A
male
age
36-40,
anonymous
writes:I'm obsessed with playing videogames online. I play them most of the day, I sit up to half five in the mourning. When I win I feel really happy, when I lose I feel angry and pissed off. If I lose I feel I need to have another game to make up for the loss. I have trouble sleeping becasue I'm obsessed with getting high scores and a high winning record.Nothing else matters to me right now. I don't care for looking for work or going out. I just want to play videogames all day and win. It's taking over my life and I have no interest in anything else.
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female
reader, anonymous, writes (28 November 2009): I am actually working on PhD in this specific area. There is considerable evidence that some behaviours (e.g. gambling, video games, pornography, shopping) can be addictive.I know that the people on this site are here to help, and we should all be grateful to them , however, in this case you need more specialized help from a mental health professional. This issue is unlikely to resolve itself. I suggest seeing your doctor ASAP. If you need help right away, you may benefit from attending meeting for individuals with gambling issues (as these forms of addiction are just so similar). I think that they have Gamblers Anonymous is the U.K., but I'm not sure. You could google a researcher by the name of Mark Griffiths for more info.
Best of luck to you! I believe that with determination and assistance that you will overcome this problem.
A
male
reader, LazyGuy  +, writes (28 November 2009):
 Could be. But what is the question?
Any behavior which causes you to be unable to perform a normal role in society (have an income, socialize to an extent, be "happy") is bad.
I am a bit hesitant with labeling gaming as something you be addicted to. The treatment is different after all and an obsessive player who gets his life in order can still game. An alcoholic can never ever drink again. Same with other drugs.
I think you got things in reverse. You don't care to look for work and so you game. Real life is diffcult with goals being obscure and hard to achieve. It is far easier to complete a quick game mission, quest, level and be succesful then to complete the life quest "get a job".
Games are simple, with clear rules and goals. It might take a month to level up in World of Warcraft (a popular online game) but once you have done that you gone from newbie to the top level. Compared with career, a month will just about get you out of your trial period. Getting promoted may take years of grinding (the boss, for the girls among us) and the rules are far from clear.
So rather then deal with that and the constant frustration and disappointment you game, where you know you can win far more often. It don't mean anything, but the chemicals released in your brain are similar enough, and every day you can put the real world on hold for a little bit longer.
What you need to do, is change this. I don't know about england, but aren't there help programs for people to find jobs? Where you go fulltime to get both job interview training, get help finding jobs and also perform light work to get back in the routine of working (getting up on time, accepting that work sometimes sucks but still has to be done). It helps to break the routine you have gotten into.
Calling your condition an addiction is in a way part of the problem, it implies you need medical help and your body can't help and needs the gaming to function.
Nope, all that needs to be done is to move your life around. Get started again.
Of course, that is a LOT easier said then done. As said, see if the UK has programs to help people get back at work. What you need most is anything that forces you to get a routine again of going out there and do something, rather then escape from life.
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