As a teenager, I spent a lot of time playing computer games. I would sit down to play on the computer at one o'clock in the afternoon, call my best friend on Skype, and we would play until six in the morning.
Ever seen the South Park episode when they got into computer games?
Ten years ago I was very similar to these fattrests from the video (although I was never that fat):
If I spent half the time I spent on computer games on the gym, I would now look like Lee Haney or Dorian Yates.
I spent my best teenage years playing computer games when I could have spent them better on sports. But at fifteen I had already learned to drink, smoke and play computers - sports were the last thing on my mind.
Only smoke, booze and computer games. Then still the first Dota.
Now I quit playing computer games without any regrets. I overcame a gaming addiction, and now I’ll tell you how you can do it.
But I want to say right away: if you are not serious about this, you can get out of here. I need people who have respect for themselves and for me.
If you came here to read yet another piece of advice that you will never apply in life, fuck you. Read a hundred stupid self-help blogs and keep playing computer games because that's the only thing you can do.
Do you want to get rid of your computer addiction for real?
Then listen and do as I say, and your last memories of the games will fade faster than the Russian summer goes by.
Signs of computer addiction
Among adult computer users, “surfing” is clearly evident - aimless wandering from site to site. A person loses control of the time spent at the computer.
Without access to a monitor and gadgets, people feel the need to log into their account or update their email. Over time, a person minimizes real communication and loses social connections. A person becomes fixated on computer life and ignores external events.
It becomes difficult for the nature around us to surprise an adult who idealizes bright, implausible computer worlds. The nature and environment of everyday life lose interest in the eyes of avid computer geeks.
An adult is characterized by signs of computer addiction, manifested by physical changes . These include: decreased quality of vision, diseases in the back, poor posture and diet, chronic fatigue, and depleted immune system.
“At the command of the pike” - the commandment of the Russian soul
This is the wave of temptation that rolls over the owner of the skin vector. The urethral mentality of Russia also makes its contribution to all this, as mentioned above. The famous expression “Walk like that!” oh, how close to the Russian heart. And the cherished desire to get everything - immediately and without difficulty - is fully reflected in Russian folk tales.
Nevertheless, wise folk proverbs warn us against a path that leads to nowhere: “You can’t catch a fish out of a pond without difficulty!” Sometimes we don’t fully understand, but we unmistakably feel in our hearts that the gambling business is evil. After all, the desire to obtain funds for gambling at any cost can lead to crime. A destructive passion can very quickly deprive a person of his family, savings, and self-esteem.
Gambling does not benefit humanity. On the contrary, they corrupt and take away forces and resources that could be successfully directed to constructive development and useful activities. It would seem that any sane person understands that one should stay away from gambling. No such luck - the irrational component of our mentality breaks through the restrictions! There are always people who want to play at random. Always! System-vector psychology allows us to understand exactly how the desire to hit the jackpot turns into addiction.
Causes of gambling addiction in adults
So why do adults want to plunge headlong into the computer world? Why do they become less and less interested in reality? Let's look at it in detail.
Attention: Before starting addiction treatment, it is necessary to identify the reason (or reasons) that prompted a person to hide from reality behind a monitor screen. And start eliminating the cause , not the effect.
A person avoids facing boring reality
In life, he is an ordinary employee of an ordinary company, but in the game you can become anyone. The euphoria of realizing your own power, plus convincing graphics, reliably keeps you from returning to reality.
Sexual dissatisfaction
Often it is the lack of communication with the opposite sex that causes addiction. This comes from lack of self-confidence. Both men and women feel calmer in an anonymous space. Here you can express any of your fantasies and not be afraid of condemnation.
Unformed psyche
If a person has not grown internally and become independent, then this is also one of the risk factors. Children's habits of “doing nothing” remain for life. It is much easier to realize yourself in a game than in life. Such a person will not make decisions and do anything in reality.
Fear of society
The social environment is not always friendly. A person encounters rudeness or other problems and hides in the game. Communication is much easier for them using a computer. Here you can be aggressive and not be afraid of retribution.
