Addicted To The Internet
The internet has brought a lot to our lives, plenty of it good, plenty of it bad. But let’s face it, we all have come to rely upon it. Some more than others.
We’re now starting to see the extent of that, with internet addiction disorder cases rising at a pretty alarming rate, with more people seeking out treatment for behavioural addiction and managing their usage of it much more efficiently.
It’s unlike any other form of addiction. For those that suffer from alcohol or drug abuse, sobriety is key. But you can’t exactly go sober from the internet. We still need it for all manner of things.
Internet addiction itself can come in all manner of forms, from unhealthy online relationships, to spending too much time on social media, gaming or even just continually browsing the web. But how exactly do you know if you’re addicted to it? After all, we all use it…
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You’re spending more than one to three hours a day on it
The stats out there are pretty extreme when it comes to the internet, with the average person spending around 170 minutes on the internet daily. Of course, context is needed here as many of us spend more than that on the internet as part of education or employment.
When to consider your internet usage a problem, is if you’re spending over an hour to three or more on it daily, outside of those work or learning activities. It’s an unhealthy amount of time and will certainly have a damaging effect on other parts of your life.
You’re eating meals while browsing the web
If you’re eating meals at your desk or with your laptop in front of you, then this could also be problematic, particularly outside of work time. It’s essentially saying that even meal times, when you need to eat, you can’t be detracted from the web.
This is especially a problem if you share meal times with other people but are preferring to seek out the internet rather than conversing with others, especially loved ones.
You experience withdrawal-like symptoms when away from it
If you’re experiencing emotions of anxiety and depression, perhaps nervousness and irritability when you are away from the internet, then you should certainly see a professional for help with addiction. There is clearly a reliance upon the internet and an unhealthy one at that.
Withdrawing from friends and family
It will certainly have an impact on relationships in your life, and you may find yourself withdrawing from your friends and family, developing more relationships online with cyber friend and anxieties around meeting them.
