My escapisms, procrastination and short comings..

[Roman Legion]

I have had a very bad addiction to video games since the mid-late 90's and it has been progressively worse. I know with my issues that I should try to steer clear of these escapisms as they again are very addicting, but I can't seem to help it.. I used to read more and learn for fun, I have lost interest with TV a few years ago when everything turned to what seems like the same rubbish. I'd like to get back into reading, learning and rid myself of my procrastination once and for all. I think I turned to escapisms around the time I stared school, but then it was only TV.. In the mid-90's I started playing Oregon Trail on our old PC, then in 1999 we got a new computer with windows 98 and I discovered Quake II and Star Wars: Dark Forces.. It was down-hill from there. At school I had to suffer through a bad time due to my selective mutism and nobody seeming to know about it or even care to find out (Which went on for my entire time in the public education system. I don't much care now for dating or fixing my SM, I just want to break the addiction to this escapism once and for all so I can enjoy reading, and focus on my school work in August. I have come to terms with my SM, but I can no longer afford to procrastinate though school and I don't want to, but I am addicted to video games. Anybody have advice or been through this same situation? I tried selling my xbox before.. I ended up with another one and a PS3 that I really couldn't afford! I am sure I forgot a few things, so I may add more later..

 

[dyingtolive]

dude, i am in a similar situation..

Never thought id get hooked actually. Was hooked on and off throughout the years to some games.. But the games end... When they're over, they're over, you can move on to something else..

Work on that, have closure on one game.. then don't let another game interest you.

You're sorta lucky you're playing consoles. The worst are MMO's... seriously.. coz they NEVER END.. But i dont know consoles nowadays u can connect to the internet, right?? So, goodluck. Just get some closure if you can finish a game, good. Its the never ending ones that suck you.

Good luck. What games are you playing atm??

 

[Roman Legion]

I played MMOs on my laptop and still play one every so often.. (Star Trek Online) I was addicted to Final Fantasy XI in high school.. Most games on consoles now have multiplayer and I have been playing games like BF3 which don't really have an end. I fear if I sell my consoles again, I will succumb to the addiction and have to buy the consoles again. I am at a loss here, I don't know what I should do, it may not seem serious because it is a video game, but it is designed to give the player the same mindset as a gambler.. Instant gratification..

 

[Silatuyok]

It helps if you find a healthy replacement for your addiction, and gradually wean yourself off video games and onto some other hobby/pursuit. After spending some time away from video games, you may find yourself less inclined to go back to them. That's how it works for me, anyway.

 

[MollyBeGood]

I want to read more too. I miss it so much. I spend all my time watching movies online and sleeping for escapism purposes. I remember when I didn't have a computer and I was happier tbh. I have become completely addicted to it and it makes me sad-well there's huge studies it makes people depressed too much gaming and online time but it's all I have for a social outlet right now so it's what I do. So many people struggle with it. I wish like hell half the time I want the throw my lappy against the wall and run into the woods and never come back but I am crazy that way LoL plus the damn thing still isn't paid for
I am moving to a super remote location in the next few weeks so I hope that I will just naturally stop my bad behavior and spend all my time outside.
No advice other than it's like anything...moderation is key.

 

[Roman Legion]

I just want to go back to reading for fun and reading to learn strange new things as I did until the mid 2000's.. It started on the original xbox and PC, now it is PC, xbox 360 and PS3.. I spend money I do not have on new games and cannot help myself! I'm not good at finding hobbies, I am only good at absolute quiet and solitude.. Which is how I originally was with reading.. I am looking at google results for video game addiction, if I find anything, I will share it here.. On a miscelleaneous note, I got an online consultation fom militaryonesource scheduled, hopefully they can diagnose me.. Confimation will be so great to have..

 

[Silatuyok]

The internet has fried my attention span to the point where I can't even concentrate long enough to read a page or two of a book. It's sad because I used to read like crazy; in eighth grade I read something like 89 books in one year. I'd love to be able to get back to reading even just 10 books a year, but instead the internet is sucking my life away. I keep saying I'm just going to sell my laptop, but I never do.

 

[Silatuyok]

On a miscelleaneous note, I got an online consultation fom militaryonesource scheduled, hopefully they can diagnose me.. Confimation will be so great to have..

Excellent!

 

[MollyBeGood]

holy gawd 89 books? wow! you need to sell your laptop!

 

[dyingtolive]

yeah instant gratification alright !

hey ur avatar shows u holding a guitar??? Thats a perfect replacement!

Actually, its also my fallback.. I don't think i'm going to ever be able to read... but guitar is part of my "goals"

 

[Roman Legion]

The internet has fried my attention span to the point where I can't even concentrate long enough to read a page or two of a book. It's sad because I used to read like crazy; in eighth grade I read something like 89 books in one year. I'd love to be able to get back to reading even just 10 books a year, but instead the internet is sucking my life away. I keep saying I'm just going to sell my laptop, but I never do.

