Online Obsession

Internet addiction is a condition that can be effectively treated. When the addiction has been confirmed, a counselor or a mental health therapist can assist the individual to take progressive steps in treating addiction.

One of the reasons why internet addiction is different from other forms of addiction is, we need some level of internet for the overall function in the society.

Basically, the goal in internet addiction is not to ensure total abstinence. It is to properly schedule the amount of time used on the internet.

If someone is addicted to pornography, the treatment measures might involve using the internet without having to involve pornography.

There are some methods that have proved effective over the years in the treatment of internet addiction.

They are: Family therapy, Self-treatment groups, Group therapy, Cognitive behavioral therapy and Self-help treatment.

In addition to this, other treatment options like Twelve-step programs and social skills are also proficient in treating internet addiction.

All these treatment options need the input of a counselor for the treatment process to go smoothly.

One of the basic reasons why a counselor is needed, is because he or she would need to carry out a proper evaluation of the individual’s addiction problem.

Typically, what forms the basis for an addiction treatment schedule is the assessment taken by a counselor.

This is why counselors usually take their time in evaluating the addiction problem of an individual, so that the therapist would form a treatment pattern.

The counselor would explain to the addicted individuals on the ills of internet addiction. He or she would also give them tips on how to properly manage their internet time, so that they do not relapse.

Overtime, the internet has proved to be a beneficial source of various forms of help, and people who reap its benefits, are those who use the internet judiciously.

Hence, when an individual notices he or she is addicted to the internet, or your loved one has internet addiction, it is best to reach out to a counselor for help.

There are various reasons for using the internet. However, if you look at it in a more detailed way, you will discover that there are two broad categories.

There is the category of people who spend time on the internet simply for fun. Some people in this category use this opportunity to escape some mental health problems like depression, anxiety and the likes.

A good number of times it works, other times it does not. In terms of fun, others in this first category use the internet as a means to ease themselves of stress.

The second category of people who use the internet, are those who use it for the purpose of seeking information.

Such people use the internet for lots of beneficial purposes, and this is reflected in their self-development.

Now, if you look closely at the above-mentioned categories, you will discover that, they comprise harmless acts.

However, when people do not effectively harness the potentials involved in both categories, the internet is used wrongly.

The right balance must be struck between using the internet for fun, and for information search. If you are using the internet for the purpose of seeking fun, it must be done judiciously.

Some people often make this mistake, as they spend countless hours on the internet for fun.

Before you know it, internet abuse sets in and internet addiction follows closely. People who are addicted to the internet would put aside other essential tasks just to have fun, and it affects their productivity in the process.

Also, asides the fact that people strictly use the internet for seeking knowledge, they should also try to use it for fun sometimes.

Most of the people who are at-risk on using the internet the wrong way are teenagers.

This is why parents and guardians have an important role to play in monitoring their children and wards when it comes to internet time.

There are some obvious signs that shows when the internet is being used in the wrong way, and they must be corrected before things go out of hand.

The internet provides much ease, and it has been highly beneficial to professionals across the world. It would interest you to know that, a good number of professionals have had better careers because of the internet.

For a smart professional, there are lots of valuable materials on the internet that can be accessed.

Using these materials is a surety that their careers would get better. Also, the internet has provided professionals the opportunity of meeting with other professionals from various parts of the world.

However, the sad part is some professionals have misused the benefits of the internet by spending too much time for unprofitable deeds.

There are some professionals who have found themselves lost in the virtual family created by the internet.

At this phase, it can be said that the quality of life alongside the productivity of the professional, has been affected.

One of the effects of too much internet time on professionals is decline in productivity.

They spend too much time on the internet for unimportant things, so they would have little time for self- and career development.

While their mates are researching the internet on how to get better as professionals, this is the opposite for professionals who do not properly manage their internet time.

Closely related to this, since professionals spend too much time on the internet, you can expect they will always sleep late.

This is disadvantageous because they need to wake early, and this affects their performance at work. You will see some of them sleeping on duty, instead of working.

