Let me first start out by mentioning this article has been a resubmission of all the information contained in a former site of mine, that I've recently closed down due to unforeseen errors.

Overcoming World of Warcraft Addiction:

Everyday more and more people are becoming World of Warcraft addicts. I, like yourself, got into Warcraft a few years ago. In 2006, I was immersed and found myself making several real life decisions based on the infamous MMORPG.

With approximately 11 million subscribers and rising, one can only imagine how many others have found themselves morphing into a World of Warcraft addict. A portion of them may be completely unaware, absorbed by the game, while others may know they have a problem but have no real solutions for combating it. Or rather, if they do and when they try, find themselves in a pool of darkness, afraid of the real world outside and what they’re supposed to do now. After all, it’s quite easy to let ten hours go by or even days playing the game because there really is a ton of little things to do. The problem is what happens when we’re left with one giant empty time-slot that nothing else seems capable of fulfilling? Pretty much anything and everything can seem very inadequate to Warcraft in comparison during the beginning of the quitting process.

Do you have a world of warcraft addiction?

There’s no question that most of you are probably in denial. You’re probably saying things like:

* If I wasn’t playing World of Warcraft, I’d be watching tv or doing something equally "meaningless".
* Hey, at least I’m not out there doing drugs.
* I only raid a few days a week, so it’s okay.

But here are the questions that you really need to answer:

* How many hours are you playing daily?
* Have you ever played for days minus sleep?
* What’s your in game played time?
* Am I playing Warcraft immediately after arriving from home|work?
* Do you find yourself getting angry at anyone that interrupts you during gameplay?
* If you have lashed out often at family|friends, what is it they requested from you during that time that made you so angry?
* Have you often fantasized about how great it would be if your family|friends didn’t exist, so you could play freely?
* Have you spent real money on WoW gold, accounts or anything similar?
* Do you spend Tuesdays counting down till the Warcraft servers are back up again? Or try to get most things done during those hours?
* Have you found yourself making real life decisions around raid times?
* Do you often refuse to engage in events because it conflicts with guild raid times or events?
* Have you found yourself constantly dreaming about World of Warcraft?
* Are you capable of going days, weeks or months without playing World of Warcraft and be okay with it?
* If you have a family, how often do you spend time with them?

Simply write down the answers to the questions and reading them over. And don’t lie, what’s the point? Chances are if you're here or in a similar site, you're a Warcraft addict or someone that knows one and needs and/or wants some sort of assistance or guidance.

I don’t need to tell you what the “correct” answers are that classify you as an World of Warcraft addict. The important thing is to get these questions in your head, alongside the true answers. You know that if you can recall a few scenarios in which you lashed out at family or friends for daring to interrupt your game time, that you need to take a step back and remember it is just a game.

Speak Your Mind

The stories involving World of Warcraft addictions are all over the internet. If you found this site, chances are you found a few other sites. One for instance, WoWDetox.com includes thousands of stories similar to yours where people ask daily for assistance with their gaming habits or talk about how they overcame them. Everyday more people add to the ever-growing list of tales involving World of Warcraft addiction. On some instances, it may be a different game, say Final Fantasy, Everquest, Second Life or Warhammer Online that has you or someone you know hooked. If that’s you or you wish to share your story regarding a family member or friend stuck in another world, then by all means don’t feel limited by World of Warcraft. While, that has been my personal focus, you’re welcome to complain or post about whichever video game addiction you have.

My personal opinion is that World of Warcraft is the most captivating and time consuming game I’ve ever encountered. I’ve been engaged in video games since the tender age of five, but this is the first and only that I’ve dedicated as much time as I have to and stopped something real in favor of the fictional world. It's difficult to remain casual in WoW. It's definitely made to take time and a lot of dedication. Something as simple as leveling herbalism, mining, or any of the other professions can span over days. It’s simple to become embedded in the fictional characters you can create. They tend to become a recreation of yourself and provide the feeling of success where you yourself may have experienced nothing but constant failures.

Combating World of Warcraft Addiction

Like anything else, for most, combating a World of Warcraft addiction will be far from easy. Many have likened it to be worse than quitting smoking or drinking. There’s a chance that a majority of your “friends” over time have come from the game itself. You’re going to miss talking to them and may even feel as if you’re abandoning them if you quit the game. You may also find that you need to keep logging on simply to maintain the friendship. But think about it...how much can that person or group of people truly care about you if they have no interest in you outside the game? Sadly, there are plenty out there who will love you, laugh with you and once you simply miss a raid or two for whatever reason, those same people will look at you in a different light. Suddenly you don’t provide them with the real game assistance they need as you are unstable and well, they don’t really want to know how you are doing, they want to know if you’ll be available from here on out or simply replace you with someone new that can.

