Serious Balancing Life and Pokemon

Hello everyone

For the past year or so, I've had an addiction to Pokemon. Whenever I had the chance, I would go on Smogon. As soon as I got home, I'd flip open Pokemon Showdown. It would fill my life like water around all my other activities.

This is a problem.

I've put off studying for tests, skipped homework, dropped out of a sport all for Pokemon. It has become a pit, trapping me inside by keeping me happy while allow me to ignore everything around me.

Now I don't know what to do. Do I quit entirely? Do I keep going down this path and fail school? I don't know how to balance and I'm desperate for answers.

Thanks

oh yeah since i'm not allowed to discuss Pokemon, replace it with Yu-Gi-Oh and its the same thing.
 

brightobject

there like moonlight
is a Top Artistis a Community Contributoris a Smogon Media Contributoris a Forum Moderator Alumnus
I think continuing to focus on Yu-Gi-Oh! and failing school is certainly an option you should consider. Especially with how much of a CROCK OF SHIT standardized education is. I can see someone with as much commitment to Yu-Gi-Oh! as you have making great waves in the competitive Yu-Gi-Oh! scene and potentially a living if you decide to drop unecessary distractions like sports and school. Still, in the end the choice is yours. Just believe in the heart of the cards, and you'll be okay.
 

The Avalanches

pokemon tcg
is a Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Media Contributor Alumnus
Yeah, I was in a similar situation. I'm sure a lot of us have put this website and PS over our commitments at one time or another. Back when I was at university (first time) I did practically zero study because I was on Smogon non-stop. I would fail tests which would bum me out, causing me to find solace in this website and starting the cycle over again.

I eventually dropped out of university due to low grades. (I also had very little passion for what I was learning) I started looking for work, and once I had gotten a job, I started going on the websites (PS and Smogon) less and less. Through working, I became much more social, which gave me even less reason to go on the websites. Early last year, I started playing Pokemon TCG. It asks for much less of my time, doesn't interfere with my commitments, and I've made some cool friends and plan to travel with them to play the game which is pretty cool, so basically all that's left of Smogon for me is coming on from time to time and interacting with the non-competitive posts. I've also played less than a handful of games on Showdown in the last year and a half.

I do like Smogon/PS a lot, and I understand how people are able to balance this game with their social life/work/study commitments, but it quite simply isn't for me. If you feel like you can't do it, it might be in your interests to quit outright. I did, and it was honestly the best decision I've ever made, my life is much better for me having quit the site, and I'm actually returning to study this year.

I feel bad about leaving behind the friends I've made on this site as I only talk to them a few times a year, but hopefully they understand that this is for my benefit.
 

HotFuzzBall

fuzzy-chan \(ㆁヮㆁ✿)
is an Artist
I was stuck in a similar situation but, instead of "Yu-Gi-Oh" it was LoL back when I was a sophomore in high school. Yeah I basically ignored or procrastinated my homework so much more often while abandoning my goals of finding a job and practicing my instrument 10x more so I would have a chance to perform at Carnegie Hall. I received my lowest grades of all times (for reference I went from a 3.7 to a 3.0-2.9 student in one year) due to my gaming addiction.

I mean all it takes is the first step for me. I ended quitting League of Legends for about 3 months to get my life back together around mid junior year. In the end, it did help since I was able to open up my eyes to see what was most important to me now. I still play LoL now but, I remind myself that I need to study hard or else my parent's money would be in vain now that I'm in college.

Anyways, I recommend taking a break from Smogon since it'll always be here, and it's not leaving any time soon.
 

Pidge

('◇')
is a Community Contributoris a Top Tiering Contributor
Set a schedule for yourself where you're only allowed to do Pokemon stuff at certain times. Or just request a month ban. Honestly, it would be amusing if an admin or mod banned you right here for a month without your agreement. When you get back, hopefully your inclination to play Yu-Gi-Oh won't be as great.
 

