Behavioral change
None of this is expert advice. It's what people worked out for themselves, usually the hard way — what actually helped, and what they'd tell someone standing where you are. Take what fits and leave the rest.
If you only read a few
Listen to or read the 'Easy Peasy' audiobook/method for guidance on quitting.
It is described as a life saver.
4 people, independently
Sell your gaming hardware, such as a GPU or console, to remove the temptation and redirect time toward other activities.
Getting rid of the box shifts the fight from avoiding the 'on' button to avoiding buying a new box, leading to a feeling of freedom.
4 people, independently
- Switch from a gaming PC to a laptop to reduce the amount of time you play.1
Quit gradually by taking one day off, then two, and so on, rather than stopping all at once.
You can't just quit at once.
one person who lived it
Get enough sleep.
It improves your life.
one person who lived it
Do not use willpower to quit; instead, understand why your brain wants porn so it seems silly.
Blocking yourself while your brain still wants it just hooks you back.
one person who lived it
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Read 'Atomic Habits' by James Clear to make life changes easier.
Quit gaming in stages by allowing yourself to play when you want but stopping when you have to, slowly reducing the desire, or by gradually reducing play days from three to zero.
Self-denial is super hard, and this approach helps you slowly stop wanting to play.
2 people, independently
- Give up the multiplayer or social aspects of gaming to make it easier to stop playing.1
Read books at night until you are too tired to keep your eyes open, with your phone on Do Not Disturb.
It helps your mind get away from temptations.
one person who lived it
Keep busy with work or outings to return to real life and manage stress.
Staying busy keeps stress away and leaves zero interest or time for the habit at the end of the day.
one person who lived it
Quit gaming for a period to focus on exercising, eating right, socializing, and learning; this may make the game less appealing upon return because the change comes from you.
The change in perspective comes from you, not the game.
one person who lived it
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Delete your gaming account or sell it to prevent returning to the game.
Otherwise, you will likely be back.
one person who lived it
Read 'Atomic Habits' by James Clear to make life changes easier.
8 people, independently
Write down pending in-game tasks if you need to stop playing but are worried about forgetting them.
Writing them down removes the excuse for continuing to play.
one person who lived it
Uninstall specific games that cause stress or addiction, even if you enjoy other types of gaming.
Stopping play of a specific stressful game reduced stress and eliminated the cycle of frustration and relief.
3 people, independently
Distract yourself with unrelated interests like going outside or looking for cars when cravings hit.
Distraction with other things worked for one person.
- Based on one person's experience: 'that worked'.
- Specific examples given were going outside or looking for a new car.
one person who lived it
Replace destructive habits with new activities that fill the void in your life.
Returning to harmful behaviors becomes more difficult when another activity already occupies that space in your routine.
3 people, independently
Work out consistently to burn off antsy energy and reduce urges.
One person reported that consistent working out burned their antsy energy along with the urge and thoughts.
one person who lived it
Log off gaming consoles earlier in the evening to make time for reading or listening to informative podcasts.
Repeating this action trains you to be disciplined.
one person who lived it
Recall your reasons for quitting when the temptation returns.
3 people, independently
Occupy free time with productive tasks, helpful knowledge, gym workouts, and going outside to avoid boredom.
Without occupying yourself with productive work, socializing and different hobbies, it will be very hard to quit.
one person who lived it
Consider counseling to address deep-seated addiction issues.
- Only if it is a very deep addiction.
4 people, independently
Mark game recommendations as 'not interested' on your homepage and focus on sleeping well to help avoid relapsing.
Sleep enables better decision-making on average.
one person who lived it
Make relapsing into gaming harder by deleting apps, selling consoles, or blocking sites.
Taking whatever steps are necessary to remove access can prevent relapse.
one person who lived it
Remove all consoles and uninstall all PC games to eliminate the option to procrastinate.
Having nothing else to do prevents debating whether to procrastinate.
one person who lived it
Delete social media and consolidate your belongings, including removing unnecessary phone apps, to remove distractions.
one person who lived it
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Try a fresh pastime or explore an existing one more deeply to spark excitement.
A more thrilling activity may be waiting for you to find.
3 people, independently
When feeling an urge, channel that energy into physical activity like running a quarter mile.
Going out for a run seems like you could have too much energy than you know what to do with.
one person who lived it
Teach yourself a skill like piano by practicing for 30 minutes a day.
Consistent daily practice adds up over a few months.
one person who lived it
Focus on enjoying your daily system (meditating, studying, exercise) rather than your goals (scores, streaks) to maintain long-term happiness.
One person suggests this approach for periods of 3 or 5 years.
one person who lived it
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Set real-life quests for yourself to get physical victories.
It feels good to get a physical victory.
one person who lived it
Play basketball alone as a study break when you need to reset your focus.
One person practiced their shot daily when they felt they needed a break from studying.
one person who lived it
Try doing sports or learning an instrument during your recovery process.
