I need help and I have run out of places to look. I hope someone here has some advice on what I should do next. My son graduated from high school 5 years ago and has not left the house since. He spends all of his time in his room on his computer. Family has visited and some have not seen him for years even though he is always here. My neighbor says they have sightings of him ...actually saying he is like bigfoot and is hard to catch outside or in view of anyone. I feel bad. I have talked to him since this began, when I am unable to see him in the kitchen I leave him a note before going to work about bathing or cleaning. His room is bad. He has become a hoarder of food and dishes. I have been through more than 100 forks this year. The other kids in the house do not understand and we try not bring attention to him because it upsets him. On the positive side he is really intelligent and kind. Always willing to help others and has never had problems with dating before this, working before this or leaving the house. Now he is 24 and will not leave. When the internet modem went down a few months ago, it was a big ordeal to get it overnighted. When the power goes out it is not good.
When I speak to him he always says, I know mom, I will ...take a shower,....clean my room....get a job....but then another year goes by and he is still in there in the dark in front of the computer. He started playing DAOC game in high school but it was not really excessive just on weekends. Then a few other games and then Minecraft. I think that is what he is playing now but I am not sure because he does not share much anymore. I hear him talking in there on his headset, he laughs and seems to be happy. He sleeps a couple of hours and stays awake sometimes 48 hours or more. Then he will sleep a couple of hours and do it all over again.
Where do I start? Do I turn the internet off? Do I do an intervention? Get him to a therapist? I am not sure what to do to fix this, he is putting me in the poor house with all of his demands of mountain dew and cigarettes. I am just tired and have no one to talk to about this. Please advise. Thank you From a Missouri Mom :)
Hi,
As an addict, I only know what its like to be on the inside, not the outside. So I don't know what exact step you should take next. I do know, however, that coming here was a good idea.
From what I read here on the forums of similar stories, this is a very delicate area and you need to be careful.
I would definitely reccomend trying something different though. Because it seems like you're trying the same thing over and over and over again, and its not working. I'm heistant to say anything too specific because I am not an authority in this area. But one thing I do think is that he may need to be externally motivated in order to change. Like, don't get him mountain dew, for example. If you don't give him what he wants, he'll eventually have to start getting it himself.
Also, please do not act soley on my word. Although what I have said is based on other posts I have read here, I am by no means an expert. There are people on these forums with way more experience than I have and can probably give you better advice. I should mention there is an entire section of these forums dedicated to people who are struggling due to someone else's gaming addiction. It may be worth checking out.
Hugs,
spm
Is there anyway to escape this hell? Yeah, probably by living in a world with no Internet...
thank you so much for your reply, I am trying to be patient with him and to understand, and because I love him, I want to help him be happy and to be able to be out of that dark room and to have a wonderful life. I know it must be a rough road to get away from the lifestyle, and I am so happy that I found this site. It is nice to meet you...Missouri Mom aka Deb
I must agree, why would he leave his room if he is recieving room service?
I wrote this regarding what I have learnt about living with an addict. It was written for spouses/S/O's but a lot of it applies to adult children as well so you might find some of it helpful. Just ignore the bits that are obviously about spouse-type relationships. The basic principals are much the same.
http://www.olganon.org/?q=node/42150
There are a lot of parents of gamers here who can better advise you as to how to approach your situation but I think everyone will agree, the first thing that needs to change is your willingness to cater to his wants/needs, for your own sanity as well as his well-being and growth.
Best of luck. Please read the many posts on the "parents of gamers" forums here; I'm sure you'll find a wealth of information and support.
Thank you very much, I am really going to make a serious effort to to help him and our family get back to the way it used to be.
Welcome to OLGA, Missouri Mom. Like Spm, I'm on the other side of the addiction from the one you're on right now, but I have to say that if somebody had been willing to give me everything I need to keep gaming and "living", including placing extra-expensive rush orders for modems if the current one went out, I'd have thought I was in heaven...and why would I do anything different if what I'm currently doing is getting me everything I think I want and need?
