Gaming Withdrawal Symptoms 

Have you experienced withdrawal symptoms from not gaming? Share what happened with you 👇🏼

I quit video games 2 weeks ago, i lost 25 pounds. I sell everything and made more than 1,000$ dollars selling all the video games. Im learning to cook and gardering. Its been a relive since quitting. I was thinking about doing it long time ago, but then i see your videos and made my mind. I feel so great and saving big money. Thank you for share your history.

I'm 31 years old and gaming isn't the only problem, cos when i stop gaming, I compensate the dopamine by watching intense movies, or prawn, or forums/reddit, etc. For me gaming alone isn't the problem, it's over-stimulation, so I'm doing 90 days detox of gaming, exercise, prawn, and intense movies/shows. Today is day 2 and withdrawals are hitting me HARD. horrible fatigue and anxiety. Took a tylenol which helped a bit and got a nap, but dang I can tell this is gonna be a tough 90 days.

This PS5 event really brought me back to the channel.

Weirdly enough I haven’t really felt much since quitting. It’s been about a week and a half I think and I don’t really get any urges to play, and now looking back on it, I don’t even think I enjoyed the games. It was just the shear fact of me and my friends playing Xbox and laughing that I really liked. And since we can just hang out and do other stuff not involving Xbox I’ve lose interest and started to do stuff I’m more passionate about like reading and learning languages. I know a week and a half isn’t that long but I’ve seen a lot of improvement in my life, I’ve even fixed my sleep schedule, used to be go to sleep at 4 am and wake up at 2 pm. Now I go to sleep at 11pm and wake up at 9 am

Quitting unproductive RU-vid and video games. From this day forward. Tired of being down and having no energy.

Thank you very much for your content! Unfortunately, in many cases, the game addiction is not recognized by family or friends and we need to pass through it alone. I'm happy to know you are here for us. You've changed my life and of many others. Speaking from Brazil. 🚀

I always thought the concept of withdrawals from non drug related addictions were exaggerated, but I just set a simple goal to not play any video games for the next 3 months a few days ago and I’m already feeling like shit as if I’m dead inside and life is boring. For me it was a huge stress relief and a way to escape reality, but I need to stop wasting my life and focus on the goals I have

Your content really helps. Especially for those of us who can't moderate and just need to quit, but ''can't''. Thanks.

I’ve quit gaming for four days now and it’s had me feeling pretty depressed but I was extremely addicted to fortnite which sounds sad but I have been for over a year. And it feels like shit atm not playing as over playing the game made my body rely on it as euphoria. I pretty much relied on it to make me feel happier , especially during quarantine and now I’m facing the consequences. But I’ll get through it and feel so so much better soon

Great content.. you addressed a lot of the issues I've felt and I can relate to what you're talking about. Boredom, Depression, Sadness I'm sure I have depression that the gaming was helping me cope with, so now the gaming is gone and the depression is taking center stage, so I'm getting the help I need now.. reading books and watching videos like yours are very helpful. I have tried to quit before but this time I've unplugged the console and put it in the closet so it doesn't beckon to me! I'm having trouble thinking about eventually getting rid of my equipment. I was almost going to get a new console, but that's off the table now and looking forward to a game-free life again. I've started to listen to music again and get involved in other activities that need to be done around the house. I'm hoping the more creative and productive hobbies that gaming displaced will become more interesting again. ❤️

I woke up early today around 2 am. The whole night i was wondering why i suddenly have the urge to play something. I havent played for two weeks now so i found it really weird. I did not force myself to quit like i did before so im not new to quitting games, so it suddenly hit me that its withdrawal. Well anyways im not gonna cave in today and the bliss of not having to think up of a game to stimulate me is worth it. I guess im still getting used to the calm and slow life. Gonna get a job soon

Thank you so much for this info. I've been trying to quit for years now and have no self control. I think I can finally get there now.

Hi cam I am now joining this community because I am trying to save my life before it is too late I am currently 16 and I hope to be able to live a life I am proud of.

