Playing a game for the amount of time I do starts to erode things like my vocabulary and thought processes (basically I end up obsessing over the game whilst eating, showering, etc.). These return when I take a hiatus from the game and read a few books. However, that latent craving creeps up on me every now and then, totally overwhelming any resistance against it, and I indulge in an uninhibited marathon of playing that lasts a few weeks and leaves me feeling like shit.
Basically, what it boils down to is that I am at an age where what I do now in the coming months will determine the future course of things to come. If I choose to remain in the basement, cloistered from the company of others, the result will not be favourable.