Ash Borer

I've heard they're short of room in hell
I think you know exactly what to do.
most people "know" what to do in such situations. Do you think it never occurs to a drug addict that quitting would be better for them? It doesnt help them act on it. Useless advice.

What I think Matthew, is that you need to find better reasons for succeeding in school and doing whatever else with your life that you think you want. Do you get what I mean? I mean that everyone has their reasons to deny themselves banal pleasures, and work hard for the future. For many men, it is their sexual imperative, to prop themselves up as a successful well put together guy who is attractive to women. For some people, they have a ton of compassion and family they need to support. With reasons as powerful as these, it is second nature to work your ass off, and ignore time wasting activities.

The way you type, you're obviously very young. You haven't developed a sense of purpose in your life, and that's normal, so I think you should start developing that purpose. That purpose will impel you to act like the ideal person you think you should be (playing sports, getting good grades). Think about why exactly it is that you want to do something with your life other than Pokemon, that is the place to start.
 
most people "know" what to do in such situations. Do you think it never occurs to a drug addict that quitting would be better for them? It doesnt help them act on it. Useless advice.
Stating you don't know what to do, only to later ask if you should continue down a path of failure, is very different from your example.

He knows what to do. He's looking for someone to confirm that. He doesn't need confirmation, though
 

Nix_Hex

Uangaana kasuttortunga!
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Researcher Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
I have been addicted to Pokemon before, but not to the same degree as my addiction to this site. There will be several months straight where I don't even play the game; heck, I haven't played a single OU or Battle Spot match the entirety of SM. During those periods though, I spend a lot of time checking Smogon whenever I get the chance (public restroom breaks, work restroom breaks, etc) ... not even participating. I'll just scroll through suspect threads or cong threads that I don't give a shit about just because I love the website so much. As a part-time teacher, I wasn't given any classes last summer (despite being more than capable of teaching the material, my boss made some shit up about me not being able to teach upper division classes despite the fact that he had let me before). I was completely unmotivated to actually get a job rather than sit on my ass mooching off of the people I live with. Hence, I spent a lot of time on PS modding the OU room and participating in their policy decisions, making myself absolutely miserable by thinking "wow, look at all my friends from hs and college, moving on with their lives, getting married, getting promotions, having kids, etc." Then in August, my grad school loans caught up to me because I "never got around to" paying them monthly. I was able to pay what i owed at the time and survive the rest of the summer off of my own money, but it was really tight. Something had to change.

I had my gf hide my 3DS, had my friend Jellicent gray out my badges, asked to be demoted on PS, and quit cold turkey. I would check the site every once in a while without logging on, which helped because I get to see what's going on, while detaching myself from the community by not participating. Thinking about the game made me sick to the stomach because it was a reminder of what it led me to, so I didn't even have an inkling of a desire to play it. In the mean time, I did an overhaul of my resume, made myself a template for it and cover letters in order to make customization very easy. All of the sudden within the span of a week, I had applied to 6 jobs, which is more than I had applied to within the previous two years combined. I started getting phone interviews, and eventually landed a very well-paying job. Sun and Moon came out and I asked my gf to reveal the location of my 3DS as a "reward." I haven't completely lost the desire to play, but I'm definitely past the addiction point. It probably has something to do with the fact that I'm constantly doing something. Pokemon has finally become a spare-time thing for me instead of a MUST PLAY OR I'LL DIE OF BOREDOM thing like it was for a long time.

Basically, don't let yourself get to my point. I delayed life for a lot of years from my dedication to this game and this community. You don't want that to happen to you, trust me. Is quitting cold turkey the right thing to do? I honestly don't know; I've tried it with Smogon and I always eventually come back. I like Pidge's idea of setting time limits (don't ask for a month ban though, lol). Set a really annoying alarm on your phone, keep it next to you, make some simple goals for the day, and do those things. Enjoy school while you still can. If you still have a chance to pick up your grades, do it. Talk to your family. In the words of J.K. Simmons, "call your mom."
 

