Ulthanon's Challenge
Posted: Sat May 08, 2010 10:14 am
Hey, kids.
So, this idea has been pinging around in my head for some time. As some of you may or may not know, I've interned at an outpatient substance abuse and dependency clinic for the past year. In my time there I have heard every excuse under the sun about why people don't give up Substance X, Y, and Z. If/when these people do give up their substance, they typically swap something else to be addicted to- be it peppermints for people quitting smoking, cigarettes for potheads, or AA for alcoholics; people seem to choose a less-harmful (or less illegal) addiction as a replacement at first, before dealing with the root problem of having an addictive personality (if they ever deal with it a all).
I have always said that I'm addicted to WoW, and that I've had the willpower to control it. True enough, I have been this fortunate- while I haven't added up my /played time across all characters, suffice to say that I have five 80's, a full server character list, and have been playing since December 2004; even with this massive timesink in my history I've graduated from college, attended and passed graduate school, held down an internship, been social, etc. I'm still in generally good health, despite the game's requirement to be sedentary. My addiction is managed.
And yet... I can't outright stop playing. When I try, I relapse in weeks if not days. Given, the game is different from substances mentioned above in many important ways, but it is also similar in others. Like cigarettes, there is a high social aspect to WoW's nature. Like pot, it is often used to reduce anxiety. It is very possible to get quite intoxicated on booze while playing- even if you're completely alone in the room.
Again, the differences outweigh the similarities. But the question stuck in my head nonetheless. If I really wanted to quit, and the Riders hadn't disbanded... (because that would just make me find another game) ...could I?
Well, I don't know for sure. I don't want to quit; I have always said that the Riders are my Third Family (blood relations being first, college friends being second), and I don't want to distance myself from that. But I am curious to see if I can at least muster the strength of will to combat my addiction. So, like most people do, I'm going to swap my addiction for another.
I fly back into Chicago on Monday night. Starting at that point, I'm going to try to not log-in for one week. Whenever I feel the urge to play the game, I'm going to do something else, either less-harmful or actually more beneficial. Because the detrimental parts of the game are typically the lack of physical exercise and mental engagement, I'm going to either go work out or try and write music. I challenge you to find your own replacements for one weeks' time, and should you do so, report how you feel at the end of your week.
See y'all next Monday.
So, this idea has been pinging around in my head for some time. As some of you may or may not know, I've interned at an outpatient substance abuse and dependency clinic for the past year. In my time there I have heard every excuse under the sun about why people don't give up Substance X, Y, and Z. If/when these people do give up their substance, they typically swap something else to be addicted to- be it peppermints for people quitting smoking, cigarettes for potheads, or AA for alcoholics; people seem to choose a less-harmful (or less illegal) addiction as a replacement at first, before dealing with the root problem of having an addictive personality (if they ever deal with it a all).
I have always said that I'm addicted to WoW, and that I've had the willpower to control it. True enough, I have been this fortunate- while I haven't added up my /played time across all characters, suffice to say that I have five 80's, a full server character list, and have been playing since December 2004; even with this massive timesink in my history I've graduated from college, attended and passed graduate school, held down an internship, been social, etc. I'm still in generally good health, despite the game's requirement to be sedentary. My addiction is managed.
And yet... I can't outright stop playing. When I try, I relapse in weeks if not days. Given, the game is different from substances mentioned above in many important ways, but it is also similar in others. Like cigarettes, there is a high social aspect to WoW's nature. Like pot, it is often used to reduce anxiety. It is very possible to get quite intoxicated on booze while playing- even if you're completely alone in the room.
Again, the differences outweigh the similarities. But the question stuck in my head nonetheless. If I really wanted to quit, and the Riders hadn't disbanded... (because that would just make me find another game) ...could I?
Well, I don't know for sure. I don't want to quit; I have always said that the Riders are my Third Family (blood relations being first, college friends being second), and I don't want to distance myself from that. But I am curious to see if I can at least muster the strength of will to combat my addiction. So, like most people do, I'm going to swap my addiction for another.
I fly back into Chicago on Monday night. Starting at that point, I'm going to try to not log-in for one week. Whenever I feel the urge to play the game, I'm going to do something else, either less-harmful or actually more beneficial. Because the detrimental parts of the game are typically the lack of physical exercise and mental engagement, I'm going to either go work out or try and write music. I challenge you to find your own replacements for one weeks' time, and should you do so, report how you feel at the end of your week.
See y'all next Monday.