I play video games occasionally on story modes (2 hours a week) not online games. I don't plan to quit gaming because I see it as a hobby not an addition and I like storylines. I support this channel because I know some people struggles with gaming addiction. It's definitely hard and quitting gaming can be a good idea if you have your priorities changed over years.

Cam being on-point about every little thing I'm doing and feeling again. 😑 This channel is a lifesaver

Im actually going through the process and im in dire need of this video I'm day 3 in without playing video games and i experience literally every symptom that u mentioned few hours ago i was almost about to relapse 🙏🏻 thank u so much and hope i can come out of this gaming trap and work on my education and go on to develop my social skills all of which would take me somewhere in my life

Thank you, it’s good to know I’m not crazy.

Excellent video!

PS4 stopped working so I might as well get ready for this withdrawal.

Till today I've been going back to games after deleting them inside 2 days.. Reason being that I am unable to withstand withdrawals and during that time - playing the game seems like the most viable solution for me.. Thanks Cam for sharing the tips.. I've been applying only tip #1 till today aka creating barriers.. but yeah the other tips matter a lot too

Well thought out video Cameron. Thanks to you and your book I have been free of my past hindrance for 200 plus days strong. It's hard at first, but it gets easier. Trust me.

I feel so poorly day four ... Not gambling I've been gambling on slots for 25 years this is tough for me .. nightmares ... Angry ... Thus video has helped me ... Thanks hope I can beat this addiction xxx

3:19 bothers me a little. I thought that they would eventually leave. But oh well, I guess I’ll learn to navigate through them.

I started playing world of warships, only for 3 weeks. After the first week I noticed I couldn't stop playing, so I uninstalled it. Later that day I thought well I will only play at certain times and I will set the timer on my phone for 1 and 1/2 hours and then quit. That didn't work, when I had a day off I played for hours, I thought it's a day off I might as well relax and enjoy the game, yah. I last played 3 days ago, after my last game my hands were trembling I had a headache and I felt miserable. I uninstalled the game told myself I'm on a timeout for 3 weeks from gaming. I'm never going back to gaming. Gaming is like a demon that takes over your life. Gaming is very strange, I would be driving down the street and I would see down the road looking into the distance and it felt like I was in a game looking into the distance of the computer screen as if that was reality....the horror.

ı feel so bad and depressing since i quit gaming now its 15 day dont give up guys

Every time I feel the invisible urge to get my Xbox out of the basement I come and watch your videos. 😁 Thank you.

Hey Cam, what do you think is the difference between someone who is addicted to video games and someone is who is passionate about it? I think its an interesting one and maybe you could make a video about it.

Good video.

Hey really helpfull, is it normal to have thoughts of why the symptoms are not because of gaming but because of other things so i would start gaming again? i dont have this always its just a crave i think.

I have autism and never been able to have any sort of social life. I work and go to school to become an electrical engineer. When I'm on break from school, I have nothing else to do but game which IMO isn't any worse than binge watching TV shows for hours.

Nowadays i sometimes dream im playing a game. Its often a really good game and fully immersive as its a dream. WHen i first quit i was doing this all time, so desperate to play i was that my brain would recreate the experience in my sleep. The games i dream are way better than real life games so im happy to have them.

I really want to do this but it's going to have to be an easing out for me. Still getting there but I admit that I am scared.

I play in moderation, so I am watching this video just now to be more aware of my gameplay.

Honestly I say this as someone who loves video games especially since I can’t really see my friends and only really connect to them though online gaming I do think video game addiction is a problem and I may not have it but there is definitely many people who experience this specific addiction. There is one thing that I can say I don’t agree with and that’s withdrawal like it might just be me but from my personal experience and my close friends I’ve never felt any different not playing for a few months or my friends who can’t play as much have never mentioned something wrong or different mentally or physically but that could just be something that happens to those with a serious addiction.

