Mental Addiction

This is a topic I have been thinking about for a little while. This not about drugs or other substances that induce a physical dependency, those are supported by scientific fact and cannot be disputed. I want to talk about other things that cause a non-scientifically mental dependency. The thought crossed my mind when I saw a special on Video game Addiction. I didn't think it could be serious. I have been a video game player since I started playing madden 94 with my brother. I play a generous amount, but have never really considered myself addicted. Watching this special, there were numerous video game rehab "clinics." they were basically building stripped of internet and television and of course games. I still couldn't believe they were calling this a real condition. This was until I watched the interviews and the follow-up stories about people that had finished the program. These people demonstrated classic signs of physical and mental dependency, all from a video game. I began thinking, could I be addicted,? when does it become more than just a hobby or a spare time killer. I still don't believe I have an addiction, I have been able to stop myself from playing for extended periods of time just to prove it to myself. Then the thought came, why am I depriving myself from something I enjoy just to prove a point that I already know isn't true. I also realized I had been using gaming to fill a void in time and interest I had. Replacing that time and mental focus with other objects or activities seem to stem off the urges to play. Is this what those "addicts" feel, only to a smaller degree. Maybe there is no biological effects, but looking at these people who cant stop themselves, they don't seem to have many things going on for them in their life. Very few had girlfriends, there was no extended talk of their friends, and I thought is this a result or a cause of their addiction. Years of doing the same things everyday creates an urge and set internal schedule for a person. Think of the activities you do everyday without a thought, they have become second nature and not doing would seem more unnatural than not performing them. Replacing gaming as an interest with reading and writing seemed to work fine for me. I didn't need someone to physically remove me from my environment to stop, maybe these people don't either. Just someone to step in and try to take an active part in their life and giving them other options to spend their time than in just wasting it away on a video games.