Why Is Gaming So Addictive
There are many reasons why people might find gaming addictive. For some, it can be a way to escape from reality and enter into a fantasy world where they can be anyone they want to be. For others, it can be a way to relieve boredom or stress. Some people may also find it addictive because it provides a sense of accomplishment or a sense of competition.
Getting Help For Gaming Addiction
Simply allowing gaming addiction tendencies to worsen may reduce the chance of a full recovery or seriously lengthen the treatment time required to eliminate the electronic addiction problem and other problems associated with it. If you are wanting to help your child cope with an addiction to video games and the Internet, please call . Our professionals have the skills and knowledge required to lead kids away from addictive tendencies associated with excessive video game play and online obsessions.
If you think you may need help with your childs addiction to gaming, or other behavioural issues, wed be happy to speak with you. In addition to breaking the addictive cycle, our program strives to teach kids how to cope with tough feelings eliminating dependence on the feel-good process of gaming and connecting online.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Treatment
Many experts recommend cognitive behavioral therapy as the ideal treatment for video game addiction. The therapy allows the addict to shift their thoughts, replacing those that lead to compulsive gaming with healthier thinking patterns. As its name implies, cognitive behavioral therapy allows a person to modify their thoughts, feelings and ultimately behavior for the better.
Therapists consider addiction a belief or way of thinking that leads to irrational, often unhealthy behaviors. They start treatment by identifying and focusing on the thoughts that start the chain of addiction and help the addict begin their transition from there.
Cognitive behavioral therapy techniques include setting goals and then learning to overcome the thinking that sparks compulsive gaming.
Read Also: Medication-assisted Treatment For Opioid Addiction
Our Gaming Addiction Treatment Centre In Sydney Will Help You Take Back Control
With the help of the expert gaming addiction psychologists at Angus Munro Psychology you will be able to re-structure your life and put gaming back in its proper place. Our effective and confidential treatment is aimed at breaking the cycle of addictive thoughts and behaviours using evidence-based cognitive techniques. We will help you set manageable goals and come up with a realistic and positive plan of action to help you take back control of your life.
We can also assess your gaming addiction holistically in the wider perspective of your lifestyle. If you are using gaming as a way of avoiding stress or for escaping from constantly feeling depressed, we can help. By treating the reason for your distress, you will find that you no longer have any reason to want to escape.
We can also provide counselling aimed at increasing self confidence and interpersonal skills, making you more able to engage with those around you and less reliant on your online gaming world for support.
Coming to us about gaming addiction and admitting you need help can be difficult, but with our expert, non-judgemental counselling and years of experience you can rest assured it is the right decision. Successful treatment at our gaming addiction treatment centre in Sydney can give you the confidence and skills you need to re-engage with life and feel more connected to the people around you.
How Can Gaming Addiction Be Treated
There is currently a lack of very strong evidence on the best treatments for gaming addiction. The most widely used psychological help has been cognitive behavioural therapy. Other approaches, including family therapy and motivational interviewing, have also been used.
Treating gaming addiction is based on an assessment of each individual person and the severity of their gaming addiction. The aim of treatment is usually to help the person completely avoid gaming because even a small amount of gaming may steadily increase back to a problem in a person who is susceptible to gaming addiction.
Treatment is based on helping a person with gaming addiction to:
- Gradually reduce the amount of time spent gaming.
- Recognise their own addictive behaviour.
- Understand the causes or triggers of their gaming addiction and so develop strategies to overcome them.
- Understand the harm their gaming addiction is causing.
It is also very important to teach families how to help and support the person with gaming addiction.
Don’t Miss: Ways To Get Over Alcohol Addiction
Preventing A Gaming Problem
To keep the amount of time spent gaming under control, try these tips for adults and kids alike:
No one knows whether certain kinds of games are more likely to lead to problem gaming. For the time being, make sure that your child is only playing games rated for their age.
Show Sources
Video Game Addiction Treatment The Ultimate Guide
Amit Asskoumi
May 18, 2021
Treatments for video game addiction can be more variable than other addictions based on the uniqueness of each persons situation and the games they are addicted to. This form of impulse control is difficult to manage as we spend the majority of our lives on or surrounded by technology that facilitates playing video games. Research shows that video game addiction is not only an impulse control problem but rather an unhealthy habitual use. People addicted to video games feel withdrawal symptoms and cravings just as any other addict would.
Unlike most other addictions, video game addiction has only been recognised by the World Health Organisation within the last 4 years. The DSM-5 now consider it a diagnosable disorder going by Internet gaming disorder or IGD. It is therefore much more important to discuss and become familiar with the most effective treatments to make up for lost time, so to speak. People suffering from video game addiction are finally being given a place to turn to.
