sojourner

In conversation with a young adult (not himself recovering from addiction), he said he knows of people who are addicted to video games - playing them all night, not having/keeping jobs, etc.

I've only surmised my AS is addicted to chemicals because of the major problems in his life (does not pay bills, cannot keep a job for more than 1 or 2 months, was gone to 4-5 AM when he stayed here, stole money once from my home, suspended license, many unpaid tickets, finding enablers to live with, lots of alcohol bottles at his apartment when he had one, deep in debt, etc.). When he stayed here, he said he was only playing video games all night. I myself only have seen him high/drunk only a handful of times in 4 years....

Is it possible for someone addicted to video games to have the same severe, major, life-devastating behaviors as drug addiction?

I personally think drug addiction, because of the way the chemical actually enters the brain system, would carry much deeper denial and therefore much more devastating life consequences than any other addiction including video games, food, television, work, etc....

Am I right or am I wrong??

cece1960

I worry about tainted drugs, overdose, liver failaure, etc etc when it comes to substance abuse.

However, the behavior that results from the other addictions causes just as much problems as any other addiction, I think.

As has been said before here, its not always what they are doing, its what they AREN'T doing, and we often are left to pick up the slack.

winnie12

Most certainly. My ex had a computer addiction. Games, online communities, porn, etc. It completely obsessed his life. he would stay up all night online, not come home because he wanted to stay at work and play without me pestering him - he found SecondLife which is a very scary virtual world that is highly addictive - people can be anything they want on there - my husband even had a virtual wife on there. He has lost jobs because of it, lives off his brother now, cant get a job. He lost everything because of it and its the primary reason he left me because once i found out i said its the game or me - he said he would quit but then a couple of days later he went to work and didnt come home. He has nothing now, no job, no car, no home, and apparently has a lot of legal problems with money - sounds like some of them are turning to the criminal stage - he's gotten involved in a lot of shady online opportunities and written a lot of bad checks. Addiction is addiction - doesnt matter what it is.

Also computer games do have physical affects in the brain.

sojourner

wow winnie - and your ex did not consume alcohol/drugs through any of this???? amazing.. thanks..

winnie12

nope - we were together for 11 years and i only saw him drink too much a handful of times and they were always things like a friends bachelor party, our wedding reception, typical things that many people might overinduldge. he typically never drank more than one drink and never did drugs in his life. i had loved that about him when i met him but who knew he'd make up for it with something else.

Captain Kirk

generations you mean!

i can confirm that. i'm a perfect example of that

Bamboozle

Yeah, anything can be addictive. Not an expert here, but engaging in addictive video game behavior does produce a chemical high in the brain. That's why people do it. It really doesn't matter whether it comes from a substance or not--the "high" will happen. Some addictions (especially the substances) are of course more dangerous than others, but interestingly enough people have died from "bingeing" on video game play. This is an extreme case, but here you go: BBC NEWS | Technology | S Korean dies after games session

christin1225

Thanks for this link, Bamboozle. Two of my three sons plays one of the games listed and they play for hours on end (one who uses his periodic overnight shift assignment at McDonald's to justify staying up all night most other nights to play in spite of having a morning college class).

Because of my addiction, I'm concerned that their excessive video game playing is a sure sign that they have the dreaded gene. When I discovered the degree of game playing by my sixteen-year-old, I put restriction on it (he was going a week without showering; his grades were slipping; getting sick). I'm struggling with my own addiction issues right now and am having a hard time keeping on top of his obvious problem, which he doesn't see as a problem. I'll show this article to him. Thanks again.