I went to some A.A. meetings to support a loved one, and then came back because I realized that I'm a game addict and turned into an alcoholic because I changed an addiction for another in times where I couldn't be gaming 5 days clean and counting 🎉

Thank u you help me get my teenage years back no homo I love you

im in wheelchair so there is really not much i can do but i play only about 10-12h per week cus i read a lot, watch youtube (mostly educational things), my dad is in hoospital so now it only me and mom so im helping her around house, i have 2 pets so i take care about feeding them and cleaning litter. if im not in chair i doubt i would even play games,maybe like 3h per week or something

i got baned of of playstation for 60 days and I am addicted truly this has been a long journey and I have seen I am addicted bc I have all of these 😭

Great video! 👌🏻 For me it was definitely boredom. I was like, what am I going to do now??? All my money, time, and energy had been put in gaming. But after about 2 months I had found new hobbies so the boredom gradually disappeared as I replaced gaming with other hobbies.

Nice vid really helped me

It's been 8 months since I quit gaming. Your videos helped me take this huge and drastic decision and i feel like they could help even other people who cant understand english. So i was considering translating or even dubbing your videos in my lenguage( italian) in order to reach even more gamers. This is only a concept, but I wanted to ask your permission anyway.

yeah true history dude u are a example to follow

It has been over a month and the craving is insane now compared to a week or two weeks in quitting...

I just Uninstalled wow! I only payed about 2 to 3 hours a day but in my busy life it was a problem. No motivation to do anything. I'm gonna give it my best!

I feel anxiety in my heart when i don’t play when i start playing it stops. It is scary can i overcome this feeling if i trade gaming addiction with gym?

Can you make a video on what to do immediately after quitting gaming and how to create a routine after gaming because I am planning to only focus on activities like Bible study and reading and piano to replace gaming for now is that ok?

I wish Video Games were never created. I believe the World would be better without Video Games. I had an online gaming addiction that I believe played a part in me failing in school. Ohhhhh how I wish I could have the time back I wasted from playing video games. I could have learned a skill, like Coding or Computer Programming. I probably wouldn’t be as socially awkward as I am now if I never touched video games. I probably would have gotten to a Top University if I hadn’t touched video games. I probably would have an Amazing career right now if I hadn’t touched video games. I Don’t Even Want To See Another Video Game!!! At this stage of my life, I would rather play sports and do outdoor activities (fishing, bicycling) or maybe play board games, but I don’t want to see another video game. I want to be a provider for my family and I can’t do that wasting time playing video games.

I've wasted last 4 years of my life heavy gaming. It started getting worse 2 years ago. 1 year ago i had a goal of going professional in one game and i became really lazy because i only focused on that, 10 hours a day. No results. 4 months ago i quit gaming completely, but my addiction got replaced with social media, again. Recently i came back and i cannot stop, any help?

I wanna ask your opinion on something: Ever heard of the “experience machine” thought experiment? How would you feel about the idea of hooking up to it, or having a friend hook up to it? You can be honest. I won’t judge.

i wasn't aware about this video game that can be a real addiction for me and now i am taking action to try to spend less time on video games. now i will try finish playing fortnite now an addict on this game but after i will get the last reward from battle pass i will uninstall it

I quit playing Fortnite a week ago, I have derealisation and feel anxious. I know the symptoms will pass but definitely not going to play video games ever again, it’s completely ruined my energy levels.

What do you do when you realize that you don't actually have any friends? i live in a city far away from where i grew up, i lack contacts and even if i had contact with my childhood city i was a loner then aswell how do i change? how do i make friends as a 29 year old? the only social network i have is trough video games.

This too shall pass.

Thank u 🙏 bro u help me get my years of being a teen back no homo I love u bro

cheers

Hey, I don’t know if you will answer or not, but I really want to quit playing video games but my friends really want me to play, and I know very well if I play with them I’ll waste my entire day on the game, any suggestions on what to do? As I don’t want to play games but I also don’t want to ruin my relationship with my friends

Is it better to go from gaming 24/7 to none at all for a few days at least or to slowly tune down the hours of gaming per day?

OMG. Thanks for this.