Stallion

Tree Young
is a Tiering Contributoris a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnusis a Three-Time Past WCoP Champion
After years of dedicating an absurd amount of time to the game, I'd only dabbled in Pokemon for the last couple of years - until last year. What started as a "I'll enter some opens just to play in the tournament scene again" turned into me being 1 flinch off from winning the UU open, making the top 4 for ubers open, grand slam playoffs and 3rd in the UU majors. By the time I made the semis of majors, I'd realized how much time I had started to dedicate to the game. I'd missed family birthdays and social events, just because I'm a competitive person and wanted to do my best. Some people can balance Pokemon with life, but I had a career to build, gym goals, sports goals, music goals and wanted to prioritize my family. So I did something I've never done, I quit RIGHT AT THE START of a new gen, S&M, despite the intense temptation to play. I've since only played 20 games of it in total, when I've had free time and it hasn't gotten in the way of anything else. Quitting Pokemon was the best decision I've made, but my circumstances might be completely different to yours.
 
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I used to be in the exact same situation as you, being addicted to the game during R/S/E and especially D/P/P eras, and not having a social life/other relatable interests. Then B/W came around, coincidentally around the same time I started college, and I've played maybe... 5 competitive games since? I've tried unsuccessfully to reignite the passion I once had for the game a few times since then, but Pokemon just isn't a priority for me. I've channeled my competitive spirit to sports/fantasy sports, since I spend an inordinate amount watching and playing sports anyway, so it's only natural to have success in that respect. Also I've always been career-oriented, so I've dedicated a lot of time to getting ahead and staying ahead there.

It's always funny to think about in hindsight - I pretty much have no idea why I ever came back to Smogon since I knew even then there's almost no chance I start playing Pokes again. In your case, just do as I did: immerse yourself in other passions/interests and quitting Pokemon will be an afterthought.
 
Honestly, i dont think you are addicted to it, games and internet are there to just fill gaps, not to create gaps, if it really troubles you or sets your life back i suggest you take an advice from a psychologist.
 
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As a child, my parents were kind of strict with allowing me to play video games. The verbal contract we had allowed me to play during weekends. When I was punished for wrongdoing, I'd lose the privilege to watch television or play video games. Around age fourteen, I began to do well academically, and sort of adopted this sense of self control. Fast forward through high school, there were instances where I'd be on Pokemon Online for about an hour a day (though, never all at once. I'd just take unscheduled breaks from homework just to test concepts and teams). My problem wasn't so much as an addiction to Pokemon, as much as it was the fear of growing up and leaving my hobbies to pursue my studies in college. Around the time Smogon moved to PS, I've found myself gradually playing less and less. I think a potential reason for that was battles would only take from 2-8 minutes on Pokemon Online, and I've never really warmed up to PS. Regardless, I think that encouraging yourself to get outside (taking walks isn't a bad idea) and interact with people is another potential solution.

It sounds a little strange, but one movie that's completely changed my outlook on life was A Christmas Carol. One of the main reasons I've willingly taken a step away from laddering and interacting on the forums is that I don't want to end up with a family that I've consciously neglected, and have to face the result. Spending more time with my family resulted in me playing a lot less Pokemon, and it's done so in a way that I don't feel that I've sacrificed much of anything.

Additionally, I'd like to comment on Ash Borer's advice: once you do find some sort of purpose (or at least learn enough about yourself to know what you want from life), you'll notice an overall improvement in your life. Personally, I became fascinated with politics through the results of the somewhat recent 2016 Election, and I've kind of wondered how an anthropological approach to politics (particularly for those running for office), when it comes to appealing to a certain audience. Put simply, I've found myself to be a bit of a history/poli-sci nerd that likes to organize their ideas through writing. Lastly, I think I should take the time to clarify that there isn't exactly a way that you figure out your purpose in life; the reality is that nobody really has their life plan all figured out, and that most people sort of just learn as they go.
 

