Once we’re off games, it’s normal to get frequent restless, listless feelings of wanting relief from discomfort or emotional pain. Such cravings often lead immediately to an urge to play video games. Over time, these happen less often and feel less intense.

One of the best ways to deal with an urge is to talk it through with another gaming addict in recovery. Open, honest sharing seems to drain urges of their power. In the early months, we frequently reach out to others at meetings and by phone to overcome urges to game. Even without the other person saying anything, we can often see the flaws in our thinking by putting it into words and saying them aloud.

Going to meetings and knowing we are not alone in this struggle is immensely helpful. We find hope in hearing from those who seldom have urges any more and deal with them quickly and easily. Every craving we ride out is one less we have to do. But if we give in to an urge to game and relapse, we face going through every craving all over again.

Each urge presents an opportunity to reinforce our Step One work of admitting unmanageability and powerlessness over addiction. We can use it as a reminder to play the tape forward to the end of our gaming days and remember the loneliness, despair, hopelessness, and self loathing. We remember the problems, pain, and losses, and how desperate we were to escape the vicious downward spiral. Gaming brings pain, not relief. At first this practice takes a while to make the urge dissipate, but with repetition takes less and less time. It can become automatic and sometimes can happen so quickly we barely notice it.

It also helps to get active and take care of ourselves. Move a muscle; change a thought. By getting out for a change of scenery, taking a walk, getting some exercise, doing some cleaning, or finding people to talk with, we can change our mental state. It is also helpful to remember HALT and ask if we are hungry, angry, lonely, or tired. A nap, snack, meditation, reading, or phone call may be just the thing we need to find relief from a craving.