About 5 minutes ago, I finally uninstalled World of Warcraft.

10 minutes ago I said goodbye to my guild I stumbled on my last crazy adventure of leveling up a Orc Warrior to the current level cap (lv 110).

Right now, I'm writing this article with a bittersweet taste in my mouth.

Sweet because I'm finally done playing World of Warcraft as posted in my 7 day challenge series.

Bitter because I found a bunch of nice people in a virtual world that I didn't want to leave. Much like you guys are here at Dev.to.

But my decision has been made and there is no turning back.

Let's take a brief look at what has happened.

Last time

[Narrator voice]
...on Dragon Ball Z!!

Nah, I won't recap the entire journey.

If you need a quick refresh, please check out the kick off article. The last day entry was a turn around point.

Short Adventure Summary

First of all, it was insane!

I was playing 3-4hrs on weekdays and 8hrs+ on weekdays. It was aggressively stupid.

Why? - I can hear you ask.

Because I was focus (read: obsessed) with reaching level cap as soon as possible.

First week. 🙂
I was enjoying myself in the game. I wasn't obsessing to reach level cap. I had a plan what areas to level up and what dungeons to do.

The second week. 😓
This is where I started to push harder than I should. I was getting tired both physically and mentally.

But I think I reached level 60 by this point. It was getting crazy.

If it hadn't been for that guild I mentioned earlier, I definitely would've called it quits then.

Third week 😨
This was the turning point. There was little enjoyment here and got to obsess pretty bad. It felt like the good ol' days of my obsession. I was really tired, annoyed and anxious...I was a wreck.

This is where the guild came in and helped me power level. I didn't ask but they were help other guild members. I went in for the ride. This is when I built rapport with some of the guild members.

They helped me reach level 98. Good enough to play content from the Legion expansion.

But things weren't going well...

Fourth week 🤧😵
I crashed. My body finally gave out. I exhausted myself beyond belief. In other words, I burnout.

Burnout from a game? - You may be thinking.

Yes, but also burnout from my work place.

It is said that an addiction is an escape mechanism. And I was escaping work related issues.

"You have been burning the candle from both ends.", said my doctor when I went to see her, "you must rest!".

And I did.

My body forced me to. I had to take sick days off from work. I reached a point of no return.

Fifth week. 🤕
Eventually, I'd catch up on some rest and reach level cap: lv. 110 without really trying. To be honest, I didn't even noticed when I reached lv. 110 with my Orc Warrior.

Stepping Away

I wish I could tell you I stopped playing right there and then. But I didn't.

The habit (read: addiction) was too strong. I ended up making another character with much less obsession but still dedicating too much time to the game.

This is when I made my decision to really quit the game.

First Step of Many!

I decided this a little over two weeks ago from the time of writing this article.

I have not played WoW for almost a week and half. I'm doing great.

With the exception of logging in today to say goodbye to my guild, I have not played at all.

Anyone dealing with an addiction knows how critical the first days are.

I'm not out the woods yet. I have a long way to go.

One day at the time

What's next?

Continue to get plenty of rest. 😴

Here are some immediate improvements:

🔥 My eyes don't burn
😁 I'm not as cranky as I used to be.
🧘‍♂️ I have a clear mind and present in the moment.
⚡ Next week, I'll be giving another lightning talk at my local user group!
💖 I have more content coming down for you!

I will have more challenges, more crazy adventures and wild stories to share.

All in all to help you be a better developer and more importantly a better person.

Thank you for reading and till next time!

What would your journey say? 😊