How to Fight Computer Game Addiction
Examine all of the negative effects that have come of your game addiction., Make an honest list of what your priorities are right now., Make a new priority list, and this time, write what your priorities should be., Think about how you feel when you...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Examine all of the negative effects that have come of your game addiction.
These might be:
Physical pain.
Diminishing physical and mental skills.
Loss of productive time, which could be spent on school or earning money.
Your grades suffering.
Personality changes.
Unhealthy weight gain because of poor diet and physical activity. -
Step 2: Make an honest list of what your priorities are right now.
Namely, this is to put your addiction into focus.
Don't make a list of what your priorities should be, but what they actually are.
If you have problems deciding how high of a priority something is, look at what you've done in the past.
When you had a chore to do, did you get up and do it or did you wait until you got one last level? When your friends wanted to hang out, did you want to go with them or did you want to stay home and play? When you brought your homework home, did you do it right away or did you get on the computer and play until the last minute? , Remember that computer games should be played on your free time, so consider where free time be on your list. , You may find yourself doing it for a few minutes, then returning to your game. , Realizing that you have a problem, along with seeing the effects of the problem, gives you an advantage.
It gives you a reason to change and motivates you to stick with it. , Some people can't get over an addiction unless they stop completely, while cold turkey actually makes it worse for someone else. , If you set it at a point in the future, such as "next Monday"
you can prepare yourself and motivate yourself. , You can cut down in increments like hours or half hours, and by day or week. , It's easy to feel the urge to get up and play if your computer is in the living room or your bedroom, so if you have another room to put it in, move it there. , If you prefer a game where the objectives end totally or result in an extremely lacking 'free' mode, think about how dull the game will be then.
Make an estimate as to how much time it'll take you to reach this stage. , When you come home from school, do your homework.
Do your chores and take care of the top priorities before settling down for the day. , Often, someone addicted to computer games will stay up late.
Try going to bed earlier each day, but not so early that you'll just lay in bed staring at the ceiling.
If you go to bed at 10, try 9:45 the next night, then 9:30 the next, and 9:00 the night after that. , You can exercise, read, or do something else that stimulates your brain. , Friends are important in life: they're there to support you, they're a source of advice, and later in life, those connections can even help you get a job.
Plus, walking around the mall or the park can help your health. , When you get to a place where you realize that computer games are something you do in your free time, as opposed to something you push other things aside for, you've made an important accomplishment. -
Step 3: Make a new priority list
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Step 4: and this time
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Step 5: write what your priorities should be.
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Step 6: Think about how you feel when you try to do something else for fun.
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Step 7: Commit yourself to making a change for the better.
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Step 8: Decide whether you want to go cold turkey or progressively quit.
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Step 9: Set a day in the near future when you'll start and commit to it.
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Step 10: Make a plan for how many hours a day you're allowed to play at the most
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Step 11: if you choose not to go cold turkey.
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Step 12: Move the computer to a room you're not frequently in.
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Step 13: Sometimes it helps to use your addiction to help you quit.
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Step 14: Complete your other responsibilities before going on the computer.
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Step 15: Go to bed earlier and earlier.
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Step 16: Replace the time you're cutting from the computer on more productive activities.
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Step 17: Go out with your friends more.
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Step 18: Do this until you get to a point where you don't need to play or feel that it's your only outlet for fun.
Detailed Guide
These might be:
Physical pain.
Diminishing physical and mental skills.
Loss of productive time, which could be spent on school or earning money.
Your grades suffering.
Personality changes.
Unhealthy weight gain because of poor diet and physical activity.
Namely, this is to put your addiction into focus.
Don't make a list of what your priorities should be, but what they actually are.
If you have problems deciding how high of a priority something is, look at what you've done in the past.
When you had a chore to do, did you get up and do it or did you wait until you got one last level? When your friends wanted to hang out, did you want to go with them or did you want to stay home and play? When you brought your homework home, did you do it right away or did you get on the computer and play until the last minute? , Remember that computer games should be played on your free time, so consider where free time be on your list. , You may find yourself doing it for a few minutes, then returning to your game. , Realizing that you have a problem, along with seeing the effects of the problem, gives you an advantage.
It gives you a reason to change and motivates you to stick with it. , Some people can't get over an addiction unless they stop completely, while cold turkey actually makes it worse for someone else. , If you set it at a point in the future, such as "next Monday"
you can prepare yourself and motivate yourself. , You can cut down in increments like hours or half hours, and by day or week. , It's easy to feel the urge to get up and play if your computer is in the living room or your bedroom, so if you have another room to put it in, move it there. , If you prefer a game where the objectives end totally or result in an extremely lacking 'free' mode, think about how dull the game will be then.
Make an estimate as to how much time it'll take you to reach this stage. , When you come home from school, do your homework.
Do your chores and take care of the top priorities before settling down for the day. , Often, someone addicted to computer games will stay up late.
Try going to bed earlier each day, but not so early that you'll just lay in bed staring at the ceiling.
If you go to bed at 10, try 9:45 the next night, then 9:30 the next, and 9:00 the night after that. , You can exercise, read, or do something else that stimulates your brain. , Friends are important in life: they're there to support you, they're a source of advice, and later in life, those connections can even help you get a job.
Plus, walking around the mall or the park can help your health. , When you get to a place where you realize that computer games are something you do in your free time, as opposed to something you push other things aside for, you've made an important accomplishment.
About the Author
Frances Miller
Enthusiastic about teaching practical skills techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
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