Rowan

The professor?
is a Community Leader Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnus
I would check the site every once in a while without logging on, which helped because I get to see what's going on, while detaching myself from the community by not participating.
This is a good piece of advice. You can stay in touch with Smogon without being dedicated to it. I did similar to NixHex in that I asked to be demoted, greyed out my badges etc., to concentrate on my university work. I didn't quite as cold turkey as NixHex - since leaving university my Smogon activity increased a bit and I have never stopped coming to the site - I have been on discord a few times the past week, and played about 5 or 6 LC matches with some friends, but i'm just not as dedicated as I once was. I enjoy building and battling and occasionally sharing teams I've made (though writing full-on RMTs is also a waste of time). You can stay in touch with Smogon, chat with mates, play a few battles every now and then, but you need to just stop caring so much about what is essentially a pointless, albeit fun, game. I'm still active here, though I'm much more happy with the balance in my life.

It's easier said than done though. Pokemon can easily become sort of boredom procrastination tool, and it definitely was for me when I was still in high school, but if you have other things going on around you, you really do stop caring about Pokemon. Pick up your sports again, try and see your friends more, because these real-life social interactions are more rewarding than Pokemon. Never turn down an opportunity in real life for mons. Don't stay at home instead of going out because you've scheduled a tour match (there was a time when I would have done this, but recently I gave my opponent a win in a tour, because my friend wanted to go to the pub) and stop posting so constantly on the forums, winning random little forum projects such as 'Know your niche' isn't rewarding at all, writing analyses isn't worth it, you can spend that time writing homework.

It's probably tough for you if you don't enjoy school, but if you have an aim after school (going to uni, getting your dream job), then you might feel more motivated to try in school, because it's a way of getting where you want to be. Also if you struggle to motivate doing your homework, change your environment in which you do it. Go to the school or public library to do it, instead of trying to do it at home where going to showdown is a temptation. This is especially good advice if you're a closet Smogoner and would be embarrassed to go on Pokemon in public!
 

OLD GREGG (im back baby)

old gregg for life
You can take a horse to water and all that.

If you fall short on responsibilities, don't let the game be your scapegoat. If you fail at life and your best excuse is that you poured all your time into an online competitive Pokemon forum. Then I don't think there is anything I could say to help you. The truth is harsh, but I'll never sugarcoat it.
 
Aldertz

You can go join an extracurricular, like band. Try to go places with your family. Then, when you think you can handle it, check once a day, maybe for 30 minutes. The key here is balance. Take a hiatus.
Smogon doesn’t matter as much as rl does. It doesn’t matter how many likes you get or follows you have.

If you didn’t have much of a social life to begin with, this site kind of replaces that to the point of actual irl personal contact in your mind. The dopamine received is the same. The solution is to get out there and meet people! I have the same problem, crippling shyness

Best wishes quitting, I hope you get out there and enjoy the world for what it is.

You can always talk to a guidance counselor (use internet addiction or online forum addiction) for additional help.

Damn 640 messages for being here 7 months. That’s slightly frightening.

Oh, and one last solution is getting banned from the site. Possibly PM

Oglemi

to do so, ask for a ban of however long you deem necessary. (6 months to forever)

I have been addicted to Pokemon before, but not to the same degree as my addiction to this site. There will be several months straight where I don't even play the game; heck, I haven't played a single OU or Battle Spot match the entirety of SM. During those periods though, I spend a lot of time checking Smogon whenever I get the chance (public restroom breaks, work restroom breaks, etc) ... not even participating. I'll just scroll through suspect threads or cong threads that I don't give a shit about just because I love the website so much. As a part-time teacher, I wasn't given any classes last summer (despite being more than capable of teaching the material, my boss made some shit up about me not being able to teach upper division classes despite the fact that he had let me before). I was completely unmotivated to actually get a job rather than sit on my ass mooching off of the people I live with. Hence, I spent a lot of time on PS modding the OU room and participating in their policy decisions, making myself absolutely miserable by thinking "wow, look at all my friends from hs and college, moving on with their lives, getting married, getting promotions, having kids, etc." Then in August, my grad school loans caught up to me because I "never got around to" paying them monthly. I was able to pay what i owed at the time and survive the rest of the summer off of my own money, but it was really tight. Something had to change.

