To test if you still have the conditioned response to wow just click on this youtube link and listen to the login screen. for me its like pavlov's dogs i hear themusic, my ears perk up heart rates goes up a wee bit and I'm almost itching to finish the log in. So I dont listen to pre-bc WOW music as its guarenteed that I wont get anything done as I'd be distracted by game thoughts.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spU3j1hs-_s&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fnoobgibs.com%2FWorld_of_Warcraft%2Fvideo%3Aworld-of-warcraft-3-02-login-screen-with-music%2F&feature=player_embedded
Showing posts with label Addiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Addiction. Show all posts
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Ex-WOW Addict 2 years later
Can you believe it ? its been 2 years since I was seriously addicted to WOW which got me fired, then I mulched off of savings for a year .. and finally faced reality took a month long break off wow or did I .. erm i dont remember BUT I did go into rehab of sorts for 1.5 years a friend took me under his wing and gave me a focus to work on and that was math .. so yea I studied math for a year while i refocused. Then I went back to work for about 9 months or 1 year as a temp making some big monies and after the assignment ended I took my vacation/bonus monies/savings and collected unemployment for 6 months while I studied 3d art but was still not ready by 6 months time so i went back to school for a nursing degree ... Right now I'm 1 semester away from competing for a slot in nursing clinicals and am finishing up my pre-nursing classes. Oh my gPa is competitive as hell afterall I'm hardcore raider at heart but no longer raid as I refuse to allow raiding to suck me back into wow addiction.
WOW Addiction is a strange thing .. non addicts can never understand that addiction is never over just controlled and that it requires constant vigilance. I channel my wow addiction into other interests and leave some time for wow I am always monitoring my wow usage and myself. I ask myself on a weekly basis am I ok? did i take care of RL business and am I on track in RL (real life) is my career, school, goals on track. Have I let RL stuff slide while I wow? if the answer is no to any of these I take a step back and figure out the problem and if WOW's taking up the time that i should have used to do these then the choice is simple I put down wow and take care of business. If you find that you cannot stop WOWing and RL is a mess then do yourself a favor and admit you have a problem: you are a wow addict and you need to stop and fix your life.
These days I wow whenever on school semesters as in once a week or less and on spring/summer breaks I switch back ito hardcore player and gear up.
The ability to not let wow interfere with RL is what separates a wow addict from a wow player.
WOW Addiction is a strange thing .. non addicts can never understand that addiction is never over just controlled and that it requires constant vigilance. I channel my wow addiction into other interests and leave some time for wow I am always monitoring my wow usage and myself. I ask myself on a weekly basis am I ok? did i take care of RL business and am I on track in RL (real life) is my career, school, goals on track. Have I let RL stuff slide while I wow? if the answer is no to any of these I take a step back and figure out the problem and if WOW's taking up the time that i should have used to do these then the choice is simple I put down wow and take care of business. If you find that you cannot stop WOWing and RL is a mess then do yourself a favor and admit you have a problem: you are a wow addict and you need to stop and fix your life.
These days I wow whenever on school semesters as in once a week or less and on spring/summer breaks I switch back ito hardcore player and gear up.
The ability to not let wow interfere with RL is what separates a wow addict from a wow player.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Commentary on Wow Addiction
Okies its been a year or two since my last post on WOW addiction. Personally I think WOW addiction is a life long life long battle and you're always watching and balancing the RL & WOW life. When WOW is greater than RL then its a problem otherwise I call it controlled use of a recreation drug. I'm of the opinion that WOW addicts have a addicting personalities that makes them more likely to have an addiction to start also that if it wasn't WOW then it would have been another game, drugs or what not.
Solution: Balance RL & WOW and always RL>WOW
There really isn't a quick fix for this problem, you either accept your addiction and work with it or be another WOW statistic someone who's life was destroyed by their addiction.
Your choices are to make sure that your RL is in order and that all responsibilities are taken care of then log on to WOW, cut off WOW entirely or be yet another broke assed WOW addict 30ish, living in thier retired parents basement. Its your choice. Ya real life sucks but that's the way it is.
Of course this is all from a former WOW addicts viewpoint. I'm a hardcore addict turned casual
altoholic and am on a self imposed WOW methadone maintenance program. I find other stimuli and things to do to occupy my spare time. Sports, hobbies, new friends and old all are ways of filling the void left by less WOW or no WOW. In many ways WOW is used to fill a void inside ourselves.
A word of advice - as Robin Williams once said about drugs - if you find yourself playing Warcraft, and you fall asleep and you're still playing Warcraft and then you wake up and you're doing Warcraft except your family has left you and you stink and there's a starved dead pet at your feet and all you can worry about is where you left your Hammer of the Naaru - WARNING!
Solution: Balance RL & WOW and always RL>WOW
There really isn't a quick fix for this problem, you either accept your addiction and work with it or be another WOW statistic someone who's life was destroyed by their addiction.
