Breathing -- I like that! Great idea! Thanks for the thought.
I picked up my phone at work today, thought one little game won't hurt. I know better. I know I can't stop at one. Then I actually thought about this group, thought about having several days of not playing under my belt, and I put my phone back down and got back to work. It also helped to remember that I took all the games off the phone so I would have to re-load.
So I guess what I've done today in order not to game is to remember the larger picture. I don't want to start over at "haven't gamed for 1 minute." I don't know whether this will always work, but today it did.
-and I made it through the long weekend. I walked around in circles a bunch, talking to myself about why I don't want to game and trying to keep myself from following my impulses.
I bought some quilting supplies that now I'll have time to work on!
Ok, one of the things I've been avoiding by my gaming (facebook is my game of choice) is how angry & unhappy I've been about our fanily's money situation. I tried going to money-themed 12-step meetings, but couldn't make any progress, most likely because I didn't see how powerless I was over gaming. Anyway, so far today and yesterday, I've actually made some progress in lowering our bills, and found out about some assistance programs that we're either eligible for now, or will be when the baby is born. (I keep thinking, "oh, showing DH that we're eligible for the dreaded government assistance will motivate him to increase his income!" No such luck. He's just thrilled that "help" is available, and doesn't feel any shame about a PhD applying for that. :(. )
Also, I don't know why I did this, but when I was getting some cartoons for my youngest daughter, I saw a makeup tutorial on my youtube feed. I watched it, and at first felt resentful that I didn't have enough money to go buy makeup. Then, while I was looking for something else, I found an old box of makeup, almost completely unused, that I'd forgotten about. I fixed my hair, then put on makeup for the first time in years. I remembered DH budgeting it for me years ago--almost $60, during graduate school!!!--and how proud he was to be able to get it for me. I don't know why I stopped using it. I think I was worried that I'd run out, & wouldn't have $60 to spend on replacements. (???????) It's sad. I know I have problems with money & deprivation & achieving my goals, but I don't know how to fix them. Easy does it for now. So, my resentment towards DH turned to thankfulness at that long-ago gift. I took a pic of myself in every-day makeup, & I'm going to try and make it my profile pic. I HATE doing housework, but I love "decorating", so today I hope to combine thise forces until my school-age kids get home, if the pregnancy nausea and the toddler allow it. I know I'm loved by God & my husband & my three girls. I want them to be more important than gaming.
I started today. I'll quit gaming with cold turkey. Years ago I quitted smoking with cold turkey - that was hard! Now I have to quit gaming because I don't have much time left in my life. I don't want to be a loser and have a meaningless life in the end. I got so many fake achivements from gaming which are meaningless in real life. The biggest fun I got from a game is to win a kind of lottery. I always can win it because I save the game and so I can try many times. I will either get a super weapon or a large amount of game money if I win. This kind of fun is everyone dreamed in real life - that is why there are so many people playing lottery. I will be thrilled with a super weapon and then I cut through and become a super hero quickly. The pursue for this kind of fake feeling cost all my real time and I am becoming a real loser in my real life. I got to stop this. While there are many ways to quit, I think cold turkey is the best for me. I will do some exercise such as punching the air and feel I am Bruce Lee! I will do lots of work too and challenge myself to see how cold a turkey I can be. Will report my progress later. By the way, when I was quitting smoking, I joined a website like this too. Quitting smoking is physically or chemically hard, but quiting gaming is emotionally hard. I think the later is harder because it appears less harmful while it's definitely more harmful to my life!
I hadnt posted on this lately so i thought id share some of the acitivities ive been doing lately to not only avoid gaming but just to enjoy new things.
So lately i have tryed to stop watching so much tv also but there is one show that i still watch alot and thats Big Bang Theory. Its one of my favorite shows for sure and it often makes me feel better. Also ive been watching documentaries on various things lately. Just whatever is on my mind or whatever im curious about.
I also have been exercising a good bit. Doing stretches, cardio, and weight lifting on rotations. twice this week i jogged a full mile and it was pretty nice. i have to admit i was waaaaay tired but it was worth it.
Ive also began to start reading some. Ive been reading some comics and a book im reading right now is A Game of Thrones - book 1 of the Song of Ice and Fire series. Ive been watching the show on tv which has kinda made the book not as thrilling since i already know alot of whats going to happen but there are a few differences ive noticed. anyways im enjoying it.
There are more things i wanna eventually get into but havent yet got there. so this is it for now :)
went to an olga meeting and messaged a couple people making connections*
did a lil photography*
ive also noticed that since i stopped gaming i started taking alot better care of myself. Hygiene, eating better and exercising more. i still feel way outta shape but i guess ive been sitting around for gaming for years so it will prolly take alot of work to get to feeling as active as i use to be....but as long as i can grow a lil each day thats good enough for me. :) One day at a time.
