Problems concentrating ever since poker started...

[AZK]

Hello all,

quick question for some of you. Ever since I started playing poker, my concentration for doing other things has dropped to ZERO. I was always/used to be a good student, would study hard, work hard, get the A etc....This was throughout highschool, and the beginning of college. The material got harder but I worked harder, I took tests pretty well, etc... I started playing poker, found 2+2, obviously the last two years of college my grades suffered, I didn't care about classes as much, and I didn't do as well. I didn't care because I was still doing "well" on a relative term. I was no longer getting 95s across the board, but I wasn't failing (read B- or worse in my head) so it was ok. I have since started a masters program with the intentions of going to medical school. This masters program is KILLING me. The work is substantially harder than undergrad and is very similiar to what I will be facing in medical school. It's not so much that I don't understand, I understand everything, it's more about absorbing everything. Medical studies, and this program don't require you to be einstein, they require you to be able to absorb, remember, synthesize loads upon loads of information. Basically take a shelf of science books and memorize them.

I was talking to a friend about how everytime I get 15 minutes of studying done, I day dream, lose focus, decide to check 2+2, etc... He suggested taking adderall, I was always brought up with the "don't take anything you don't need to" mentality. So obviously this is a last resort. I'm just looking for some advice, I don't even really know if this is the right place. Am I obsessed with poker? Yes. Is it part of the problem? Probably. It's not preventing me from doing other things in my life, just from doing other things completely. I've tried studying away from the computer, or being in a poker-free zone for periods of time, but the day dreaming ensues, or thinking about which hand I screwed up the night before etc.... A definite solution would be total abstinence from this site and poker. Forever. But let's be honest, that's not going to happen. I am normally OCD when it comes to certain things, my poker obsession used to be a lot worse, and it has since calmed down some.

Can anyone shed some light on similiar situations, or solutions? I'm sort of drawing a blank. Something needs to change though, becuase I imagine for every 4 hours of time I spend at the library each day (you have to with these classes and the amount of material), I get about 30 minutes of productive time, and the rest is just spent day dreaming.

Thoughts?

Thanks.

[Python49]

ditto to everything you just said

[inyaface]

I feel ya. I don't think it's only poker. I think anything that you find interesting, challenging, enjoyable etc will be something you spend a lot of time thinking about. Right now I do a lot of things which include playing poker yet poker is not the only thing I'm concentrated on at all. I was balancing poker, partying and school pretty well and found that I could focus on what I needed to whenever need be. A few weeks ago I started playing Varsity sports which is a 6 day a week 2-4 hour a day commitment but also something which I love doing. I find that when I day drift now its not only about poker but about getting pumped up for practice or about a good/bad play I made the night before. My life’s a lot busier and right now honestly sucking ass at school. Like you I’m not failing (my cut off line is pretty much nothing below a B-) but I know I can be doing better. I think the only real solution is turning school into something you find interesting and enjoyable…unfortunately that’s easier said then done. I know I wish I could do it.

[ezratei]

Yo,

I am currently in medical school and I think facing some of the same problems. I think that studying is just like any other thing that is difficult but in certain ways rewarding. That is, it hurts like hell to motivate yourself to start, but once you are done you feel good about getting it done and about accomplishing the task. You realize that it wasn't such a pain in the ass and that you might actually like it a bit.

As for advice, I think that going cold turkey (trying to start studying 4 hours a day) is a mistake. I would make a schedule in which you slowly build up the time that you spend studying each day. If you are having real problems concentrating, start with 30 minutes.

Also, take frequent breaks. Take a break every 15 minutes to start and gradually increase the times between breaks each day. But during those breaks DO NOT PLAY POKER OR READ 2+2. This will collapse the entire pyramid. Taking a walk outside for 10 minutes works for me.

This sounds pretty [censored] gimicy but I think if you stick to a strategy of increasing times, you will be back to your old levels in no time. You don't have to give up poker, you just have to train yourself how to concentrate on other things.

Hope that helps and I highly recommend medical school. It's not as hard as everyone makes it out to be and the material you learn is incredibly rewarding in both its applications and pure interest.

Ezra

Ive found it harder to write papers than ever before.

[einbert]

Hi AZK. I have experienced many of the same problems as you have, although I began to experience the same kind of phenomenon upon entrance to college. It has gotten noticably worse since I began playing poker seriously, though.