Your choices are to make sure that your RL is in order and that all responsibilities are taken care of then log on to WOW, cut off WOW entirely or be yet another broke assed WOW addict 30ish, living in thier retired parents basement. Its your choice. Ya real life sucks but that's the way it is.
Of course this is all from a former WOW addicts viewpoint. I'm a hardcore addict turned casual
altoholic and am on a self imposed WOW methadone maintenance program. I find other stimuli and things to do to occupy my spare time. Sports, hobbies, new friends and old all are ways of filling the void left by less WOW or no WOW. In many ways WOW is used to fill a void inside ourselves.
A word of advice - as Robin Williams once said about drugs - if you find yourself playing Warcraft, and you fall asleep and you're still playing Warcraft and then you wake up and you're doing Warcraft except your family has left you and you stink and there's a starved dead pet at your feet and all you can worry about is where you left your Hammer of the Naaru - WARNING!
Friday, August 7, 2009
How to Break a WOW Addiction
Wow addiction is a serious thing. So I've copied the wiki how on how to break a wow addiction here. I've written my own article on how to break wow addiction as well as documenting my own experience but wikihow here is great and why reinvent the wheel.
WIKI HOW: how to break an WOW addiction
http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/worldofwarcraft/show_msgs.php?topic_id=m-1-45612351&pid=534914&page=0
http://www.helloquizzy.com/tests/the-new-and-improved-world-of-warcraft-addiction-test
Main Entry: ad·dic·tion
Pronunciation: &-'dik-sh&n
Function: noun
: compulsive physiological need for and use of a habit-formingsubstance (as heroin, nicotine, or alcohol) characterized by tolerance and by well-defined physiological symptoms upon withdrawal; broadly : persistent compulsive use of a substanceknown by the user to be physically, psychologically, or socially harmful
Ok here's the "solution" in more detail on how to break your wow addiction. I'm hoping that hearing this advice from a recovering wow addict would make it easier for you to take. The core of any "addiction" treatment is first admit you have a problem before you can do anything else. Then take a break from WOW so you can look at your life and be honest with yourself. Warning this is going to hurt. No wow for 1 month so you can have a clear and unclouded answer. Yep this is life w/o WOW
Ask yourself these questions.
then do a deep thinking with your self are you ok with being a broke ass bum living off your parent's social security because they can't bear to see you starve to death so they scrimp and save on their limited monies and make you some food which you wolf down in 5 secs without even a word of thanks.
How to Break a World of Warcraft Addiction
...can't...stop...
...can't...stop...
The definition of "addiction" is the state of being enslaved by something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming(such as narcotics or gambling), to such an extent that to discontinue the habit or practice can lead to severe trauma. In other words, you love something so much that you have developed a habit of using it or playing it to such an extent that not doing so leaves you feeling cranky or nervous, and you are becoming disinterested in other areas of life.
Some experts believe World of Warcraft can be "addictive". Here's a way to break your WoW "addiction."
Hide these ads
------------------------------------------------
How to Break a World of Warcraft Addiction
...can't...stop...
...can't...stop...
The definition of "addiction" is the state of being enslaved by something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming(such as narcotics or gambling), to such an extent that to discontinue the habit or practice can lead to severe trauma. In other words, you love something so much that you have developed a habit of using it or playing it to such an extent that not doing so leaves you feeling cranky or nervous, and you are becoming disinterested in other areas of life.
Some experts believe World of Warcraft can be "addictive". Here's a way to break your WoW "addiction."
Hide these ads
Show Ads
[edit] Steps
1. Admit you have a problem. This may be hard, but accepting that Warcraft has taken over your life is the initial step into overcoming your addiction.
2. Consider the following: Imagine the day that you first bought the game. If you knew everything you do now, would you still have bought it? Now the follow up question: Imagine yourself in two years, still playing WoW, looking back on today when you are making the decision to quit or keep playing. How do you feel about your decision to continue?
3. Find out what has caused your addiction. What makes World of Warcraft so appealing to you? Is it the fact that it has different continents that you will never go to? Is it the fighting? Is it your "unique" role as a tank or a mage? Is it the happiness of 'pwning noobs'? Whatever it is, try to minimize this happiness in WoW, and make it a pleasure that you could also get in every day life.
* Take a martial arts class. Kick some real butt.Many gamers are very interested in the martial arts, but never study it.
* Read. Novels have just as much excitement and adventure as WoW, but you can expand other skills -- such as critical thinking and vocabulary -- in addition to those that interactive storytelling and game play will build. Try to equip gear that increases your reading ability (Such as monocles), this will increase your WPS (Words Per Second).
* Play a less time consuming video game with all of the rewarding feelings of WoW.
* Do live action RP (LARP), especially if you were from a RP server.
4. Burn yourself out by finding the ways to cheat at World of Warcraft. Find a private server to play on, with ultra fast leveling/gold. Cheating through the entire game in an hour will get you burnt out very, very quickly. #Make it a joint effort. Believe it or not, many people play World of Warcraft simply because their friends play it, and they find it enjoyable to spend time with them in WoW. If this is the case, then convince your friends to stop playing (with these steps, if needed), or even better, find another game to play. Otherwise, explain to your friends and family what you're doing, and ask them to help you stay on track. When you can't trust yourself to keep away from WoW, you have to trust someone else to stop you.
