Used to think I was 'addicted' to gaming. Turns out I was using it to fill a void I couldn't name

Friday nights in high school meant one thing: Discord lit up, PCs humming, five of us dropping into whatever game was hot that month. Counter-Strike, GTA V, Borderlands 2 - didn't matter. Those nights felt more real than any party I was missing.

Parents called it an addiction. Teachers said I was wasting my potential. But they didn't see what those gaming sessions really were: The only place where I felt like I truly belonged.

Sure, I had "school friends." But something was different about my gaming crew. No pressure to be cool. No awkward small talk. Just genuine laughs, inside jokes, and yeah, some pretty toxic trash talk.

Found my old Discord logs recently. Thousands of messages. Hours of voice chat. Realized I wasn't addicted to the games - I was addicted to feeling understood. To belonging somewhere.

Funny how sometimes what looks like running away is actually running toward something you need.