Woke upCleaned the bathroomGave my son a hug and a kiss good morningHad surprise sex with my husband this morning(he initiated, lol)Going to the mallThat's just the start of my day :D
—
Gaming addiction turns you into a mindless zombie.
I woke up this morning with a decision to quit playing. It's only been one hour into the day I have just logged on to do my work (all my work is on the computer and its all in my own time) and already I have cravings to start playing an unfinished level that I didn't win yesterday.
Well, I don't know how I'm going to do this but I googled video game addiction and here I am talking about it. Let's see if I can stick to my plan of 8 straight hours of work and 1 hour of exercise and then 4 hours of family time.
i am a chess player, i ve been a chess player for the last three years...i've been a non-alcohol & non-drug user for when 29 years. Chess has taken over my hobbies, my family time, study time, and some work time. It's like I have to reach 1200 level chess game player. My average has been as high as 800. ... I would be so proud of myself to reach that point. But it has consume my time and my husband gets upset. Sometimes I play during breaks, while waiting for appointments, I'll stay at work after hours and play chess.
Im glad I've met this site... For today I will not play... When I do feel like playing I will log in and write or record! God bless the child within!
Thanks for sharing your story Bannock diva! I also played chess at one point, and i couldnt control it. I was constantly thinking about moves in my head, dreaming and thinking.
One thing that has helped me is coming to online meetings on this site. I Hope to see u there!
Best regards
—
Never alone, go to meetings <3 Mumble voice meetings on cgaa are great, see you there <3
I love to read all of your posts and comments. They have really made my day!
I have been logged in for the whole day. This forum is my saviour today and tomorrow and the days to come. I am counting every single fraction of a second I am spending on something else rather than gaming.
I am at the computer lab where my friends study for their first assessment due this week. I still haven't finished any assignment because I need time to recover from my 2 month-long relapse. I am not in a hurry, thou. It takes time to be healed to a point where we can divert our attention back into studying / working and doing meaningful things in life. I promise I won't rush this time around.
—
Maxi
13 years since first started gaming (2002 - 2015)
Reborn on July 29th, 2015.
im back... this thread really helped me stay game sober when i was last on here, getting to know a few of you frequent posters and what not. anyways... im back....
littlepinkhat, i see u went to a meeting and shared your feelings? did you attend a live game meeting?
i feel like i need to stop gaming. like the reason i have gone no where in life is because gaming SEDATES me completely. my drive and ambitions are all met and fullfilled, and mainly forgotten because "gaming is enough".
anyways. yeah. thanks for reading hope this is ok for me to post on here even tho im not totally sober.
Very cool thread, by the way!
I am going to go cold turkey with gaming from now on. I was casually playing a single player video game for several months, and it wasnt interfering with my life. But I just want more time to do other things that video gaming can easily take away from. I only gamed up to five or six hours per week, even less during some weeks when I felt too tired or unmotivated to play the game.
Anyway, without further ado, here is my list.
- went out for lunch at a Greek restaurant and took my time to finish the meal
- completed a two page entry in my hand written journal
- read scripture for an hour
- prayed
- went window shopping at Michael's craft store
- watched a few videos on YouTube
Breathing -- I like that! Great idea! Thanks for the thought.
I picked up my phone at work today, thought one little game won't hurt. I know better. I know I can't stop at one. Then I actually thought about this group, thought about having several days of not playing under my belt, and I put my phone back down and got back to work. It also helped to remember that I took all the games off the phone so I would have to re-load.
So I guess what I've done today in order not to game is to remember the larger picture. I don't want to start over at "haven't gamed for 1 minute." I don't know whether this will always work, but today it did.
-and I made it through the long weekend. I walked around in circles a bunch, talking to myself about why I don't want to game and trying to keep myself from following my impulses.
I bought some quilting supplies that now I'll have time to work on!
Game free since 12am,, 1/15/14 A little humbler
Ok, one of the things I've been avoiding by my gaming (facebook is my game of choice) is how angry & unhappy I've been about our fanily's money situation. I tried going to money-themed 12-step meetings, but couldn't make any progress, most likely because I didn't see how powerless I was over gaming. Anyway, so far today and yesterday, I've actually made some progress in lowering our bills, and found out about some assistance programs that we're either eligible for now, or will be when the baby is born. (I keep thinking, "oh, showing DH that we're eligible for the dreaded government assistance will motivate him to increase his income!" No such luck. He's just thrilled that "help" is available, and doesn't feel any shame about a PhD applying for that. :(. )
Also, I don't know why I did this, but when I was getting some cartoons for my youngest daughter, I saw a makeup tutorial on my youtube feed. I watched it, and at first felt resentful that I didn't have enough money to go buy makeup. Then, while I was looking for something else, I found an old box of makeup, almost completely unused, that I'd forgotten about. I fixed my hair, then put on makeup for the first time in years. I remembered DH budgeting it for me years ago--almost $60, during graduate school!!!--and how proud he was to be able to get it for me. I don't know why I stopped using it. I think I was worried that I'd run out, & wouldn't have $60 to spend on replacements. (???????) It's sad. I know I have problems with money & deprivation & achieving my goals, but I don't know how to fix them. Easy does it for now. So, my resentment towards DH turned to thankfulness at that long-ago gift. I took a pic of myself in every-day makeup, & I'm going to try and make it my profile pic. I HATE doing housework, but I love "decorating", so today I hope to combine thise forces until my school-age kids get home, if the pregnancy nausea and the toddler allow it. I know I'm loved by God & my husband & my three girls. I want them to be more important than gaming.