I found myself logging on to one particular server with my first guild. After leaving after some “drama” post Burning Crusade, I would go to that server weekly and check up on them, ask questions and such. And guess what? Not one single time in the entire year I kept doing so, have any of them done the same. I would even send private messages through the guild site. If I could go back in time, I’d undo all of that. I cared way more than I should have. That’s not to say it isn’t possible to meet a real friend on this game or any other...it can happen. All I can stress is don’t put anyone else in WoW before you or your family's need. More than not they’re simply using you for their own benefit. Anyone who can’t understand your other priorities, doesn’t deserve any of your time or attention.

I don't want to be a world of warcraft addict, how do I get out?

There are a few options on what you can do to get out from under the Warcraft drug if that is what you truly want to do. I personally just cancelled my account, but for others, some far more drastic measures may need to be taken to make relapse less likely.

* CANCEL the account. You’re done playing it, so why still pay for it?
* Completely uninstall WoW from your computer. Once again, if you’re done playing it, there’s no need to have it remain on your desktop. You’re just increasing the chances of falling into the same trap.
* Break the CDs. I still have mine somewhere, but if you need to get rid of all the evidence, let the smashing begin!
* Give your WoW account to a friend and ask them to change the password. You can also just randomly smash the keyboard for the password and will most likely never be able to recall it again.
* Delete characters. Note that even by deleting them, they still exist somewhere in Blizzard’s giant world. They can recover your account for you and pretty much every thing can be retrieved, but it slows down the process and increases the likelihood that you won’t bother going through the trouble.
* Get your account banned. I, personally, would not do this. I think it shows more control if you can quit without having to go to the extreme. However, if you really feel you have no way out otherwise, consider this method. There are many ways to go about it, spam tradechat, excess profanity...get enough people to report you and you'll most likely be well on your way to a permanent ban.

I Have So Much Free Time & Nothing To Do With It!

That’s just all in your head. I can say that with confidence because it was in mine. All of a sudden I had giant blocks of time and a strong feeling of anxiety surfaced from that alone. But it was not time to back down. Within a week it became hard to imagine that I had given up so much time almost daily for that game. It was incredibly liberating being able to choose what I wanted to do. I had shows I could watch, other games I could pick up on the fly, even something as simple as being able to eat whenever I wanted...you raiding folk know how it is. Most of you probably cram food before a raid, eating as fast as you can, if at all. Everytime I think back, I can't just help shaking my head at the little things that were given up.

So think about what you were doing before World of Warcraft. Withdrawal isn’t going to be easy, but just stick with it and soon enough you might even laugh at the whole ordeal like I did. There are plenty of people, things and events waiting in line to distract you. Here are some ideas to help you along the way:

* Take up an instrument, any instrument.
* Learn some form of fighting such as karate, kickboxing, grappling.
* Take yoga, tai chi or pilates to help with stress.
* Read a book. If there’s an author you loved some time ago, check to see if they have any new books available.
* Take a course. Is there something you ever wanted to learn? Doesn’t always have to be a paid class but get some books, online information and such, regarding the topic. Some ideas for topics can be cooking, dancing, creating digital characters, etc.
* Walk around outside for at least 15 minutes. Jog or run if you’re ambitious.
* Find a part-time or full-time job if you don’t already have one.
* Rent a movie or watch one playing on TV. Or go to the movie theatre. There's always anime to catch up to, if that's your cup of tea.
* Socialize with friends on the phone, aim or in person without mentioning World of Warcraft.
* Stick to games with an ending! Or at the very least, ones that can be paused to attend to other matters that may come up.
* Travel and see the world! Okay this may not be for everyone but if you’re able, why not? Go somewhere new and exotic, bring a friend if possible and just relax.

Sure there are plenty of other things to add, but the rest is for you to figure out in time. That will come once you realize how great free time actually is. How freeing it is to not sit on the chair and listen to teenage boys and girls (some are older too, I know) and hear them bicker about nonsense and laugh at the most unfunny things. Key is to start small and use the new time to do small and simple things. And just to note, if you're a gamer and never intend on quitting video games altogether, that's fine. I've been one for a long time myself and will continue to be one for life. It will always be my favorite hobby. I'll just never let one change who I am and what I do the way Warcraft once did.