That being said, I just want to highlight some of the things that are mentioned in the post that Mel linked you to (and the contents of that post make a lot of sense to this recovering gamer). First of all, the 3 C's...1) You didn't cause it...addiction is rarely something that is deliberately caused by anybody, and this is particularly true for gaming addiction. You don't sound like you're blaming either yourself or him for things, and that's a good thing. 2) You can't control it...for that matter, neither can he. That's the real reason he never quits, although he likely is deluded on that matter and honestly and sincerely believes that he is in complete control. Lastly, 3) You can't cure it...and either can he. The last 2 C's have some definite similarities, but the fact that something can't be either controlled or cured DOESN'T mean that it needs to be enabled.
The post that Mel linked you to includes some specific ways that people can (whether intentionally or accidentally) enable the gaming addiction, and in the end, an enabled addict is highly unlikely to ever make any changes. A fairly consistent theme running behind many actions that enable an addiction is that they protect the addict from the natural consequences of his behavior, so please be aware of the fact that your son will likely get extremely angry with you when you begin removing enabling behaviors from your relationship. The fact that he's getting angry (and probably manipulative as well) doesn't necessarily mean you're doing anything wrong, and feel free to keep coming back and bouncing things off of people here. It will likely be a very long battle ahead of you, and it'd be easy to get discouraged if you try to fight it alone. Hugs...
When you're going through hell...keep going. --Winston Churchill There is no pit so deep that God is not deeper still --Corrie ten Boom
Hi help,
Welcome to OLG-Anon! I'm a member of OLGA, the fellowship of recovering gaming addicts here. I hope you can get some of the help you need here--there are a lot of parents who have posted their stories on this site.
I can't offer advice because I haven't been in your situation. However, I can share a bit about my experience with addiction, which might give you some insight and perhaps help. If not, keep "reading around," because there is a lot of good info here.
Well, if your son graduated from high school 5 years ago, he's a legal adult, whether he's acting like one or not (and it's obviously not). Here's the slogan for the day: You didn't Cause it, you can't Cure it, you can't Control it. I'm sure that's not easy to hear, and probably you won't be able to accept it right away, but it represents the wisdom of hundreds of thousands of family members of people with all sorts of addictions. So that's the bad news. You can't lock him up, you can't make him quit. Even worse, attempts to do so only feed the addiction. I'll say that again--when people oppose an addict's behavior, it gets worse, not better. It's only in recovery that I've stopped being so stubborn. (Now I'm just pretty stubborn--but when I was gaming, I was monumentally stubborn)
However, there is good news. The good news is that if you stop giving energy to the addiction by opposing it, you can also stop enabling it. He's what, 23? He could be paying rent for his room, paying his share of food and other household expenses. He could be paying for his own drugs (nicotene). As an addict, if someone tells me I need to quit, my response is, "the heck I do, who are you to tell me that?" But if somebody tells me they won't buy me any more games for Christmas, and that they won't keep taking me out for dinner or that they won't keep coming over and cleaning my house, what can I say? What will happen then is that maybe I'll figure out that I should be doing those things for myself anyway. Or maybe I'll dive further into my games. No one can control that. Only me.
Well, he used to be a boy. Now he needs to be a man. So the help he needs is a different kind of help than the help a boy needs. As a man, I know this: I need to face the world and face my life. I need love, encouragement, acceptance and support, but face those things I must.
If any of this helps you, that's great. If not, though, keep reading around.
My best wishes to you and your family.
I am a recovering computer game and gambling addict. My recovery birthday: On May 6, 2012 I quit games and began working a program of recovery through OLGA No computer games or slot games for me since December 12, 2012. No solitaire games with real cards since June 2013.