5. Set up parental controls for yourself. Make it so your play-time is limited, and use a complicated password that you are sure to quickly forget. Or, ask a friend or family member to set the parental controls with a password you don't know.
6. Schedule other activities with your free time, so you won't have time to play WoW. One of the most effective way is to get a part time job and book every free time you have to work. Hang out with your friends, play basketball, engage in extra curricular activities at school (such as clubs or sport teams) or volunteer. The important thing is that they keep you outside of your home, away from your computer. You can find that there are many things that are just as exciting as playing WoW. Remember, your "guild" online is no substitute for the company of real friends.
7. Give away your bags and gold (don't mail them to an alt) and delete your character.
8. Sell your account. There are many players and lazy people out there, willing to pay for an existing account. This is a great way to stop playing, because then someone else takes your character, and you won't be able to control it any longer. This is a nice way to quit, but not stop addiction.
9. Beat the game. When all else fails, play until you reach the highest level possible. Many players get to the maximum level (at least until Blizzard releases another add-on pack) then look back and realize with disappointment that they've been following what is known by many gamers as the 'role-playing game grind', or the extremely repetitive and ultimately fruitless efforts of gaining gold, levels, and experience. Because when it's all said and done, a dead man's possessions are not important; it's the memories that count. So go out and make your own, now, in the real world.
10. Do activities that are productive in the real world but allow you to have the same satisfaction of leveling up like getting fit, learning to cook, succeeding in school courses. Get your artisan cooking level, first aid, and fishing skills up in real life. Maybe you can find something useful to do.
11. understand that you can have the best of both worlds. set movies nights and friends nite get a GF/BF that doesnt play WoW
* Addictions to video games trigger brain activity similar to any other addiction. So don't be surprised if breaking the addiction seems difficult at first.
* The game itself for most people is not the fun part, playing with people is fun, so say to all your friends you are quitting and they should do the same, then delete them, and then that might be enough!
* People play games because they seem to find reality is less interesting, in reality, there are many more constructive things to do. Find ways to make reality more interesting, that will help.
* Evaluate yourself to see if you are using your "WoW" addiction to escape problems in your life. If you have problems at work, see about improving your education (to get a better job). If you have family problems, see about improving your relationship with them.
* You can also find support online. There are support groups on Yahoo and Google Groups, and the WoW forums can sate your desire to see what you're "missing" as you quit.
* Track the amount of time that you spend playing WoW. Associate a dollar value with that time, for example: 6 hrs/day * 7 days = 42 hours. 42 * $7.0 = $294.00 per week. You can see that your time IS money, and even working a job for minimum wage is a better use of your time.
* Get a stopwatch and measure how much time you spend waiting in the game (for guild members, flight paths, long walks, etc.) and compare it to the overall time played. You may find that close to half, or even a majority of your time is spent doing effectively nothing.
* Calculate how much of your time you spend doing nothing each month against your monthly subscription fee, and see how much money you're throwing away.
* If you use a router, block the port WoW uses to connect. This disables your connectivity to the WoW servers. You can also block this port with Windows Firewall or other firewall software, such as ZoneAlarm. You can find this port in Blizzard's knowledge base for WoW
* Remember that all of your accolades and achievements in WoW are virtual and do little for you in real life. While your virtual life is blossoming, your personal life could be deteriorating. If so, that is reason enough to stop playing.
* Realize that you can always go back to playing WOW when you are old or disabled, which is probably in a few decades when WoW will be rotting in video game history. Right now there are better things to do. Ride a motorcycle, run away to Australia, date, have children, things you can do only when you are young. When you are old you can play guilt free. Also, by that time gaming will be a lot better and extension packs will be cheap. Blizzard is not going anywhere.
* See a professional psychologist to discuss your addiction. Get help.
[edit] Warnings
* Your payments continue even after you smash everything. Don't forget to unsubscribe.
* If you find yourself opening a new account even after following these steps, you should seek professional counseling for your addiction.
WIKI HOW: how to break an WOW addiction
http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/worldofwarcraft/show_msgs.php?topic_id=m-1-45612351&pid=534914&page=0
http://www.helloquizzy.com/tests/the-new-and-improved-world-of-warcraft-addiction-test
Main Entry: ad·dic·tion
Pronunciation: &-'dik-sh&n
Function: noun
: compulsive physiological need for and use of a habit-formingsubstance (as heroin, nicotine, or alcohol) characterized by tolerance and by well-defined physiological symptoms upon withdrawal; broadly : persistent compulsive use of a substanceknown by the user to be physically, psychologically, or socially harmful
Ok here's the "solution" in more detail on how to break your wow addiction. I'm hoping that hearing this advice from a recovering wow addict would make it easier for you to take. The core of any "addiction" treatment is first admit you have a problem before you can do anything else. Then take a break from WOW so you can look at your life and be honest with yourself. Warning this is going to hurt. No wow for 1 month so you can have a clear and unclouded answer. Yep this is life w/o WOW
Ask yourself these questions.
then do a deep thinking with your self are you ok with being a broke ass bum living off your parent's social security because they can't bear to see you starve to death so they scrimp and save on their limited monies and make you some food which you wolf down in 5 secs without even a word of thanks.
