Wish Recovery’s Blog Monthly Archives

September 2025

Gaming as an Addiction and Its Effect on Mental Health

Ever watched someone you love disappear behind a screen for 14 hours straight, emerging only when their body demands food or sleep? You're not imagining it—and you're not alone.

Once harmless fun, it now steals sleep, relationships, and peace of mind. Sunlight is less appealing than screen glow. Game sessions last hours or weekends. Responsibilities and virtual achievements mount.

This goes beyond "too much screen time." The WHO recognizes gaming disorder as a behavioral condition, confirming what millions of families already knew: gaming hijacks the brain's reward system like any other addiction. Compulsive behavior has flourished in digital or video gaming due to its endless progression systems and social connections.

Behind the controller is a complex mental health network. Gaming addiction is linked to anxiety, low self-esteem, and a cycle of using virtual worlds to escape emotional pain. Games meant to provide temporary escape can become digital prisons that harm mental health.

If this feels painfully familiar, it's real, treatable, and doesn't have to define the story.

What If Everything You Thought You Knew About Addiction Was Absolutely Wrong?

Discover the groundbreaking truth about addiction that could change everything you thought you knew. Subscribe for more recovery insights!

What if addiction isn't about chemical dependency? This eye-opening explainer reveals the science behind why connection—not just sobriety—is the real key to lasting recovery. Learn how revolutionary research is transforming addiction treatment and why traditional approaches have been missing the most important piece of the puzzle.

Embrace a Growth Mindset for Transformative Recovery Experiences

What if the voice telling you “you'll never change” isn't actually yours—and you can finally turn the volume down?

 

That internal critic has been running the show for too long. It whispers that you're broken, that recovery is temporary, that real transformation happens to other people—not you. But here's what that voice doesn't want you to know: your brain is literally designed to rewire itself. The same neuroplasticity that created destructive patterns can create healing ones. You're not stuck with the mindset that got you here.

How EMDR Works and Helps You Heal Trauma-Driven Addiction

Discover how EMDR therapy is revolutionizing addiction recovery by addressing both trauma and substance use simultaneously. This breakthrough approach helps break the cycle that keeps so many people trapped.

Did you know that up to 75% of people in addiction treatment have experienced trauma? For many, substances become a way to escape painful memories, creating a vicious cycle of trauma and addiction. But there's hope.