Thank you for your kind words. I got to a place in life today where I thought I needed to find some help. I am working on the enabling part. Last week I only brought soda home 3 days instead of 7 and as for the smoking goes I have started skipping days, he comes out to look and see if his items are on the counter and they are not so he goes back to his room. One day when there were not items he stayed out to do dishes and sweep the kitchen. Possbily trying to do something helpful so I would go out and get the things he likes. It is so hard. It really is, it is hard to watch someone that has had 5 years to go to college, start a family or do anything that an adult does go by. I am working on getting a family friend to have him start helping doing some house painting and other ways to get him out of the house. The bathing part and staying up for days will not be easy and I thank you so much for your help. This is a wonderful forum and I feel like it gave me some new strength to keep going, I had no idea there were other people out there that go through this. Thank you :)
Welcome to OLGA help! I am glad you found this site. There is so much wisdom, knowledge and understanding shared here. I am also a mother who have been through a lot due to my son's excessive gaming. So I totally understand what you are going through.
Unfortunately I don't have much time to write as much as I like but very briefly let me say this: sooner he stops gaming is better because gaming addiction affects the brain in a very similar way the drugs, gambling or any other addiction does. Their brains are hijacked! It is all messed up. Their decision making,impulse control etc sections of the brain do not work properly. Therefore even though he says he will do things and even he wants to, he just can't bring himself to do it. The chemicals in the brain are all messed up.
I can relate so much to what you are going through. But the best thing we can do as parents is to stop enabling them. We ended up cutting internet time by gradually reducing it (iBoss has timers, filters etc). I wonder whether he would look at this site and read some of the posts. I wonder whether he reads some of the books on this topic. Dr Andrew Doan has a book called "Hooked on Games" for example and it helped my son to understand his addiction. Our best bet is if they acknowledge and admit their addiction.
Please have a look at my track and my earlier posts to other parents which I wrote in the past if you are interested in. If you can't access please let me know.There is a list of books which I read and benefited a great deal. Understanding the nature of the problem was the most important step for me.
I am sorry that I don't have much time now. I will try to write more another time but please stick around and join our meetings on Thursday nights at 9pm EST. Stay strong. Hugs!
"The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past. You can't go on well in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches." "The first step toward change is acceptance." "Once you accept yourself, you open the door to change. That's all you have to do." "Change is not something you do, it's something you allow."- Will Garcia
Welcome Deb! Another parent here. I will echo everything that has been said about enabling. If you haven't yet, please read the post at the top of this forum about adult children. Your son will NEVER leave the house as long as you are making him so comfortable in it. As mothers, we want our children to be happy, and it tears us up to have to do things that make them unhappy. A wise mother who used to come here put it this way: If he was in his room shooting up heroin hour after hour because he said it made him happy, would you allow that to continue in your house?
You will need to sit down with him and lay out a new future for him in which you no longer provide cigarettes or Mountain Dew, you no longer prepare his meals, and you no longer facilitate his addiction in any way. You may have to tread carefully about cutting off the internet. That depends on his emotional and mental state, which I know nothing about. You also have to be careful of your own safety if you do that.
He is an adult. He needs to do the basic human functions of feeding himself and providing for his own needs. That is not your job anymore. Your only job now is to facilitate his success in life.
It doesn't sound like he has a job. Who pays the subscription fees for the games he plays?
We have a parent's meeting in the chatroom on Thursday nights at 8 PM CST. I am going to try to be there tonight but I may not make it. There will be other parents there though. Just click on the Chatroom tab at the top of the page, log in with your OLGA login and password, and wait in the general chatroom. Someone will send you an invite into the OLG-Anon chatroom. Click accept and you are in. You can get lots of good support from the parents here.
