Today, video games are a regular part of daily life. For teenagers, video games are a way to disconnect from stress and connect with friends in virtual worlds. Unfortunately, compulsive video gaming may be a symptom of process addiction, underlying mood disorders, or childhood trauma. While teens may spend more time than parents playing video games, gaming can be a detrimental addiction that leads to substance abuse and self-harming behavior. The best way to help teens struggling with video game use is with gaming addiction treatment and therapy.
If gaming is taking over your teenager’s life, now is the time to get help. Call Foothills at Red Oak Recovery today to learn more about gaming addiction and addiction solutions for teens. Our North Carolina clinic can help you and your son. Serving teen boys between the ages of 14 and 17, Foothills at Red Oak Recovery can help. Call us now at 866.300.5275 to learn more and get started with gaming addiction treatment today.
What Is a Video Gaming Addiction?
Process addictions, like video gaming, distract a person from emotional or psychological pain. This behavior becomes an addiction when it interferes with a person’s life. This might mean your son’s gaming disrupts eating, personal hygiene, and schoolwork and keeps him from engaging in activities he used to love. Today, many teens develop process addictions to video games, social media, and other technology. This may seem strange, but video game withdrawal can be as psychologically intense as drug or alcohol withdrawal. Signs of gaming addiction include:
- Talking about gaming all the time
- Ignoring friends and family
- Feeling they can’t live without video games
- Changes in sleep, eating, or hygiene habits
- Nightmares
- Changes in mood
- Shifts in academic and athletic performance
- Irrational behavior when denied video games
Process addictions are characterized as repetitive, compulsive behavior patterns. Video games offer dopamine rewards for gamers each time someone levels up, designs a new character, or enters a mythical world that allows them to forget their own lives. While some escape and imagination in video gaming can be helpful, extensive gaming causes mental and emotional harm.
Video Game Addiction Solutions to Try at Home with Your Teen
Just like other addictions, quitting video games cold turkey will cause withdrawal. Because many teens struggle with power dynamics at home and at school, it can be hard to take away video games. As a parent or loved one, it’s essential to establish boundaries and seek support for your teen. Here are some solutions to gaming addiction to try at home:
- Change up after-school and evening routines with family activities, exercise, and other activities that can replace video games.
- Have phone and media-free meals as a family.
- Use video games as a reward for finishing chores, homework, etc.
- Implement screen-free evenings or weekends.
It’s always best to seek professional help for teens addicted to gaming. Because process addictions are often signs of underlying mood disorders, emotional stress, and trauma, finding a therapist or support group can help support your teen. You can also stay open and honest with non-judgemental conversations.
Get Help for Your Teen Foothills at Red Oak Recovery Now
At Foothills at Red Oak Recovery, we help teen boys disconnect from virtual worlds and reconnect with themselves. Our picturesque North Carolina clinic allows adolescents to build resilience in the natural landscape with a range of therapy programs, including onsite equine and large animal therapy.
If your teen is playing video games, the team at Foothills at Red Oak Recovery is here to help. Our rehab programs treat process addictions like gaming, social media, internet addiction, disordered eating, and substance abuse for teenage boys. If your teen is struggling with gaming, know you are not alone.
Don’t let gaming take over your son’s life. Call us now at 866.300.5275 to learn more about our holistic treatment center in North Carolina and get started today.