I had my gf hide my 3DS, had my friend Jellicent gray out my badges, asked to be demoted on PS, and quit cold turkey. I would check the site every once in a while without logging on, which helped because I get to see what's going on, while detaching myself from the community by not participating. Thinking about the game made me sick to the stomach because it was a reminder of what it led me to, so I didn't even have an inkling of a desire to play it. In the mean time, I did an overhaul of my resume, made myself a template for it and cover letters in order to make customization very easy. All of the sudden within the span of a week, I had applied to 6 jobs, which is more than I had applied to within the previous two years combined. I started getting phone interviews, and eventually landed a very well-paying job. Sun and Moon came out and I asked my gf to reveal the location of my 3DS as a "reward." I haven't completely lost the desire to play, but I'm definitely past the addiction point. It probably has something to do with the fact that I'm constantly doing something. Pokemon has finally become a spare-time thing for me instead of a MUST PLAY OR I'LL DIE OF BOREDOM thing like it was for a long time.

Basically, don't let yourself get to my point. I delayed life for a lot of years from my dedication to this game and this community. You don't want that to happen to you, trust me. Is quitting cold turkey the right thing to do? I honestly don't know; I've tried it with Smogon and I always eventually come back. I like Pidge's idea of setting time limits (don't ask for a month ban though, lol). Set a really annoying alarm on your phone, keep it next to you, make some simple goals for the day, and do those things. Enjoy school while you still can. If you still have a chance to pick up your grades, do it. Talk to your family. In the words of J.K. Simmons, "call your mom."
Also Aldertz this works too
 
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OLD GREGG (im back baby)

old gregg for life
Hey guys, so I know I said I quit but I'm having a somewhat similar issue as the OP. I'm getting increasingly addicted to the site itself for a lot of reasons I put in my quitbin and while I've tried to quit I simply don't seem to be able to. I've become increasingly lonely irl as a result of my stress, a lot of which comes from this site. To forget about all the issues I outlined in the quitbin and this newfound loneliness I waste a lot of time here, tho not logged in. I can't get a website blocker because Im stuck on mobile - my parents took my laptop because I was wasting so much time on the site, to give an idea of how addicted I am at this point. I did read through this thread but my family really dislikes me (ik this sounds like an edgy teen but I already went through and left that phase, also I'm not one to exaggerate stuff) none of the few ppl I know see me frequently, and I have tried sticking to my hobbies and goals and the sort but nothing has worked - I'm still here. Tbh reading nixhex's post my situation is pretty similar. Does anyone have any idea of something I could try to do to quit?
I'm just guessing here, but it seems like you are avoiding the real issues in your life and allowing pokemon or smogon to take the fall. You are in control and you always need to remember that. I think you feel good when you browse the forums as it is truly a different reality apart from what happens in life and I think that is very comforting to you because you are avoiding real issues from your real life that you either refuse to acknowledge, work on, or both. We as humans have fundamental needs essential to our development and some people aren't even aware of this fact. I say get out of the house and stay out for awhile. It is easy to forget with all these wonderful gadgets that there is indeed a world outside that we are a part of and it is a part of us. Don't give up, don't lose hope, and keep your head up. This too shall pass.
 

