Reflective Essay Sample about Addiction
“I understood myself only after I destroyed myself. And only in the process of fixing myself, did I know who I really was” quote by unknown about addiction. I am writing this paper to help me personally understand what an addiction is and how it has caused me to fail 3 classes and to allow me to go on a trip to Texas. I will cover four topics: What addiction is, how people become addicted, how to overcome it, and what will cause people to become addicted to video games. this paper will help me personally overcome my addiction.
The Webster definition of addiction is “a strong and harmful need to regularly have something or do something”. my addiction is gaming. I can barely go a day without it and if I don't play it, I’ll get angry faster. I use video games as an output for my stress and to pass time, but I overdo it and that has caused me many consequences. A few examples of them are not taking opportunities, not spending time with family, becoming lazy, and failing my classes as said before. I plan for this paper to help me find the root of this addiction so I can become a better person in the future and not miss opportunities that could push me in the right direction in life. To fix this I would need to look at the start of an addiction.
Information from an article written in 2018 by Adem Frelman and reviewed by Timothy J. Legg who has a Ph.D. in psychology. A person becomes addicted to a substance or activity because their reward and stress systems malfunction due to overstimulation. As a result of overstimulation, the brain will feel as if it needs the activity or drug to feel rewarded. Personally, I think mine started in elementary with my father around the age of 8-9. We played video games when I did well in class or got my schoolwork done. This would always make me happy so I tried to play games anytime I could. It changed from only on TV after everything was done to, I could do it whenever I want, and I have abused it.
The cause of addiction is stated in an article written by an addiction center. It states “MMORPGs are especially addictive because they offer an endless adventure inside a fantasy world where players can essentially live a different life as a new person. They provide an opportunity to escape reality and leave behind the problems of the real world.” Almost all my games and the games I started off playing were MMOs. From Mario Cart to Destiny 2 they are all online multiplayer games I play with my friends. This is the root of my problem because every time I was down and depressed and had no one there for me a game would always cheer me up. I felt that truly the game would and would always be my happy place away from the world. another statement from the article is “An MMPORG player can join clans, help other players, make friends, and develop a status. Although the setting is virtual, the relationships are real. For the player, the sense of being part of something and having a role to play can be important and meaningful. This is especially true if the player does not experience social gratification in real life.” This is another reason why I am addicted because I feel accepted here. I have met a lot of people online or through video games. I became friends with my best friend from elementary through Pokémon. I made friends wherever I lived when my parents got deployed. I met the person I am dating now through a video game. Even though gaming has caused me some pluses in life it still has its negatives. That’s what I am trying to do now so we move on to how to get rid of or overcome an addiction.
To get over an addiction you first must realize you have one. This paper is my first step to getting over my addiction to video games. I have realized now that I play games too much and that it causes me to lose out on opportunities and become successful in life. Between gaming and work, there should be an equal stopping point. In other words, the game should be a reward for getting everything done on time first, rather than a place to relax after classes.
