Gaming addiction

[Kjs]

I honestly believe this is going on with difficult child. he spends upto 8 or more hours a day on the stupid Runescape game. I tell him he cannot be on it that long. He lies to me. When i see him on the computer he says "i'm talking with people" Which isn't a lie, since I know with this game you talk to other gamers. He spends time on the phone AND playing the game with other gamers.

His homework - isn't done. School is a fight. He STOLE my credit card and charged $112.65 for this stupid game. And it is NOT the first time.

I tell husband about it and he is totally computer iliterate. No clue about computers in the least. he thinks there is nothing going on.

difficult child doesn't go out much. Says friends all do drugs.
difficult child won't go to baseball clinic, or baseball batting cages - he LOVED baseball.

When i am home I don't let him on it and he hates me. When I work I am sleeping when he comes home from school sometimes. When I am awake he goes from the door directly to the computer. I go to bed. When I get up...he is still on the computer.

I have said 2 hours a day. (much less than 6 - 8 hours a day) But I am not home to enforce it. I work holiday's, weekends...

I printed out the following article and put it on the table when I went to bed yesterday. It was not there when I got up. I am hoping husband saw it. If difficult child did , he may have tossed it. However - difficult child was NOT on the computer when I went to bed OR when I got up. I took the Laptop to work with me, said I needed someone to look at it. He takes it to bed and unless you check he is up until early morning playing. Then first thing in the morning he is back on before school. Now he will more than likely be on the desktop in the morning. But it is old, and very slow. Easier to monitor him because we know where he is.

I am very concerned. All aspects of this article are true to difficult child.

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/lifestyle/2009-04-20-gaming-addiction_N.htm

 

[Lucedaleblessed]

I noticed your post because our local Residential Treatment Center (RTC) in Lucedale is among the one who are ready to treat [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_addiction_disorder"]Internet Addiction Disorder[/ame] regardless of the fact that we have to wait to year 2012 before it becomes a part of DSM-V.

They are also offering treatment in China. It something about letting electric currant run through peoples feet. Here is an article about the treatment in China.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/21/AR2007022102094.html

May I recommend that you limit his time by installing a central firewall/access point where you can limit the time online. There is a lot of hardware based firewalls with these choices on the market. We do only have three hours internet every day after Dinner, because my husband has to check his mails when he is home. Ny limiting the time we are also forced to use our time carefully. It strengthens the discipline by us all.

 

[DramaQueenLucy]

difficult child 1 is an online gamer big time. I monitor his usage but keeping an electronics check out log and then since we have laptops I lock them in the filing cabinet. difficult child 1 has made it work but wasn't real happy about it, what it did do was make his computer time on him. He has 1 hour per week and can use it anyway he wants but if he is up before the end of the week then there isn't anymore "playtime" and he can only use the computer for school.
by the way difficult child 1 also plays ruinscape and now has been now playing tailsmen

 

[ML]

I use the addictions to my advantage. For example no gaming or snacks till x, y and z is done. So homework and now baths and teeth brusing come first. Luckily by the end of the day there's not much time left.

 

[artana]

My youngest loves computers, but we are pretty permissive about things, so he doesn't tend to be pushy about getting on when I want him to do something else.

My ex definitely had this to a very high degree. Gaming meant more to him than family, kids, etc. It is a very scary addiction that tends to be ignored.

 

[AnnieO]

My X had this in spades. Not just games, but other things - he preferred virtual women to his wife. There is a reason he is my X, and why we had no children (THANK HEAVENS)

husband and both difficult children have this problem too. difficult child 1 much less. mother in law gave her a laptop last week after we had said NO. mother in law and I are about to scrap but that's a different story. The difficult child computer died about 6 weeks ago so they used husband's computer (no one but me touches mine... They seem to have this down well... They swipe my chair but leave the computer itself alone). Well, then husband's computer died about a month ago. difficult child 1 has been fine, turned her attention to other stuff. husband has a laptop... for the business. He's been okay. difficult child 2 on the other hand... X-Box, Wii, DS, anything to avoid reality. I know that this is his way of escaping the conflict, but I laid down the law. Since he lost the charger for his DS and then mine disappeared (yes, I have one too, thanks mother in law), it's dead and he hasn't been on it. But last night I got home from book club and husband was asleep, difficult child 1 in her room with the laptop, difficult child 2 downstairs playing on husband's work laptop. difficult child 2 is not allowed video games on school nights at all. But you know what? I had told husband I was detaching. So I didn't say a word.

difficult child 2 gives us the wireless card from the laptop each night. So no internet. husband and I discussed, and then he discussed with her, no computer in room. GUESS WHAT. They agreed it was okay after all but didn't tell me. I don't think he sees the danger. After what happened last February with her boyfriend... Sigh.