Are you addicted to the Internet?

[jerry611]

In my newspaper this morning it had an article in a health section about internet addiction becoming an "epidemic" in America. Do you spend too much time on the internet that it is becoming a health problem?

If any of the following are true, you may have internet addiction:
-You stay up later than you should to check e-mail or your favorite websites. This activity ends up robbing you several hours of sleep.
-You spend so much free time on the net that it takes away time you would have spent with your family.
-You spend more money than you can afford on internet pornography or other activities.
-You feel restless or deprived when trying to cut down on internet time.
-You lie to family or friends of the activities you participate in on the internet
-You spend more time than you can afford on internet message boards and web chats.
-You have an inability to control your internet usage.
-You use the internet as a way to relieve stress or escape problems in your personal or career life.
-You experience withdrawal or depression when away from the internet for an extended period.
-You stay online longer than you intended to.
-You fill a need or a craving by using the internet.

Researcher Richard Davis at York University had this to say:
"When we mix communication with entertainment, we are left with a medium so incredibly interesting, that it captivates some people to the point of what I call 'Information masturbation.' There is so much out there on the Internet that allows us to have fun communicating with others, that we can always find a way to (metaphorically) stroke our collective intellects. In some cases, people will take this to the extreme, and lose themselves into their Internet world, to the detriment of their 'real' world offline, which invariably results in problems with daily life functioning."

[unpossibles]

1. I can quit any time. honest.

no really. <tap tap>

seriously.

[tridim]

2. I'm addicted to information

And the Internet is the easiest (and sometimes only) way to get that information.

[Warpy]

Same here, plus it's something I can read

now that my eyes are so bad. "Increase font" seems to be a limitless function on Firefox, and I use it to great advantage.

Trying to read a printed page is torture and requires 2 sets of drugstore glasses, one atop the other, to enlarge the print to where I can make it out. Then I get raging headaches from trying to read within 15 minutes.

So yes, for the immediate future, I am an internet addict.

[mzteris]

23. you nailed it.

I love "information" - finding out things I didn't know before. Venues like DU - expose me to different ideas and challenges for me to "go in search of"...

I admit sometimes I get a tiny bit obsessive about it - but I was that way even when I was a kid with Encyclopedias, etc. I'd spend HOURS looking up obscure bits of information about something the teacher mentioned tangentially in class - but neglect to "do my homework". :shrug:

The 'net just gives me a quicker, broader range to search. YAY.

[no_hypocrisy]

3. Just a hobby a few minutes every day . . . . n/t

[Minnesota Libra]

4. No, I'm not addicted to the Internet, not me. I just have my............

......coffee with the "Morning Crew" at DU:hug:, I spend at least two or three hours at different times in the day surfing and periodically checking DU messages, and of course we can't forget that all important email:hug: that I'd probably go nuts without. No, I'm not addicted at all. :shrug: :rofl:

[DianaForRussFeingold]

5. I'm only addicted to some of the Internets

I know I am addicted to DU!:loveya:

[bdamomma]

10. Yes, I will confess my weak point

I am too addicted to DU, and the internet, why shouldn't we be? at least we can get the truth that our media is not telling us.
They are taking us for fools, well maybe some people are?

[mzteris]

6. Hello

my name is mzteris and I'm a net-aholic....... :)

[DianaForRussFeingold]

14. Hello!

Hello,My name is diana I'm a web-aholic, I am addicted to DU I am also addicted to love! :loveya: :loveya:

[mzteris]

