aversethule

Chiming in here, as a gamer and independently licensed professional counselor with supervision credentials.

I used to play Everquest a good 5-8 hours on weeknights and 15+ hour days on weekends in my thirties while working a full-time job and raising my two children with my wife. I do think I suffered a mild depression during the time (upon reflection), which is typical for that age group, perhaps connected to the shock of just how difficult "adult life" is and how powerless one can be as a young professional. Having disclosed that, I also have noticed over the years as my gaming frequency waxes and wanes that it is not nearly as difficult to give up gaming if I have something else into which I can invest my efforts and self-expression. For me, it seems clear that gaming addiction, among other addictions, are really symptoms of a deficit of having something meaningful in one's life to focus upon. Finding purpose and meaning for one's time and efforts is much more productive than trying to manage the symptoms head on, because those symptoms are there to help manage (self-soothe) the pain of the hurt soul, if you will. Trying to focus upon the symptoms (addictive behavior) at best is likely to result in symptom substitution and at worst contribute to a further downward spiral as coping mechanisms are effectively removed for the person.

In theory, it's not rocket science...find purpose and meaning in your life and things will go better. We are all here wanting to shout to the Universe "I'm here, for a while at least, it must mean something!" and have the Universe respond in some validating way, like "I hear you, I may not know that it means either, but it does mean something!" In execution, finding that answer is unique for people and not often an easy thing to figure out.

And add a nice "Whoosh" or "Da-ding!" sound when it happens. Shouldn't take you very long.

If you have to be careful on how you answer, which to me reads that you have insight into the "corporatization" of mental health and possibly prioritizing $$$ over client outcomes, then please consider this before taking money from them to advertise them.

and he wears a tuxedo t-shirt, because that says he classy but likes to party.

Every system is a pretty good system. Until it isn't.