Hello. I just happened accross this site while searching for help with online gaming addiction. I wanted to stop by quick (posting from work) and say hello to everyone. I am very glad to see that this place exists and I hope it can help me get back on track with my life. A little something about me:
I am 41 with a wife and three kids and have been gaming since the early days of half life and couterstrike. A work friend of mine introduced me to the World of Warcraft. That was the begining of the end. Between everquest and WOW I feel like 20 years of my real life has been stolen away from me. For me my gaming addiction went hand and hand with manic depression. I used gaming as an outlet or get away from the day to day struggles with depression. I've only recently began coming out of the dark fog of depression and felt it was time to pull the plug on my gaming addiction and get back into the things I once loved and was really good at.
My main problem is, now that I pulled the plug I feel empty. Like I am missing a part of me. My friends are all gone, my family has moved on and my marriage is holding on by a thread. I see my son (luckliy the only gamer of my three kids) mimick my gaming lifestyle and it worries me. I worry what I am missing and what I already missed in their lives.
Anyway, back to work... nice to see you all here and hope this site can be the tool I am missing to help get me back on track.
Tim T
Hi Tim and welcome to Olga. Feeling empty after quitting gaming is very normal. Gaming addiction alters our brain and nothing else in life becomes enjoyable in comparison. When we quit, it takes time for our brain to rewire itself so that we are able to enjoy normal activities once again. What helped get me through it was coming here and reading posts, posting how I was feeling, and attending meetings. It's hard to stop gaming, but with the help of others going through the same thing, we are doing it. Hope to see you around.
Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending. ~Maria Robinson
Hi Tim and welcome! Glad you found the site. I relate a lot to what you said and any recovering addict here would relate to your feeling of emptiness. I felt a huge emptiness when I stopped gaming. I was spending around 4-5 hours a day gaming but pretty much the rest of my waking hours thinking about gaming. It consumed a huge percentage of my time more than anything else sadly. So when this all goes away how are we not to feel empty? This feeling was with me for about the first month then I slowly began fill my time (life) back up. I filled it with real things though like participating in my kids lives working on my relationship with my wife and friends. This gives me real rewards unlike gaming.
As Silvertabby said what really helps is participating with the fellowship here. In meetings and on the forums. There is a huge amount of comfort in the knowledge you are not going through this alone and sharing with others going through the same thing.
"Yesterday is History, Tomorrow a Mystery, Today is a Gift, Thats why it's called the Present"
What Reddog and Silver said. Meetings and forums. And meetings. Very helpful.
The thing about the empty feeling is that it's a consequence of addiction--a withdrawal symptom. I stopped enjoying anything in life except games, so when I quit there really wasn't much for me that I was interested in doing. Gradually I got back into life--cooking, gardening, interacting with friends and family, reading. I still remember the first proper meal I cooked for myself after I stopped.
Best wishes to you. Welcome to the fellowship of recovering gaming addicts.
See you at the meeting.... (there are lots of meetings: http://olganon.org/?q=node/46551)
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.
Thanks for the replies and warm welcomes! Its nice to know that you do have someone to lean on.
I also wanted to apologize. Earlier in chat I jokingly said I was glad to see Reddog in there as a fellow newb. Then while sitting here reading the rules I saw things like that are frowned upon (triggers or game related words). Consider me re-educated in trigger words and offer my apologies in advance.
It's not a huge deal. And you weren't far off: We tend to call people who just got here newcomers. :)
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.