How to Break a World of Warcraft Addiction
...can't...stop...
...can't...stop...
The definition of "addiction" is the state of being enslaved by something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming(such as narcotics or gambling), to such an extent that to discontinue the habit or practice can lead to severe trauma. In other words, you love something so much that you have developed a habit of using it or playing it to such an extent that not doing so leaves you feeling cranky or nervous, and you are becoming disinterested in other areas of life.
Some experts believe World of Warcraft can be "addictive". Here's a way to break your WoW "addiction."
Hide these ads
------------------------------------------------
How to Break a World of Warcraft Addiction
...can't...stop...
...can't...stop...
The definition of "addiction" is the state of being enslaved by something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming(such as narcotics or gambling), to such an extent that to discontinue the habit or practice can lead to severe trauma. In other words, you love something so much that you have developed a habit of using it or playing it to such an extent that not doing so leaves you feeling cranky or nervous, and you are becoming disinterested in other areas of life.
Some experts believe World of Warcraft can be "addictive". Here's a way to break your WoW "addiction."
Hide these ads
Show Ads
[edit] Steps
1. Admit you have a problem. This may be hard, but accepting that Warcraft has taken over your life is the initial step into overcoming your addiction.
2. Consider the following: Imagine the day that you first bought the game. If you knew everything you do now, would you still have bought it? Now the follow up question: Imagine yourself in two years, still playing WoW, looking back on today when you are making the decision to quit or keep playing. How do you feel about your decision to continue?
3. Find out what has caused your addiction. What makes World of Warcraft so appealing to you? Is it the fact that it has different continents that you will never go to? Is it the fighting? Is it your "unique" role as a tank or a mage? Is it the happiness of 'pwning noobs'? Whatever it is, try to minimize this happiness in WoW, and make it a pleasure that you could also get in every day life.
* Take a martial arts class. Kick some real butt.Many gamers are very interested in the martial arts, but never study it.
* Read. Novels have just as much excitement and adventure as WoW, but you can expand other skills -- such as critical thinking and vocabulary -- in addition to those that interactive storytelling and game play will build. Try to equip gear that increases your reading ability (Such as monocles), this will increase your WPS (Words Per Second).
* Play a less time consuming video game with all of the rewarding feelings of WoW.
* Do live action RP (LARP), especially if you were from a RP server.
4. Burn yourself out by finding the ways to cheat at World of Warcraft. Find a private server to play on, with ultra fast leveling/gold. Cheating through the entire game in an hour will get you burnt out very, very quickly. #Make it a joint effort. Believe it or not, many people play World of Warcraft simply because their friends play it, and they find it enjoyable to spend time with them in WoW. If this is the case, then convince your friends to stop playing (with these steps, if needed), or even better, find another game to play. Otherwise, explain to your friends and family what you're doing, and ask them to help you stay on track. When you can't trust yourself to keep away from WoW, you have to trust someone else to stop you.
5. Set up parental controls for yourself. Make it so your play-time is limited, and use a complicated password that you are sure to quickly forget. Or, ask a friend or family member to set the parental controls with a password you don't know.
6. Schedule other activities with your free time, so you won't have time to play WoW. One of the most effective way is to get a part time job and book every free time you have to work. Hang out with your friends, play basketball, engage in extra curricular activities at school (such as clubs or sport teams) or volunteer. The important thing is that they keep you outside of your home, away from your computer. You can find that there are many things that are just as exciting as playing WoW. Remember, your "guild" online is no substitute for the company of real friends.
7. Give away your bags and gold (don't mail them to an alt) and delete your character.
8. Sell your account. There are many players and lazy people out there, willing to pay for an existing account. This is a great way to stop playing, because then someone else takes your character, and you won't be able to control it any longer. This is a nice way to quit, but not stop addiction.
9. Beat the game. When all else fails, play until you reach the highest level possible. Many players get to the maximum level (at least until Blizzard releases another add-on pack) then look back and realize with disappointment that they've been following what is known by many gamers as the 'role-playing game grind', or the extremely repetitive and ultimately fruitless efforts of gaining gold, levels, and experience. Because when it's all said and done, a dead man's possessions are not important; it's the memories that count. So go out and make your own, now, in the real world.
10. Do activities that are productive in the real world but allow you to have the same satisfaction of leveling up like getting fit, learning to cook, succeeding in school courses. Get your artisan cooking level, first aid, and fishing skills up in real life. Maybe you can find something useful to do.
11. understand that you can have the best of both worlds. set movies nights and friends nite get a GF/BF that doesnt play WoW
* Addictions to video games trigger brain activity similar to any other addiction. So don't be surprised if breaking the addiction seems difficult at first.
