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I have replaced alcohol with video gaming.

Metalhead

Metalhead

Video game and movie addict. All for gay pride.
V.I.P Member
One addiction swapped out for another. I am now a functional gaming addict.

Why can’t I be addicted to exercise and healthy eating instead?
 
What's wrong with gaming? If gaming is stopping you from drinking, you're cutting out a lot of calories with that alone. Just don't eat while gaming.
 
Metalhead said:
One addiction swapped out for another. I am now a functional gaming addict.

Why can’t I be addicted to exercise and healthy eating instead?
Click to expand...
Videogaming is better than alcohol. Just think of videogaming as a puzzle; gets the mind working and is harmless for you and for others around you. Alcohol is poison and is not good for your body or your mind, and for a lot of people who drink a lot of alcohol it can cause problems for their loved ones too.

Despite my anxiety, depression and insecurities, I have never touched alcohol or done street drugs. It's cheap and healthy. Yes I know I consume sugar and caffeine but it can't be as bad as smoking, street drugs or alcohol, because otherwise they wouldn't let children consume it. Also you're allowed to consume sugar and caffeine indoors and at work. I think smoking, street drugs and alcohol can be much more addictive than sugar and caffeine.
 
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You can still step in to exercise. It's no big deal. Commit to a plan of even just twice a week to the gym. You will feel good even just going twice a week. Then commit to twice a week of healthy eating. Good enough. I fell out of running, and healthy eating, so l committed to twice a work week. And then slowly l got back online.
 
Dude, you've got to stop beating yourself up like this. You do this over and over again, and it's going to feel terrible every time. You cant progress while you're punching yourself in the face over something that deserves no actual punishment. Havent you had enough of this already?

This reminds me of a line from Stan Lee, I dont have the quote immediately in front of me, but he mentions how he kinda felt bad at one point because there's people out there doing super important things, while he's over there just making comics. But he mentions that he had a realization: the things he makes are important in their own way. Without entertainment, activities, hobbies, things to stimulate the mind, people might just go off the deep end. The comics he made were never bad simply because they werent immediately saving orphans from burning buildings. And likewise, someone reading them, or having a true special interest in them, isnt bad simply because they arent, I dunno, performing surgery.

You act like every single action you take needs to be pointed dead center towards some sort of... I dont know, complete perfection, productive at ALL times. Nothing allowed to interfere. But what you're aiming for isnt even perfection even though it might seem so. If you dont let yourself relax, if you dont let yourself have hobbies, interests, distractions, and whatnot, all you'll do is become a mess.

Also I want to second part of what @Misty Avich said.

Gaming can provide you actual, tangible, USABLE benefits *if you let it*. Coordination, reflexes, critical thinking, you can help all of these things not just with this, but with many hobbies. And it can help with your mood, too. But you gotta stop seeing them as purely negative simply because they arent giving you perfect physique and "productivity". This isnt just about gaming either. It's the same with any other hobby. Something like, I dont know, assembling models, people love doing that, and there's benefits to that kind of hobby too.

If you feel like you're putting *too much* time into it, I can tell you right now, your attitude is a part of that. That kind of "woe is me" or "I suck" sort of thing is exactly what takes it from a hobby, to a real problem.

Again, you can stop that, if you want. But you have to get up and freaking do it.


And yeah I know I'm sounding kinda harsh, but as I often put it, right now you can either continue going around and around the rotting carousel you're stuck on (aka, beating yourself up for no reason) or you can get the heck off of it. But only YOU can make it happen.

Arent you tired of having to make this kind of post?
 
Metalhead said:
One addiction swapped out for another. I am now a functional gaming addict.
Click to expand...
Harm reduction. I'm sure you know it's better than getting drunk, but you recognize the addictive pattern and that's good, too. More time away from alcohol will give you more chances to do other things if video gaming starts to seem too obsessive. Maybe one day it will turn into something really cool like starting up a video game club for kids with addiction problems.

Metalhead said:
Why can’t I be addicted to exercise and healthy eating instead?
Click to expand...
Seems like it just doesn't spark that dopamine reaction for you. Addict brains are all about the dopamine hit that we get used it. We will search for it endlessly just like Smeagol seeks the One Ring. We will seek it to our doom. We will notice it's absence.
 
Metalhead said:
One addiction swapped out for another. I am now a functional gaming addict.

Why can’t I be addicted to exercise and healthy eating instead?
Click to expand...
As others pointed out, you see doom but I see a lot of progress. Video games are much better than being wasted.

One suggestion: have you tried running? If you're out of shape, it doesn't feel nice, but If you start slowly, like walk, jog a little, walk, jog a little... you will soon be jogging for 5 mints, then 10, 20, 1 hour, then 2 hours...

The reason I mention this is because I used to run a lot and got into trail running. I met many former addicts who told me that trail running and ultra running (running slowly for very long distances) saved their lives... It was way too many people to be random.

Edit. Found this:

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeand...ad-of-swapping-drugs-and-alcohol-for-exercise
 
I hardly ever play video games any more, having lost interest.

There was a time when playing RE every morning was the norm. I still love the series and care deeply for it, but the modern era from Capcom just isn't as good as it was prior to 2017, or 2005 if I must be more blunt about the direction it went in. But I don't drink booze.
 
Because salad doesn't release endorphins. I'm proud of you. As long as you aren't missing work or gaming all night long, I think it's okay. Sonic the Hedgehog never damaged anyone's liver. So there you go.
 
I guess I should not feel guilty about being a gamer. My sponsor told me I was addicted to gaming because I do it most evenings after I get home from work. But I am being productive on my job, I am eating a healthy diet, I gave up alcohol. I made a ton of progress. Damn my sponsor if he refuses to see that.
 
My sponsor told me I was addicted to gaming because I do it most evenings after I get home from work.

Momentarily I thought this was a positive statement.
That the sponsor was acknowledging gaming as recreational activity
after work. Gaming isn't taking the place of work. Or getting in the
way of eating healthy food. Preventing you from bathing...etc

You don't play all night and then miss work.

What's his problem with gaming?
 
Are they assuming that because you still have "addictive" behaviors, then you haven't addressed the root cause?

If so, that sounds like something that could be good advice for NTs, but might be bad/wrong advice for NDs.
 
Well, excercise makes me miserable, always has, and it has only gotten worse. Sitting in my room playing guitar in 75F heat? Sweat rings around my collar.
 
Metalhead said:
I guess I should not feel guilty about being a gamer. My sponsor told me I was addicted to gaming because I do it most evenings after I get home from work. But I am being productive on my job, I am eating a healthy diet, I gave up alcohol. I made a ton of progress. Damn my sponsor if he refuses to see that.
Click to expand...
I agree that it is good for recovering addicts to be aware of the idea of replacing one addiction with another, but we must also be able to recognize when we are not doing this and allow ourselves to have intense interests and hobbies.

Recovering addicts who are trying to support another (like a sponsor) may be too quick to see addictive behavior everywhere. I can be guilty of this, too. Addiction can take over our lives very easily, but it does not have to be the only thing that we ever are and be a part of everything that we do.
 
Rodafina said:
Recovering addicts who are trying to support another (like a sponsor) may be too quick to see addictive behavior everywhere. I can be guilty of this, too. Addiction can take over our lives very easily, but it does not have to be the only thing that we ever are and be a part of everything that we do.
Click to expand...

Is there a "line" to be aware of between addiction and autistic special interests? Makes me wonder how medical professionals feel about autistic addicts. Never thought about it until now. Can the two be recognized as separate issues or are medical professionals apt to treat them in the same manner?

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2017/03/autism-and-addiction/518289/
 
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