To give a bit of background information on video game addiction wed first like to discuss the effects that video games have on the brain and the symptoms that we might expect when developing an addiction.
Content
You May Like: How Long Does It Take To Get Addicted To Opiates
Treatment Has Similarities With Food Addiction Treatment
Just as compulsive eaters and people with other eating disorders must be treated bearing in mind that it is not possible to eliminate food from ones life, gaming addicts must be treated with the knowledge that avoiding digital technology is essentially impossible.
A compulsive over-eater has to learn the difficult skill of fulfilling a need for food while removing conditions and products that prompt the addictive response. Likewise, a compulsive gamer must learn how to use digital technology in a healthy manner for work, school, or socializing without triggering addictive gaming behavior. It is not easy, but it can be done.
Related Topic: Video game addiction treatment
The Ultimate Guide To Video Game Addiction
Playing video games is one of the most popular leisure activities in the world. While most individuals who play video games will do so in moderation and without consequence, it should be no surprise that in todays vastly accelerating digital age video game addiction is on the rise. Studies estimate that up to 15% of gamers have compulsive gaming addiction issues, and up to 1% of gamers fit the criteria for video game addiction. Despite much debate over the growing body of research in the addiction field with respect to video games, Internet Gaming Disorder was recognized by the American Psychiatric Association as a disorder needing further research in 2013, and Gaming Disorder was officially recognized by the World Health Organization in 2018.
Video games have been in high demand since the early 1990s and since then the video game industry has grown at an exponential rate. Technology companies across the world are investing massive amounts of money in the growth of various games, platforms, devices, and technologies. Many industry leaders are betting on artificial intelligence, virtual reality and augmented reality to emerge as a dominant trend, and believe that the metaverse will overtake the gaming industry.
What Is Video Game Addiction?
For more information on eSports addiction and the rise of cross-addiction between video games and gambling please read Are eSports The Next Addiction Epidemic?
Why Do People Get Addicted to Video Games?
Also Check: How To Stop My Addiction To Video Games
Be Strategic About Your Invite List
Your intervention team is another crucial consideration. Its OK to invite a mix of family members and friends, but leave out anyone who supports or condones the video game habit. Pick people who genuinely care for your loved one and have their best interests at heart. Ideally, they will have heartfelt, personal stories about times when the gaming addiction harmed them.
Video Game Addiction Treatment Program Options
As with gambling addiction, video game addiction is a clinical impulse control disorder. According to psychiatrist Michael Brody, MD, the criteria for video game addiction is the same as that for addiction to a substance. In both cases, the person requires more of the source as time goes on and becomes irritable and despondent when they cannot access it. In fact, video game addicts can even experience withdrawal symptoms.
Another clue that a person is addicted to video games, according to researchers at Kansas State University, is that they may play video games to alter their mood.
While the harm in addictions to substances is apparent in physical symptoms, it is often less clear with video game addiction. However, video game addiction can negatively affect a life in the same way a substance addiction can. Those who play for hours each day become withdrawn and isolated, foregoing work, school and other responsibilities to play. Younger addicts often miss out on critical education and important social development, while adults tend to experience deteriorating relationships and problems with their employers.
Some experts warn that excessive gaming can even be fatal. A tech-addiction expert in Seattle said she has known of people who have died from heart attacks and blood clots, both results of the unhealthy lifestyle many extreme gamers live.
The warning signs of video game addiction include:
Read Also: St Francis Addiction Healing Center
How To Break A Childs Video Game Addiction
It can be heartbreaking to witness an addiction to video games. Depending on how old your child is, you may not know how to stop their video game addiction. After all, its one thing to ground a child under ten. Taking electronics away from a headstrong teenager can be more challenging.
Excessive video gaming can severely impact your childs emotional and social development, so its important to take action. Here are some things you can do if your child is addicted to video games:
- Put your childs video gaming in perspective. Explain that their gaming has gotten out of hand and that youre concerned.
- Set gaming limits. Limiting your childs gaming to one hour on school days or three hours maximum on weekends.
- Be firm. Enforce the limits you set up and have consequences in place if they do not follow your restrictions.
- Using gaming as a reward: Your childs gaming time could be dependent on performing other tasks, such as chores or getting good grades.
- Introduce other fun activities: From family hikes to game nights, show your child there is a wide world of things to enjoy.
If youre dealing with an adult child who is addicted to gaming, many of these methods will probably be ineffective. Instead, encourage your child to seek treatment.
