online gaming addiction

[The ANTI-Troll]

i know theres a couple threads already but they really didnt help me....

i play a browser based mmorpg i been playing it probally since last october when it first started up.... i got chatmod for the game in december and a staff position in may ever since i started playing let just say my moods have been going up in down cause there was some anamosity between me and the other mods and staff. do to they knew me from another game where i was ummm lets jsut say i wasnt very friendly and was always farming other players..

last couple monthss its really started to make me more physically detached from the real world and angry.. but i keep telling myself im gonna quit i have given all my stuff away multiples times on the game and always come back i just cant get myself to give up the staff position i like the power im scared cause its sorta my get away when im ticked but it always makes me more ticked off since the new owner doesnt want the staff doing there job and tracking mutli's,people whop use scripts,abuse bugs, and insult other players,

right now im dealing with someone who the owner and the person above me refuse to get rid of even though hes constantly harrasing other players and spamming the forums... hes been jailed in game 4times,banned from chat about 20 times and banned from forums 6times. im tired of coming on everyday and having to watch his crap and wait for him to cross the line before pushing the button...

so is there any tips to quitting a game that im so attached to ? and will there be any side effects you think ? i just want to be done with it but i dont know what to expect i dont want to be wishing a week from now i hadnt quit but i cant keep going through these mood shifts do to a game..


(this is probally my longest post ever )

[Lotus Eater]

I know that an internet addiction and a gaming addiction are two different things, but there are some similarities so I'm going to use my (previous) internet addiction as an example. I used to have to be on the internet all the time. Even if I wasn't doing anything productive, I'd simply have to be online in some way or other. It got crazy. My parents tried to confiscate my modem (too many times actually) and I would go on strikes (eating, talking, the works) and I experienced a lot of the mood swings you mention. I've moved on since then (thank merlin) and I am nowhere near as dependent on the internet anymore.

The first step to moving past this addiction is to understand and realize that you need to make a change - which you have already done so by posting about it. What you have to do now is to quit the game - or if that is too hard to do at this stage - try to keep yourself off it for a few days at a time, and then maybe reward yourself with one-two hours of gaming, then back to keeping off it for a few days. Find yourself distractions, by focusing on doing the stuff you've neglected to do so while gaming. It's hard to, I know, so I would advise leaving the house - maybe going on walks or for a drive - when you really want to game. It is going to be a lengthy process, and nobody said it'd be easy, but you can do it. You get used to it after some time and gaming less and less will simply become a part of your routine. Take up other hobbies, that may help. I know I started to write, more so than usual. And the final step will be to realize that you can live without it, and that it really isn't worth your time at all. Like you said, it's been affecting you and stressing you out.

Hope this helps. Good luck!

[The ANTI-Troll]

i got away from it for 2 weeks once and had no desire to return till someone hit me on msn to betatest a new mini game inside the game and got hooked again.. ill probally try what you say its just hard cause i met a few people i enjoy talking to..

[Lotus Eater]

Two weeks is a great effort!

You can still talk to them. Maybe just explain to them that you're taking a break from gaming so they won't bring it up/mention it during your conversations? And, worst comes to worst (although it may seem a little drastic), you can block the site/program you game on, so you'll be unable to access it. This is only if the need to game is so strong that you keep finding yourself returning to it after trying all those things.

[Alrex]

Throw your computer out the window

That's what I did and couldn't afford a new one

[Vulgarity]

I went through an addiction with an online game exactly like that. For me what makes online games addictive is having people on there to talk to, or having power like you said. I was involved with a game where I did have a lot of power, where I became a mod and everything. Spending hours and hours on there was just what I liked to do, but it never did anything for me it just wasted my time and I didn't really care about that. Quitting a game you are addicted to is like smoking, because games force you in because they are a way into an alter-reality. I would start by taking time off the game when you feel you need to, or taking regular breaks or just keeping your mind off of it for a while. In time you will come to realize for yourself if playing this game is really what is best for you, or if you could spend your time doing something much more useful for your life.

[The ANTI-Troll]

i know i have to leave the game that much is clear i cant be just sitting around on a game and click a button all day and talk to the people there when i usually end up infuriated. talking to the people is one of the other reason i cant stop checking in everyday besides the power.. even as i type this im on the game watching the chatroom when i know i shouldnt be... its not as bad as it was when i was on a different game 2yrs ago back then i spent days upon days just watching chat and the game without sleeping it got so bad i started passing out in my chair... i just cant stand it anymore. the game has taken over most of my life when im not working and even when im working im thinking about the game...

i just dont have the motivation to stop despite how much i know i need to quit it...

[The ANTI-Troll]

well its been 2days and i have fought the urge against logging into it isnt easy :/