I have a prescription for adderall. I take it only before things that I have trouble naturally concentrating at, and when I want to get in a really long poker session. It usually allows me to fix my mind on one thing for that time period, and it definitely has the benefit that once I "get into" something, I can go at it a lot longer and with better concentration than if I were not on adderall at the time (this is the reason I take adderall to have long poker sessions).

I don't feel there is anything wrong with taking this medication. I am diagnosed with ADD. I don't abuse the medication in any way. My psychatrist has told me that there's a very good chance that I will simply continue to take this stuff for the rest of my life, and that is pretty much okay with me. I will say, though, that I feel the drug produces a euphoric effect which I find very addictive. It has also made me lose a lot of weight in the past due to greatly reducing my appetite. I'm not certain but I have heard that there are negative long term effects of taking it, you'll probably want to ask your doctor for the details on those. It also tends to make me extremely impatient and singleminded. It has helped me make higher grades than I might have been able to without it and I also believe it has played a role in situations where I would have made a higher gradehad I not been on it.

So I would say it is a pretty complicated drug, and your decision is a very complicated one to make. I do feel that it will greatly help with your current problem, although it might leave you with different but similarly potent problems. It is certainly something I find extremely useful in a clutch situation.

I wish I could be more helpful. This is really how I feel about the situation though--the decision is not going to be easy or simple. Please contact me through this thread or by PM if you have any further questions about the drug. I hope I have helped some.

[ QUOTE ]
Ive found it harder to write papers than ever before.

[/ QUOTE ]

ditto to everything AZK said, and DITTO to this post

I was in a four year degree where the 4th year was a thesis, and it felt like by far the hardest thing to get through I have ever done

I got through it though, but in some ways I feel a little sad that poker may have ruined my love for physics. I had always planned to go on and get a PHD in physics, but I have 0 motivation to do so now. I'm gonna go backpacking soon for about 8 months (thanks poker! the cause and solution to the problem...), I'll see how I feel after that

Recently I was getting my drivers lisence renewed, and sitting in a seat for 20 mins waiting in line with no mental stimulus was PURE HELL. This event sparked similar thoughts to the OP in my mind

[ChicagoTroy]

The inability to quiet all the thoughts in your head and focus seems to be getting really, really common. Since you're thinking of going the MD route, I'd suggest getting "The Relaxation Response." It's by a Harvard MD who stripped down meditation/qigong/prayer into very basic breathing exercises you can do twice a day. Clinically proven to work, peer reviewed, about 5 bucks in a book store.

[ QUOTE ]
I was no longer getting 95s across the board

[/ QUOTE ]

This would be good for poker. Bad for school.

Seriously though:
The moment I read the title of your post, it occurred to me that this rang very true since I started 2+2. I never really looked for a reason, though, so I never would have thought about it otherwise.

So, thank you.

I'm in the middle of a 16-month work term and have little to do in my spare time but play poker. This high dose of poker keeps it at the top of my mind even when I'm not playing. I find this poses a big threat to my career as it's very hard to focus on working.

Poker will continue to haunt you for the rest of your life, and you probably know that. Your best solution for now would be to either quit school or quit poker (temporarily). I recommend the latter.

Getting poker off your mind WILL be difficult, as it is so consuming for you right now. The first couple of weeks is the hardest, but it gets exponentially easier from there. I recently took a hiatus from something which will also be constant for my entire life: sexual release. I had to slap myself around in the first week to force myself off of it. During that week, my productivity was very low. The next week was almost as difficult. During two weeks after that, I slowly began to feel a new life force inside of me. I was proud of myself, and I had a lot of time to dedicate to the things I wanted. After six weeks, I wasn't even thinking about it anymore. I went four months and had a clear head for the latter three. Such desires no longer consume my life, though having a girlfriend now keeps it up in my list of things to do.

Back to poker. You WILL be able to do this. Please respond and tell me you don't need poker to survive. I got some great advice last night from a good friend of mine. He said to get another hobby, and I recommend the same to you. Get some balance in your life.

Poker doesn't own you; you own poker. Now prove it.

[Roman]

I am in pretty much the same exact situation except I just started college. I also just took adderroll for the first time in an attempt to help me. Adderroll will for the most part fix your problem, and you will be able to study and get all your stuff done. There is a problem however, you will most likely gain a psychological dependency on the drug, it may have irreversable effects on your brain and your work ethic. If you take the drug too much you will cease being able to do serious studying without it, and that could spill into the rest of your life. Also, frequent use of the drug depletes the store of an important chemical in your brain which people with ADD naturally lack making you more dependent. I am still undecided wether adderroll is the answer, really interested in hearing others' opinions.