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Old 01-11-2010, 12:02 PM
 
Location: triad NC
3 posts, read 3,272 times
Reputation: 10

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I am an RN and see a real need for support groups for parents of gamers as well as the addicted gamer. I am interested in finding out if there are many others who are struggling with their teen/significant other slipping away into virtual reality. I am trying to start up a fee free support group and form a buddy system (for accountability). Currently in my area the only treatment for gaming addiction is with other addictions. Many teens do not have the "other" issues so parents are at their wits end as to their limited options. Is anyone interested in this type support group? My blog explains my goal better!
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Old 01-11-2010, 12:26 PM
 
43,011 posts, read 107,786,527 times
Reputation: 30714
Good point about many addicted gamers not doing drugs. Afterall, they are rather antisocial and rarely leave the house. Drugs require a degree of human interaction.

As for not having other issues, I say you're wrong. These are obsessive compulsive personalities.

Video game addiction is like gambling----it's an impulsve control discorder. Appropriate therapy is available.

You could get your child into therapy, and start a parenting support group through meetup.com to find other parents who are facing the same challenges.
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Old 01-11-2010, 02:04 PM
 
Location: Denver 'burbs
24,012 posts, read 28,385,905 times
Reputation: 41122
Nope....DS is more of an athelete than a gamer....He has the games and enjoys them though. Our rule is no games during the week. Period. That way, no rushing through homework to get to play. If the weather is good, he'd just as soon be doing something else anyway.
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Old 01-11-2010, 02:50 PM
 
Location: California
37,088 posts, read 42,066,642 times
Reputation: 34938
What do you consider a gaming addiction? My son is a gamer, so are his friends, and he even works at GameStop so it's pretty all encompassing. They do both online and in person play (D&D, stuff like that). It's their social life but they go to school and have jobs and do other things too. I don't see the point in ME needing a support group, it doesn't effect my life is any way, except that they use my dining room table and sometimes eat my food. They are over 18 now but when he was younger he had to do his homework. It's fairly easy to pull the plug on a gaming system if things really get out of hand but that only happened when he was really young (10-13) and I wanted him to play outside instead of inside, and that's what I would do.
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Old 01-11-2010, 03:41 PM
 
Location: Chapel Hill, N.C.
36,499 posts, read 53,894,679 times
Reputation: 47912
when my son was in high school and the first year of college he spent way too much time on everquest. I was very concerned and we had many a blow up about how he was avoiding real social interaction by spending so much time on Everquest. He had friends who ruined their college careers by playing that game and others to the point of obsession.
Finally Michael got over it. I think he saw what happend to his friends and changed his ways. Now he is 28 and he admits it was out of control. I surely wish I had somebody for support during those difficult times.
I think a support group is a great idea. I wish you luck.
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Old 01-11-2010, 05:43 PM
 
Location: California
37,088 posts, read 42,066,642 times
Reputation: 34938
I guess my case was different because when my son was a young teen he had a few years where he wasn't very social and his online guild really was a blessing. It grew into a more social hobby as he found friends in school who also liked gaming and they eventually started getting together to play various types of games and going to card shops for tournaments and generally expanding their horizons. It was a positive thing for him. In fact, my older daughter was a more casual gamer but ended up in a major at college geared toward video game design. It's a huge part of their lives but they didn't get "addicted" in a negative sense.
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