"Small service is true service while it lasts. Of humblest friends, bright creature! scorn not one
The daisy, by the shadow that it casts,
Protects the lingering dewdrop from the sun." -------William Wordsworth
Hi and I too welcome you to the OLGAnon community of parents (and gamers). I am too a mother. So much has been said so far, I don't want to overwhelm you. You have come to the right place. There are not perfect answers...your son is similar to ours in many ways, but also has unique characteristics, as do all our sons. We can offer you many options, but what you choose to do depends on your resources and inner strength. Remember, allowing him to continue gaming is enabling. So at some point you will need to take steps to help facilitate his stopping gaming, at least in your home. Loving him is doing what's best. Things most probably will get worse before they get better. Having the physical and immediate support of a GOOD counselor, spouse, family member or friend is important especially if you are going to start limiting game access or to go cold turkey. Since our son was a minor, we were able to send him away to a theraputic ranch to "detox." Unfortunately, unless you son is willing to go to treatment and you can afford the expense, you will have to deal with it at home. You will need to review the Withdrawl symptoms and anticipate what you will do if he becomes threating to himself or others. My son engaged in self-harm when we cut back his computer time. We didn't expect that and it was very upsetting. Thankfully with the resources available we were able to get him some help, but it wasn't easy. I don't want to discourage you because if you don't act soon, chances are it will only get worse for your son, for you and the rest of your family.
I hope to be at the meeting tonight, 6pm Pacific time. I hope you can make it.
After many hours with therapists and searching the internet, it was here that I found the best advice. I hope you stick around. There is hope!
I am so sorry you are in this situation. As a mother, it is such a hard thing to watch a child we love so unconditionally suffer so. I am here because my "qualifier" (LOL, yes I go to al-anon) is my husband, BUT my brother is 35!!!!! and lives at home with my mom and dad still!!!!!
I am so grateful that you see this behavior is a problem and it is not normal. I think in your heart you "get" that if not treated, it HAS and WILL CONTINUE TO effect his ability to lead a normal life.
I read somewhere and also know from experience that discomfort is what truly leads to change. You must sit down and make a plan to help your son be successful, then stick to it. I would suggest reading about addiction from this website. I would join your local al-anon or codependents anonymous if they have it. I would find a therapist locally for yourself to discuss this issue and help you form a plan for yourself to be strong in your boundaries. Then I would make therapy for your son a condition of him continuing to live with you if you choose to allow that to happen.
You can "help" your son without "tossing him out in to the streets". It doesn't have to be one extreme or another. Start here. Start formulating a plan. Start slowly implementing boundaries. Build your confidence. Give him chores to build HIS confidence. He is an adult, and he SHOULD start acting like it.... but you MUST REQUIRE IT OF HIM CONSISTENTLY. You know this, and that is why you are here.
I really hope this isn't harsh. I just really, really care about people. If you need help finding resources locally, private message me your city, and I will link you some resources if that would be of help. Anyway, welcome.
Stories like yours break my heart. Look up the term Hikikomori on Google. There are millions like your son in Japan.
Internet and video game addiction is insidious and horrendous.
Andrew P. Doan, MPH, MD, PhD
My Gaming Addiction Videos on YouTube: YouTube.com/@DrAndrewDoan
*The views expressed are of the author's and do not necessarily reflect the official policy of the U.S. Navy, DHA or Department of Defense.
Hugs Missouri Mom. This is really tough to deal with. I personally do not have any previous experience of dealing with this but I do know that enabling his addictive behavior would do alot of damage.
It's good to have goals and dreams, but while you're waiting for things to change, waiting for promises to come to pass, don't be discontent with where you are. Learn to enjoy the season that you're in--Pastor Joel Osteen
Lizwool--the co-founder of OLGANON--posted this:
http://olganon.org/?q=node/43216
It is exactly what you are dealing with.