Determining the scope of the problem
Since gambling addiction is recognized as a mental illness, it is important to approach its treatment with the utmost seriousness. Before looking for a solution to a problem, it is important to soberly assess the situation. Let's consider what criteria are used to determine its scale - we list three stages of pathology:
- Slot machines have not yet become a necessity for people. He does not feel painful attachment, but the craving for excitement is growing. The player can still stop the development of addiction by recognizing it and following reasonable arguments.
- The game takes up most of a person’s time, and it is quite difficult to tear oneself away from it. Control over the situation is lost. The player is haunted by the desire to win back, but the invested funds no longer pay off; any profit becomes an incentive to continue playing. Need help from a specialist.
- The game becomes more interesting than reality, turning into the meaning of life. Any attempts to stop a person make him aggressive and cruel. In this situation, hospital treatment is necessary.
The stages listed above emphasize that coping with gambling addiction is not easy. Established unhealthy behavior patterns and psychological defense factors will hinder healing. The basis of recovery lies in the complete reconstruction of a person as an individual, the restoration of damaged and lost areas of life, the acquisition of new goals and moral principles.
Stages of gambling addiction
Gambling addiction, as a serious psychological problem, requires treatment along with social rehabilitation. At the initial stage, addiction can be easily overcome . A person who suffers from this can be offered activities that are ready to replenish the missing positive. For example, active recreation, meeting with friends, etc.
Interesting article: How to become a happy person no matter what
However, later stages of addiction require mandatory consultation with a specialist . Addiction will require a lot of treatment time in more advanced stages. The entire treatment process will be built around the patient and take place at home. Various methods aimed at changing the patient’s consciousness for therapeutic purposes will help completely rid him of gambling addiction.
There are several stages of gambling addiction:
- Situational game . It can begin due to a confluence of external factors. Such as availability of free time or competition. Interest in the game does not arise if there is no external influence factor.
- Episodic game . Occasional gamers can play computer games while controlling how much time they spend playing.
- Systematic game . People who play systematically devote more time to this, but feel remorse. However, they may stop playing.
- Gambling addiction . The game becomes the meaning of life for a person. If he does not have the opportunity to play, then he thinks about the game and waits until he returns to it again.
Do you know that one of the deepest problems of gambling addiction is greed?
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You are an avid gambler and are already harming not only your family, but also those around you.
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Do you want to punish yourself
Another non-obvious problem associated with gambling addiction. Gambling addiction, whatever one may say, has negative consequences for life, and the most interesting thing is that we ourselves got into it and don’t want to get out. Or do we want to? Or maybe we just want to feel sorry for ourselves, to reach the bottom in life and for everyone to start feeling sorry for you?
Many people have a program associated with self-pity and it is aimed at reaching the bottom, being pathetic and taking pleasure in the fact that you are not loved, not appreciated, not respected. This is a kind of masochism. But what can you do? We need to get rid of this.
Trouble of our kind
There is a little esotericism here, but there is a possibility that the negative program associated with gambling addiction leads its way to the 2-7th generation, and maybe more. I understand that this is difficult to believe, but what was not corrected in the family of our ancestors manifests itself in the new generation with greater force.
For example, your ancestor was a certain sailor who also loved to gamble, and lost everything. He didn’t solve the problem, let’s say he died due to indirect reasons related to gambling addiction. And a certain generic program was born, which is passed on from generation to generation and in some people becomes aggravated. And a chance is given to solve this problem, if, of course, there is enough strength.
But usually we have enough strength to solve any problem and start living the way we want, and the problem will not come to us if we cannot solve it. It's like a test that is given to us to become stronger. But I repeat once again, believe it or not. Hellinger constellations work well for generic problems.
Overconfidence
Not obvious, but quite an interesting point. There are people who seem to be unshakable in their confidence. You don’t just feed them bread, but they are so confident in themselves that all the people around them shy away. But confidence is confidence, but in fact it turns out to be stupidity.