My brother gets all of these is so sad that he’s literally addicted to them.

Only getting 2 hours does this to me I just find it as a way to interact and socialize with friends

I haven't done the quitting process 'yet', but I have tried quitting specific games I'm addicted to.. and it's quite hard to because I can't get over the "hey, you put a lot of effort to earn the things you have in this game, so why throw it away?". One game I've been sorta addicted to is World of Tanks on Xbox. I love this game but I also hate it. I hate it because the game is obviously rigged and no matter how good you play, how well you do in each round, winning/how good you do just isn't up to you - the game decides all that. But my stubborn streak just wants to "prove the game wrong" by not only making up for losses, but gaining wins. But if you stretch the stats out or keep track.. you realize you literally get nowhere. This is something in the game that I have dubbed "the magic ratio", because when I've broken down how well I've done in the game, my win ratio has been exactly the same since I had about 5,000 matches up to the 15,000 (yes I've played that much WoT) it's been the same. Sometimes you can fool the game and have something crazy like a 10 game winning streak, but then immediately after lose 7, then kinda go on a bit of a 'win one lose two' for about 5 matches rendering that winning streak useless. And there's been times where I killed 80% of the enemy team BY MYSELF and still lost. That particular match I did better than the three players below me combined. Lastly, this game brought out some horrid habits such as self harm. Because I couldn't get over the fact that losing wasn't my fault I had to always somehow justify it being 'my fault' so for a while there and even sometimes still I hit myself if I lose or screw up in games because of this habit I've developed from this game. So... As hard as it is... I've been slowly selling all my tanks and just buying really expensive tanks then selling them etc so my money pool dwindles until I have nothing. I'm trying to make it so that if I want to play the game again, that the amount of time and effort I'd have to put into the game again would make it just not worth it. I put five years of hours into that game. And... somehow outside of buying some premium so I had some extra silver each match once in a while, I never spent money on the game cause I'm too cheap to. And I refuse to pay money in order to win more often. Anyway sorry for the long rant here, but.. this video kinda inspired me to share my story kinda.

What I experience alot if cravings. For so many year I always had a old SNES game song that would play in my head and I would go back play the game. At which point it was like I just keep repeating the same cycle of old games. Now I know I dont need to go back and play the games when I get craving or my head start to play a music of the game. One of the most beneficial habit I found was journaling every day. I cant agreed more on how that is a good Idea. Thanks for the video.

Thank you

Uh . I wish I had this addiction back... :(

Great video bro!

The more I see these things the more I feel cam is me I feel stuck I don't like gaming it makes me like a zombie unable to connect and or feel anything kinda unstable and once I am done I forget just how bad gaming was or how bad I was stuck I have mainly two personalities the coward one who is lazy only wants to play videogames and blames the world everything being f*cked my other personality is heavily under control pushing forward to learn more things, overconfident calm, and kind, taking responsibility for everything. I hate this person who I am and the same mistakes I make over and over again ... If there is a god he shall never forgive me, neither myself.

Im just noe at the point where im going to just start quitting gaming

Hey, I’ve quit Minecraft for 10 months now. I still look at videos, but I don’t play it. I’ve been thinking about this YT project - related to Minecraft. I’ve been thinking about it for 5 months now, and I thought about it pretty well. The type of yt I’m doing is just building, so it’s low stress, because I always loved architecture and there’s a limit when I build. All I’m going to do is build small structures, which take less than an hour, and spend the rest of the day/week editing the video. Any advice?

