The Video Game Addict Returns.

So it started easily enough.

My son Hamish asked if he could put Clash Royale on my phone.

If you are not familiar with the game, you have to try to take out an opponent’s three towers by strategically choosing and placing different characters on the screen.

It has many, many variables, an upgrade system and I have already had problems with being addicted to it in the past.

I don’t remember choosing to open the game the first time.

I do remember when I got in, it had a whole host of bonuses and freebies…

Just what was required to restart my addiction.

And it kicked in quickly.

Pretty soon I was saying to myself “Ok, this is the last game”, only to find myself playing again.

Having been to this place many times before, I recognized the addiction.

And I knew the treatment.

Delete.

Interestingly it has shown up at a period of high stress in my life…

And, it definitely gave me a distinct feeling of accomplishment.

Winning a battle.

Losing a battle at the last second.

But all of it was fantasy.

Winning, losing… it was all pointless in the context of actually making a difference in my life.

I will not become a youtube Clash Royale star.

It was just a delusion for me to avoid doing what actually needed to be done in my life that would lead to a better future.

But, one benefit is that it did give me more empathy for my addicted patients.

Once an addiction is present, it seems that any return to the addiction rapidly upregulates the entire behavioral pathway and there is a quick return back to full addiction.

The same with smoking.

The same with alcohol.

The same with drugs.

The same with sex.

And the principle I take from the return of my video game addiction is that temporary relief has a high cost.

Just like procrastinating for exams — logically it makes no sense to study — other than getting a lot of peripheral stuff done while avoiding what I really need to do.

Yes, it gives me relief from doing the study, but it costs me massively in what I actually want to achieve.

The only time I have been able to avoid procrastination was in preparing for the GP exams…

The sheer size and the additional responsibilities I had in my life forced me to accept that I had to prepare early.

Even then, after about 2 months into my 12-month exam plan, my procrastination kicked in and I lost 6–8 weeks…

But in going through that whole experience, I did find a better way to prep for the FRACGP exams.

If this is something you are interested in, then I invite you to head over to https://www.graduatemedicine.com/gpea now.

And if you are struggling with an addiction, know that the only way I have successfully found to end it is once I realize I am addicted (again!) that I must sever all ties to that behavior at that moment.