It is very fulfilling.
one person who lived it
Trust the process and pick yourself up after failure, viewing recovery as a marathon.
Failure will eventually happen; life isn't a sprint but a marathon.
one person who lived it
Clean your room and remove clutter to clear your thinking, as physical cleanliness can symbolically reflect overall personal improvement.
Subconsciously, the cleanliness of the room reflects how one thinks about oneself as a whole.
one person who lived it
Apply the 'gamer mindset' to life: explore new things without caring about being cringe or losing, and value consistency and improvement through ups and downs.
one person who lived it
Be unapologetically yourself and lean into your interests to feel more fulfilled.
Leaning into interests leads to greater fulfillment.
one person who lived it
Trick yourself into starting tasks by committing to only 10 minutes, which often leads to longer engagement.
one person who lived it
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Obtain and study the Easy Peasy technique for quitting pornography.
View free OnlyFans pages to see how subpar they are, which may reduce the desire for porn.
Seeing how subpar they were made the desire go away itself.
one person who lived it
Stop viewing the habit as a forbidden fruit to avoid feeling like you are committing a crime.
Villifying it makes the brain perceive it as a social or religious crime, creating a sense of freedom in breaking the rule.
one person who lived it
Fully disconnect Wi-Fi at home so you only get internet at school.
This limits entertainment to a maximum of 10 minutes a day.
one person who lived it
Challenge your ego when urges hit by questioning if you are weak for giving in, and realize you are paying creators with your attention and self-respect.
The content is fake.
one person who lived it
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Obtain and study the Easy Peasy technique for quitting pornography.
It is characterized as cost-free, simple, healthy, and lasting.
3 people, independently
Read 'Your Brain on Porn' and watch testimonies from industry workers to gain perspective on the harms and unrealistic nature of porn.
It provides a different view on the subject.
one person who lived it
Let disgust at how women are treated as objects in porn motivate you to stop watching it.
The objectification of women for venting purposes was cited as a source of disgust.
one person who lived it
Take a break from social media while figuring out your life goals to avoid distraction from people flaunting money or advertising products.
Social media distracts with flaunting money and product ads.
one person who lived it
Humanize the people in porn by recognizing their misery and exploitation to kill desire.
Quitting was easier for one person when they realized the people involved were miserable and likely from difficult backgrounds.
one person who lived it
Block porn sites at the router level and reset social media feeds to make access practically difficult.
Blocking sites at the router works wonders.
one person who lived it
Eliminate watching porn to remove the trigger for masturbation.
For some, watching is the direct trigger; removing it stops the subsequent act.
one person who lived it
Pick up a new hobby to fill the time previously spent on porn and alleviate boredom.
Porn was watched primarily when bored; a hobby consumes that time and eliminates the boredom.
one person who lived it
Identify a deeper reason why the habit harms your relationships and self-image to fuel motivation.
Realizing it warps how you view women and affects future relationships can provide the drive to quit.
one person who lived it
Accept wet dreams as your body's natural way of releasing sexual energy when abstaining.
The body releases built-up energy if you do not.
one person who lived it
Quit Reddit and avoid the internet in general to remove access to triggers.
Searching profiles is too easy and explicit content appears frequently.
one person who lived it
Listen to the 'Overcome Pornography for Good' podcast on Spotify.
One person reported it has been really helping them.
one person who lived it
Reduce social media usage to limit exposure to sexualized content that can trigger porn-related thoughts.
Exposure to sexualized images on platforms affects the brain and starts thinking about porn.
one person who lived it
Take up cardiovascular exercise, stretching, and moderate gymming to drain excess physical energy that might otherwise be channeled into sex due to a lack of physical work.
Modern life lacks physical work, causing excess physical energy to be channeled through sex.
one person who lived it
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Finish demanding duties like work, workouts, and chores before gaming so you can play without guilt.
This approach can make gaming feel more rewarding and help you feel healthier and more confident.
5 people, independently
- Reward yourself with gaming sessions after completing productive activities like reading, jogging, or studying.4
- Complete productive tasks like gym, cooking, cleaning, or errands in the morning and early afternoon, then game in the evening.1
- Restrict gaming to dedicated spare time only after completing work and workout obligations.1
Ask yourself if your weekly gaming time helps you achieve your stated goals; if not, make changes.
If gaming does not help achieve stated goals, you benefit from making changes.
one person who lived it
Instead of quitting entirely, try to moderate gaming by setting limits, such as playing for 2 hours a day, every other day, or only on weekends, to get balance.
Life is about balance, and avoiding something you enjoy does not sound like self-improvement.
- One person reported that trying to play under moderation felt like lying to themselves to keep playing.
one person who lived it
- Instead of quitting gaming abruptly, start by replacing it with a different activity.3
Recognize that gaming may be a way to avoid feelings rather than a source of happiness, and face the underlying pain to learn to handle it.
