Hey everyone. Im a 21 year old college student who has recently caned SecondLife for a second time in a row. I got into a big mess with a close (online friend) of mine to where we were no longer friends so I assumed this would be a good time to quit. I been focusing on finals,work and exercising trying to just keep my mind off the game but its hard. I find myself like having urges to play and strong ones. I keep saying that its just a game and Ill find new friends online etc/ But I know I have an issue. I negelct real life friends and relationships with woman for online friends and relationships. Im noticing my addcition to gaming is this strong need to feel connected in my life. I deep down do not want to return to SecondLife but I can feel my restince weakining. If anyone has some words of advice and encoruaging words please help me out. I hit that withdrawl phase I think and dont fully understand everything thats going on.
Hi cinematicescape. Congratulations for your 2 weeks.
Imagine how such a better person you will became in the future if you stop feeding your addiction. You must stay strong and don`t play that game ever again. If you gona play this game right now, you will just feel good for some hours and then you are going to feel bad and depressed. Just try to do somthing else, listen to music, cooking, go for a walk, talk with somebody, anything that is relaxing you like praying, meditation, reading etc.
Good luck!
I can tell you that every time I tried staying off games by myself, sooner or later I ended up back on them. The urges to game were sometimes strong & frequent, sometimes weak & seldom, but no matter how many times I resisted them, they kept coming and there would come a time when I gave in and got the whole vicious cycle started again.
It wasn't until I took my problem seriously and sought the guidance and support of people who were successfully staying off games that I was able to do it. You can find them in the meetings. The full schedule is here: http://olganon.org/?q=node/46551
Check em out. You'll be gladly welcomed. You don't have to do this alone and don't have to figure it all out from scratch.
What you feed grows, and what you starve withers away.
These urges are temporary and it's completely normal to feel a little bit confused at this stage. You are not the only one, I can relate as a university student. Since it's finals week, try to study with students from the same classes and socialize with them during breaks. Do not isolate yourself in your dorm/apt/room with a computer and access to the game. If you cannot concentrate at home, print out all of your notes, homework, and practice tests and study at the library. Also if you are too tense don't exercise rigorously. Instead, try walking for a few minutes around campus or a nearby park. Relax, and make contact with nature to help clear your mind from these thoughts. Good luck on finals, and please consider joining the online meetings that Scott suggested to you. Big hug, stay strong!
Make a list of things you want to do instead of second life. Do the first that looks good, move on to the next. Real life does not have the structure that gaming has with its ordered list of achievements and rewards, and I miss that, so it helps when I bring some of that structure to real life. Not sure about second life, but maybe you could mirror some of your SL activity in real life. Instead of meeting with a SL avatar, visit a real life friend. Instead of tweaking your avatar, get a real life haircut. Go for a real life walk, etc... Just an idea.
Perhaps a man who is worthy of the name should put aside this question of how long he will live ..., and turn his attention to this instead, to how he can live the best life possible in the time that is granted to him
Marcus Aurelius
Very good advice guys, I struggled with the same things and I realised that it's so much better to do things with others (including studying) than alone.
"The future is determined by our choices in the present." - Anonymous Author