* The game itself for most people is not the fun part, playing with people is fun, so say to all your friends you are quitting and they should do the same, then delete them, and then that might be enough!
* People play games because they seem to find reality is less interesting, in reality, there are many more constructive things to do. Find ways to make reality more interesting, that will help.
* Evaluate yourself to see if you are using your "WoW" addiction to escape problems in your life. If you have problems at work, see about improving your education (to get a better job). If you have family problems, see about improving your relationship with them.
* You can also find support online. There are support groups on Yahoo and Google Groups, and the WoW forums can sate your desire to see what you're "missing" as you quit.
* Track the amount of time that you spend playing WoW. Associate a dollar value with that time, for example: 6 hrs/day * 7 days = 42 hours. 42 * $7.0 = $294.00 per week. You can see that your time IS money, and even working a job for minimum wage is a better use of your time.
* Get a stopwatch and measure how much time you spend waiting in the game (for guild members, flight paths, long walks, etc.) and compare it to the overall time played. You may find that close to half, or even a majority of your time is spent doing effectively nothing.
* Calculate how much of your time you spend doing nothing each month against your monthly subscription fee, and see how much money you're throwing away.
* If you use a router, block the port WoW uses to connect. This disables your connectivity to the WoW servers. You can also block this port with Windows Firewall or other firewall software, such as ZoneAlarm. You can find this port in Blizzard's knowledge base for WoW
* Remember that all of your accolades and achievements in WoW are virtual and do little for you in real life. While your virtual life is blossoming, your personal life could be deteriorating. If so, that is reason enough to stop playing.
* Realize that you can always go back to playing WOW when you are old or disabled, which is probably in a few decades when WoW will be rotting in video game history. Right now there are better things to do. Ride a motorcycle, run away to Australia, date, have children, things you can do only when you are young. When you are old you can play guilt free. Also, by that time gaming will be a lot better and extension packs will be cheap. Blizzard is not going anywhere.
* See a professional psychologist to discuss your addiction. Get help.
[edit] Warnings
* Your payments continue even after you smash everything. Don't forget to unsubscribe.
* If you find yourself opening a new account even after following these steps, you should seek professional counseling for your addiction.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Support Groups: WOW Addiction
If you or someone you know has this problem these sites can help. Boy do i sound like a suicide counselor or what? As a former WOW addict I feel that I have a unique insight and can relate to what it feels like to be addicted and how to deal with it. You have to deal with it as life goes on whether you want to or not and you can either make the hard choices now or have them made for you and by then its too late.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Signs of WOW Addiction
Possible symptoms of addiction
Tolerance, as defined by either of the following:
A need for markedly increased amounts of time on the game to achieve satisfaction.
Markedly diminished effect with continued use of the same amount of time on the game.
Withdrawal, as manifested by either A or B below:
(A) the characteristic withdrawal syndrome, 1, 2 and 3 below
Cessation of (or reduction in) game play time that has been heavy and prolonged.
Two (or more) of the following, developing within several days to a month after Criterion:
(a) psychomotor agitation
(b) anxiety
(c) obsessive thinking about what is happening in the game
(d) fantasies or dreams about the game
(e) voluntary or involuntary typing movements of the fingers
The symptoms in Criterion 2 cause distress or impairment in social, occupational or another important area of functioning
(B) Use of the game or a similar service is engaged in to relieve or avoid withdrawal symptoms.
The game is often accessed more often or for longer periods of time than was intended.
There is a persistent desire or unsuccessful efforts to cut down or control game play time.
A great deal of time is spent in activities related to the game (for example, purchasing game books, looking at fan art sites, posting on game forums, researching game tips/hacks, gold farming).
Frequent talks about the game in daily life.
Important family, social, occupational, or recreational activities are given up or reduced in duration and/or frequency because of game use.
Game use is continued despite knowledge of having a persistent or recurrent physical, family, social, occupational, or psychological problem that is likely to have been caused or exacerbated by Internet use (for example, sleep deprivation, marital difficulties, lateness for early morning appointments, neglect of occupational duties, or feelings of abandonment in significant others).
neglecting family, work and other real life responsibilities to WOW
read my how to quit wow addiction or google these words there's tons of how to articles
Wikihow how to break wow addiction: http://www.wikihow.com/Break-a-World-of-Warcraft-Addiction
Support webites:
http://gamerwidow.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaming_addiction
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_addiction
Tolerance, as defined by either of the following:
A need for markedly increased amounts of time on the game to achieve satisfaction.
Markedly diminished effect with continued use of the same amount of time on the game.
Withdrawal, as manifested by either A or B below:
(A) the characteristic withdrawal syndrome, 1, 2 and 3 below
Cessation of (or reduction in) game play time that has been heavy and prolonged.
