Lol and alcoholism

This game made me an alcoholic. Not due to balancing or any of the other crap you people bitch about on a daily basis (like seriously I stopped playing 3 years ago and the titles on the boards are exactly the same as when I left). I started drinking when I'd play the game, the two started going hand in hand. I'd play every night, so I'd drink every night. It got to the point where I could kill a bottle of jack straight in a single session and I'd do this 5 times a week or more. By the end of the night I'd be useless, I could pretty much only farm and chat with people so it's not like I was improving too much despite the amount I'd play, it also didn't help that I was a Fizz main so I actually needed good reaction time. Either way not the point.

This went on for 2-3 years. I gained 40 or 50 pounds, I topped out at 286 from all the alcohol which I only realized because I was getting on a zip line in Vegas and they weigh everybody. Eventually I tried to stop but quickly realized I now couldn't play this game without drinking at the same time, for some reason to two fused together in my brain and I couldn't stand playing sober.

I didn't drink when I played any other game or really too much in general, it was just something about this game. I didn't want to stop playing, I was actually decent and carrying games earlier in the nights. It was a dual addiction (a quadruple one actually if you count the weed and cigarettes I was also enjoying at the same time) that was slowly killing me.

Suffice it to say I literally had to quit playing this game to get my life back together which I'm sure sounds weird and/or weak but I can't explain it. Something about the rhythm of my character dying and having to wait to respawn immediately triggered this sequence of gulp drink, light new cigarette. The second I stopped playing, I stopped drinking at home. My body was used to it for the first week so I'd instinctually buy a bottle after work but I found myself pouring a glass and then sipping once or twice on it over the course of hours, completely disinterested in it. I eventually just didn't bother getting it at all. I took the weight back off and only drink when I go out now.

I don't know why I'm writing this here, none of my friends ever got into this game so I've never actually told this story to anyone. I just told everybody I got really fat for a while because I was eating too much fast food. I don't think there's a point to this but if for some strange reason this same thing is happening to you, just stop playing the game. This also isn't a fish for "congratulations", there's nothing impressive about simply not playing a video game.