Video Game Addicts – Is Your Child Addicted?
Video Games cause addiction and Low Dopamine Levels that made 12 year old Hayden Huntstable kill himself.
I sent the below email out a couple of weeks ago in my newsletter and decided to put the action plan for dealing with video game addiction here on the Improvement Warrior Blog. This is serious stuff that needs to be dealt with NOW rather then later.
I would love to keep updating this blog post with positive things and changes that parents and kids have made as a result. So if you took some action in regards to this video game addicts blog post please send me an email or leave a comment with your results and permission to use your information in the post.Â
I watched a video the other day of a dad who made a video a couple of days after his son commited suicide. Couldn’t find the video again (I found it- posted below) but the jist was his son was a video game junkie and kept saying how good at fortnite he was.
Then one day he got beat or killed or whatever happens in Fortnite and got super mad and threw his controller and broke his screen. Dad had talk with him about it and son did extra chores and stuff around house to pay for new screen.
Then it happened again where he broke the screen and it was a few days before his 12th or 13th birthday where he was supposed to be getting sometthing related to fortnite or the game system. He thought he ruined the birthday for everybody and so he went into his closet and hung himself.
Obviously nothing any parent should ever have to go through.
I remember my video game playing days and I can definitely relate to the anger issues they caused. The games I played were nintendo and sega genesis mostly so I knew it was always just a game. Genesis my main game and time waster was NHL 95. If I didn’t beat the other team by at least 100 I turned it off and started over and if they scored more then 3 goals on Eddie the Eagle I threw a tantrum.
One thing I remember was when I had stopped my own video game playing of my own systems, I got re-addicted in my mid-20’s when I had just finished college and was working a job at Discover Card. My roommate, Travis, had gotten an X-Box and the Knights of the old Republic, a star wars game. For about 2 weeks I stayed up all night, skipped workouts, ate like crap. Would go to work, think about the game, come home and just play. I think I only got 2 workouts in in 2 weeks when normally I would get 10. I ‘won’ the game but who knows what would of happened if I didn’t.
Today’s games are so real and life like. Plus you have all the other distractions and nnEMF (non-native electro-magnetic fields) around them. But I was addicted to them, just like somebody would be for food, drugs, cigarettes, etc…. I now know why I was and the health detriments I suffered from them.
Addiction happens quick. No one wakes up and says ‘I’m going to be an addict.’ All it takes is one exposure.
I became myopic around the 5th grade–I didn’t stop playing routinely until around 22-24– my set up at my dad’s house I was literally less then 2 feet from the TV.
I was a very angry person back then. And held a lot of it in, which is also horrible for your health.
Video games are not babysitters. They destroy health and dopamine. The games give a fake ‘hit’ of dopamine but then you always need more—which is why cigratte smokers have hard times quitting, or anyone with any kind of addiction.
But once you run out of that fake hit, suicide can be the ultimate tragedy. I hit my rock bottom around 05-06- anxiety, depression, thoughts of suicide (my story). I know the games had a big part of it.
I went through all the systems- starting with Atari then Nintendo, computer games (anybody remember King’s Quest?) Game Boy, Genesis, Artari Lynx, Sega CD, then my roommates Xbox and some other nintendo system. Then eventually cell phone games. Every week me and my brother would go with my grandpa to Westland or Northland mall to play at the Aladdin’s castle arcade.
Here is something all parents and grandparents should read and re-read:
“Parents today are told to keep their kids out of the sun that makes melatonin, dopamine, serotonin and POMC. Kids today stay up all night on screens = melanopsin/retinal disfunction/lowered melatonin. The combined effects of blue light and nnEMFs on children who need a lot of melatonin for growth, myelination and learning during sleep is enormous. Parents do not realise how dangerous this is for their child until they are dealing with a crazy teen. By then its too late to make any changes because they have addictions and will not listen to you. Parents always overestimate their influence over their children until they have had to deal with the consequences. Early morning sunlight makes melatonin, dopamine and pro OPIOmelanocortin (POMC). POMC stimulates Beta Endorphin, Adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH) and alpha melanocyte stimulating hormone. These are all mood moderating in different ways providing calming and anti inflammatory effects. Non native EMFs raise blood glucose & turn off fat burning and cause intracellular dehydration. Myelination requires ketosis (fat burning) so kids can not myelinate their brains = learning/behaviour/mental illness/addicitons. Believe me trying to tell your teens to sun bake and stay off screens is a lot harder than never buying them in the first place.” Richelle Jones
The story of Brad Hunstable and his son Hayden is truly heartbreaking and watching just as much. But he got the message out there. And that is what I am trying to do.
Any addiction is not good. Especially one that starts at a very young age and is surrounded around by non-native EMF and blue light.
You never know where an addiction or habit is going to take you or someone you love.
And everyone always thinks ‘that will never happen to me or my kid.’.
Don’t let it. Step in, be a parent. Not their best friend.
My kids will never have a system as long as they are in our house. But I understand if you are neck deep in a video-game addicted kid then making them stop will be next to impossible.
I’ll be back with a later post with some rules for video games that you can implement immediately.
Would love to hear other parents experience with this now or in past.
Part 2- The Video Game Addicts Action Plan
Here is another tragic story about addiction and suicide. Sean Wooley who got addicted to the game Everquest.
