Compulsive gaming is an illness that affects many people every day. In my act as a pt I dealt with compulsive gaming and other problem behavior and observed as my clients tried different methods of controlling their gaming behavior. Some people would try to stop gaming by slowly tapering off and allowing themselves idn poker a little less gaming a week. Others used the “cold turkey” method and quit completely.
I also saw my clients use similar methods to attempt to control other unwanted behavior like overeating, smoking, nail stinging, etc. After watching hundreds of people try to stop problem gaming and control their gaming problems, I have come to the conclusion that the best way to do it is by complete and immediate cessation. In other words, stop immediately and do not gamble at all.
There are obvious psychological reasons for this process, but also some bodily ones as well. Psychologically speaking, trying to limit a problem behavior and ration it out is a losing battle because part of your mind and body becomes the parent and the other, usually the depths of the mind, becomes the child. Your depths of the mind is actually quite powerful and controls some of your bodily functions, memory, and other important parts of your life. Pitting the conscious mind up against the depths of the mind almost always results in the depths of the mind winning.
Another component of that struggle is that it is very tiring and drags out the inevitable. While problem gaming is an addiction you will have for life, just how much time and effort do you want to devote to that problem each day? Tapering off means you will still be dealing with it, great deal of thought, measuring it and trying to limit it each day.
Most of my clients wanted to get over it and get on with their lives. We found the best way to do that was by reprogramming their depths of the mind minds with Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) and advised meditations that helped them to relieve the desire to gamble and also to relieve the worries caused by other areas of their lives.
Physiologically speaking, gaming is a behavior and therefore, each time that you gamble or even fantasize about gaming, synaptic loops are formed and reinforced in your brain. So even gaming less and restraining your gamble is stimulating those loops and making them stronger. When you see restraining gaming you are still forming loops and strengthening them, so while you may think you are controlling the gaming, you are really reinforcing it and making it stronger so that when your depths of the mind is preparing to make a power play, it has a strong tool to use against your conscious mind.
If you are sincere about stopping gaming, the best method for dealing with compulsive gaming, then i suggest advised meditations, a good support group like Players Private, and complete cessation.