Going Cold Turkey on Online Gaming
Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2015 4:08 pm
I'd like to know the community's opinion on stopping compulsive online gaming, and if you all have experiences or advice to share.
For the past 5 years, League of Legends has been the main game I've devoted myself to. It has been a bit of a love/hate relationship, with a few periods of taking a break from the game for several weeks or months, but ultimately returning. I've played a couple of games at night several nights a week. But binging on weekends is something I've done more often than I'd like to admit.
I really thought I played a healthy amount, compared to a lot of gamers. But I noticed a problem in that I felt compelled to play. Often the thought of playing would be a bit daunting, seeming like a chore (especially Ranked games), but I would do it anyway. It was like I had no choice in the matter, and I would feel guilty afterwards.
I'm married, and things would be a bit different if I were single. I really feel like this has not been good for my marriage, despite me being lucky enough to have a wife who doesn't seem to mind me playing and often sits with me. I know that ultimately, I am investing a lot of time and energy into something that is a waste and distraction. Worst of all, if I feel compelled to do it, clearly something is wrong. When problems in our relationship do pop up, I always suspect that my time online has contributed.
So far a week has gone by without playing and I plan to continue towards my goal of 100 days. At that point I will consider myself free. I have to say that the compulsions are still strong and I have often substituted by binging on social media and other websites (like this one). Still not healthy, so I really need to find something more constructive to invest in. Last weekend I went on a fishing trip with no computer for 3 days and this weekend I'm spending time with some friends for most of it, so I feel good about that much.
What I'd love to do more of is read and write. Both things that I can do with my wife and we can talk about together. I love when we both read the same book and talk about it, or if I write a story and she gives me feedback. But I haven't found the motivation to do that in a long time.
I feel like a kid procrastinating doing their homework, but indefinitely.
Does anyone have any advice? Any of you all experience something like this?
For the past 5 years, League of Legends has been the main game I've devoted myself to. It has been a bit of a love/hate relationship, with a few periods of taking a break from the game for several weeks or months, but ultimately returning. I've played a couple of games at night several nights a week. But binging on weekends is something I've done more often than I'd like to admit.
I really thought I played a healthy amount, compared to a lot of gamers. But I noticed a problem in that I felt compelled to play. Often the thought of playing would be a bit daunting, seeming like a chore (especially Ranked games), but I would do it anyway. It was like I had no choice in the matter, and I would feel guilty afterwards.
I'm married, and things would be a bit different if I were single. I really feel like this has not been good for my marriage, despite me being lucky enough to have a wife who doesn't seem to mind me playing and often sits with me. I know that ultimately, I am investing a lot of time and energy into something that is a waste and distraction. Worst of all, if I feel compelled to do it, clearly something is wrong. When problems in our relationship do pop up, I always suspect that my time online has contributed.
So far a week has gone by without playing and I plan to continue towards my goal of 100 days. At that point I will consider myself free. I have to say that the compulsions are still strong and I have often substituted by binging on social media and other websites (like this one). Still not healthy, so I really need to find something more constructive to invest in. Last weekend I went on a fishing trip with no computer for 3 days and this weekend I'm spending time with some friends for most of it, so I feel good about that much.
What I'd love to do more of is read and write. Both things that I can do with my wife and we can talk about together. I love when we both read the same book and talk about it, or if I write a story and she gives me feedback. But I haven't found the motivation to do that in a long time.
I feel like a kid procrastinating doing their homework, but indefinitely.
Does anyone have any advice? Any of you all experience something like this?