I was absent here for a few days due to work and was so happy to see so many new comments and suggestions! I am reading and learning as much as I can to stop helping the enabling. I have recognized after reading the comments that I have actually played a huge part in this happening. 3 Days ago I stopped buying the cigarettes and he had 4 left. The next day when there was still none left out for him, and I told him I could not afford them, was the first time in years that I had ever seen him angry. He actually threw his drinking cup down and went to his room refusing to talk to me. When that occured I waited until he went to the bathroom and removed his bedroom door, now he has hung blankets up and I even think he may have his mattress there as well. The smell is so bad without the door that there is not enough glad plugins to mask the odor. I have documented on 2 showers in past year and maybe 6 showers at the most in 5 years. This is a problem. I have left clean clothes for him for his birthday and holidays and am never sure what he has done with them because he has literally wore the same jeans and tshirt now since August. So now that I have put the discussion out there with him that I cannot afford the extras and I have his door this has really caused some tension. I am going to take the advise above and require him to attend therapy. We are in a small town but have an excellent opportunity here to visit with several therapists and it is on a sliding fee. I will check back in and hope to get to the online chat with everyone soon, thank you all so much!
You've taken some big steps by not buying the cigarettes and removing his door. As he begins to display anger and possibly become verbally or physically abusive it's important for you to stay calm and to have as much support as possible. You may need to seriously consider your safety if encounters escalate beyond throwing items. Hopefully things do not reach this level.
When looking for a therapist you are going to want to interview them before bringing in your son. Share with them what you have learned and how they would approach the situation, what they would say to your son. I think it's best if you are in the sessions with him, at least to start. If they do not understand or "buy into" internet addiction, they may actually do more harm than good. You may want to consider seeing someone who specializes in addiction.
Also, these are major changes you are making by taking a stand. You and your son need time to adjust so don't feel you need to do everything at once. Take time to make a doable plan and to have back up plans. It's a good idea for him to get the idea that you are serious, so it's best to do the things right now that you know you can stand firm on.
Hang in there and I hope you find a good therapist soon.
Gaming addict here. The situation isent as simple as it sounds in my opinion. You love him and what him to do things for himself, but as long as someone is doing everything for him why would he do anything? Once he realizes if he wants to eat, use toilitries etc that he needs to participate int he family things might change.
That being said its really easy for us to look at things fromt he outside of the situation, where as your in the thick of it. Best advice I can give is to simply fallow your heart and use some tough love.
Good luck to ya hope everything goes well.
p.s. have you thought about asking him to read this post thread?? Some times a eye opener is seeing how someone really feels.
Thank you Mommy3 I will talk to them first and find someone that he can talk to,
Terindas, you are right it is not simple, but I am just running out of ways to help. What really opened my eyes was the smell, at first I just tried to open windows and then when people come over , which is very little, I have to tell them I have a sewer leak or a moldy basement to try to disguise it, it is so embarrassing. About 3 years ago I found out he was using the 2 liter bottles of mountain dew to use the bathroom in and when he was out back helping my daughter for a few minutes I peeked my head in and seen about 100 of them filled with urine. He had not been throwing them out after drinking them. It has been awhile since I have actually been in his room, now that the door is gone he is guarding the area more. I guess I am just tired..tired of hoping he will realize what he is doing is not good for his health and that it is making it hard for me to pay bills and live by supporting him for so long. I tried talking to him, I asked him a few weeks ago if he had ever heard of internet addiction or gaming addictions and he said yes, and that he had looked them up. I told him he has spent many years in his room and is missing alot of great moments in life, and his reply was "what defines normal and great moments?" He said my normal and great moments are no different than his. He smiled and went in...I seen him a few days later. Our house is very small, his room is next to the living room and his room is next to my room. He is not far away and to be secluded when so close to me and his sisters is weird. It really is. I really just want him to do something...anything....work ..go to school....start a family...something...anything Thank you all for listening and your comments have really helped so much.
Your son may need professional help and intervention.
Andrew P. Doan, MPH, MD, PhD
My Gaming Addiction Videos on YouTube: YouTube.com/@DrAndrewDoan
*The views expressed are of the author's and do not necessarily reflect the official policy of the U.S. Navy, DHA or Department of Defense.
thank you mudphud, I looked up that term and seen the photos of how they live. It also broke my heart and this is exactly what I am witnessing daily. I am going to visit the links you posted also and am hoping for better days ahead :)
Keep in mind that severe addicts can get violent. The Hikikomori in Japan revolt with violence when parents intervene. I encourage you to seek professional help and intervention. This is serious and not to be taken lightly.