Martin

A monoid in the category of endofunctors
is a Smogon Discord Contributoris a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnus
Oh, and one last solution is getting banned from the site. Possibly PM

Oglemi

to do so, ask for a ban of however long you deem necessary. (6 months to forever)
Just a note, but you can't actually do this. If banning is the solution you have to get yourself banned through legitimate methods, but honestly that just makes you look completely pathetic more than anything without even guaranteeing a successful quit (see: Littlelucario)
Hey guys, so I know I said I quit but I'm having a somewhat similar issue as the OP. I'm getting increasingly addicted to the site itself for a lot of reasons I put in my quitbin and while I've tried to quit I simply don't seem to be able to. I've become increasingly lonely irl as a result of my stress, a lot of which comes from this site. To forget about all the issues I outlined in the quitbin and this newfound loneliness I waste a lot of time here, tho not logged in. I can't get a website blocker because Im stuck on mobile - my parents took my laptop because I was wasting so much time on the site, to give an idea of how addicted I am at this point. I did read through this thread but my family really dislikes me (ik this sounds like an edgy teen but I already went through and left that phase, also I'm not one to exaggerate stuff) none of the few ppl I know see me frequently, and I have tried sticking to my hobbies and goals and the sort but nothing has worked - I'm still here. Tbh reading nixhex's post my situation is pretty similar. Does anyone have any idea of something I could try to do to quit?
While I haven't quit 'mons, I'm responding as someone who has managed to cut down both the amount of time I spend on the site (gone from checking every 5 mins to checking a few times a day at most outside of when playing mafia) and the amount of time I spend playing 'mons (almost constantly to not very much without losing interest).

I can really relate to what you're going through atm. A large part of why I got so invested in my life online came down to irl social withdrawal, somewhat similar to what you're describing (well, aside from the "disliked by parents" bit, although I think that's more likely down to a misunderstanding between you than it is down to your parents actually disliking you), and I feel that it probably exaggerated this problem for me more than it healed it, even if my social skills have improved drastically thanks to it. The only way you're going to be able to mend this issues is by talking to people. I know I'm probably a hypocrite for saying that considering that I hardly ever go outside aside from when running errands or going to band rehearsals/concerts, but genuinely the only way to move past an issue is to talk about it. Not only will this help you mend the bridges that you may have burnt, but it will also help you forge new relationships and hopefully leave you feeling a little less depressed.

Anyway, the best way to quit something like this isn't to quit it; cold turkey doesn't work most of the time and going cold turkey just gives you withdrawal which results in the addiction being worse when you give into the urge to do the thing you were initially addicted to. Find something else you are interested in and invest yourself–heart, mind and soul–into it, and you will find that you won't feel the urge to come online as much. For me that is in the form of language learning, music, and anime/movies, but if your biggest worry is the affect your addiction is having on your grades take a look at the subjects you are doing, pick the one that you enjoy the most, and read into it past the limits of your specification. Your issue is just that you're bored, and when you're bored your productivity falls as you begin to do what you'd rather be doing instead (intentionally or not) instead of what you think you should be doing; this happens to me all the time–if I have an obligation to do something, I get bored before I even start and I don't do it. Instead of telling yourself you need to quit the site and trying to force it, try to quit in such a way that means you're quitting on your own terms rather than on the terms of your parents, your school/grades and your depression. You need to trick yourself into thinking that you aren't quitting, and that way you will slowly begin to phase it out even if it doesn't mean totally quitting. I want to be more helpful but honestly IDK what else to say; everything is on a case-by-case basis, and what worked/is somewhat working for me may not end up working for you. Just try a lot of different things and always try to keep yourself occupied by other things without forcing yourself to do something you don't want to, and eventually you'll find something that works.
 

AM

is a Community Leader Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnusis a Past WCoP Champion
LCPL Champion
Sooner or later you'll get bored of this site or find something to replace it, like NixHex said. I joined when I was unemployed and that was the time I was most active. Found a job was still kind of active since my down time was spent here. Got a new job with a longer commute, learned to drive, gym, and other stuff. I go on here and stay on a couple of Discord channels for people I've been cool with for the past couple of years but otherwise I've stopped playing competitively cause I don't find it's worth the time or effort after everything else I've done on this site. The drama that happens here is the only entertaining part and reading some of the social parts of the site like Firebot.

