, however, and that's what I'm after. You seem like you have this well in hand. Congratz!

I'm good today. No plans to game. Thanks for your help with that.

 

wazzapp
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Thanks McPhee =)

Thanks McPhee. Being deeply negative was often a trigger for me to game, an "escape". No matter how conciouss i am, some day i will most likely be very negative. I hope i will be able to deal with this in a good way, when it comes

I was thinking about prevention today (we where talking about it at gamblers anonymous, if u dont mind me telling). I found this wierd meditation and yoga stuff having a preventative effect. Also not watchin any game-related stuff like pro-matches and streams, nor watch friends game. These things have made it a lot easier to keep my mind off games.

Sometimes in the past i have thought that it would be fun to "challenge myself". "Lets see if i can go inside an online cafe, let's see how strong i am". There's no need for this.  I already know that i am powerless over gaming. "Challenging" is the opposite of prevention.

1 month game-free today. No plans to game. Talk to u soon!

Never alone, go to meetings <3 Mumble voice meetings on cgaa are great, see you there <3

 

McPhee
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looking good

wazzapp, you are really looking at this in an intelligent and self-aware fashion. You are right that you are almost certain to someday experience some seriously negative feelings, and it sounds like this could be a major trigger for you. Probably one way to prepare for this eventuality is to come up with some good, proven methods for dealing with negativity now, so you'll have another option when the rainy day comes. And that's what you're doing, it sounds like, with meditation and yoga. Lots of people get lots of benefit from both, so you're traveling a proven path. Nice work!

I'd probably avoid testing myself by exposing myself to gaming to see if I could resist. This doesn't seem to have a clear point, and so is likely needlessly risky. I'd just stay away from tempting environments if you can. If you can't, that's different. For instance, I have had problems with alcohol so I never drink it. However, for  my work as a musician I spend a fair amount of time in bars, including dive bars where servers are always carrying out trays of shots and so forth. Often the pay partially consists of a bar tab or bar credit or certain number of free drinks. People not infrequently want to buy me drinks, or even come up and try to hand them to me. Many of the people in the bar are typically thoroughly intoxicated. Given that I don't want to drink, I wouldn't normally expose myself to this environment. But that's where the work is, so I go there. Fortunately, being around slobbery, slurring, staggering drunks helps to remind me why I don't want to drink, rather than the reverse. So it's okay. Anyway, try to avoid the tempting environment if you can, and if you can't try to find a way to survive it. But I wouldn't seek them out. That's my take.

No plans to game today. Thanks for your help with that.

wazzapp
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Thanks McPhee, that's a lot

Thanks McPhee, that's a lot of useful advice

My day was great. Nothing to comment really. 

No plans to game today!

 

Never alone, go to meetings <3 Mumble voice meetings on cgaa are great, see you there <3

 

McPhee
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onward!

I am hanging in there. A very busy day starts shortly. No plans to game.

Sven
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2 days shy of going triple

2 days shy of going triple digit. I realize my visits here have become less frequent, but I'm still doing ok. My sleeping/restless legs issues are less extreme these days, although there's still a lot of room for improvement. I also noticed I'm less irritable and generally more level headed, which is a good thing.

Good to see others joining in. Keep it up everybody.

wazzapp
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Today i got super stressed

Today i got super stressed after having dinner with my dad and his girlfriend. His girlfriend asked a casual question; "What's your plans after u graduate?". My head started spinning and i got into a negative/stressed mood for about 1 h. I feel a lot better now after talking to a friend about it. I don't think I craved gaming. I kind of have removed that as a posibility from my mind (since my acceptence of step 1 in the 12 step program)

Never alone, go to meetings <3 Mumble voice meetings on cgaa are great, see you there <3

 

wazzapp
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I'm still alive and well :)

I'm still alive and well :)

Got inspired by a post here yesterday about minimizing screen-time, so almost no screen-time today

No plans to game today!

Never alone, go to meetings <3 Mumble voice meetings on cgaa are great, see you there <3

 

Sven
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100 days. I'm not sure I have

100 days. I'm not sure I have ever been without games this long since I was in my very early teens. The thought of staying game-free for the rest of my life is less intimidating these days, and I've been somewhat successful reframing it to 'lets see how far I can take it'. I cannot stress enough how tremendously helpful this thread is, its a digital representation of everything I have achieved in my new life so far; going on and enjoying holidays, playing the violin, enjoying literature, reading the weekend edition of my favourite newspaper Saturday mornings, keeping focus at work etc etc. All in all I'm more relaxed, positive and active. Next milestone 6 months.
Take care.

 

wazzapp
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Congratulations Sven!

Congratulations Sven!

Just checking in to see how u are doing, I feel great today. A lot of work coming up this week, gonna be nice getting it done.

Working on step 2. Thinking about the word "sanity". In my view most "normal" people are "insane". "Sanity" is higher conciousness, were u are able to cultivate and give your true gifts. I'm becoming to believe that something other than me can restore me to this state

Talk to u soon!

Never alone, go to meetings <3 Mumble voice meetings on cgaa are great, see you there <3

 

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