Posted on 07/30/2008 7:30:26 PM PDT by BunnySlippers
WASHINGTON – The Internet is where we spend more and more of our time. But for a growing number of people, it’s an out-of-control habit instead of a necessary part of life.
Internet addiction -- an online-related compulsive behavior that interferes with normal living and causes severe stress on family, friends, loved ones and work -- is a psychological and behavioral problem that is spreading around the world, experts say.
Kimberly Young, clinical director of the Center for Internet Addiction Recovery and author of the book “Caught in the Net,” said that about 5 percent to 10 percent of Americans --15 to 30 million people -- may suffer from Internet addiction. And the problem may be even greater elsewhere. Young said 18 to 30 percent of the populations of China, Korea and Taiwan, where the Internet is even more popular than in the U.S., may be addicted.
"I’ve seen a lot of growth in the field of Internet addiction,” said Young. “More research and studies (are) trying to understand it better. … It’s a global problem.”
The main types of Internet addiction are cybersex, online affairs, online gambling, online gaming, compulsive surfing and even eBay addiction, Young added.
An article by Dr. Jerald J. Block in the March issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry stated that “Internet addiction appears to be a common disorder.”
Centers specializing in Internet addiction have been created to offer treatment.
Coleen Moore, coordinator of resource development at the Illinois Institute for Addiction Recovery, said she has clients from college age to early adulthood who spend 14 to 18 hours a day online.
But Young noted that it’s not just how long people spend using a computer, it’s what they’re doing online.
“A lot of people can use the Internet, like alcohol, and not be addicted, but when they lose the control, [then] it becomes an issue,” she said. “You’re not looking at how much time do you spend online but at the quality of how that is affecting your life.”
To help people with their diagnosis, Young developed a test that uses a 20-question survey to measure levels of Internet addiction.
“There are no real drugs for this yet,” she said. “It’s not about medication, it’s more about therapy.”
The estimated recovery time varies.
At the Illinois Institute for Addiction Recovery, some patients need 30 to 90 days in-patient treatment, followed by a continuing care program.
But Internet addiction recovery, as any other addiction, requires lifelong treatment, experts said.
“This [problem] can reactive itself any time if the person does not keep working on the recovery,” said Moore. “We see recovery as a lifelong endeavor.”
In addition to private treatment centers, nonprofit organizations like Gamblers Anonymous, Kickporn.com, Online Gamers Anonymous and Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous were created to help addicts.
Online gaming is the form of Internet addiction that is rapidly growing among young people.
“Initially we primarily had people addicted to surfing the Web, chat rooms, virtual communities and things like that. Now we are looking more to gaming,” Moore said.
Brian Robbins, of the entertainment agency Fuel Industries Inc. and a member of the International Game Developers Association, said there’s been a big increase in the number of people playing video games online.
“The vast majority of the Web-based games, … probably 90 to 95 percent, are free to play,” said Robbins.
San Francisco-based Zynga.com offers a huge variety of free games online through Facebook, one of the most popular social networking Web sites. Poker and blackjack are the most popular games, with more than 12 million and 4 million registered players, respectively, according to its Web site.
“Gaming is certainly one of the things that could get people addicted to the Internet because it’s such a compelling content…,” said Robbins. “But I don’t think games are any more susceptible to I
...
Hi rlmorel! (PaMom puts down things I cling to, and waves).
I am a complete internet addict. Bulletin boards, risk/chess, real estate GIS pages. 2-3 hours a day minimum.
LOL...ADMIT IT! You HAVE got up in the middle of the night and logged on....HAVEN’T YOU?
Have you ever posted to the “UNGH” thread? It is old and knarly with tens of thousands of posts...You can just imagine the people coming into those threads late at night rubbing their eyes...
Well, only once, or twice … mayhap more. ;-(
I’m only responding because I happen to be up this late for other reasons. ;-)
The GIS page for the county I am in is the most addicting thing possible on a computer. I love finding out who owns every inch of property in this area, what’s available, etc. Can’t....stop....
“I’m only responding because I happen to be up this late for other reasons. ;-)”
I’m not at all addicted. It’s a figment of my two sisters’ imagination that I continually send them e-mails of FR articles marked 3:00 a.m. and 4:15 a.m. and 5:00 a.m., and that when they try to call me during the day I am frequently sound asleep. Hmmm, just looked at the clock. It’s 12 midnight. Still early. Miles to go before I sleep with so many articles yet to Freep.
Hi rlmorel!
Oh good..you can be my sponsor.
Oh good..you can be my sponsor.
Mine stays on 24/7 also. I just thought everybody did it that way.
for me, internet addiction was one click AGO!
Refresh
I find my time is better spent reading the news, gaining new knowledge, and learning many differing opinions on the internet than watching TV. I have just replaced my evening TV watching with news surfing, and I don’t get pissed about every channel being on commercial at exactly the same time. I think it has reduced my blood pressure.
I think everything went well.
And that was just during this past week!
Leni
Your turn...confession is good for the soul!
I started out with a pentium on dial-up, I’d go have a cigarette and cup of coffee and come back to see if the page had loaded.
It seemed so innocuous then. just something better than the TV news which did not make any sense, between contradictions and outright lies.
Nest thing I knew, I had moved the coffee pot a little closer, bought another, faster computer, and cut back on smoking.
Finally, with the centrino, wireless and DSL, I quit cigarettes altogether...pages loaded too fast to enjoy a smoke in between anyway.
But, like, y’know, I got it under control. I only spend time online when I am not doing anything else....(8^D)
Refreshed!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.