I have nightmares and headaches. I woke up today and vomited

Think of it like an ex, u move on by time but still get memories sometimes

In my case it's just about forming a daily habit and I found myself playing a single game for years and even into high-school even after the game stopped being fun but i continued to play it because it was predictable and a habit. That's really all there was to it and even the ppl who say they don't have a problem with gaming because they constantly quit have their own problem of not being able to commit to their own decisions. Pick something, play it for a month, move on and occasionally replay it. That seems the most normal. However, where these gaming companies make the most money is by preying on the weak ppl who to no fault of their own have nothing else. The companies will charge $100 per basic transaction for skins or something cosmetic and possibly some sort of an advantage in game and some ppl will spend thousands of dollars. In my case, I only paid a yearly membership for maybe 10 years for one game. The only way I freed myself was by realizing this was how these gaming companies make money by preying on weak ppl like I was at the time. I couldn't move on and the game created a sense of nostalgia and false sense of achievement I didn't want to move on from. All because in my waking life I don't value my personal achievements. It's sad but there's ppl out there like that and honestly to no fault of their own, I blame society because it's all a craps shoot. Some ppl get help and others just don't care about raising their children the right way and they end up messed up. The largest issue is it's not a problem to society like an explosion or physical catastrophy, but instead it's causing isolation with individuals until they just end up having no choice but to either suffer or sponge off of society and even when they seek help from the little that's offered they're not taken seriously and can therefore never get help. Ppl just shrug it off saying it's not real because they've never experienced it or your just overreacting but unless you've actually experienced it, you don't deserve a say if you're going to just be mean. These individuals just end up producing little to nothing and unless they have an opportunity they'll never recover and most don't and the some that do still fail multiple times trying to recover. Life is hard, that's just the way it is for some ppl. For some, it's waking up looking beautiful and being annoyed by everyone lesser than them and everything or at least more things than not come easy and they'll complain just as much as the person who has nothing. I recall being in a college class and a girl in front of me was complaining that she was single for two weeks and she felt like she was gonna die. I was so mad because I was thinking at the time I was single for two years. I mean I understand that but to be so unfamiliar with what I've gone through and to listen to that with such sincerity really pissed me off. The most difficult thing is going through every day pretending to be okay, when in actuality everything or at least a few or many things is just a garbage fire just keeping me down and anyways... I've ranted enough but hopefully that helps you understand why ppl develop video game addictions. Anyways, the solution to recover imo and from my exp is just find something else to replace your old addiction with a new one and replace it multiple times until you get used to quitting and then eventually just pick something healthy, and from that take small steps and improve your life a little at a time. Also, it's impossible to compare your life to another person's because you'll never be able to trade in the body you've been given for another one but you can make it the best what you have can be. For example, if you're short, you'll never be tall, so why bother, but you can eat healthy and go to sleep at a reasonable hour and that'll maximize how you look at feel, exercise, etc. Then before you know it, you'll have gotten over your video game addiction or w/e previously haunted you. It's not easy, but it's doable. As you can see, the addiction isn't just about the activity itself, but also about a deep rooted problem that can stem beyond that into one's personal life. I'll avoid repeating what I've already said but I think this explains it and I have no doubt that for anyone reading this will just say you're crazy or you're making it up or funny story or you're weak or something but w/e and the few that have actually gone or are currently going through this, they'll understand.

I have a lot of emotional investment in this game I'm trying to quit man. A lot of online friends that I'm attached to. If I'll quit my game then they'll forget me man. At least I have some online friends because of my game. That bond that I have with them will be gone forever man.

Thank you for this channel, it made me quit games, 4 months clean

i get lethargy and boredom, gotta force myself to do stuff now, really need to stop "surfing" the internet, but if im not at work, then its really hard to find something to do, and i can only do the gym for so long; what do u guys do?

I am addicted to pubg I try to control myself but I can't.....what to do? My age is 13

When I was little I used to play all the time as school was super easy for me to pass. As a community college kid. I still play here and there to have fun as I don't completely shut it out, but I wish I had the to effort to do it all the time as now I just don't. It changed me completely as when time changes to do family stuff and school, work eventually for me, or at home now. You think diff things to do then, oh I want to play games. Not saying you can't, but on a reg basis, it's not much now then it used to be.

Can quitting cause insomnia?

