How to get rid of Internet & Computer games addiction

as someone who has delt with these "addictions" ...

the real question is what is the stimulation the person with these habits ..gets from having them.. and these tend to be less bio chemicle and life long than drugs or alcohol .

people who play video games a lot or spend large amounts of time on the internet are doing it because they are getting something they are unable to get from their environment or there network of people around them.

personally .. i have spent 2 years breakind down and understanding what i get when i play games..which i don't do much anymore .. and i have looks for a way to replicate that in real life ..

people with video game addiction may be physically inactive..but are far from lazy..they can spend 20 hours a day expending effort in a game to achive something that seems almost trivial .

the key is to observe that and find a way to replicate it in the real world .

and then other online addiction that allow people to poject a persona far different from who they are in real life .

where as porn addictions eventually correct themselves when they cause impotence or other negative personal consequences ..

..now i have found some of my answers .. and basically i am online much now to learn as much as i can from youtube video's ....i do play games daily ..but no where near as much time as most people watch the tv.

and is it kind of screwed up that somone can play video game 4-6 hours a day and be labeled an addict ..while most people watch 4-6 hours of tv a day

I channel my negative addictions to positive "addictions" or passions.

Is being addicted to video games a bad thing? Yes, if it leads to negative consequences, but what about those that get paid for it, use it to get ideas and make their own Apps, etc? Use their vast knowledge of gaming to make an affiliate review sites and make money? Then it's a positive addiction.

Is Internet addiction a bad thing? Well, if you mindlessly surf youtube, check your email constantly for spams, visit news sites daily, etc, then those are negative since they're not making you healthy or more rich.

But if you channel those Internet habits into learning how to built websites, visiting websites to gain ideas, using Youtube to advertise your product, follow the latest news/trends on what to invest or promote, learn email marketing, then that's not a bad thing at all.

All of us are creatures of habits, those involve in IM will have their own "OCD-loop" when getting on their computer - the applications they use daily, the regular websites they visit, the same people/blog they interact with online, etc. Take a step back and constantly ask yourself, "What's the profit in what I'm doing? And if not, how can I take an entrepreneur approach to what I'm doing?"

I believe we are all productive and within us, there's an area where we want to reach a goal to succeed. The gamer may seem "lazy" but he/she needs to channel it elsewhere for a higher return on effort. The people who spend all his/her day on the Internet may seem "lazy" but he/she could be managing a six-figure online business through his/her mobile phone.

It all begins with changing your thoughts/cognitive process->habits->beliefs->actions->perseverance!

Switch the computer off!

If the game playing/Internet interferes with other parts of one's life and detracts from living wholly, then it truly is an addiction. The question I would be asking is what is the addict trying to escape from in their everyday life that drives this excessive type of behaviour?

Self-esteem issues are often the underlying cause here I believe. The sense of achievement or attainment from these behavioural patterns may create feelings of accomplishment in the addict and give them a temporary purpose to their life. But the long term harm caused by such habitual patterns in order to artificially inflate one's self-worth may be a diminished capacity to truly live a well-rounded, healthy life.

Any technique used to get a person to change is really an effort to change a person's self image. I used to be a fat guy who wasted way too much time on non-productive things, then I changed my self-image to a fit and productive person and all of my behavior changed that day and all of my results changed as long as I hold onto the new image. Everyone has a "that's just the type of person I am" view of themselves. When in reality none of us happen to "just be that way", we are in reality choosing who we are every other second.

As someone who's suffered from internet addiction, I can tell you that the solution is pretty simple in concept. Just as said --- find other things to do. The key is to replace the time usually spent on the internet with something else. That way, you'll be too easy with those other tasks to even worry about what's going on in cyberspace. It also helps to delete social media apps from your phone. And if you are going to be online, give yourself a designated amount of time per day and use a timer to keep track. For that purpose, I use this site: Online Timer

Just watch this, I hope it helps:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ow0lr63y4Mw

just say no

I remember in my early twenties when I was playing video games a lot. Someone told me that people who play video games a lot don’t grow up. They stay immature, like a child. I was told I wouldn’t become a man if I just kept hiding out with video games. This hurt. It hurt quite a bit. So I decided to go “play” the video game of life and never looked back.