24. Only on the net can you do this (this quickly.)

Your lights are on, but you're not home

Your mind is not your own

Your heart sweats, your body shakes

Another kiss is what it takes

You can't sleep, you can't eat

There's no doubt, you're in deep

Your throat is tight, you can't breathe

Another kiss is all you need



Whoa, you like to think that you're immune to the stuff, oh yeah

It's closer to the truth to say you can't get enough

You know you're gonna have to face it, you're addicted to love



You see the signs, but you can't read

You're runnin' at a different speed

Your heart beats in double time

Another kiss and you'll be mine, a one track mind

You can't be saved

Oblivion is all you crave

If there's some left for you

You don't mind if you do



Whoa, you like to think that you're immune to the stuff, oh yeah

It's closer to the truth to say you can't get enough

You know you're gonna have to face it, you're addicted to love


Might as well face it, you're addicted to love

Might as well face it, you're addicted to love

Might as well face it, you're addicted to love

Might as well face it, you're addicted to love

Might as well face it, you're addicted to love







Your lights are on, but you're not home

Your will is not your own

You're heart sweats, your teeth grind

Another kiss and you'll be mine

Whoa, you like to think that you're immune to the stuff, oh yeah

It's closer to the truth to say you can't get enough

You know you're gonna have to face it, you're addicted to love



Might as well face it, you're addicted to love

Might as well face it, you're addicted to love

Might as well face it, you're addicted to love

Might as well face it, you're addicted to love

Might as well face it, you're addicted to love

Might as well face it, you're addicted to love

Might as well face it, you're addicted to love

Might as well face it, you're addicted to love

Might as well face it, you're addicted to love

[maxsolomon]

7. YES

i should stop

[Bobbieo]

I'd say so!!! BUT

I'm arthritic and 83 years of age, have no extra money to spare on shopping, have very few friends left, and it is going to be 110 degrees outside again today so what else do I have to do?

[maxsolomon]

34. you keep at it

the fact that i'm responding is evidence that i have a problem.

[bluerum]

8. Yes. So what's your point? That I am not like you so I should worry?

[jerry611]

19. I couldnt care less what you do, but doctors are the ones concerned

They say that Americans don't get enough sleep. And people addicted to the internet end up taking time away from their sleep to use the net.

And psychologists worry that people are using the internet as a new escape method instead of dealing one's personal or social problems. They you use the internet more than spend time with your friends and family.

Other problems could be carpal's tunnel syndrome which is an inflammed nerve in the hand that typically appears after a lot of typing for extended periods. There could also be eye strain problems that could cause long-term effects.

[bluerum]

30. damn - I'm gonna die.

[Mandate My Ass]

9. when the gov't cracks down on the internets

I'm going to be :scared: :argh: :crazy:

[bdamomma]

11. do you think that will be our breaking point

it will be affecting us personally, or do we just meet in the streets???????????? that would be good also.

[Mandate My Ass]

25. Sounds like a good plan to me

I'll be there!

[bryant69]

12. I'm addicted when i am at work

When i have my liberty, the addiction melts away to nothing.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[laruemtt]

13. my name is lauren and

i am an internet-aholic.

[KansDem]

17. hi, lauren

...lights cigarette...

[laruemtt]

18. .

:hi:

[joeunderdog]

15. No more than most people are "addicted" to TV. (see above)

TV is the accepted addiction. It is the American currency of wasted time.

[jerry611]

20. Depends on what you watch

Things like the history channel or discovery channel can provoke thinking.

However reality shows on MTV, sitcoms, or crap like American Idol is junk food for the brain. It requires absolutely no thought to watch those shows.

[movie_girl99]

16. i'm really only addicted to DU

It's always open on my computer and i find myself unable to stay on task sometimes. Especially now with everything going on in the Middle East. This is THE best place to get up to the minute info so i'll work for a few minutes then read DU for a few minutes. There have been times when i have a deadline to meet and cant spend much time here, i get really anxious and a little stressed.

[darkmaestro019]

21. I reject the premise.

Just because something

a) makes you happy
b) stopping the something makes you unhappy

doesn't mean you're addicted.

IT MEANS THE THING MAKES YOU HAPPY.

And there is nothing--write this on your hands, people, because once you step outside you're gonna be told this is a lie--

THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THINGS THAT GIVE YOU PLEASURE.

Trying to paint all enjoyment or reluctance to give up a pleasure as addictive is poisonous, obscene and wrong. Fuck you, addiction-peddlers.

I'm addicted to FOOD. When I don't eat, I feel sad and bad and depressed. Same with water and air! Let's ban them for public safety!

[woo me with science]

28. hear, hear!

it is defined that way so that "helping professionals" will have cause to intervene.

the therapy industry is constantly trying to expand its reach and create new lucrative arenas for intervention. pathologizing normal behavior and insisting that people need help is the best way to do that.

you see the same process in action now that it is routine to rush "grief counselors" to the scene of traumatic incidents. this despite the fact that research suggests that most people handle traumas just fine if left to their own families, friends, and personal resilience. and despite growing research suggesting that pushing people to focus on traumatic experiences can actually cause more problems than it solves.

the game is well underway to pathologize normal behaviors and responses, and to convince people that they are in need of professional psychological help in response to challenges that were previously considered part of normal experience.

