I will be updating this when I have something significant to say.
First post:
It has been 24 hours since I have gamed. It is hard not having that getaway but I feel it is for the better. I have deleted all games on my computer and have canceled my pre-order to battlefield 4. That was probably the hardest....especially since I was asked probably 10 times "Are you sure you want to cancel this?" I am already seeing into the future about how much time I will have. I am planning on picking the Electric Bass back up (stopped in 8th grade but still have the instriment collecting dust), working out and getting in shape, hanging out with friends more, going to school football games, and much, much more. I think it will be the hardest when I have nothing to do on the weekends and when I don't want to do homework on the weekdays. Bass time maybe? Anyway I am glad I am doing this. Hopefully I will be able to go back to video games eventually and control how much I play, well because....I love video games.
Glad you're here sharing Vman. Keep up the good work.
If you find yourself struggling, please don't hesitate to reach out to people here, attend meetings, ask for help, and try out some of the suggestions you hear.
What you feed grows, and what you starve withers away.
It is wonderful to see that you are determined... You are looking for other activities to fill your time and sharing your thoughts and experiences... What a great way to start your journey! You will no doubt be the winner at the end. Yes, keep up the good work!
"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
It's good that you have some ideas already for things that you can do to fill the time back in as gaming leaves your life. It's not an easy transition to be sure, so congrats on your first 24 hours!
Keep showing up to meetings, and feel free to reach out for help anytime you think you might need it. Don't feel bad about reaching out for help before you think you need it either...most of us need a lot more help than we thought we did when we got started... :)
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
So I am now 72 hours clean and I realized I have been going on YouTube as a substitute (no gaming videos and no where as near as much time as I would play video games). I think that will be OK but I want to cut YouTube down a little from what it has been the past 3 days. I have wanted to play and I almost did but I stopped myself before I did. Was going to play a Google Chrome game. Also haven't been able to go to meetings the past 2 days (10th & 11th) because of the insane amount of homework I have had. I will try to make it tomorrow. That's about it! Thanks :)
Yeah, we all do this. You are doing fine. It's only 3 days--kill the big dog first. So anything to not game. Then, as you said, cut the You Tube stuff down. That's a very good idea.
I spent a huge amount of time watching TV instead of gaming. OLGA and TV were my two big replacements for gaming, in terms of time. About 2 months into it, I quit TV. Essentially I watch no TV by myself. I will watch it if some other people are and I'm hanging with them, but that's it. And often I don't want to "hang" in the room if the TV is on. I just hate the thing, lol. So I'm done with it now.
It takes time for your brain to calm down. You can do homework--that's really incredible that you can focus at all right after you quit! Good job all around.
See you at the meeting....
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.
You're doing a good job so far, Vman. Keep on doing what you need to do one day at a time. Don't worry about tomorrow...just take today as it comes. It was really easy for me to get frustrated early on, and then I started taking it seriously when people told me that any day in which I didn't game was a good day. That was a hard one for me to take, but it's helped me out a lot. Keep it up, and I hope to see you in a meeting again some time soon...
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