Oh, I might play a video game once in a while today but never really very much. It is a bit boring these days. Gaming just seems boring now that I am involved in real life. Way back then, I took the things out of video game that I wanted and went out into life to get them. Love your list, by the way. Play the game of life like you do a video game (kind of, with the realities and pain of life considered, of course). It is a lot harder and certainly more risky but real life actually pays off in real success. For me that was worth the trade-off. In certain ways you can’t fail at life like you get to keep going with a video game. Of course you can die in real like (and suffer real pain) and now the best games might ban you for life as well. See the responsible healthy comparisons?

Bizarre suggestions for gamers that may help you to transition (but are not guaranteed):
(just trying to be fun about the help)
Learn to day trade. Please don’t do this with real money first. You will lose it.
Learn the thrill of money and real life.
Learn to read the “matrix” like in the movie.
Become a coder or programmer.
Learn the thrill of controlling the fabric of “reality” of you own life.
Post on “constructive” forums such as this one.
Begin to engage with people in small, safer ways.

Obviously a real, lasting permanent cure is quite involved. A real addiction is a real problem. Gaming addicts can have quite a problem. Just, “stop it” is far from cutting it than we would like to believe. A real addict has a real serious problem. But there is no excuse. People get off of stuff and so can gamers.

The more you socialize the more you get away from computers.

Its true online games or pc games in general can really hamper your income if you work at home or have a business. In the past i had a WoW addiction and lost a lot of income due to the amount of time i used up.

But some good tips here to follow.

I used to play games as well, I suggest you get into personal improvement. Get a fitness schedule & get out more that should do the trick. Now I can't even stand to play a game for 10 minutes.

To add to Bling, if you do get into fitness, I would recommend the app 'Fitocracy'. They gameify working out very effectively -- you can even join clans, teams, compete with people who have other interests (eg. sports teams, playing instruments)

The biggest mistake you can make is to view the game or whatever else is addictive. Nothing is addictive. Not even drugs. Addiction happens at the self-image level. Certain people are prone to addictive behaviour. It's only a matter of time before they find an outlet for it.

Looking at the game as being addictive also shifts the responsibility solely from you to some external object. If you have any sort of addiction at all, ask yourself if there is something wrong or troubling at a deep personal or self-image level. Fix that. And you fix the addiction.

If you get together with buddies to play some madden or whatever games are popular now, that's normal and even good for you socially. But if you're holed up at the gaming rig for half the day, take a long hard look at what in your self-image is causing that need for escape from reality.

I agree about creating alternatives. However, gaming nowadays is a very social activity, so it's more a creating "social alternatives."

Today, most gamers are into social gaming - known as online multi-player games. In fact, there are even social clubs, real meet up clubs for gamers on a weekly basis. Gaming is becoming more social (there are even offline networking groups for gaming 'addicts') and it's like telling those addicted to football to find social activities, when playing sports is already a social activity. There are plenty of gamers who do a lot of social activities outside of gaming but most hang out with other gamers playing together (and consider themselves an addict).

Likewise, the same can be said for Internet Marketers - spending all hours creating campaigns, doing ad copy, researching the "latest and greatest" product to make money, etc. They may even network and attend conferences. Strategies to make more money online consume their thoughts daily. Is that a good addiction or bad addiction?

I believe we're all social creature and seek some form of interaction. The key is balance it with alternatives - ones that seem foreign to you "outside the box."

acctually to admit why i don't make money online right now or nor will i build a primarily online buisines ..i think in the last 16 years i have between three or for of that logged into playing video games ..and and a large amount of time spent on forums .

at this point i am online to watch you tubes for different things i want to learn listen to audio on different subjects i am learning about ..and talking to a few people ..

the idea of being online sitting at my keyboard "building a business or creating products" does not appeal to me ..i need to be physically productive to feel productive ..

now i have this thing in any game i play where i can always make more than enough in game currency to play at the rate i want to ..and i am a power leveler so i can get to high level as fast as anyone ..if i can focus on a game..i am in the top .1 percent of levelers .. but i get bored when progress slows to almost none .

so by looking at the way i play games and the way i make money in games..and observing what i liked about the two jobs i have held long term.. i have spent the last year and a half looking for what i could do to produce stuff to make money ..

granted it has only been in the last two weeks that i have figured out the what ..now i just need some money to get the where and the how settled .

there where many thing i could not get from people in real life that i could get in games i played..my most recent gaming binge was around xmas time ..and for the first time in 16 years of playing games i tokk over a guild that was pretty much a mess and got a team together who took it to number 1 on the server and total dominance ..but i handed it off almost 2 months ago ..trust me if you have never led a top tier guild in a game ..you have yet to see a side of humanity that would shock people. haha

the Us military uses video games to train people ..there are ways to refine skills in games at low cost that are usfull in the real world .

