Ok, so you got up in the morning and had your tea in front of the PC, while checking your e-mail. Then you left for work, and while in the car you started wondering about whether or not the ten people you e-mailed yesterday would reply by the time you reach your office!
As soon as you reach your workplace, you ignore the fact that you have a report to submit, and switch on your e-mail programme. No new e-mail? How can this be? You re-check, and re-check. You also open a few windows and start surfing and chatting. About four hours later, you’re summoned to your boss’ office who wants to know what you’ve been doing all this time. And you stand there, wondering where the heck did your four hours go, and why haven’t your friends replied yet?
Does the above scenario sound familiar? This is a classical case of Internet addiction to the extreme. Yep, as the possible activities that you can do online increase, so does the attraction of the Internet over the seemingly mundane routine activities of day-to-day life. To this end, the following web sites will help you on your way to understanding Internet addiction and (hopefully) pave way for a healthier, normal Internet usage.
First things first, what is actually Internet addiction? You can find the answer at http://www.addictionrecov.org/intwhat.htm. It describes Internet addiction as a ‘compulsive control disorder’ which involves (among other things mentioned on the web site) preoccupation with the Internet, anticipation of the next online session, obvious withdrawal effects when the Internet is not working and concealment of the time you’ve actually spent online. It goes on to describe what it is about the Internet that makes it so addictive.
Now that you know what Internet addiction is, the next step is asking yourself the question: are you addicted to the Internet? The Internet Addiction Survey at http://www.stresscure.com/hrn/addiction.html will help you determine your level of staying glued to your PC. You’ll have to answer nine questions, mostly related to how hard it is to stay away from the Internet, how much people complain about your abnormal Internet hours, how far have you tried to curtail your usage of the Internet and so on. Based on your answers, it will tell your level of addiction and accordingly, suggest appropriate remedies.
You can also check out the Symptoms of Internet Addiction http://www.addictions.org/internet.htm which lists ten characteristics of people who are addicted. Losing track of time when online, sitting on the Internet even with loads of ‘offline’ work waiting, checking on your e-mail inbox too frequently and sneaking online with an accompanying sense of satisfaction are some of the common symptoms listed.
Getting Caught in the Net, at http://www.inform.umd.edu/CampusInfo/Departments/Counseling/Selfhelp/sh_netad.htm is a very useful article that first of all, describes how exactly one can get tangled in the World Wide Web. Some of the symptoms are discussed here as well, along with very dire consequences. Basically, since this article talks from a student’s perspective, falling grades, flunking, dropping out of school and shirking away from real-life peers are described as some of the consequences of depending too much on the Internet. In the end, the article suggests some remedies, including joining some club for an alternative hobby, making real-life friends and even seeking professional help.
Internet Addiction is a Problem at http://userpages.umbc.edu/~whuynh2/social.html urges Internet users to accept the same. Being in denial will not solve any problems. Internet addiction is a very atrocious reality, and it can have some very ugly repercussions.
Another article Hooked Online at http://my.webmd.com/content/article/12/1674_50516 discusses, among the causes and consequences of Internet addiction, some case studies of people who suffered very badly when they could not get rid of their addiction.
Where Internet addiction is concerned, one report that explains the problem is What to Do If You Are (Or Fear That You May Become) Addicted To The ‘Net at http://www.stresscure.com/hrn/iaddict.html. This report, unlike the above web site, which only lists the points, explains in detail the characteristics of people who are addicted to the Internet: what sort of denial do they live in, why they refuse to ask for help, or even acknowledge that they need it, how the Internet enables them to take control of those aspects of their lives on which they otherwise have no control and the like. This report then goes on to explain how to eliminate addiction, warning that a relapse may occur if the withdrawal plan is not followed efficiently.
An organization dedicated to dealing with Internet addiction is the Centre for Online and Internet Addiction http://www.netaddiction.com/index.html. This is a very useful and informative web site that helps ordinary PC users determine their level and kind of Internet addiction and disseminates resources to help them overcome it. The section on Self-Tests contains a whole bunch of quizzes that will give you a wider range of information on the kind of Internet addiction you are suffering (if you are suffering at all, that is). The Resource Center will give you more information on what Internet addiction really is; who is most likely to get addicted to the Internet and how to overcome it at the college and workplace level. There are also links to support groups and forums along with general articles written on the issue.
The Psychology of Cyberspace web site is also a very good resource for dealing with this subject. Why is this Thing Eating my Life? at http://www.rider.edu/~suler/psycyber/eatlife.html discusses case studies of people addicted to a specific chat room. To Get What you Need at http://www.rider.edu/~suler/psycyber/getneed.html suggests the means and ways towards healthy Internet usage. And then, there is a support group of which you can find out more details at http://www.rider.edu/~suler/psycyber/supportgp.html. Instructions are given on the web site with regards to how to subscribe and what the support group discusses.
Internet addiction is not just a problem; it can also be a severe disorder. http://psychcentral.com/netaddiction/ discusses this ‘disease’ called IAD (Internet Addiction Disorder). However, this report is more critical rather than supportive of the fact that IAD exists. If a person is a bookworm, do we say he/she is suffering from book-addiction? So why should the Internet come under fire? More details used by researchers to support IAD are scrutinized and explained.
Finally, one web site to help you begin curtailing your use of the Internet is http://www.virtual-addiction.com/a_10steps.htm that outlines ten steps in detail which you can take. Taking a break from the Internet, shortening the hours you spend on the Internet each day, developing more ‘offline’ friendships and indulging in other hobbies are some of the steps given.
So there you have it. There is a whole collection of web sites to help you out there. If you still did not find in this article what you needed, Yahoo has dedicated a whole section to Internet addiction, which you can access at http://dir.yahoo.com/Health/Diseases_and_Conditions/Internet_Addiction/. Best of luck!
Ok, so you got up in the morning and had your tea in front of the PC, while checking your e-mail. Then you left for work, and while in the car you started wondering about whether or not the ten people you e-mailed yesterday would reply by the time you reach your office!
