How to Deal with Internet Addiction
Addiction does not only pertain to the use of illegal drugs, as it may also refer to certain activities. One of the most addictive hobbies for many people today is surfing the Internet. It is said that one of eight Americans have addiction to Internet. The Internet is addictive not without a reason. There are actually lots of reasons why surfing the Internet causes addiction. For one, there are lots of engaging games online. Kids and teens are hooked with these online games. Aside from these, there are also various networking sites such as dating sites online. These sites generally appeal to teens and adults.
Effects of Internet addiction
For many, the Internet is the less expensive and convenient place to engage in fun activities. With the Internet, you don’t have to go anywhere else and spend a great deal. You can find fun games and communicate with your friends online. However, addiction to Internet is not good at all. No matter how convenient the Internet is, you still need to interact with your friends in person. There would probably be instances when the addiction would lead you to give up some social, occupational, and recreational activities. In serious cases, this would result to the loss of important social relationships and your career.
Types of Internet addiction
Internet addiction can be categorized according to the focus of obsession. The cybersexual addiction refers to an obsessive behavior towards the download, viewing, and trading of pornographic online materials. Net compulsions, on the other hand, refers to addiction to interactive games, virtual casinos, and online shopping.
Dealing with Internet addiction
There is still a chance for you to recover from your addiction to Internet. The most important thing is that you have the will to do something about your addiction. It would really take discipline on your part because you really have to avoid the temptation of using the Internet excessively. It would not be easy because withdrawal symptoms may cause temporary depression and mood swings.
There are various people who can help you recover from your Internet addiction. Your family and friends, for instance, can offer you support. Just approach your parents, siblings, and friends and tell them about your addiction. Aside from these people, you can also seek help from professionals such as psychotherapists. Actually, there are various counseling services you can avail in order to help you overcome your addiction.
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The internet has become this generation’s most adopted technology. Using the internet allows us to do a wide array of things to keep us busy throughout the entire day, every day. It allows us to send emails and participate in social networking sites, so we would get connected to people from the other side of the planet. It allows us to watch and share video clips, pictures and blogs. It lets us read articles and books, and listen to music and play games for hours without having to purchase anything. But like everything else, too much of something has its harmful effects. Spending too much time on the internet can debilitate our social relationship and produce deleterious effects on our health. Every person needs a daily dose of exercise, any physical activity for at least 30 minutes. Those 30 minutes could make a major difference in our lifestyle compared to hours we spend just sitting in front of a computer. Engaging in enjoyable activities can help us build a healthy relationship with people around us, family, friends and even pets.
I agree with Lyca on having too much of a good thing can really be seriously bad too. The key is really discipline and creativity. My children are also fast becoming internet addicts especially because of facebook. In fact, they were the ones who introduced me to the social networking site and its games! To lessen their time on the computer, I created a daily schedule allowing them only 1 hour to use any entertainment gadget (playstation, computer, tv, etc). I also tried to find other activities within their lines of interest that would make them physically stretch their bodies daily. For this week, we have been on our 3rd night of 10 minute pillow fights before bedtime. My parents have also inflated their portable pool so that they can swim in the afternoons and forget about their gadgets. The challenge for parents like me is to constantly find ways for the children to realize that there is definitely more fun in playing life’s games outside of the internet.