7 Things to Expect After You Quit Gaming

When you quit playing video games it’s an emotional experience, and you need to be aware of this because your emotions will influence your behavior. So what are the seven things you should expect after you quit gaming? Press play and find out:

When you quit gaming certain events are predictable. We all seem to go through the same things.

Because of this, we have the opportunity to prepare for them ahead of time and that way, when they occur they don’t catch us off guard and potentially cause us to relapse.

Success is when preparation meets opportunity.

Here are the seven things to expect after you quit gaming:

1. You will have tough days.

Not every single day will be easy. Some days will be easy, some days will be hard. That’s ok. This experience of moving on from playing video games is a new beginning for you, it’s a new chapter in your life.

Don’t get too attached to having a good day every day. Otherwise you’ll get frustrated and stressed out, which will only cause you to want to game.

2. Your experience will be like a wave.

Be prepared to experience a wide range of emotions, and these emotions can come out of nowhere. Some days you’ll be happy, others you’ll be nostalgic. Some weeks will fly by, others will crawl. Ride the wave and keep moving forward.

3. Your detox might take more time.

Although we recommend for you to go through the 90 day detox, 90 days is just a general guideline. Your recovery might take more time. Focus less on the specific number and days and instead continue to build your life without games.

4. You will have urges and cravings.

This is a normal part of your journey. Depending on how much you gamed your urges and cravings will reflect that in their intensity. The more you gamed, the more intense your urges and cravings. That’s ok.

If you’re experiencing urges and cravings it’s a sign that you need to go through this detox. This video will help you deal with urges and cravings.

5. Your gamer friends might not support you.

Some of your friends will support you, while others will not. This can suck and hurt in the moment, but what you need to remember is that the ones who support you are your real friends, and you can let the others go.

Watch this video on How to Stay Friends With Your Gamer Friends.

6. You will probably be bored sometimes.

One of the main reasons you gamed was to avoid boredom, so it’s crucial to be prepared for potential boredom after you quit. Make sure you have chosen new activities.

Also remember that part of the reason why a 90 day detox is so important for you is because due to the amount of gaming you’ve done, your brain may have experienced structural changes and these changes may be causing your feelings of boredom.

Watch this video on What If You Find Other Activities to Be Boring? for more on that.

7. You might even relapse.

Relapse can be a natural part of the addiction process, and although we don’t want to relapse and I don’t encourage it (duh!), the reality is that it’s common and by preparing ahead of time in the event that it does occur, we can bounce back quicker.

Relapse doesn’t have to be a bad thing if you learn from the experience. When I relapsed after being game-free for eleven months it taught me what I was missing in my recovery to be successful.

Watch this video on What to Do If You Relapse and Start Gaming Again for help with that.

Now that you know the seven things to expect after you quit gaming, you can be prepared ahead of time and avoid failing in your recovery.

To succeed, take these 3 steps:

1. Focus one day at a time.

Your mindset should be to win the day, every single day. Again some days will be easy, others will be hard, and that’s ok. The key is to just win the day. To win, just don’t play games. Easy right?!

To win the day, I recommend starting your day strong and focusing on the finish. By starting your day strong in the morning you will build momentum that can carry you throughout the day. Start with day with a meditation habit or gratitude journal. Read: The Morning Miracle by Hal Elrod (affiliate link)

Now it’s great to start your day strong but sometimes shit happens, and things come up during the day that stress you out. So whatever happens throughout the day, remember to finish strong. How can you end the day on a positive note, regardless of what happened?

2. Be intentional in choosing new activities.

The key word here is intention. If you’re able to stay busy you won’t be bored, if you’re not bored you won’t be tempted to play games (as much), so make sure you have chosen new activities.

3. Start a daily journal.

Writing is really important to process your experience and clarify your thoughts. Especially right now when you’re mind can play a lot of tricks on you with any number of different justifications to continue gaming.

Start a daily journal, even if it’s just a sentence or two every day. You can start your journal here (and read the journals of others currently on the same journey as you) on the Game Quitters Forum.

Don’t underestimate how much of an impact a supportive and encouraging community can have on your journey.

I hope that helps, and if it does I’d love to hear what your new activities are going to be or which one of these events gives you the most trouble? Share your answer in the comments below.

If you are still playing games but you want to quit right now, check out Respawn.