Elaine Uskoski
In 2014, I discovered my son had become severely addicted to video games, while away at university.
Seeing my son through his addiction recovery was really challenging, and I felt isolated and lonely throughout those painful years. I never wanted another parent to feel this same way, so I became passionate about sharing my story and creating awareness.
After speaking publicly about Video Gaming Disorder for a couple of years, I started receiving requests to coach parents who were struggling with their gaming addicted child. I completed the thorough and insightful INTENTA Clinical Training for Gaming Disorder in 2020, and I expanded my practice to include online coaching for caregivers.
The INTENTA Training provided me the tools to assess each family and understand that there is no cookie cutter approach. I see parents who recognize the addiction long before their child is willing to admit to it. There is a wide gap between what the parent’s expectations are and that of the addict. My goal is to bridge that gap.
I have come to realize that not every gaming addict needs to fully detox. For some, a harm reduction approach may be better. Regardless of which course of action, it’s important to take a holistic approach and look at the overall picture, from physical to emotional health. INTENTA training provides an effective tool to help map this out.
I have just published my second book, Cyber Sober; A Caregiver’s Guide to Video Gaming Addiction. In this book, I guide the reader through my son’s addictive disorder and recovery, unfolding his story through the nine signs of gaming disorder and the five stages of addiction, including several insightful interviews with my son. I also called upon the advice of experts to support my message that there is no easy way to survive video gaming addiction or any other addiction’s withdrawal and recovery.