3 people, independently
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Replace daily gaming time with working out; seeing progress can make you want to continue and potentially change your overall habits.
Seeing progress makes you not want to stop and may change overall habits.
- It is hard at first.
one person who lived it
Enjoy gaming as a hobby as long as you handle your daily priorities.
There is no harm in having a hobby and passion.
one person who lived it
Treat games and TV as rewards earned after stacking real-life wins, rather than using them to escape stagnation.
Dopamine hits feel different when you have earned them through real-life progress.
one person who lived it
Replace gaming time with learning a new skill, such as coding.
It can lead to greater happiness and contentment by helping you achieve goals.
2 people, independently
Complete your most important daily task before you start gaming for the day.
This helps ensure the task actually gets done.
one person who lived it
Share custody of a gaming console with a partner or friends to limit your access and prevent constant play.
Having the console always on hand can lead to excessive use; sharing custody helps restrict access.
one person who lived it
Spend a small percentage of gaming time on real-life achievements like learning a language, playing an instrument, or starting a side business.
This results in a real-life achievement rather than a virtual one.
one person who lived it
Play single-player games side-by-side with your partner to create bonding memories.
One person reflected that these simple nights were times they really loved.
one person who lived it
If you struggle with time management, refuse to start games that do not have a defined end.
One person learned the hard way that endless games consume too much time.
one person who lived it
Decide how long you will game before starting, set a timer, or plan to live stream to justify the time and limit sessions.
Sticking to a schedule helps.
2 people, independently
Limit gaming sessions to a maximum of 45 minutes.
to avoid the binge-burnout cycle
one person who lived it
Avoid replacing gaming with doom-scrolling on social media.
It is not a good alternative and can be worse.
one person who lived it
- Stop doom-scrolling and reduce constant social media use to restore enjoyment in games.1
Replace gaming with reading physical books, which can feel better and reduce gaming time.
Reading physical books feels better and can reduce gaming time.
2 people, independently
Use short gaming breaks to fill gaps between other activities, such as revising for exams.
It provides enjoyable breaks and a nice backdrop for studying.
one person who lived it
Replace gaming with chess to create a more mature lifestyle while still engaging in a deliberate activity.
It makes your lifestyle look more mature to yourself and can help you make friends.
2 people, independently
Watch competitive game streams instead of playing to enjoy the thrill of cool plays and entertainment without performance stress.
It provides the same thrill as playing but adds entertainment value through hype casters.
one person who lived it
If you find competitive gaming stressful, try replacing it with weight lifting or general fitness.
Weights do not insult you.
one person who lived it
Budget your gaming time rather than quitting entirely, as many high-performing people game.
High-performing people often game but manage their time well.
one person who lived it
Choose single-player RPGs or war games over multiplayer titles so you can pause or put them down whenever you please.
One person finds these genres better because they offer control over when to stop playing.
one person who lived it
Fill your free time with productive tasks that benefit you, such as cleaning your living area, meal prepping, or learning new skills like cooking, playing an instrument, or carpentry.
These activities will benefit you.
one person who lived it
If you are prone to losing control over your time, avoid online multiplayer games like World of Warcraft or Call of Duty, as one person found they could ruin their life compared to single-player options.
Online games can ruin your life because, unlike single-player games, you cannot easily stop playing them whenever you want.
one person who lived it
Dedicate time previously spent gaming to education and self-betterment to improve independence.
It resulted in independence.
one person who lived it
Do a real-world activity like a walk after gaming.
it turns stress into actual fun
one person who lived it
Spend free time caring for pets by brushing them, practicing commands, and using intelligence toys.
One person finds this feels most worthwhile.
one person who lived it
Be aware that MMOs and competitive games can suck up your time, making 2 hours feel like a moment.
one person who lived it
Value gaming if it provides benefits such as relaxation, improved hand-eye coordination, or better problem-solving skills.
It is not a waste of time if it benefits you.
one person who lived it
Play on consoles rather than PCs to reduce immersion and ease of access.
Consoles are less intuitive, which helps prevent getting sucked in.
one person who lived it
Study first, then play games, to avoid facing consequences.
Playing before studying leads to negative outcomes.
one person who lived it
Replace gaming time with slow-paced, serene creative outlets like drawing, painting, or forming clay sculptures.
to become a more well-rounded individual
2 people, independently
Rent games from the library for free.
Libraries often acquire new games quickly.
one person who lived it
Organize your leisure time to ensure it has value, avoiding disposable media that leaves no memory or benefit.
As responsibilities increase, leisure time decreases, making it more important that it has value.
one person who lived it
Spend free time learning about topics like politics, history, sustainability, or animals.
One person finds this worthwhile when not gaming or engaging with hobbies.
one person who lived it
Play relaxing mobile games like Sky: Children of Light or Tetris if you need to game, as they do not punish failure.
one person who lived it
Combine gaming with physical activities like running, hiking, and lifting weights in your spare time.
one person who lived it