Andrew P. Doan, MPH, MD, PhD
My Gaming Addiction Videos on YouTube: YouTube.com/@DrAndrewDoan
*The views expressed are of the author's and do not necessarily reflect the official policy of the U.S. Navy, DHA or Department of Defense.
I'm sorry to deliver potentially bad news, but my partner also locks himself in his room (and rages if anyone tries to enter). He didn't work for years and demanded that I buy him cigarettes, alcohol, food, etc. (I did, for a long time, until I woke up and realised it wasn't just a "phase" or a "depression" and that he wasn't going to just "snap out of it"). And he doesn't shower and pees in bottles and has a huge collection of 2-liter pee-bottles in his room. It's just revolting and oh my GOD the smell.
Now I know that this is your son, not your partner, but the thing is, my partner is 37 years old. And when he was your sons age, he was living with his mother and doing exactly the same things and she was tearing her hair out and trying to "help" him.
Obviously he wasn't like this when i met him; he was working and seemingly normal. When the behaviour started, he confessed that he is always like this when he gets into a relationship and "lives with a woman". When he is single, he says, he is unhappy but feels motivated to work and keep himself looking and smelling nice, and getting out there so that he can meet someone (his next enabler). He actually used this information to blame me...if he wasn't with me he would be out there, trying.....
Anyway, my point is, I don't know that it is helpful for you to think that if you "get him the right help" or "do the right things" you can cure him. This might just be how he is choosing to be and he may keep choosing to be that way for a long time. I think of my partner as being 'pathalogically immature" and I am at peace with the fact that I can't change him now. All I can do is look after myself and move forward. I think Andrew is right; he's very unwell. But he's not making any choices to help himself, and he is an adult. I don't know that there is much you can do for HIM but there is plenty that you can do for you...I would strongly encourage you to seek help for yourself because living with someone who behaves like this takes an awful toll on us and can leave us feeling very defeated, angry and depressed.
When you have some perspective and can detach a bit from his illness you might find yourself in a better position to assess whether you want to allow him to continue living with you, and how you can create some boundaries so that you arent spending all of your time and resources trying to manage an adult and his addiction.
Big hugs, and I hope you know i mean all of that in support and not to be bleak or discouraging.
I have to agree with Mudphud on seeking professional help. Hikikomori can become very violent, I don't mean to scare you Missouri mom. After you take their coping mechanisms away, they can become hopeless and have nothing to look forward to. Anyone in their ways is a potential enemy. There is no commen sense in their heads.
This message is just to remind you to take extra cautions and I will pray for you and your family.
Big hugs,
Maggie
It's good to have goals and dreams, but while you're waiting for things to change, waiting for promises to come to pass, don't be discontent with where you are. Learn to enjoy the season that you're in--Pastor Joel Osteen
Thank you Melissa, that really helps more than you know. When I first got on here a week ago or so, I thought I was the only person that this has ever happened to. It is so sad. You are right people choose to be the way they are and he is choosing to live this way. I wish I understood more what is causing it and why it is blinding him from seeing the rest of the world and how much life is outside of that room waiting to be lived. I am spending alot of time thinking about what to do next. I am not sure what will work and I do not want to do anything too drastic, I have younger daughters in the house that will be affected by this. One is 12 and one is 17. I don't want to subject them to any violent reactions or a dreaded thought in my head is always that he will hurt himself. I have worried about that alot. Sometimes when he does not come out for days I wonder if he is still alive. Thank you and big hugs to you also, everyone here has been so kind.
Thank you Maggie! I have an appointment tomorrow after work and will follow up here with my new information.