Very impressive! I used to go to the library at school to be alone and get away from the anxiety.. I would read everything from The Republic (Plato), The Great Betrayal (Ian Smith), Seven Pillars of Wisdom (T.E. Lawrence), many science fiction books (Mostly Star Trek novels) Other classics and for some reason books on Astronomy and Astrophysics, The Feminine Mystique (Betty Friedan) The Metamorphoses (Ovid), Paradise Lost (John Milton) and VERY dark Poetry.. My favourite poem being Richard Cory.. Oh, and I loved to read the dictionary, kinda funny since I can't talk in most social situations, eh?

yeah instant gratification alright !

hey ur avatar shows u holding a guitar??? Thats a perfect replacement!

Actually, its also my fallback.. I don't think i'm going to ever be able to read... but guitar is part of my "goals"

I have only been playing the guitar for about 5 or 6 months now, I really suck and seem to learn random riffs by ear, rather than being able to read music..

 

[Bustn Justin]

I am the opposite. I have a ps3 so I be encouraged to play games but mostly use it for watching DVDs.

 

[Roman Legion]

I succumbed to the temptation of video games again and found myself playing BF3 on my xbox.. I just can't break the addiction.. Am I just hopeless?

 

[EscapeArtist]

How about start by just adding other activities into your life, make an effort to add a few more hobbies that way you can try to transfer your interest before you take video games completely away. Also, they have video game rehab places now... If you have the money!

Don't put pressure on yourself to completely quit forever if you have tried repeatedly and it feels too overwhelming. Start by focusing on spending more time doing other things

 

[Roman Legion]

I live in the middle of nowhere with VERY limited money to do anything that is around.. Not sure what I am interested in or what I can take up.. I do want to have a job and hobby as one (make a hydroponics bay, grow stuff and sell it locally).

 

[mart22n]

I was addicted to a MMORPG (BlackMUD ) for nearly 9 years, with fallbacks and recoveries. However, I wrote down in my diary that I'd completely stop playing the game. That was about 40 days ago. Yes, I have felt the urge to play, but you know what? Every time you feel the urge and DO NOT play, your self esteem and willpower rises a bit...but when you succumb, they will degrade a bit. True story I'm proud that I was able to completely quit the game.

 

[AGR]

I was adicted to video games since super nes until ps2 around 2005 or 2006 then I just sold it and never looked back,my other addiction the computer,I dont think I will be able to sell it.........

 

[dyingtolive]

hi roman legion,

i think something about games is: the longer u stay away from it, the more your mind also shifts to something else. there's this "hump". And it takes time to "Get back into it" just the same as "get out of it". I mean, everytime i touch a keyboard, my hand automatically positions itself in the WSAD. And my brain can't stop thinking about the tiny in's and out's and the minute details of the game.. But after a while, your mind forgets those tiny minute details and are replaced with another hobby's. Best if you're also really passionate about the replacement hobby.

I like guitar because it also gives me gratification when i feel i've improved or come up with something. So its actually also like a game. Also sports or working out for me. It gives accomplishment. But it also takes alot of time to "get into it".

re: guitar, you know learning is very multidimensional. theres just so much to practice, so much ways to grow. some people never even learn how to read music and thats ok,
its very interesting to study music theory also. from the perspective of being a gamer, its also like a puzzle thats a nice neverending challenge to wrap your mind around.

 

[O'Killian]

Overcoming any addiction cold-turkey takes an exceptionally strong-willed person. Us normal folk need to take it in steps. I'd make some suggestions about what these baby steps are, but I don't know if you're whiling away hours at a time or just playing a few quick matches when you start jonesing throughout the day.

Of course I'm probably not the best person to be giving advice on the subject as gaming is all but my life. (I mean this in all its forms - pen and paper RPGs, board games, card games, as well as video games). I enjoy little more than analyzing rules and messing with all the interlocking pieces.

So I'll make a radical suggestion; look into game design, game theory, that kind of thing. If you're playing single-player games with any sort of focus on story, analyze them critically. Video games can be a hobby and not an addiction. I'm not saying you shouldn't try to wean yourself off if you're playing too much - just that if you change how you think about it, maybe it'll be easier. This may not be your thing, but it's worth a shot.

I live in the middle of nowhere with VERY limited money to do anything that is around.. Not sure what I am interested in or what I can take up.. I do want to have a job and hobby as one (make a hydroponics bay, grow stuff and sell it locally).

This is somewhat similar to my situation, but hell, we both have an entire Internet at our fingertips. There's a load of free information available about everything under the sun. Not to hit on the gaming thing again, but there's loads of free games (usually because they're rather niche / have a difficult learning curve), you can occasionally find free e-books (not to mention cheap two or three dollar self-published books on Amazon - some of which at least are decent), and I imagine there's a blog for any passtime you can think of. (I've seen writing, metalworking, speculative fiction, Navy-battleship-geekery...)

You may not know what you're interested in yet, but if you've got an Internet connection all it takes is a little will and a some time.

 

[Rawz]

I've spent countless hours playing video games. It's been my number one source of entertainment. Since I was homeschooled and didn't have many friends (only one friend that I regularly hung out with) I spent a lot of time playing video games. Most of my best memories and fun that I've had has come from video games. I still spend a lot of time playing video games.

I guess I am addicted. I don't plan on ever quitting. I hope I never lose interest in them, but I guess that might be out of my control.