Just over three years ago I went to rehab for my gaming addiction. I spent 10 weeks there. Best time of my life.
Once back, I quickly went back to my addictive tendencies with Netflix. Progressively it went worse and worse. There were tons of good periods, but with every relapse my boundaries shifted. I know every single event that lead to this point.
I was able to refrain from gaming though. Until 5 days ago. The past five days I gamed from 15:00/3:00 pm until 10:00 am. I had no intentions of stopping for at least a few months. But two days I neglected to do something I promised and disappointed my sister. I don’t want that. The past two years she was the only person I really valued. I don’t want to lose that.
Yesterday I deleted all my gaming accounts again, which was very difficult as I’d already made a ton of progress on them…
I also quit my job and college yesterday since they gave me tons of stress. So much so that it made me suicidal at times. It made recovery impossible.
This time I’m going to have only one counter. Gaming, YouTube and Netflix won’t be separated. That way I won’t be able to slowly go down the rabbit hole again.
Today is day one. The first of many still to come.
Welcome back Jan. I am glad you are here, honest and raw. We are here for you. Big hugs 
Welcome back from me too. It’s good to see you Jan. New start. New chances. Let’s do this. Together.
Welcome back!!
This was a long drawn out path to relapse. I hope you got that out of your system. I’m almost glad this finally happened so you can start again. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not happy you’ve relapsed and been in a bad way. I’m sure you understand what I mean.
Always here for you Jan. x
Welcome back, Jan. Im sorry you are in a bad way. One thing that stood out to me…as you quit college and your job…is the large amount of free time you will have. How will you fill it? I’m hoping the temptation to game, watch media, etc. won’t be too much of a challenge then. I’m in your corner.
I know exactly what you mean. This path started as soon as I left rehab. For three years my addiction got worse and worse and so did my mental health. I did not want to hit rock bottom, but I also didn’t want to quit. It was very exhausting. I relapsed and no longer have those hundreds of days to show that I was in recovery. That’s an excuse for my addiction that has gone away.
I’m ready for a fresh start. I’m even excited. It won’t be easy though.
I’ll stay at my current job until the end of January after which I will hopefully have a new job lined up. I had to stop college because it was intertwined with my job but I’m planning on going back to college after the summer.
I’m also going to spend more time on my physical health. But also on reading, Lego, darting and other hobbies. And I might look for a social club to feel less lonely. I’ll also try finding more hobbies to make my life more diverse. Maybe that will make the obsession less.
Hello Jan.
I’m sorry you relapsed but so super proud you stopped it and got back up. That’s a true sign of a survivor. You still have those sober days you had before this happened. Please don’t think that they don’t count. They do. It means you CAN live without gaming. You have learnt so much during that time.
Sounds like a good idea to take a time out from work& studies. Just be sure you plan your free time somehow sensibly (it can be recovery related and enjoyable things too!) Idle hands end up in trouble.
I don’t know if you need to hear this bc sometimes we do, but anyhow… If you feel shame bc you relapsed, you’re forgiven. Lift up your head. If you feel disconnected, you belong here with us. This is your tribe, remember that.
Jan, it just doesn’t get better, does it? Addiction, particularly when it’s bound up with other mental health problems, is progressive. Your experience reminds me of this. I must be honest with myself and others. I must maintain my spiritual fitness and humility.
In meetings, I introduce myself as a recovered alcoholic. To me, that means that while I am no longer fighting active addiction, I am building and tending to an active recovery daily. Your relapse is a demonstration of what happens if I lose honesty and vigilance. Thank you for sharing your story. I’m glad to see you back with us.
I am SO happy to see u Jan! Altho im aorry that u have been struggling. Im proud of you for deleting ur gaming accounts. Im also glad that u seem to be beginning to take better care of urself. Realizing what ur stressors are and doing something about it. Maybe down the road college etc can be an option but ur first priority is urself and i hear that u see that 
im so glad ur back!
Hey Jan, I’m sad to hear about your relapse but I’m happy to see you back here!
Fantastic!!! It is no surprise you have a plan. You are always committed to improving yourself, Jan!!
Miss you Dutch. You got this
30 minutes if you want to join us and talk.
Sending you strength and wisdom 
.
That’s wussup man on not giving up and setting some boundaries. Welcome home brotha glad you’re back in recovery 
Hi, I am a sober member of Alcoholics Anonymous. 25+ years. My son has never taken a drink or drug and is 21 years old. So I saw your post and really think he has a gaming addiction.
My question is would you mind if I have him read this to have a better understanding that there is such a thing. Hopefully he can talk with one of you and be willing and open minded enough to see this.
I got sober 4 years before he was born therefore he did not see me in active addiction. He sees his Dad’s addiction to alcohol and has a bit of an idea. I guess what I am asking is would you 12 step him for me? I am sorry to hear about your relapse though in a sense glad I read this today. By the grace of God it is the 12th step that ultimately keeps us sober.
Thanks, Sharon
I am absolutely fine with that. I will gladly help you in any way I can. You can ask me any question I want I’ll also look for some threads of mine that go into more detail about gaming addiction and my experience 
A short summary of my experience: Goodbye letter gaming
A good example of toxic negotiation: Addicted to TV?
An even better example of madness/negotiation: My attempt of reversing an early stage netflix-addiction(trigger warning). Do not try this yourself
An informative post on recognizing gaming addiction: How to tell that you're addicted to your phone/tv/pc/console