Here comes a man with a friend and says: “Now I’ll raise my money, then we’ll drink beer. I’m lucky today” and so on. Then the money is lost, but there is no responsibility. And so, step by step, the addiction to winning, or rather the hope of winning
Consequences of computer addiction
Adults often suffer from computer addiction. Since they are already independent and independent, the consequences are sleep disturbances . A computer addict prefers to sleep a couple of hours less in order to play or surf the Internet. Sometimes he doesn’t sleep at all all night.
Dependence is also reflected in nutrition . Firstly, the eating schedule is disrupted. Secondly, the addict, as a rule, has no time to cook and eats dry meat or fast food.
Read the article: What foods are good for the brain: improving memory and attention with a proper and balanced diet
The range of interests is limited . A person is no longer interested in anything except computer games or social networks. Such people are often late for work, meetings or anywhere else. They simply do not control the time spent at the computer, and because of this they simply forget about their assigned tasks.
Irritability is also a consequence of computer addiction. If a person is distracted from the computer, or, for example, the Internet connection is interrupted, or the game crashes, he begins to get angry and take out aggression on others.
From thimbles to casinos: the history of a scam
The history of gambling in Russia is very long. However, we will not look into the distant past. Let us take as a starting point the times that many of us witnessed.
Living in the Soviet Union under full state protection, we didn’t even know what the gaming business was. It’s the bourgeoisie who go to casinos, but Soviet people don’t do that. However, the gaming business was planted on our native soil just before the collapse of the Soviet Union: on August 23, 1989, a casino was opened at the Savoy Hotel in Moscow.
At the same time, thimble cups were placed on folding tables throughout the vast country, and slot machines appeared everywhere. Bright lights and cunning barkers beckoned with quick, easy winnings. How can you resist temptation?
It was surprisingly easy for scammers to work in the post-Soviet space: “unafraid”, completely unprepared for such deception, Soviet people easily fell for the bait and lost money. But if for one, participation in the scam became a lesson and he was never again tempted by a dubious enticement, then the other had an irresistible desire to win back...
Prevention of gaming addiction
An adult is responsible for his own life and actions. At a conscious age, it is difficult to understand whether you have an addiction or not. The more a person gets bogged down in the computer world, the weaker his ability to express his will becomes.
Often leads to computer addiction:
- lack of bright and interesting moments in real life
- complexes and self-doubt
- desire to get away from problems
- loneliness
- lack of goals in life
The main principle of addiction prevention is to help a person realize responsibility for his own health and life. Here are a few points that will help prevent the problem:
- Increased self-esteem
- Self-realization, satisfaction of needs in real life
- The ability to control your emotions and relieve stress without the help of a computer
- Increasing the level of self-organization: routine, making a plan for the day
- Ability to relax, have fun and set priorities correctly
Ways to stop gambling addiction
Unfortunately, there are no simple ways to solve the problem, but you can try rather than do nothing. These methods will mainly focus on developing willpower, where, thanks to it, you will be able to give up gambling addiction. But willpower is not unlimited, so you need to act carefully.
Exercise eagle
This exercise pumps up willpower well. The task is to stand as in the picture for 30 minutes. You can't give up. If you give up, you will have to start all over again. The point of this exercise is that your inner “I” will constantly make excuses in order to give up. Your task is not to listen to him, but to continue to stand your ground until the end. And I repeat once again, you cannot give up, even for a second.
Read more: How to become richer and more successful
Hold on until victory, listen to what your inner voice advises you, how it wants to give up and leave everything as it is, but continue, go to the end and your willpower will pump up more and more.
Church
Start going to church and praying for help. It doesn’t matter whether you are religious or not, just take candles and place them near any icon and ask for help. What's the point? Any person, even an atheist, has a little faith in a higher power, so let’s discover more of this faith in ourselves. That is, it turns out this way, we need strength, we ask for it from above, and the more we believe in it, the more strength we receive. This is how our psyche works.