Please udnerstand that this is just some options that I came up with based on my experience with videos games, my experience as a fitness/strength coach, and my recent experience/education with light (natural and artificial) and nnEMF (non-native Electromagnetic Frequencies.
Right now the list is not for video game addicts with cell phone or Ipad games, more towards the big systems with monitors- I will add that as part 4.
I also realize that I have been out of the loop with video games for awhile and I know there is new tech and gear, so if I miss something please let me know.
By no means is it set in stone and you will have to make adjustments based on your situation.
Most of these rules can apply to the parents and grandparents lives as well. Health is not just fixing your diet and exercise.
Blue Blocking glasses MUST be worn at all times when playing video games.
As the parent it would behoove you to educate yourself about the dangers of blue light to yours and especially your child’s health. Light is one of the most important things in terms of our health.Â
I have done 2 webinars on it; part 2 has blue blocker recomendations.
The room in which they play, switch all light bulbs to red, amber or orange. Watch the blue light webinars for more info.
I would make this rule true anytime they, or you, are near a screen (TV, computer, tablet, phone, etc….)
Skin must also be covered. Our skin is the largest organ. The eyes are the most important to protect, but your skin has ‘eyes’ as well in the form of melanopsin. This is especially important if your child is overweight or already has any type of disease. The thyroid is always the most mportant to cover.
Below is my routine for covering myself when entering places that will have blue light.
Screen must be a minimum of 8 feet away.
If your child has issues seeing from this distance then you know that they are already blue light toxic and myopia has already set in.
Best thing to do would be to have a portable system where you can easily roll it outside when weather allows; being too hot or too cold is not an excuse, I am talking rain, snow, sleet, hail, high wind, etc….
Time limits must be set. They must be set for acutal total playing time. AND they must be set for WHEN–the time of day they are allowed to play.
They should not be allowed to play every day– remember we are wanting to end a video game addicts addiction.
When they are not playing and they usually would be be sure to have something(s) in place for them to do or play that will take their mind off the video games. No other electronics. And if it is a book NO KINDLE or digital book or print it out for them.
Absolutely NO PLAYING AFTER SUN HAS SET or before sun has risen.
So with this depending on where you live play times may or may be different. Where I live in Ohio in the summer the sun rises around 6-645 am and sets between 830-900 pm. In the winter the sun rises around 730-815 am and sets around 500-600 pm.
Child must see the sunrise (or within 30 minutes of it rising) for at least 10 minutes everyday.
See this blog for reasons of this importance (parents just as important for you): Morning Sun Routine
Parents you may think this one is the most difficult or impossible based on your current situation, but if you have taken care of the blue lights and set a hard specfic bed time then it will actually be a lot easier.
This applies even on school days.
No wireless technology! Everything must be wired.
Not only do you get a better and more stable connection but it is better for your health.
No Wifi. Wifi sucks big time. Plug into ethernet. If your kid has a shirt showing their love for wifi…..BURN IT.
Must alternate between sitting and standing and outside time.
I know my posture sucked when I was glued to my TV and playing and it was a huge problem when I coached young athletes in my athlete strength program in New Albany. I would say 95% of kids came in with at least one posture issue–which affects overall health, strength, energy and athletism.
When they sit, they sit on a swiss ball (which will help their posture, so make sure they are sitting on it correctly). My sitting blog post.Â
You can time their intervals of sitting/standing/sunshine, using the Gymboss interval timer.
The time should never be over an 1 hour of playtime in a row.
Outside time in the sun (regardless if it is cloudy, snowny, rainy) should never be less then 10 minutes. More is better. Be sure to read the blog posts in point #5.
If they are not in sport or very inactive or just need exercise you can assign mini-workouts. Or you can check out my online workout programs.
Switch monitors or install blue light blocking software
Newer TVs and monitors have constant flickering and flashing, as well as the game moving quickly in most cases. This can have a huge effect as well. I have heard Apple and Android have patents on something to do with the flicker rates on their phones to make them even more addicting. There are flicker free monitors out there as well as blue light filters.
If the monitor is a computer screen I highly recommend I.ris software for the blue light.
If it is a phone: Average Number Of Times Someone Looks At Their Phone Is 150 Times a Day.Phone without a filterhascolortempatureof5500-6500kelvinwhichisequivelenttoaround12-1pm.Notgood.
Android:
Iphone:
Headsets must be eliminated. This includes airpods
nnEMF travels up and down the wires inside those headsets, ultimately being delivered to the brain. Our brain we have more mitochondrial density then any other place. And with your child- their even more sensetive, unmylienated brain. The brain does not fully myelinate until around 25 or so.
Airpods goes back to the nothing wireless rule. And these are even worse because they actually sit inside the ear canal so they are even closer to the brain and connect via cellular connection, wifi, and bluetooth. They are horrible. If you mistakenly bought some for your child, or yourself, sell them. It is that simple. If you continue to let your child use them after knowing the destructive damage they will do then in my opinion that makes you a child abuser.
This should go without saying……..this should never happen
Then eventually cell phone games. Every week me and my brother would go with my grandpa to Westland or Northland mall to play at the Aladdin’s castle arcade.