Odahh - it's great that you are starting to make changes. It sounds like you have a lot of passion for gaming - just apply the passion and motivation you have for gaming and apply the same "gaming" passion to an online business.

A lot gamers are very discipline, focused, attentive to details, and have quick reactions. They are so passionate in their virtual world that they'll do whatever it takes to reach the next level. Yet, they can become lazy on non-gaming activities. However, if only those "gamers" apply the same principles/strategies of success to online marketing, they will succeed as well. It will be a hard transition at first, but if you take the skills you learn in gaming and apply it other areas, you will succeed as well.

i need to physically move and make things ..to feel productive ..what i can do offline does not leave out turning it into a way to bring income in from online marketing ..but i can build the offline income then..either attempt to teach people that system through online products.or set it up that they come where i am and learn from me ..or travel some and do workshops ..

but the first component is building the offline system ..and i am far from twich gamer with leet reaction and uber skills . i actually enjoy the money making part of th games..how much is this little piece of material worth..what is made with it ..and if i make this item and sell it is there a profit well beyond if i just sold the mats .

kill things sell stuff kill more thing sell stuff ..but the kill things part doesn't work as well in the real world so it has been a search trying to find something in the area

You can also gameify your life. For example, assign positive points for doing things that are productive or good for you, and they unlock rewards (such as playing video games, or eating a really unhealthy meal, or a day off from work)

In particular, Lifehacker has some good articles on gameifying your life. They have lots of good apps to recommend:

The Best Tools to (Productively) Gamify Every Aspect of Your Life

Funny I should stumble upon this post. I just recently set a goal of stopping all addictive game play. Including those on my Galaxy S4.

Was the easiest goal to achieve. Only because I immediately felt it was hindering my productivity. I am currently 1 week without any gameplay and simply not missing it one bit.

Questions I asked myself..
What is my goal on this game?
Who am I trying to empress?
Why do I feel accomplished when I play games?
When would I feel fulfillment?
Where can I go with game play and success?

For me, I had a difficult time answering any of it... Made it easy to accomplish.. I still enjoy watching my girlfriend invade enemy camps and hunt wildlife while I work on an article. As far as playing.. Natta..

That is my experience so far! Hope it helps

Go out and hangout with your friends and family. Go to gym, play sports and soon you will forget about being addicted to computer games.

Actually I am not addicted to Internet. I did not like to play on computer. But yes I found many people are addicted. So I read all here. I like this threads.Hope it will help many one to get away from addiction.

I used to be addicted to gaming, more specifically MMORPGs..

Cured it by spending more time with friends and socializing.

Cheers,

C.G.

Destroy your video games

I work at home often and in my earlier stages of entrepreneurship I physically had to sell my PS3 and delete games such as WOW from my computer. I am much older, wiser and more disciplined now and have the sense to realize that the only leveling up I want to do is when I look at my Bank Statement and that by playing games when I should be working was not accomplishing that at all. Its all about discipline and time management.

You need to come up with strong will to say Big No to these addictions.

Get an accountability partner

I'm serious - I only started making real progress when i had someone to answer to preferably in a public setting like a facebook group. With this you are compelled to take action so as not a) fall behind you're partner and b) avoid the feeling of being left behind as others achieve success

Find someone like minded and start committing to each other certain specific goals and meet on a regular basis and strive to push one another forwards

Best of luck

Thanks for the advice. I would also add:

talk to friends on the phone

make some voluntary work

read a book or a magazine

watch a movie

I used to play WOW a LOT!
Then I realized that real life achievements are better than video game achievements so I decided to focus more on real life and so far it has worked pretty well!

Cheers!
Pedro

What helped me was the 'pressure' to succeed.

I had peer pressure and I had no choice but to perform well!

Ean