I started today. I'll quit gaming with cold turkey. Years ago I quitted smoking with cold turkey - that was hard! Now I have to quit gaming because I don't have much time left in my life. I don't want to be a loser and have a meaningless life in the end. I got so many fake achivements from gaming which are meaningless in real life. The biggest fun I got from a game is to win a kind of lottery. I always can win it because I save the game and so I can try many times. I will either get a super weapon or a large amount of game money if I win. This kind of fun is everyone dreamed in real life - that is why there are so many people playing lottery. I will be thrilled with a super weapon and then I cut through and become a super hero quickly. The pursue for this kind of fake feeling cost all my real time and I am becoming a real loser in my real life. I got to stop this. While there are many ways to quit, I think cold turkey is the best for me. I will do some exercise such as punching the air and feel I am Bruce Lee! I will do lots of work too and challenge myself to see how cold a turkey I can be. Will report my progress later. By the way, when I was quitting smoking, I joined a website like this too. Quitting smoking is physically or chemically hard, but quiting gaming is emotionally hard. I think the later is harder because it appears less harmful while it's definitely more harmful to my life!
I watched a movie (Into the wild by Sean Penn, very inspiring, let me advice it).
I studied a bit, minerals and rocks.
I listened to music, the Beatles.
I talked with a dear friend via Whatsapp.
I went to school.
"Fear is the first of many foes". "Perseverance wins".
Definitely stopped playing on May 22, 2014.
My "higher power" is the fellowship.
I hadnt posted on this lately so i thought id share some of the acitivities ive been doing lately to not only avoid gaming but just to enjoy new things.
So lately i have tryed to stop watching so much tv also but there is one show that i still watch alot and thats Big Bang Theory. Its one of my favorite shows for sure and it often makes me feel better. Also ive been watching documentaries on various things lately. Just whatever is on my mind or whatever im curious about.
I also have been exercising a good bit. Doing stretches, cardio, and weight lifting on rotations. twice this week i jogged a full mile and it was pretty nice. i have to admit i was waaaaay tired but it was worth it.
Ive also began to start reading some. Ive been reading some comics and a book im reading right now is A Game of Thrones - book 1 of the Song of Ice and Fire series. Ive been watching the show on tv which has kinda made the book not as thrilling since i already know alot of whats going to happen but there are a few differences ive noticed. anyways im enjoying it.
There are more things i wanna eventually get into but havent yet got there. so this is it for now :)
Worked and slept
A wise man once told me to shutup.
\\ Free from games since 03.13.2014 //
watched a movie*
read a few chapters of the book ive been reading*
jogged a half mile and walked another full mile*
did a lil weight lifting*
went to an olga meeting and messaged a couple people making connections*
did a lil photography*
ive also noticed that since i stopped gaming i started taking alot better care of myself. Hygiene, eating better and exercising more. i still feel way outta shape but i guess ive been sitting around for gaming for years so it will prolly take alot of work to get to feeling as active as i use to be....but as long as i can grow a lil each day thats good enough for me. :) One day at a time.
Woke upCleaned the bathroomGave my son a hug and a kiss good morningHad surprise sex with my husband this morning(he initiated, lol)Going to the mallThat's just the start of my day :D
Gaming addiction turns you into a mindless zombie.
Woke up made breakfast for the fam
Took the kids fishing at the pond in the neighborhood.
Watched my kids feed the ducks
Played tag with my kids at the park.
Came home and read some
Now it's nap time :)
"Yesterday is History, Tomorrow a Mystery, Today is a Gift, Thats why it's called the Present"
Went out to eat for breakfast
Ran errands
watched a lil TV
Chopped/stacked wood since it was pretty warm today.
posted on olga and read some threads.
daily routine(shower, breakfast, brush teeth)
went out to eat for lunch
did errands
watched 2 episodes of Gotham
Did small things on my to do list
Chopped/stacked wood
checked stuff online (messages, email)
called a recovery buddy
posted and read threads on olga
- Slept in (hurray!)
