Do You Suffer From Internet Addiction?

If you thought meetings were only for drug addicts and alcoholics, think again. The twelve steps which are used for alcoholics in AA and for drug addicts in NA are now been used to treat people with Internet Addiction. Internet Addiction has recently been recognised as a disorder by none other than the American Psychological Association. According to The Centre for Internet Addiction in Pennslyvania, Internet Addiction has actually become a huge issue in divorce and employment cases worldwide. It does not matter what you are doing online the factor is if you have an Internet Addiction you will spend continuous amounts of time online.

The question that may be asked are what are the symptoms of Internet Addiction? One of the main symptoms of Internet addiction is spending excessive amounts of time on the internet as opposed to engaging in other activities. Symptoms of Internet Addiction disorder include lack of sleep, bad performance at university or school or poor job performance as well as apathy. If you are lying about the amount of time you spent online and you do this continuously while secretly spending hours of time online when you are meant to be doing other things, then this may be a symptom of Internet Addiction. If you are irritated and continuously frustrated when you are offline then you may be suffering from Internet Addiction. If your social relationships and recreational activities are suffering due to spending time online then chances are that you have an Internet Addiction.

It is interesting to know that some psychologists do not believe and support the idea of Internet Addiction. They rather support the idea of addiction to the stimulation provided by the internet. In the world that we live in today so many people are reliant on the internet for a variety of reasons. One of the biggest industries which currently exists is the I.T industry. It is hardly uncommon today to walk into a beautiful modern home with all the latest material items and wonder how the home owner affords such exquisite luxuries. It is hardly surprising when the person turns around and answers the question to what they do and replies:”I am in I.T”. Being on the internet all day is a very common requirement for many jobs all over the world so it is difficult to distinguish between what constitutes an addiction to the internet and what constitutes an addiction for work. The person may be a workaholic as opposed to an Internet Addict.

Internet Addiction has not yet been added to the DSM.If it ever will remains a futuristic question. According to reliable statistics close to ten percent of internet users could potentially be suffering from an Internet Addiction. This specific addiction has been shown to cause extreme marital as well as work problems. It not that uncommon to hear stories of a man choosing the internet over his wife or a teenager choosing the internet over school. If you or a loved one suffer from an Internet Addiction it may be a good idea to sort it out as if you don’t, you run the risk of spending so much time living in the virtual world that you don’t live much in the real world.

A man who has chosen to remain anonymous who is currently single and resides within New York City tends to spend on average sixteen hours on the internet every single day of his life. This particular individual happens to work with computers and spends all his time at work in front of a computer. He then proceeds to go home and goes straight back onto the computer as soon as he gets home. He basically spends most of his life awake in front of a computer as opposed to being in the world living it. There are treatment facilities and online therapists who are able to help you. If you are not sure if you are addicted to the internet then it may be a good idea to do a Google search and find one of the official tests you can take to see if you are an Internet Addict or not. Remember admitting that you have a problem is the first step.

Written by PC Geek,for the geeks