Snooker champion Neil Robertson recently admitted to having a gaming addiction and that he stayed up nights playing games such as League of Legends and World of Warcraft. All this while, he was trying to raise his son and prepare for tournaments. He says about playing League of Legends, “In the past, I’ve been staying up and playing it. Then all of a sudden, it’s 6am, the birds are tweeting, and I’m thinking: ‘Oh my God, I’ve got to get up in a couple of hours to take my son Alexander to school. Then I’ve got to practice.”
This behaviour became problematic to the extent that League of Legends is now banned in his house. He admits, “Mille [Robertson’s wife] absolutely hates it. League of Legends is banned in my house. And rightly so. It is just awful.”
How Did Gaming Affect His Life?
Neil admitted that he spent many hours glued to his laptop instead of practising for his tournaments. His friend, Chinese snooker player Ding Junhui, also played for many hours a day, and Neil acknowledges, “We used to talk about it. I think it is one of the reasons he had a poor season two or three years ago. We were both playing it non-stop, both glued to our laptops playing League of Legends.”
What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Gaming Addiction?
Just like any other addiction, gaming addiction has a set of signs and symptoms that indicate that you have a problem with gaming. These include:
- The first sign is that you sacrifice other life functions such as sleeping and eating in order to Other things that you might neglect or completely avoid are work, school, and even relationships.
- You play for prolonged periods of time without really enjoying it.
- Another definite sign that you are gaming too much is that you get irritable when you’re forced to stop playing for whatever reason.
- To create time to game, you become secretive and deceptive.
- Finally, you will make in-app purchases and then quickly regret it.
When you notice these signs, it is time that you ask yourself: Do I have a gaming addiction?
What Can I Do About My Gaming Addiction?
Many things can be done to overcome a gaming addiction, but the most important thing to remember is that you cannot do anything unless you admit to having a problem. As long as you believe that you are in control of your gaming behaviour, you will have a problem recovering from your gaming addiction.
If you need help taking control of your gaming behaviour or rehabilitating a gaming addiction, you can call us here at Liberty House Clinic. We have trained therapists and counsellors skilled and experienced in dealing with gaming addiction and are able to deal with whatever challenge you are facing. In severe cases, you may need to be admitted to our clinic for inpatient treatment.
What Treatment Options Do I Have?
Liberty House Clinic offers a wide variety of treatments. This includes therapy sessions where you spend individual time with a therapist. The focus of these sessions is learning how your behaviour affects your life and how you need to deal with it. Group therapy forms a support structure for you and helps you to learn from the experience of other people in the same situation. Another treatment form is art therapy. Here you learn to express yourself through various art mediums. Our therapists also use cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) in the various sessions. This is where your behaviour is examined, and you learn new life skills and coping mechanisms to deal with life after rehab.
We often follow a 12-step programme, depending on the addiction and treatment required for this addiction. This type of programme has been found to be very successful when dealing with addiction, and we encourage our clients to stick to the programme in order to help them stay sober.
How Do I Get Help?
At Liberty House, we offer a 24/7 service. Once you acknowledge that you need help, all you need to do is pick up the phone and give us a call. We have trained staff available to guide and advise you on the next steps that you need to take to get help. Our staff consists of skilled therapists and counsellors and can help you deal with any challenges that you may face. We will also help you communicate with family members where necessary. Your immediate admittance is necessary so that you can get the treatment that you need as soon as possible. It is always advisable to get treatment sooner rather than later.
Give us a call and discuss your gaming addiction with us.
Sources:
- (Esports News) In the headlines: Snooker pro admits League of Legends addiction affected his career
- (The Counselling Directory) Gaming Addiction: Symptoms and Responses