By the way, there is one example of the recovery from gambling addiction of one famous blogger, Anatoly Shariy. I will attach a video, be sure to watch it to the end.
Contact a psychologist
I already wrote about this, but this is the simplest and most effective way. There is no need to force yourself, you just need to identify the reason for this behavior and change it to the correct one, which you like and suits better. Again, I repeat, without oppressing yourself, without an excess of willpower and other nerves.
✅Guide to changing yourself .pdf
How to get rid of gambling addiction as an adult
Seek help from a psychotherapist
A psychotherapist can help an adult cope with addiction. The specialist will conduct a conversation with the client, identify factors that cause addiction, and draw up a correction plan. In severe cases, the doctor may prescribe medication or even hypnosis.
Family support
Close relatives should do everything possible to eliminate their loved one’s addiction. For example, if a wife wants to help her husband get rid of gambling addiction, here are some effective tips: limit your time on the computer, if possible, install programs to block gaming sites. Control the financial expenses of your loved one, ask your friends not to lend him money.
Enthusiasm
Try to get the person interested in some kind of hobby. Men usually love fishing or hunting. You can unexpectedly invite a loved one to go fishing. Or you can buy a trip to other countries and see the world together. Or you can buy a dacha and spend most of your time there. Such hobbies can distract a relative from addiction.
Causes
If you notice the presence of at least one point, it means that your hobby has grown into an addictive addiction:
- Due to low self-esteem . Feeling a sense of unfulfillment, a person is tempted to experience the taste of victory and self-satisfaction through gambling. Thus, he has the illusion that he is finally realizing his potential.
- Experiencing a feeling of acute loneliness, from which it is easier to escape than to endure. Therefore, having experienced euphoria and a lot of impressions from slot machines, a person’s feeling of loneliness is dulled.
- A feeling of affordable profit , when you don’t have to put in any effort or work, and it’s quite possible to “make money” on bets. Having once received a big win, it is difficult for a person to force himself to return to ordinary and hard work, where money is not obtained so easily.
- It can occur in combination with another type of addiction , for example, as an addition to alcoholism, due to the fact that there is already an initial tendency towards addictive behavior.
- It can manifest itself in adolescents due to an unfavorable family environment. Wanting to prove their independence and get away from strict parental control. Or, with frequent conflict situations and lack of support and empathic close relationships with parents, the teenager looks for any ways and means to feel satisfaction and switch from anger, pain, resentment to other feelings.
Basically, when a person independently tries to simply give up playing in a casino or on slot machines, he develops depression and loses the meaning of life. And for a real gambling person, the main goal is to achieve a peak moment of euphoria at the time of betting, instead of getting a big win. And this unhealthy addiction worsens in moments of difficult life situations, tension in the family or at work.
And the most important thing for him to cope with this emotional discomfort is in an effective way, which already attracts him - with the help of gambling.
The consequences are frightening, because a person, as if in a swamp, becomes more and more burdened, and when trying to get out, taking active actions, he fails even faster. Therefore, it usually leads to very large debts, thefts, crimes and suicides.
Living life to the fullest is real
And the next step in getting rid of gambling addiction is to figure out exactly how to use your talents, realizing yourself according to your purpose. Apply ingenuity and a unique engineering mind not to achieving rare wins, searching for easy money and inventing a new story, which requires borrowed money, but to achieving creative goals.
In modern consumer society there is every opportunity to realize skin desires. Of course, this path requires effort. But the goal we are moving towards is worth the journey. And it will not be ruin, disappointment and loneliness, but a fulfilled and happy life according to your desires and characteristics. Life is not a turn of the roulette wheel, but to the fullest! The features of the skin vector are studied in more detail at the free lectures of the online training on Systemic Vector Psychology by Yuri Burlan. Register here: https://www.yburlan.ru/training
Author of the publication: Elena Yanushko, correctional teacher-psychologist
The article was written based on materials from the training “System-vector psychology”
