• The General Mental Health Forum is now a Read Only Forum. As we had two large areas making it difficult for many to find, we decided to combine the Mental Health & the Recovery sections of the forum into Mental Health & Recovery as a whole. Physical Health still remains as it's own area within the entire Recovery area.

    If you are having struggles, need support in a particular area that you aren't finding a specific recovery area forum, you may find the General Struggles forum a great place to post. Any any that is related to emotions, self-esteem, insomnia, anger, relationship dynamics due to mental health and recovery and other issues that don't fit better in another forum would be examples of topics that might go there.

    If you have spiritual issues related to a mental health and recovery issue, please use the Recovery Related Spiritual Advice forum. This forum is designed to be like Christian Advice, only for recovery type of issues. Recovery being like a family in many ways, allows us to support one another together. May you be blessed today and each day.

    Kristen.NewCreation and FreeinChrist

  • Starting today August 7th, 2024, in order to post in the Married Couples, Courting Couples, or Singles forums, you will not be allowed to post if you have your Marital status designated as private. Announcements will be made in the respective forums as well but please note that if yours is currently listed as Private, you will need to submit a ticket in the Support Area to have yours changed.

  • CF has always been a site that welcomes people from different backgrounds and beliefs to participate in discussion and even debate. That is the nature of its ministry. In view of recent events emotions are running very high. We need to remind people of some basic principles in debating on this site. We need to be civil when we express differences in opinion. No personal attacks. Avoid you, your statements. Don't characterize an entire political party with comparisons to Fascism or Communism or other extreme movements that committed atrocities. CF is not the place for broad brush or blanket statements about groups and political parties. Put the broad brushes and blankets away when you come to CF, better yet, put them in the incinerator. Debate had no place for them. We need to remember that people that commit acts of violence represent themselves or a small extreme faction.

Recovering on-line/video game addict

Cinra

Member
Oct 14, 2005
86
7
44
North Bend, WA, USA
✟22,736.00
Faith
Non-Denom
Marital Status
Married
I know being addicted to on-line games is a far cry from some of the hard core problems out there, but I would like to share my story of how I am starting to get over my addiction.

It all started when I got a bunch a new video games for Christmas, mainly RPGs like Baten Katios, Pokemon XD, and one other one I haven't played yet. At the time, the on-line game we were playing was City of Heroes. A few months later, we got World of Warcraft. Now, my husband and I usually play the on-line games together, but I got to a point where I was playing before work and after work before my husband got home.

After a while we cancelled City of Heroes and got Final Fantasy on-line, but I was still as addicted to World of Warcraft as ever, especially to the crafting system. All I could talk about to my husband was the game when he got home and all I wanted to do with him was play the game all night before bed and that is what we did. We developed this huge rift between us and didn't feel close to each other anymore because all I cared about was my video/on-line games.

Eventually, we decided that I needed to take a month off a work so I can work on losing weight and getting closer God, then perhaps we could get close again. What my husband did was change the passwords on our on-line games so I couldn't access them and he changed the passwords on our e-mail access so I couldn't request to change my password on the on-line game and have it sent to our e-mail. He also had hidden away all my video games and strategy guides so I would be tempted to play so I could focus on the exercise.

I would usually ignore my husband when he got home from work and waited for him to come to the computer to greet me, but on the first day of my cold turkey from video/on-line games I greeted him at the door with a hug and a kiss. I actually appreciated him more because I started to miss him while he was gone because my mind wasn't so consumed with games for once. We started talking about other things when he called me like what I read in my devotions or what I talked about on these Christian forums or how my weight loss is progressing.

We still play games together for 2 or 3 hours a night, but now I'm not as addicted before and he will let me play one of my video games for an hour while he plays Battlefield on-line for a compromise. I guess what it comes down to is now that I spending more time with God and playing in more moderation has really changed my husband's and I lives for the better.

When I go back to work, I plan on doing devotions before work and exercising an hour and a half after work until I get back down to my ideal weight then only exercise a half an hour a day after work. Plus my husband is still going to keep a password lock on our on-line games and e-mail accounts and keep my video game/strategy guides hidden away so we will only play when he gets home.
 
A

Anti Existance

Guest
WOW addiction is a very common problem, the whole addiction to computergames is HIGHLY underestimated.

Materialistical dependance on wether it is 'drugs,alcohol,sigarettes,gambling or in this case playing computer games' is a state of hell.

My spiritual guides told me that being behind the computer all the time is 'also not good' , we are here on earth to love, and help others. , to care for each other, to understand, forgive, and serve one another.

When your mind is 'spiritually attached' to earthy desires, you are unable to serve God. For all your time goes up (is wasted) on computergames. When your husband got rid of the computer games, you suddenly felt that you had more time for your husband, in doing this your husband removed the evil from your life. Computer games in themselves aren't evil, but when you become dependant on them, or anything it starts to control you.

You need to bring the power back in your life, if you are to weak then computer game abstinance should follow. Which is best done by someone (like your husband) who is strong enough to remove the evil from your life.