Plus I got a ps4 and binge on youtube so it's way more fun than playing mons these days.
 
ok so since this thread was bumped i guess i'll share what i've done in the past few months

1. I've been talking a lot more to people on the site. This was mostly done on discord in njnp's chat, but i talked a bit in the ou room as well. Having people to support me was a good change.

2. I plan more. This is kind of broad, but i've just been planning things to do that aren't pokemon. I try to do more irl stuff. this was big for me because the easiest way to not play pokemon is to do stuff thats not pokemon. once I did nothing i gravitated towards smogon, showdown, and discord. for example: ive been running long distance, joined the high school robotics team, and learning java.

3. In september when school started, I attempted to quit mons for the first time since starting. Obviously it failed, but the hiatus allowed me to set my priorities straight. I just logged out of smogon, discord, and pokemon showdown and remembered that mons is a luck based game and that i got frozen twice in once match by a fucking ice beam quagsire lmao. Around october I decided to come back but I set it at a lower priority to irl stuff.

this all sounds fine but actually i think im relapsing. idk what to do about this but september was a great month. got straight a's and stuff. now i got a c in language arts.

i guess if i had advice to give to me a few months ago it would be that^.

tldr:
1. talk to ppl.
2. do stuff thats not mons.
3. set priorities.
 

Tera Melos

Banned deucer.
Unfortunately, there is no such thing as quitting cold turkey. A more addicting game usually takes over.

Not so much, I never quite quit Diablo 2 after moving on to other games...I play a handful of "addicting" games, I just dedicated different hours of the day to them and different days of the week to specific genres of games.

Originally, Weekdays was the FPS games. CoD, Overwatch, PUBG, ect. Weekends were for MMORPGs/ARPGs...Diablo, WoW, Showdown, ect. I have a tight work schedule and routines have always been a big part of my life.

Also, I did deal with drug addiction and handled it the same way, specific drugs on specific occasions, Alcohol on Weekends, Pills on weekdays, Weed all year around (lol blaze it).
 

Stallion

Tree Young
is a Tiering Contributoris a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnusis a Three-Time Past WCoP Champion
After years of dedicating an absurd amount of time to the game, I'd only dabbled in Pokemon for the last couple of years - until last year. What started as a "I'll enter some opens just to play in the tournament scene again" turned into me being 1 flinch off from winning the UU open, making the top 4 for ubers open, grand slam playoffs and 3rd in the UU majors. By the time I made the semis of majors, I'd realized how much time I had started to dedicate to the game. I'd missed family birthdays and social events, just because I'm a competitive person and wanted to do my best. Some people can balance Pokemon with life, but I had a career to build, gym goals, sports goals, music goals and wanted to prioritize my family. So I did something I've never done, I quit RIGHT AT THE START of a new gen, S&M, despite the intense temptation to play. I've since only played 20 games of it in total, when I've had free time and it hasn't gotten in the way of anything else. Quitting Pokemon was the best decision I've made, but my circumstances might be completely different to yours.
Update. Got really sick a few weeks ago, didn't have much else to do so I dabbled in pokemon again. Landed around 1950 in ou and in the 1600s in uu (top 30 and top 20), got addicted again. Tilted on the ladder last night, stayed up till 2:30 trying to play my way out of it, woke up late and got to a really important work meeting 15 minutes late as a result. First time I've ever gotten told off at this job in 5 months. Felt awful. Everyone's circumstances are different, but I'm going back to quitting cold turkey. I usually have good self control, but I'm addicted to winning. It happened last year when I went on my slam run and it happened again just by laddering. I need to continue to find other outlets for my competitive nature that aren't going to impact my career negatively ha
 

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