[Missy Vixen]

33. Absolutely

>it is defined that way so that "helping professionals" will have cause to intervene.<

A therapist in my hometown is currently doing quite well with her "Internet addiction" therapy. She was written up in the New York Times a couple of months ago on the subject; I'm sure she has many new patient$ as a result.

>and to convince people that they are in need of professional psychological help in response to challenges that were previously considered part of normal experience<

After all, we're only as sick as our secrets. :puke:

As my wonderful therapist has said on more than one occasion, "Julie, some therapists are sicker than their patients."

Julie

[warrens]

31. The issue is addiction. Heroin makes people happy too

And quitting makes them unhappy. People are getting fired from their jobs, dropping out of school, and becoming socially isolated because of addiction to the internet. They are also developing skewed ideas about appropriate behavior (bringing flame wars into real life) and becoming depressed and dysfunctional as a result of disrupting their normal sleep hours and ignoring their friends and family.

[jerry611]

32. No one is talking about banning it

But when you don't get 8 hours of sleep every night because of the internet, then it is a problem. If it takes time away from your social/family life, then it is a problem.

Unfortunately we only have 24 hours in a day. People need to learn how to budget their rime just like they budget their money. When you run out of money, you can't go below zero. But when you you run our of time, do you stop? Or do you keep going past the budget and end up with only 2 hours of sleep before waking up for work?

The issue here is TIME SPENT! Not content viewed.

[warrens]

37. Yes

My daughter has a distinct problem with the net. She will stay up all night chatting. I had to get her into treatment, and they said they're being flooded with kids who are totally addicted, have withdrawn from real life, and spend as much as 20 hours a day on the net.

We were in Canada for a week for my mom's funeral, and she could SMELL a computer with an internet connection. There was one at a hotel we stayed at, over in a corner in the lobby. Before I had even checked in, she was online.

It's not a joke. It's addictive because of its immediate feedback potential coupled with unlimited information, so you are learning something and accomplishing something, but for many, at the cost of a real life, sleep, and performing a job or doing well at school.

[GreenPartyVoter]

22. Yes, among other things

[datadiva]

26. I confess

I am addicted to truth, justice and the American Way. Only place I can find it is right here on DU.

[underpants]

27. No, I just can't live without it

that's all *twitch*

[Breeze54]

29. My computer died a horrid death on July 10th!

I was going nutz!! :rofl: I couldn't fix it this time!
The power supply was fried due to a power surge after a power outage.
It only takes a split second to get an electrical shock and poof! You're done!
I ordered a new computer and I called UPS everyday checking the tracking!
I was having withdrawals!! :crazy: My son thought I was loosing it!
I didn't have access to my addresses and phone numbers or anything! Argh!
It was driving me crazy, I felt helpless.

I did more reading this last week in books and magazines, although I read a lot online too.
I have friends I've met on the net and in person and that's how we keep in touch.
I missed them!
I also learned that network news really, really sucks!!
I literally felt braindead, as far as news was concerned.
The info I get on the net far surpasses the big three news shows!

I have to have my computer! I just gotta have it! :) That's how I connect to real people!

So? Yes, I think I'm addicted but in a good way!
;)

[Catherine Vincent]

35. I'm addicted to the internets and I'm proud of it!

:P

[obreaslan]

36. After a straight 36 hours of researching the question on the internet...

I've been able to determine that I am not.

:freak: :argh: :hangover:

[Roon]

38. I am an information junkie

I have an X amount of news sites that I go to looking for the latest news. Of course, there is DU.

[rainbow4321]

39. Makes me think of that commerical

Where a husband and wife are at home, the husband is on a computer and a message pops up (paraphrasing): "You have reached the end of the Internet, there are no more items to look at".



And you know you've been on DU too long when you go to email a family member a news article and you find yourself following DU's posting guidelines (4 paragraphs, provide link,etc) Oooohhhh wait..this is an email, I can copy and paste the whole article :bounce: :bounce: !!

[Javaman]

40. Can't sleep...must surf...can't miss anything...nt

[Freedom_Aflaim]

41. Absolutely without a doubt. I would be destitute without it

But Im also addicted to food, water and oxygen.

I proably don't qualify for such a study considering that the Internet is my livelihood.

The Internet and its users provide the funds for every single thing I buy including housing, transportation, food, water, medical care. I guess air is still free :)

Then when Im not working, I spend a few hours in the evening browsing for entertainment and news.