Enjoy, but game with measure, anything that has 'too' in front of it, is damaging. Get to 'know' your husband again, and 'vary' what you daily do in life. My advice is to pray to God for strenght, and removal of 'any' kind of WOW addiction, although its hard.
 
Upvote 0

SteelDisciple

Veteran
Jun 17, 2005
1,914
95
47
Washington State
✟25,035.00
Faith
Non-Denom
Marital Status
Married
Politics
US-Others
I don't agree in getting rid of it completely. It's a big hobby for us. Just like some have sports, or knitting or whatever for their hobby. Gaming is ours. It's something we can do together for fun...and it's great fellowship. We've made some very good friends through WoW.

I agree in gaming moderation. A couple hours a night.


On a side-note. I am helping to start a Christian gaming league at our church which my wife and I will both be involved in. It's a great place for fellowship, friendship and fun...but also a place of acountability for anyone who might started getting addicted. :)
 
Upvote 0

saerow

Member
Mar 27, 2006
16
1
Pensacola, FL
✟22,641.00
Faith
Atheist
Marital Status
Private
I've been a gamer pretty much since I could hold a NES controller, playing almost every day. It wasn't really bad, more of a hobby than an addiction (most of the time) But I pretty much hit rock bottom when I got into Final Fantasy Online and later World of Warcraft. (I was the Tauren shaman you loved to hate ;) )

I neglected my social life outside the game about to extinction. WoW is probably the most engrossing and entertaining gaming experience out there, but too much of a good thing is NOT a great thing in this case. Finally I knew I had to quit if I was ever going to get time for a real life. I've heard of some people who could manage time wisely enough to have both, but that takes more self control than I have.

I miss the old-school style of social gaming. You know, a couple buddies getting a case or two of mountain dew, sitting on a couch duking it out in fierce competition. MMO gaming is inferior to that in my opinion.
 
Upvote 0

ILikePeanutbutter

Christian Hardcore
Mar 8, 2006
384
28
38
Inside
✟23,159.00
Faith
Non-Denom
Marital Status
Single
Thats so awesome that you two play video games together! Aww... Dont mind me if I say im a little jealous :D

The most important thing to remember is to keep God the center of your life. My pastor a while ago gave a sermon on how one should live their life according to needs. They go: the needs of God > the needs of family > the needs of friends > the needs of self. Its about keeping perspective. Dont put the needs of yourself before others (espically your loved ones). Doing so, as you have already seen, creates a rift in your relationship.

Try to keep videogames involved for both of you. A great way to keep your relationship is to play games together. If its a single player game, one can watch while the other plays. This actually makes a big difference in the expirence, because the game becomes a social event, and soon you will be looking forward to spending time together. How well this works depends on the game (typically RPGs arent fun spectator games), but sometimes it can be fun.

Just try to keep it involved for both of you. It sounds like you have a very loving and involved relationship with eachother. With a little effort, Im sure you wont have any problems keeping perspective. :)


To SteelDisciple: Your one heck of a lucky guy! Give thanks to the Lord that you were able to find a such a woman! Many other guys (including me) wish they could find a girl with such similar interests!

I hope everything turns out well.
 
Upvote 0
A

Anti Existance

Guest
Well an angel(the real thing) told me that me being all the time behind the computer was 'also not a good thing'

I can assure you , i cannot enjoy my life anymore since i got that announcement :'( , its because where i live it always rains outside or bad weather, another angel told the following ' do not waste your life with unimportant things , love and serve God'

Well, am i supossed to argue with that?
 
Upvote 0

Cinra

Member
Oct 14, 2005
86
7
44
North Bend, WA, USA
✟22,736.00
Faith
Non-Denom
Marital Status
Married
I can agree, that before, I wasn't putting God first and actually, the first MMORPG I got really addicted to was Final Fantasy on-line. I was unemployed at the time and my husband and I weren't even married yet and only had one computer. While he was at work, I would get up and play the game, when he got home I was still on the game. When he tried to get off, I would get very irritable and angry and also when he called me from work. It got to the point where he issued an ultimatum, him or the game. We did have to cancel the game and I finally got a temporary office job. I agree being behind a computer all day is not a good thing. I almost lost my husband because of it.

Though, I have learned my lesson and my husband and I are actually trying to put together a Christian Gaming League at our church where we will gather together with other fellow gamers sharing the same interests. Fellowshipping, forming friendships and bonds, growing in our relationship with God and generally having a good time! It will consist of meeting on-line and in person to play on-line/console games, bible studies, and forum discussions on various biblical topics. I hope we can get a lot of people interested.
 
Upvote 0

AmericanSensei

Active Member
Nov 17, 2005
182
1
✟307.00
Faith
Christian
I know exactly what your talking about. I used to be consumed by these Online games. I used to play Everquest years ago. My character had 315 ( DAYS ) played, which pans out to 7,560 hours played. Which means I could have worked a FULL TIME job for 4 years, with the amount of time I invested in an online game. The game consumed my life, and definately pulled me away from the real life, Godly. Your husband did a good thing, Hes definately a keeper.

Moderation is definately a good thing when It comes to games like that.

Hope things are going well for you two.:)
 
Upvote 0