Two (or more) of the following, developing within several days to a month after Criterion:
(a) psychomotor agitation
(b) anxiety
(c) obsessive thinking about what is happening in the game
(d) fantasies or dreams about the game
(e) voluntary or involuntary typing movements of the fingers
The symptoms in Criterion 2 cause distress or impairment in social, occupational or another important area of functioning
(B) Use of the game or a similar service is engaged in to relieve or avoid withdrawal symptoms.
The game is often accessed more often or for longer periods of time than was intended.
There is a persistent desire or unsuccessful efforts to cut down or control game play time.
A great deal of time is spent in activities related to the game (for example, purchasing game books, looking at fan art sites, posting on game forums, researching game tips/hacks, gold farming).
Frequent talks about the game in daily life.
Important family, social, occupational, or recreational activities are given up or reduced in duration and/or frequency because of game use.
Game use is continued despite knowledge of having a persistent or recurrent physical, family, social, occupational, or psychological problem that is likely to have been caused or exacerbated by Internet use (for example, sleep deprivation, marital difficulties, lateness for early morning appointments, neglect of occupational duties, or feelings of abandonment in significant others).
Behavioral
- Playing associated with strong feelings of guilt and pleasure
- Significant hours spent playing, interfering with work, social, and family life
- Lying about game use
- Can't control one's playing
Physical
- Deteriorating fitness/weight gain
- Repetitive strain injury/carpal tunnel
- Neck and back pain
- Headaches
- Poor/irregular eating habits
- Neglect of personal hygiene
neglecting family, work and other real life responsibilities to WOW
- Most of non-work hours are spent on the computer or playing video games.
- Falling asleep at work.
- Not keeping up with job assignments or projects.
- Worsening work performance.
- Lying about computer or video game use.
- Choosing to use the computer or play video games, rather than see friends or friends
- Not participating with family events
- Dropping out of other social functions(clubs or parties).
- Irritable when not playing a video game or on the computer
- Most of non-school hours are spent on the computer or playing video games.
- Falling asleep in school.
- Not keeping up with assignments.
- Worsening grades.
- Lying about computer or video game use.
- Choosing to use the computer or play video games, rather than see friends.
- Dropping out of other social groups (clubs or sports).
- Irritable when not playing a video game or on the computer.
read my how to quit wow addiction or google these words there's tons of how to articles
Wikihow how to break wow addiction: http://www.wikihow.com/Break-a-World-of-Warcraft-Addiction
Support webites:
http://gamerwidow.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaming_addiction
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_addiction
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Wow Wake up call?
WOW : its been losing its pull for awhile now. It takes alot of effort to level and most of the time I dont really want to log on. I think wow's reached a cap for me a while back in the BWL days after raiding up all those epics it burnt me out. I later on got this temporary job that had me working 70-95 hours a week for 8 months straight so that was me being forced to go coldturkey on wow and raiding because after working 12-16 hours a day you're basically a zombie that only cares about food, water, bathroom, sleep and trust me you'd even turn down a hot guy or gal because you're that tired. Then afterwards I just didnt' have the desire to raid anymore or deal with guild drama on who gets drafted or guild invited so I now log on as a super casual who instances exactly once a week and levels an alt in between. So I have alot more time than I did before which I try to put to good use I now read alotmore than I use to, Blog, draw, explorer new career options and think. I could be working out some but lazy so will do that tomorowo.
Also on wakeup calls .. either you take action and wake yourself up or let it happen on its own either way it will happen if you're an addict and using wow to avoid RL issues. If you run out of monies well internet cuts off, food runs out so no more wow otherwise try to fix RL while using limited WOW as a support system.
Think about it would you rather be a thirty something or godforbid 45ish, singled or divorced, bumming it out in your parents basement/garage because its the one room they can't rent out to subsidize your ass and you dont have a job because your too busy wowing? You skip showers, eat junk, dress shabbily and now antisocial as you no longer know how to communicate with RL poeple anymore. At some point you will wake up and look around and see that all your friends have good jobs, families, and you compare it with your self and see that you have nothing but a few characters with epics. (purple colored pixels). You may not be able to handle that kind of self realization and you either look for something stronger to numb the pain or wake up and get your act to gether and do something with yourself.
Is WOW evil then? nope not by a long shot there are things that are worst than wow but at the same time wow isn't exactly something you want to be addicted to. The important thing is to see that you have a problem and then figure out how to fix it then take action. 5 letters (who, what, when, where, why, how)
Also on wakeup calls .. either you take action and wake yourself up or let it happen on its own either way it will happen if you're an addict and using wow to avoid RL issues. If you run out of monies well internet cuts off, food runs out so no more wow otherwise try to fix RL while using limited WOW as a support system.
Think about it would you rather be a thirty something or godforbid 45ish, singled or divorced, bumming it out in your parents basement/garage because its the one room they can't rent out to subsidize your ass and you dont have a job because your too busy wowing? You skip showers, eat junk, dress shabbily and now antisocial as you no longer know how to communicate with RL poeple anymore. At some point you will wake up and look around and see that all your friends have good jobs, families, and you compare it with your self and see that you have nothing but a few characters with epics. (purple colored pixels). You may not be able to handle that kind of self realization and you either look for something stronger to numb the pain or wake up and get your act to gether and do something with yourself.
