FA+
Shop
443 submissions
Owl Azzy Suffers World of Warcraft Addiction Withdrawel
Part 1 of a Series!
<<< PREV | FIRST | NEXT >>>
I am fighting to end a World of Warcraft addiction, and this is day 7. I have gone into a shaky sort of withdrawel phase. All of my furry friends have been very, VERY supportive of me. I'm getting messages and mails and all sorts of advice and pep talks from people I don't even KNOW. I cannot believe how many people have come together to support me. I am so, very, very grateful.
At the end of the day, though, I'm the one that has to stand up and say no more. Wish me luck.
~Azzy
Journal: December 30th, 2010
Hello, my name is Azzy Prince, and I am addicted to World of Warcraft.
Some time ago I watched a time management lecture on youtube, to improve my grades and study habits in college. The lecture said to me "make a chart of your week and, hour by hour, write what you're doing. When you step back and look at where all your time is going, you'll be able to improve yourself." I did this, thinking I could ensure my usual set of B's that I get across the board.
Truth be told, my GPA has not risen in the 5 years that I have gone to college. Its steadily, slowly dropped from 4.0 to 2.95. This past semester it rose from 2.95 up to 2.98, and my degree is only a few semesters away. I think it would be shameful for me to graduate with less than a 3.0, but that is my personal goal.
Anyway, back to the chart. I made a chart over the course of a week, and saw that almost a THIRD of my time was devoted to playing World of Warcraft. A THIRD, that's like a full-time job! Horrified, at the end of the semester, I uninstalled the game from my computer while there were two days left on my subscription. (I ended the semester out with all B's, yay me! First time my GPA has ever gone UP my entire college career)
After that, I turned directly to FA and did some free art stuff, and since then have been doing art a lot, doing cooking, and other general activities. With winter break not ending until January 24th, I have a LOT of free time, and have been trying to fill it with plenty of diverse activities.
But... now I am feeling what can only be described as withdrawel symptoms. I'm looking at my desktop for the WoW icon that isn't there, I'm thinking about playing again, and as I passed a Gamestop on the road today, I SERIOUSLY considered going in and buying a new time card. I want to play WoW. Quitting cold turkey has caused some sort of system shock, and with all this extra time from Winter Break going on, its only magnifying the itch.
I tried playing Dragon Age, but it was too hard. I've tried Perfect World, but it sucked. I tried Evony, Sims 3, Civilization 5, and Twin Sector. All just fine in terms of gaming, but they don't have the addictive staying power that World of Warcraft does. In WoW, I could put it in window'd mode and go fishing while I chatted with my friends or my mate in the evening times. It was relaxing. I could PvP with other people and bitch on the forums when "so-n-so" class was OP or "such-n-such" spell was unfair. Itwas a culture that I was a part of, and I'm seriously starting to miss it.
I will never berate someone who is trying to quit smoking, drinking, etc, ever again. I'm fighting my OWN battle right now, and it is SO hard. I know my mate will be angry if I jump back into WoW, and that is the ONLY thing that kept me from pulling into that Gamestop today. But, its a loosening anchor. I can't find any other games that I really wanna play right now, because I'd played WoW for over two years. It is BUILT to make you want to keep playing, and they do a good job of it. But I'm afraid the hook is stuck in my proverbial cheek and I can't remove it.
I'm really stressed about all this. Any words of wisdom or encouragement would be greatly apprieciated, you guys. Should I have quit cold turkey? Should I go buy an egg timer and only play an hour at a time until I'm ready to quit? Should I do something else?
Let me know your thoughts, I'm open to suggestions.
~Azzy
Journal: January 6th, 2011
Overcoming WoW Addiction, Day 7, Step 2
"Acknowledge the Purpose of Your Addiction"
Congratulations for making it this far <name>! (Azzy, that's me!)
Having survived the first seven days without your addiction's presence you are ready to move on to the next step. By now you will probably be suffering from what is called "pangs" or "withdrawel", that is, a craving for the addictive substance or activity you were addicted to. The purpose of this writing activity is to identify WHY you enjoyed this activity or substance so much, and see if you can apply it to OTHER, more healthy and constructive things.
Uhm.... kay.
I enjoyed WoW because I sought not only the social aspect of the game, but the creative ways of being unique in a world in which EVERYONE is a hero. In a world full of heroes, no one is really a hero. I wanted to make a name for myself, so I turned to item creation.
After several months of gathering blacksmithing plans, recipies, and supplies, I carved a name for myself on my server as being the go-to guy for "Old World" blacksmithing plans. Items that no one went after anymore because they were too much trouble, or too out of the way. I accumulated 97% of ALL blacksmithing plans from Classic WoW (that's lvl1-lvl60 content). Having done this, I also created "Sulfuras, Hand of Ragnaros", a super-powered item that was easily identified because of its size, color, and extraordinary rarity. Seen here:
http://www.wowction.com/wp-content/.....aros-wow-2.jpg
It made me stand out while I was in cities. People asked me about it, how I got it, where I got it. I enjoyed the attention and named my blacksmithing service "Mundle's Sulfuron Smithy", after the hammer itself. I became semi-famous, despite the fact that I wasn't creating lvl80-85 super leet items of awesomeness. I got a steady stream of business, and people knew my name. Perhaps I'm just an attention whore... I enjoyed mining the materials, making things, and having them say "Made by Mundle" (my character's name) at the bottom of the box that has the stats of the item and such on it. Creating things to gather money was a lot more fun than running the same dungeon over and over and over again.
