Justin, 23, plays video games around the clock, sometimes spending up to 30 hours straight in front of his computer screen. "I enjoy gaming more than I enjoy life," he says. "Gaming is simple and rewarding. People care about me there more than in the real world, and I'm good at it."
Describing a typical day in his life, the unemployed college dropout says, "I generally wake up at 4 p.m., because I was up all night gaming the night before." He typically eats only once a day, which is why he has lost more than 50 pounds and is practically emaciated, and only gets up from gaming to go to the bathroom.
"I've had a lot of opportunities to succeed in the real world, but I've passed them up, and I feel like it's kind of hopeless now," says Justin, who often smokes weed while playing. "It just makes me want to play more, because then I don't have to think about it as much."
He tells Dr. Phil, "I do believe I have a problem with gaming ... I think I'm just not motivated to do anything in the real world anymore, because I've achieved so much online that if I gave up now, all of that would feel like a waste." Justin, who has been ranked in the top 20 worldwide in a couple of different games, adds, "I feel like most of the people I know are way ahead of me in life now. I've messed up on college a couple times. I just can't really see myself being successful anymore."
How did he get here and how can he turn his life around? Watch Tuesday's episode of Dr. Phil — check local listings here.
Have a question for Dr. Phil? Ask it here!
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