Is WOW evil then? nope not by a long shot there are things that are worst than wow but at the same time wow isn't exactly something you want to be addicted to. The important thing is to see that you have a problem and then figure out how to fix it then take action. 5 letters (who, what, when, where, why, how)
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Life of a WOW Addict
Ok this was written 1 year after the event .. I was the wow addict in question in case you wasn't too sure. Wow enough and you will see a pattern either in yourself or people you know. This applies to raiders and altoholics who level alt after alt across servers.
Raiders who raid because they're trying to avoid RL responsibilities .. then their RL falls apart and they raid more to avoid feeling pain and the negative thoughts that go with it. Family life goes to hell because someone isn't pulling their weight. Next thing you know that WOWer is clocking in 16-20 hour wow days raiding up instances, then farming to pay for raiding and more times to socialize with their wow friends whom they couldn't' talk to because they were raiding. In order to raid this much you'd be on the computer the moment you wake up, eat breakfast at your desk while you check you wow mail, toons, dailies, then lunch then dinner and take very fast breaks for bio break aka toilet break. Food is eaten in front of the computer leaving crumbs all over the places along with accidental spills therefore attracting roaches and other vermin. Shower becomes optional and you can't remember if you showered or not and if you did was it yesterday or a few days a go. You ignore your phone, email, aim, skype, real paper mail because you're always busy instancing. Family .. they' soon become annoying background noise as you no longer join them for meals since you're too busy with wow to notice that you are the one acting weird being holed up in your room glued to your computer nonstop
Weird? oh definitely you live to wow from wake up until sometime in the early am hours when everyone's finally logging off and then you remember oh .. maybe I'll see what everyone else is up to but then they're asleep and you're too tired to give it much more thought.
when you are exhausted and pass out to sleep either on your bed or at your desk. After a while your RL friends forget about you because every time they call you can't talk, when they make plans you forget or don't respond .. all because you're busy raiding or wowing something up. God forbid you have a significant other .. soon you'll be a singleton cuz he' or she would have had enough of being ignored for pixels and dumped your ass. Work if you had a job you'd have been fired or no the way because wowing 10 hours after work means you're putting in 3-4 hours of sleep and have poor work performance and hopefully you're not also surfing the web on work time looking at wow sites.
Oh i forgot to mention mail. Your real life paper mail piles up which you can't get to anyways, bills don't get paid unless they're on auto deduct from your checking, Late to work, poor work, get fired, you're actually relieved now you can wow a bit, if you're lucky you'll have unemployment checks which is bad now you have no reason to work until one day the bank calls to say you've not paid your credit cards in a while and can you make a payment now otherwise they will be forced to send it to a collections agency. Oh yah and need i say you ignore your phone because it cant be good if people are calling can it? either you owe monies or possibly friends or family trying to get you to log off?
Whoever thinks wow is not an addiction is wrong it is.. but as with any recreational substance controlled use is required. I will post some signs of wow addiction and if you fit the category then you know what you need to do. Either you make something of your life or you will have spend years if not decades on wow and be living in the basement of your parents apartment. Should one day you wake up .. you'll look in the mirror and go OMG how did I get so old? Why haven't I anything to show for my time, no monies, no job, no good job, career, family.
HELPLINE INFO:
http://www.wikihow.com/Break-a-World-of-Warcraft-Addiction
http://www.squidoo.com/wowaddicts
Solution?
1.) admit you have a problem then go fix it. Come on that's what school was for to teach you problem solving skills.
2.) identify career goals and steps to take.
3.) get into a schedule and stick with it. wake up 7am, work out 8am,
When you do take some time to think about your life .. which mind you has now become a mess it gets very depressing and it hurts. What to do? is it to be dirt poor and play games all day until they cut your electricity and Internet for lack of payment? No? good think again what do you want to do? I'm sure it has an answer because back in 3rd, 5th grade or even high school they'd have asked you what do you want to do and I'm sure you gave an answer and it wasn't to be a bum game player living off other people because he cant' afford to work due to gaming.
bite the bullet go log off, shower, make and eat real meal at the dinner table, sleep 7 hours, jog for 1-2 hours then sit down and really think what do you want to do in life? look at your finances, open your mail, fix up your resume, and lastly go get a job in your career path if not any will do. If you still have unemployment checks left good for you now you can get paid to retrain. If no unemployment checks then any temp or FT job will do. Sure you'll hate the job and that's the point .. and you will work hard in that hated job, do excellent work, get paid minimum wage and while you're working think about what skills do you have that can get you a better job. if the answer is none then think where do i want to be and what do i want to do and how do i get there. The monies from this crappy job is going to pay for schooling or training to get you where you need to be. Yes work hard, do good work, impress your bosses and only leave when you have something better lined up. Keep at your goal and one day you'll have arrived at the goal and can look back and go wow i have come far.
