Addiction

KhajiitFL · 2019-03-05T01:56:46+00:00

At some point you realize how futile they are. How you're wasting time, spinning your wheels, and attaining meaningless goals.

Unless you're playing multiplayer, then it's really just the social aspect you're craving and enjoying.

Impossible-asset · 2019-03-05T04:22:27+00:00

Here is how you get over a video game (and damned near anything else) addiction:

Recognize that it's a problem for you. When it is having a negative affect on your life and you continue to engage in the activity, regardless of knowing that it is affecting you negatively, THAT is an addiction.
Harm Reduction: Dont "deny" yourself, or go "cold turkey". This very rarely works. Rather, reduce your usage by just 10%. So if you are playing for say 40 hours a week, for just one week play for only 35 hours.
Replace the time you have saved with another activity that is constructive: so it's not just empty boredom space. If you're in college and your grades are slipping. I would recommend filling that time you have freed up to study, exercise, or good healthy sleep.
Repeat steps 2 and 3 until your usage has been reduced by half or more. Then you are now gaining control over your habit. Now you can abstain successfully. Here is how you do that. Instead of "denying" yourself video game time, which will make you want to play video games even more because you "have" to stay away from it, when the time comes for you to play video games, just tell yourself

"ok, you can play now if you want, but it would be so much more satisfying to continue doing what you're already doing (studying, exercise, whatever), and video games will be a quick temporary fix. But afterwards I will feel bad and I dont really want that right now, so (here is the key part) I'LL DO IT A LITTLE LATER."

That's a very powerful psychological prompt because you are ALLOWING yourself to engage in the activity, and then consciously Interrupting that not with a denial. But with something you would prefer to do instead that's already constructive for you. Most cravings for just about anything will pass in 20 minutes or so anyways. Lastly, after giving yourself permission to do the activity, then giving yourself a choice of what to do (say play video games vs a little more study time), you CHOOSE to engage in the studying, but simultaneously suspend your desire to play video games because you tell yourself you'll do it just a little later. It's not a denial, it's just a little postponed.

Now let's say you do that, you go study instead of playing video games, and then you want to play afterwards.... then you play video games and enjoy it until you reach your bedtime or whatever your limit is. When you do, you consciously give yourself permission to do it. Then you wont feel guilty about it because you have already succeeded earlier. And it's not a reward, it's just "doing it later" that you already had permission to do.

Before you know it, cravings will decrease as other more productive activities take a more prominent role in your life.

This works with just about anything behavioral where a true chemical dependance or a diagnosed mental illness is not present (severe heroin addicts may need intervention help and medical supervision for example, schizophrenics may also need professional inpatient help).

Other than that, this works just as well for video game addiction as it does for smoking, pussy, or donuts.

And as always, it's never a bad idea to go have a consult with a mental health professional. They are there to help.

I hope I stayed it clearly enough and you find it helpful. Cheers.

DonMelbourne · 2019-03-05T06:54:52+00:00

"When the pain required to make a change exceeds the pain of remaining the same, people will change."

Supernumiphone · 2019-03-05T05:20:51+00:00

I kicked my addiction when the MMO I was playing got shut down. Countless hours (seriously) put into creating in that world, all taken away in a moment. That taught me not to devote my energies to a world controlled by others, where the fruits of my labors can be arbitrarily taken away. Sound familiar? A very MGTOW-affirming experience. I decided that I would put that energy into building things that will last, and that are under my control. Out here, in the real world.

Realize that video games are designed to give you a false sense of accomplishment. They give you small rewards at each step, and in that way are in a sense "better" than real life. In the real world we often have to work for a very long time with no reward before we get the payoff. So the game is more gratifying. It feels more rewarding and enjoyable. But it's all an illusion. Once you're done with the game what do you have to show for your efforts? Sure it was fun, but probably if anything you're further behind in your life than when you began.

It's so tempting to go for the short-term fix rather than put your nose to the grindstone and take care of business. However if you engage fully with your life, and can keep it up long enough, the rewards start to finally show up, and it becomes self-reinforcing. You want to get things done because you want the much more real rewards that come from that.

anonanyo · 2019-03-05T04:30:40+00:00

I started college in 1999. I saw some of my friends fall for WoW and drop out of college. It is a drug.

I would say try to go cold turkey. I was a bit poor, so I couldn't afford paying for WoW, a good computer, or games.

I would also try to join clubs at school. Even if it's an anime or video game club. What you need to do is break the video game pattern which leads to your habit.

laptopdragon · 2019-03-05T04:28:49+00:00

they're all fun, and designed to keep people playing, but seriously, don't even start it for a few days.

I've gone into times where I become immersed in them and when i need to focus, I only play from Friday night to Sunday, sometimes only stopping for food/shower/etc.

but starting tomorrow, don't play it until Friday.

Next Friday, try to do all homework and everything before starting it up.

then play all weekend.

the following Friday, I bet you can put the game on the shelf until summer.

William_A_Bishop · 2019-03-05T03:42:14+00:00

Is it multiplayer or single player?

Can you set a timer? Or maybe use it as a reward, when you're done your work you can play. Its a real thing, i dropped out of university for wow once.

Do you have any other hobbies?

Worst case, backup your saves and uninstall until you're done the class.

Fluster45 · 2019-03-05T03:28:59+00:00

I am also very lazy and procrastinate a lot I believe.

GlobalAsshat · 2019-03-05T21:50:07+00:00

I like video games but without cultivating new habits and practicing self discipline I could let me whole life get absorbed in it. I could replay so many games over again... FFX, all the Bioshocks, Half Life 2, Fallout 4.. do I want to waste thousands of hours?

Title	Addiction
Author	Fluster45
Upvotes	3
Comments	22
Date	March 5, 2019 1:50 AM UTC (7 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/MGTOW2
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/MGTOW2/comments/axfgtt/addiction/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/MGTOW2/addiction.814050 https://theredarchive.com/post/814050

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