I suppose I played WoW more and more because I set out to do something unique in a world where it is hard to BE unique, and I actually accomplished this. The fame was rather intoxicating, and after awhile I sort of faded into obscurity, because of the new expansion coming out, "Cataclysm." But, the addiction was still there.
I played because I enjoyed the social aspect, it gave me something to do in the evenings, and it was a game that could be put in window'd mode so I could talk with friends via IM at the same time.
How can your apply these same rewards you got, to other things?
Well, immiediately I sought to find another game that was just as good as WoW, but it took a comment from my last journal entry to make me realize that... well, that would not fix a damn thing. It would be the same addiction, just a different game. I'm struggling to fill that void that WoW took so much of my life with.
The mentality of "I want to be unique, and recognized as such by others" still remains, though. Call it selfish or childish, but everyone wants to be identified as talented, or unique, or top-notch, or good at SOMETHING. In WoW, it was my blacksmithing. The power to create what others could not made me feel important and unique.
Its funny that I should be putting this on an art site, because ART is a direct correlation to my "creation" needs. I can create things that other people cannot, though here in art there is a far harsher audience and getting noticed is far, FAR harder. Especially if you're not doing super-awesome awe-inspiring art... or porn (lets face it, sex really sells to the furry community, and when you don't draw any, you can get overlooked a lot). So, I am struggling to find that same feeling of fulfillment, with the same building effort that my blacksmithing takes, with an audience that I am not used to.
It will take TIME for me to settle into a new creative process that does not involve killing 20 dragons to gather up their scales to make armor... or fishing for 20 minutes until I find an angry water elemental to kill and take a "Volitile Water" from. This has become a sort of shakey, calming phase for me. Withdrawel is a good word for it.
Thanks to everybody that's shown their support thus far. I'm trying REALLY hard to get through this, but its gonna take time. Your encouraging words really mean a lot to me. Thank you.
See you on Day 14 for Step 3-!
~Azzy
<<< PREV | FIRST | NEXT >>>
I am fighting to end a World of Warcraft addiction, and this is day 7. I have gone into a shaky sort of withdrawel phase. All of my furry friends have been very, VERY supportive of me. I'm getting messages and mails and all sorts of advice and pep talks from people I don't even KNOW. I cannot believe how many people have come together to support me. I am so, very, very grateful.
At the end of the day, though, I'm the one that has to stand up and say no more. Wish me luck.
~Azzy
Journal: December 30th, 2010
Hello, my name is Azzy Prince, and I am addicted to World of Warcraft.
Some time ago I watched a time management lecture on youtube, to improve my grades and study habits in college. The lecture said to me "make a chart of your week and, hour by hour, write what you're doing. When you step back and look at where all your time is going, you'll be able to improve yourself." I did this, thinking I could ensure my usual set of B's that I get across the board.
Truth be told, my GPA has not risen in the 5 years that I have gone to college. Its steadily, slowly dropped from 4.0 to 2.95. This past semester it rose from 2.95 up to 2.98, and my degree is only a few semesters away. I think it would be shameful for me to graduate with less than a 3.0, but that is my personal goal.
Anyway, back to the chart. I made a chart over the course of a week, and saw that almost a THIRD of my time was devoted to playing World of Warcraft. A THIRD, that's like a full-time job! Horrified, at the end of the semester, I uninstalled the game from my computer while there were two days left on my subscription. (I ended the semester out with all B's, yay me! First time my GPA has ever gone UP my entire college career)
After that, I turned directly to FA and did some free art stuff, and since then have been doing art a lot, doing cooking, and other general activities. With winter break not ending until January 24th, I have a LOT of free time, and have been trying to fill it with plenty of diverse activities.
But... now I am feeling what can only be described as withdrawel symptoms. I'm looking at my desktop for the WoW icon that isn't there, I'm thinking about playing again, and as I passed a Gamestop on the road today, I SERIOUSLY considered going in and buying a new time card. I want to play WoW. Quitting cold turkey has caused some sort of system shock, and with all this extra time from Winter Break going on, its only magnifying the itch.
I tried playing Dragon Age, but it was too hard. I've tried Perfect World, but it sucked. I tried Evony, Sims 3, Civilization 5, and Twin Sector. All just fine in terms of gaming, but they don't have the addictive staying power that World of Warcraft does. In WoW, I could put it in window'd mode and go fishing while I chatted with my friends or my mate in the evening times. It was relaxing. I could PvP with other people and bitch on the forums when "so-n-so" class was OP or "such-n-such" spell was unfair. Itwas a culture that I was a part of, and I'm seriously starting to miss it.