Support system? family and close friends .. WOW friends you'll have to keep at a distance as they are actually part of the problem. Get their off line info aim or what not and chat there if there's nothing to talk about other than wow then that's that.
So in short .. Wow in moderation. ERm maybe I should change it to Blog in moderation too? WTF it's 3:15am and I'm still talking .. i logged off wow at 2am! geez
Raiders who raid because they're trying to avoid RL responsibilities .. then their RL falls apart and they raid more to avoid feeling pain and the negative thoughts that go with it. Family life goes to hell because someone isn't pulling their weight. Next thing you know that WOWer is clocking in 16-20 hour wow days raiding up instances, then farming to pay for raiding and more times to socialize with their wow friends whom they couldn't' talk to because they were raiding. In order to raid this much you'd be on the computer the moment you wake up, eat breakfast at your desk while you check you wow mail, toons, dailies, then lunch then dinner and take very fast breaks for bio break aka toilet break. Food is eaten in front of the computer leaving crumbs all over the places along with accidental spills therefore attracting roaches and other vermin. Shower becomes optional and you can't remember if you showered or not and if you did was it yesterday or a few days a go. You ignore your phone, email, aim, skype, real paper mail because you're always busy instancing. Family .. they' soon become annoying background noise as you no longer join them for meals since you're too busy with wow to notice that you are the one acting weird being holed up in your room glued to your computer nonstop
Weird? oh definitely you live to wow from wake up until sometime in the early am hours when everyone's finally logging off and then you remember oh .. maybe I'll see what everyone else is up to but then they're asleep and you're too tired to give it much more thought.
when you are exhausted and pass out to sleep either on your bed or at your desk. After a while your RL friends forget about you because every time they call you can't talk, when they make plans you forget or don't respond .. all because you're busy raiding or wowing something up. God forbid you have a significant other .. soon you'll be a singleton cuz he' or she would have had enough of being ignored for pixels and dumped your ass. Work if you had a job you'd have been fired or no the way because wowing 10 hours after work means you're putting in 3-4 hours of sleep and have poor work performance and hopefully you're not also surfing the web on work time looking at wow sites.
Oh i forgot to mention mail. Your real life paper mail piles up which you can't get to anyways, bills don't get paid unless they're on auto deduct from your checking, Late to work, poor work, get fired, you're actually relieved now you can wow a bit, if you're lucky you'll have unemployment checks which is bad now you have no reason to work until one day the bank calls to say you've not paid your credit cards in a while and can you make a payment now otherwise they will be forced to send it to a collections agency. Oh yah and need i say you ignore your phone because it cant be good if people are calling can it? either you owe monies or possibly friends or family trying to get you to log off?
Whoever thinks wow is not an addiction is wrong it is.. but as with any recreational substance controlled use is required. I will post some signs of wow addiction and if you fit the category then you know what you need to do. Either you make something of your life or you will have spend years if not decades on wow and be living in the basement of your parents apartment. Should one day you wake up .. you'll look in the mirror and go OMG how did I get so old? Why haven't I anything to show for my time, no monies, no job, no good job, career, family.
HELPLINE INFO:
http://www.wikihow.com/Break-a-World-of-Warcraft-Addiction
http://www.squidoo.com/wowaddicts
Solution?
1.) admit you have a problem then go fix it. Come on that's what school was for to teach you problem solving skills.
2.) identify career goals and steps to take.
3.) get into a schedule and stick with it. wake up 7am, work out 8am,
When you do take some time to think about your life .. which mind you has now become a mess it gets very depressing and it hurts. What to do? is it to be dirt poor and play games all day until they cut your electricity and Internet for lack of payment? No? good think again what do you want to do? I'm sure it has an answer because back in 3rd, 5th grade or even high school they'd have asked you what do you want to do and I'm sure you gave an answer and it wasn't to be a bum game player living off other people because he cant' afford to work due to gaming.
bite the bullet go log off, shower, make and eat real meal at the dinner table, sleep 7 hours, jog for 1-2 hours then sit down and really think what do you want to do in life? look at your finances, open your mail, fix up your resume, and lastly go get a job in your career path if not any will do. If you still have unemployment checks left good for you now you can get paid to retrain. If no unemployment checks then any temp or FT job will do. Sure you'll hate the job and that's the point .. and you will work hard in that hated job, do excellent work, get paid minimum wage and while you're working think about what skills do you have that can get you a better job. if the answer is none then think where do i want to be and what do i want to do and how do i get there. The monies from this crappy job is going to pay for schooling or training to get you where you need to be. Yes work hard, do good work, impress your bosses and only leave when you have something better lined up. Keep at your goal and one day you'll have arrived at the goal and can look back and go wow i have come far.
Support system? family and close friends .. WOW friends you'll have to keep at a distance as they are actually part of the problem. Get their off line info aim or what not and chat there if there's nothing to talk about other than wow then that's that.
So in short .. Wow in moderation. ERm maybe I should change it to Blog in moderation too? WTF it's 3:15am and I'm still talking .. i logged off wow at 2am! geez
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