I took the 90 day detox as just an experiment at the beginning of the year. At this time I am at 31 days and counting. I should point out that I have a huge collection of games and I was playing them a lot. Once this experiment is over. I will return to them. I haven't experienced any of these. Except boredom and sometimes a thought of playing when I got nothing else to do. However they're very easy to ignore and are not frequent. I think cravings and urges aren't much of a problem depending on how intense they are for some individuals. I am skeptical that boredom is on this list, I mean we all experience it from time to time, even those who don't game at all. However it is still just the beginning. I shall find out what more is to come in the next 30 days.

Me: Fomo and Boredom *cough* GTA

sounds similar to Adderall withdrawal

I'm on day 205 or so. I quit gaming to complete a goal before I could play again. My biggest advice is to put limits or timmers on tv, and youtube; otherwise those will take the place of gamming.

I want to quit so badly it’s ruining my life I’m 27 almost 28 and I’ve been gaming to escape my mental health issues but in reality it’s messing me up more

May I ask why you choose to quit gaming cold turkey rather than just play in moderation while doing other things? Btw, you look like Austin Evans 😂

I am starting to quit gaming from today. My entrance exams are just a month away and I can't stop gaming . I played for 12 hours today. I ll come back to edit my comment later to see my outcome.

I'm pretty much halfway into quitting without really trying. I'm not even buying any games for my PC, and I'm losing interest in the games that i expected myself to buy. Sometimes I just end up watching the walkthroughs of a game done by someone else instead. The desire to game is just growing weaker and weaker everyday, and whatever excitement i wake up with everyday towards the act of gaming is losing its appeal.

When you say investment of time and money was for nothing and captives says it's not true, why it's not true? You can sell account (mostly against rules) but that's all I can think of

I have watched some lol streamers for few minutes but I am not triggered to play it anymore.

haha you are overcomplicating things.. I have been a veteran gamer for years ever since Nintendo.. However I also learnt that the ONLY way to quit a habit is through unshakable strong discipline, nothing else matters. I quit now for a month but I wont quit forever, because this is my only life and I dont see the point of restricting myself from trying out fascinating new games that have given me immense pleasure in the past. No. I rather be enormously productive in life but also play sometimes videogames if i want to. Everything in life needs balance, so I do NOT recommend people to quit completely if they love gaming. Just limit it to a minimum or set a schedule or play as a reward after a long day of hard work a couple of hours or something. Don't punish yourself, live your life, enjoy it.. this is your ONLY life..

I'm wanting to become a voice actor. So I quit WOW. However, I've taken up hiking and TV shows. So I'm basically addicted to procrastination

No withdrawal symptoms

Moderation is key here. Also, take on a new hobby. Force yourself to find joy in other activities. Eventually your priorities will change. I took on the hobby of cars and trucks. At first I thought it was a silly attempt but, over time I started to prioritize that hobby over video games. Then I took it more seriously, started researching and learning about performance vehicles. Then I wanted to apply that to my own vehicle. In a sense, I changed a unhealthy hobby into a productive and more healthy hobby. Now I dont look forward to that new dlc download or new game that comes out. I now look forward to when that new part I ordered comes in so I can fix and/or upgrade a vehicle. So instead of wasting hours on in playing a game, I work on the vehicles. Not just my own anymore but, other people's vehicles as well. Better for my health and better for society👨‍🔧. Cant play your video games if the trucks dont make the deliveries on time, lol. Cant make it down to game stop if your car is broke down💁‍♂️.

After the teen in florida beating his teacher we need to address this in therapy this isnt a gambling casino problem anymore its much larger

What works for me is to REPLACE gaming for something else: listen to music you love, readings, movies, etc. All with moderation. Bonus: The elephant in the room not addressed here is MASTURBATION: if you can't quit masturbation and fornication, these will make it difficult for you to quit gaming, not to mention masturbation is a worse addiction than gaming and it is a mortal sin that will destroy your life and literally bring demons to you.

It is all for nothing.

Gaming doesn't cause symnptoms

Almost 30 days of no RuneScape. Struggle is real...31 years old. Been playing since 13. Really struggling guys. Sleeping alot, working out more, almost snapped on a co worker (he was doing dumb shit) but still man...very hard. Anyways take care guys.