I will never berate someone who is trying to quit smoking, drinking, etc, ever again. I'm fighting my OWN battle right now, and it is SO hard. I know my mate will be angry if I jump back into WoW, and that is the ONLY thing that kept me from pulling into that Gamestop today. But, its a loosening anchor. I can't find any other games that I really wanna play right now, because I'd played WoW for over two years. It is BUILT to make you want to keep playing, and they do a good job of it. But I'm afraid the hook is stuck in my proverbial cheek and I can't remove it.
I'm really stressed about all this. Any words of wisdom or encouragement would be greatly apprieciated, you guys. Should I have quit cold turkey? Should I go buy an egg timer and only play an hour at a time until I'm ready to quit? Should I do something else?
Let me know your thoughts, I'm open to suggestions.
~Azzy
Journal: January 6th, 2011
Overcoming WoW Addiction, Day 7, Step 2
"Acknowledge the Purpose of Your Addiction"
Congratulations for making it this far <name>! (Azzy, that's me!)
Having survived the first seven days without your addiction's presence you are ready to move on to the next step. By now you will probably be suffering from what is called "pangs" or "withdrawel", that is, a craving for the addictive substance or activity you were addicted to. The purpose of this writing activity is to identify WHY you enjoyed this activity or substance so much, and see if you can apply it to OTHER, more healthy and constructive things.
Uhm.... kay.
I enjoyed WoW because I sought not only the social aspect of the game, but the creative ways of being unique in a world in which EVERYONE is a hero. In a world full of heroes, no one is really a hero. I wanted to make a name for myself, so I turned to item creation.
After several months of gathering blacksmithing plans, recipies, and supplies, I carved a name for myself on my server as being the go-to guy for "Old World" blacksmithing plans. Items that no one went after anymore because they were too much trouble, or too out of the way. I accumulated 97% of ALL blacksmithing plans from Classic WoW (that's lvl1-lvl60 content). Having done this, I also created "Sulfuras, Hand of Ragnaros", a super-powered item that was easily identified because of its size, color, and extraordinary rarity. Seen here:
http://www.wowction.com/wp-content/.....aros-wow-2.jpg
It made me stand out while I was in cities. People asked me about it, how I got it, where I got it. I enjoyed the attention and named my blacksmithing service "Mundle's Sulfuron Smithy", after the hammer itself. I became semi-famous, despite the fact that I wasn't creating lvl80-85 super leet items of awesomeness. I got a steady stream of business, and people knew my name. Perhaps I'm just an attention whore... I enjoyed mining the materials, making things, and having them say "Made by Mundle" (my character's name) at the bottom of the box that has the stats of the item and such on it. Creating things to gather money was a lot more fun than running the same dungeon over and over and over again.
I suppose I played WoW more and more because I set out to do something unique in a world where it is hard to BE unique, and I actually accomplished this. The fame was rather intoxicating, and after awhile I sort of faded into obscurity, because of the new expansion coming out, "Cataclysm." But, the addiction was still there.
I played because I enjoyed the social aspect, it gave me something to do in the evenings, and it was a game that could be put in window'd mode so I could talk with friends via IM at the same time.
How can your apply these same rewards you got, to other things?
Well, immiediately I sought to find another game that was just as good as WoW, but it took a comment from my last journal entry to make me realize that... well, that would not fix a damn thing. It would be the same addiction, just a different game. I'm struggling to fill that void that WoW took so much of my life with.
The mentality of "I want to be unique, and recognized as such by others" still remains, though. Call it selfish or childish, but everyone wants to be identified as talented, or unique, or top-notch, or good at SOMETHING. In WoW, it was my blacksmithing. The power to create what others could not made me feel important and unique.
Its funny that I should be putting this on an art site, because ART is a direct correlation to my "creation" needs. I can create things that other people cannot, though here in art there is a far harsher audience and getting noticed is far, FAR harder. Especially if you're not doing super-awesome awe-inspiring art... or porn (lets face it, sex really sells to the furry community, and when you don't draw any, you can get overlooked a lot). So, I am struggling to find that same feeling of fulfillment, with the same building effort that my blacksmithing takes, with an audience that I am not used to.
It will take TIME for me to settle into a new creative process that does not involve killing 20 dragons to gather up their scales to make armor... or fishing for 20 minutes until I find an angry water elemental to kill and take a "Volitile Water" from. This has become a sort of shakey, calming phase for me. Withdrawel is a good word for it.
Thanks to everybody that's shown their support thus far. I'm trying REALLY hard to get through this, but its gonna take time. Your encouraging words really mean a lot to me. Thank you.
See you on Day 14 for Step 3-!
~Azzy
Category All / All
Species Avian (Other)
Size 503 x 472px
File Size 91.4 kB
Hey there, I noticed this drawing when browsing through the WOW drawings, I want to tell you that I'm considering quitting WoW at some point in soon future, but so far I've only logged on for maybe 2 hours then log off it. I've played it hardcore since summer 2006, but at some point I've lost interest in casual/raiding until I get my life stabilized. I hope you are doing ok without wow. I know its hard at first then over time, just let it go .
Comments