Please keep in mind that because gaming addiction isn't recognized in the DSM, it's extremely possible to find therapists who don't recognize gaming addiction as a serious issue. Professionals who don't know what they're talking about can cause a lot more damage than amateurs who don't know what they're talking about, so please be careful in choosing the therapist if you go to see one. Further, I know that if anybody had tried to force me to give up my games, I wouldn't have responded very well at all, so I'm going to echo what Mel said earlier and say please be careful about doing things to try and "fix" him (although yes, there's some really broken stuff going on with him right now).
If you want to know more about the sorts of things that tend to underly addiction, I'd be happy to share a bit about what I know from my own experiences and from what other addicts have shared with me, but I don't know that it would help you any. Anyway, if you like, I'm up for sharing a bit about where it comes from for me and a lot of other addicts, but I did want to put out the fact that it might not help much so you can decide if you still want to hear a bit. Hugs...
When you're going through hell...keep going. --Winston Churchill There is no pit so deep that God is not deeper still --Corrie ten Boom
While the loved ones of addicts are in no way responsible for the addiction, they are often making the addict's life comfortable when he/she is gaming and uncomfortable the moment they stop gaming, when they should be doing the opposite.
please share with us about your experiences. I watch my son play game for more than four years now but know nothing about what it really is. I appreciate you sharing your experience.
how to avoid those html code appare in the post?
Seekingalife, you might try typing your post into a Notepad, Wordpad or other word processing application first, then copying from that to paste your post into the comment window to eliminate the code. It seems to be an issue with the Internet Explorer browser.
Acceptance. When I am disturbed, it is because a person, place, thing, or situation is unacceptable to me. I find no serenity until I accept my life as being exactly the way it is meant to be. Nothing happens in God’s world by mistake. Acknowledge the problem, but live the solution!
thank you Gettingallife, I use firefox and use notepad to copy and paste so there is no formatting happen but I guess the best way is jus type in the post box.
do you know how to do spell check if I type in the comment box directly?
No spell check in the comment box. You have to spell check in the Microsoft Word document before pasting it.
It's good to have goals and dreams, but while you're waiting for things to change, waiting for promises to come to pass, don't be discontent with where you are. Learn to enjoy the season that you're in--Pastor Joel Osteen
You can tell Firefox to check your spelling as you type in websites. It's under Preferences>Advanced>General.
I don't know if it works on OLGA, as I don't use Firefox anymore.
"Small service is true service while it lasts. Of humblest friends, bright creature! scorn not one
The daisy, by the shadow that it casts,
Protects the lingering dewdrop from the sun." -------William Wordsworth
I use Firefox, it does not unfortunately.
It's good to have goals and dreams, but while you're waiting for things to change, waiting for promises to come to pass, don't be discontent with where you are. Learn to enjoy the season that you're in--Pastor Joel Osteen
I can offer my own experience on how my parents dealt with my excessive gaming around the house. Once I graduated, I was expected to have a job and work full time. If my hours were cut for some reason, I had to start looking for a new job. After a few months of having a job, I had rent that I had to pay each month and stipulations for continuing to live in their house (such as keeping my room spotless, helping with the pets, helping with cleaning around the house, etc). It didnt' cure my addiction, it actually took another several years to admit I had been in denial but it did get me out of my room, improved my social life and had me in a routine that allowed me to be productive. I still gamed but at a fraction of the time I had been and the living conditions were far better for everyone in my house.
That's not to say that I didnt fight, moan, groan, b**** and complain about all the rules and restrictions. But the rules were clear. That's what I had to do to continue to live there and I didn't have the money to go elsewhere so I played ball. This won't cure his addiction but may help you see some improvement to your current situation. But it is important to keep in mind that treating the symptoms and not the cause, is merely a temporary fix and further treatment will be necessary for him to overcome addiction. Once he's in a routine, it may make it easier for him to reflect on what he was doing. It has to be a realization he comes to on his own and desires to change on his own. Hope this helps.