- made some breakfast and watched Parks and Recreation (hilarious!)
- did some errands for work and got some lunch
-undecorated the Christmas tree.. Finally
-went out for Chinese with friends
- watched more TV before bed and made some "me awards" for milestones achieved by not gaming and hung them on my wall
-opened and sorted through the mail!
-came on here, posted and read a lot and finally headed to bed :)
I woke up this morning with a decision to quit playing. It's only been one hour into the day I have just logged on to do my work (all my work is on the computer and its all in my own time) and already I have cravings to start playing an unfinished level that I didn't win yesterday.
Well, I don't know how I'm going to do this but I googled video game addiction and here I am talking about it. Let's see if I can stick to my plan of 8 straight hours of work and 1 hour of exercise and then 4 hours of family time.
Hmm.. ok... I need to start working now...
i am a chess player, i ve been a chess player for the last three years...i've been a non-alcohol & non-drug user for when 29 years. Chess has taken over my hobbies, my family time, study time, and some work time. It's like I have to reach 1200 level chess game player. My average has been as high as 800. ... I would be so proud of myself to reach that point. But it has consume my time and my husband gets upset. Sometimes I play during breaks, while waiting for appointments, I'll stay at work after hours and play chess.
Im glad I've met this site... For today I will not play... When I do feel like playing I will log in and write or record! God bless the child within!
BD
Thanks for sharing your story Bannock diva! I also played chess at one point, and i couldnt control it. I was constantly thinking about moves in my head, dreaming and thinking.
One thing that has helped me is coming to online meetings on this site. I Hope to see u there!
Best regards
Never alone, go to meetings <3 Mumble voice meetings on cgaa are great, see you there <3
I love to read all of your posts and comments. They have really made my day!
I have been logged in for the whole day. This forum is my saviour today and tomorrow and the days to come. I am counting every single fraction of a second I am spending on something else rather than gaming.
I am at the computer lab where my friends study for their first assessment due this week. I still haven't finished any assignment because I need time to recover from my 2 month-long relapse. I am not in a hurry, thou. It takes time to be healed to a point where we can divert our attention back into studying / working and doing meaningful things in life. I promise I won't rush this time around.
Maxi
13 years since first started gaming (2002 - 2015)
Reborn on July 29th, 2015.
Last time I tried to quit gaming, I sat around the house bored out of my mind binge watching Netflix.
Not today.(which is my first day of no gaming this run)
I drove two hours to visit my grandparents and spend the night here. Love them, and I get to not sit at home bored all day!
10/3
Hi,
yesterday , first day without gaming
worked badly, low energy
visited my daughter who was sick
continued to work at home
went to bed
read a book
slept badly
see you tomorrow
Stoodup
watched over my daugter who was sick
worked at home
Learned my daughter to use 3d pen
wachted movie with doughter
cooked for the family
watched suits netflix
went to bed
read a book
stood up
brought my daughter to school
work
eat
tv , suits on netflix
on olganon
sleep
get up
Bring son to school
work intensive
Bougt rings with my wife
Went to restaurant
wached a movie
went to sleep
temptation difficulty for gaming 8/10
Stood up
celibrate mothers day with wife
breakfast
running 3 miles
play nerf with kids
went to dance shool of doughter
look to foodball and eat with friends
went to bed
watched you tube
sleep
Work work, work.
Prayed
Meditated
Stopped isolating and went out with friends
Did my step work
Went to a meeting and shared my feelings
im back... this thread really helped me stay game sober when i was last on here, getting to know a few of you frequent posters and what not. anyways... im back....
littlepinkhat, i see u went to a meeting and shared your feelings? did you attend a live game meeting?
i feel like i need to stop gaming. like the reason i have gone no where in life is because gaming SEDATES me completely. my drive and ambitions are all met and fullfilled, and mainly forgotten because "gaming is enough".
anyways. yeah. thanks for reading hope this is ok for me to post on here even tho im not totally sober.
10/3
Welcome back DBallz.
You are very welcome. It sounds like something inside you wants you to quit; and that is why you are here.
INFO
Help for gamers here
Help for parents of gamers here
Help for spouses/SO's of gamers here
Parent's online meeting THURSDAY 9pmEST/EDT click here
Online meetings gaming addicts click here
Please help! Donate here
Very cool thread, by the way!
I am going to go cold turkey with gaming from now on. I was casually playing a single player video game for several months, and it wasnt interfering with my life. But I just want more time to do other things that video gaming can easily take away from. I only gamed up to five or six hours per week, even less during some weeks when I felt too tired or unmotivated to play the game.
Anyway, without further ado, here is my list.
- went out for lunch at a Greek restaurant and took my time to finish the meal
- completed a two page entry in my hand written journal
- read scripture for an hour
- prayed
- went window shopping at Michael's craft store
- watched a few videos on YouTube