Gaming Addiction Versus Being An Avid Gamer
For most parents, it is very difficult to distinguish between these two. The trick is to be on the lookout for gaming addiction symptoms. The most common ones are:
- Spending a lot of time playing a game without realizing this happens
- Increased stress
Video games can create highly addictive behaviors. Teenagers can end up replacing good coping mechanisms with some that negatively affect their social and personal life.
Keep in mind that adults can also become addicted to gaming, just like it is normal for people to get addicted to practically anything, ranging from eating to exercising.
The parent can help the teenager by addressing the signs associated with gaming addiction. This includes things like cutting back time spent playing and encouraging communication. If you want to help a struggling teen deal with video game addiction, here are some great things you can do.
Read Also: How To Tell If Someone Is Addicted To Pills
Popular Beliefs About Video Games
There are many misguided beliefs and misconceptions about video games. In some schools of thought, these computerized programs are entirely negative, promoting violence, sexism, and social isolation among young people. Other perspectives hold that video games can be a valuable tool for education and character development, allowing children to simulate the roles of powerful heroes. In reality, video games have both positive and negative characteristics, and the effect of playing games often depends on the players attitudes toward games and life in general.
Parenting Science proposes that the compelling quality of video games may not be due to an addictive response, but to a psychological phenomenon called flow. Flow takes place when individuals become so immersed in an activity that they lose track of time. Any engaging activity even work or school projects can induce a sense of flow once a person is caught up in the process. While there is nothing necessarily wrong with being immersed in an engaging, educational game, this process can turn into a compulsion if the user is unable to stop, and if it takes time away from other important activities or relationships.
Can Gaming Addiction Be Cured
While there is no cure for gaming addiction in the traditional sense of the word, the good news is that it is treatable. There are many people who have overcome their addiction and gone on to lead happy and healthy lives. With the right treatment, it is possible to break the cycle of addiction and make a full recovery.
If you or someone you love is struggling with gaming addiction, please get in touch with UKAT today. We can provide you with the gaming addiction help and support you need to get your life back on track.
+44 2039 496 584
Read Also: How To Get Free Help For Drug Addiction
How To Help Your Teen With Gaming Addiction
All hope isnt lost for a teen whos struggling with gaming addiction. As a parent, the first thing you have to accept is that video games arent so bad as most rival companies paint them theyre not the root cause of addiction.
The major problem with video games is how teens are using them to replace important things in their lives. Essentially, compulsive gaming can replace a persons mind with something else which oftentimes, isnt fulfilling or rewarding in the long run.
When it comes to addiction, were talking about going beyond video games as a form of entertainment. For teens, gaming can act as a coping mechanism which isnt a good thing.
Video gaming can yield addictive behaviors in teens by replacing the worthy coping mechanisms with intolerable behaviors that affect their personal and social lives.
Both adults and teens can become addicted to anything, including eating, exercise, or even beer. Its not the element in question that causes the addiction but the use case.
While helping a teen deal with gaming addiction and even eliminate it, its important to address the signs that come as a result.
Parents have the responsibility of cutting back their teens gaming time by half or even more. If they used to play for 12 hours , reducing it to 4 to 6 hours is a good start.
Dont try to completely stop them from playing video games such mode of withdrawal can aggravate the urge to play even more.
How I Responded As A Parent To My Sons Gaming Addiction
Seeing my son through his addiction recovery was really challenging, and I felt isolated and lonely throughout those painful years. I never wanted another parent to feel this same way, so I became passionate about sharing my story and creating awareness.
After speaking publicly about Video Gaming Disorder for a couple of years, I started receiving requests to coach parents who were struggling with their gaming addicted child. I completed the thorough and insightful INTENTA Clinical Training for Gaming Disorder in 2020, and I expanded my practice to include online coaching for caregivers.
I have just published my second book, Cyber Sober A Caregivers Guide to Video Gaming Addiction. In this book, I guide the reader through my sons addictive disorder and recovery, unfolding his story through the nine signs of gaming disorder and the five stages of addiction, including several insightful interviews with my son. I also called upon the advice of experts to support my message that there is no easy way to survive video gaming addiction or any other addictions withdrawal and recovery.
Don’t Miss: How To Help Someone With Drug And Alcohol Addiction
How To Help A Child With Gaming Addiction
In recent years, another alarming addiction has popped up in society. The World Health Organization officially acknowledged gaming addiction as a serious concern that parents should watch out for. This is a mental health issue that is also known as a gaming disorder.
Gaming disorder can be applied to any individual that plays video games excessively to the point of neglecting and impairing his family, educational, personal, social, and other areas of functionality. This is also evident for about 12 months.