This is part of the reasons why some of them get retrenched.

Also, professionals who spend too much internet time see it as an avenue to escape from the problems of life.

Typically, a professional is expected to see a mental health counselor on a periodic basis.

However, this set of professionals would prefer to spend their time on the internet, seeking solace and validation from people they do not know.

Since the inception of the internet, we have been treated to several advantages that we cannot seem to exhaust.

These days, it is easier for us to know certain things by being on the internet. Similarly, for students and professional individuals, the internet is a hub that increases your scope of knowledge.

If you have a phone or a PC, you have the internet at your fingertips.

Due to the fact that most people have untethered access to the web, they have misused this privilege. There are people who spend several hours on the internet without even realizing that they have wasted the whole day.

The unpleasant aspect about all this is, the time spent on the internet is usually in doing nothing important.

Internet addiction has the capacity to affect the quality of your life, so we need to exercise caution in the way we use the internet.

There are some disadvantages inherent in using too much internet time, and it is easily seen in someone who is addicted to the internet.

First off, people use too much internet time would find it difficult to cope when they do not have access to the internet.

It could get worse for those who are addicted to the internet because they would experience unpleasant withdrawal symptoms.

Also, people who spend too much time on the internet usually see it as an escape route.

So, whenever they are faced with any life’s problem, they us the internet as a comfort place, where they can vent their problems, and find solace in the arms of a virtual family.

Furthermore, spending much time on the internet has an adverse effect on students.

There is a tendency for students to have poor grades because they spend much time surfing the web, instead of reading their books.

Insomnia is a typical symptom that students who use too much internet time, go through.

To wrap it up, people who use too much internet, would find it difficult to communicate effectively in reality. This is one of the reasons why there are weaker relationships, and communication becomes a struggle for most people.

These days, almost everyone has the opportunity to use the internet, and this include children.

For parents who are very observant, they will be able to tell when their child is getting addicted to the internet, and how to cut down on internet time at the right period.

There are lots of gains on the internet, but it is still important for an individual to know how to use the internet properly, especially children who might not really know the right thing to do.

These days, whenever kids are not occupied, they seize the opportunity to use the internet for a long period of time.

You will be surprised to find out that, a good number of them are on various social media platforms, so they spend lots of hours surfing these platforms.

They cannot be particularly blamed for this. The internet has created a virtual interesting atmosphere that makes you feel at ease.

Parents need to be aware of the signs of internet addiction in their kids and how to stop it. One of the major signs of internet addiction in kids, is not being observant of time as they remain online.

So, they can spend countless amount of time online, without realizing that much time has passed.

Due to this, it would be difficult for them to participate in profitable activities because they are on the internet.

They would barely have time to read their books or do their assignments. It gets even worse because, some of them would surf the web late into the night, and would need to wake up early for school.

In addition to this, kids who have a tendency to get addicted to the internet, would most likely not want to accept the fact that they are spending much time on the internet. So, if they are accused at any point, they would deny it vehemently.

Parents are advised to create a strict schedule for their children, which would include a list of all important activities, and a little time for using the internet.

Many people are addicted to the internet, and they are unaware of this. As a matter of fact, when you call them “internet addicted”, they would vehemently refuse.

One of their major excuses would be, they need to be online for their job, or they could claim that they are communicating with their loved ones.

Some of them would even go to the extent of saying they are reading online.

Due to the fact that, the internet is not a substance which alters the mind, a good number of people find it hard to come to terms with the fact that, they are addicted.

The hormone responsible for pleasure and motivation in the brain, is the dopamine. This is a very profound neurotransmitter which provides motivation to engage in experiences which are pleasurable.

Such experiences include spending ample time with your family and friends, going on a vacation, shopping and the likes.

For addicts, it is the dopamine rush which makes them to relapse, irrespective of the fact that, there could be dire consequences attached to their addiction.

It would interest you to know that, dopamine plays a very powerful role in internet addiction. How does this happen? Now, there are minute rewards which comes with using the internet.

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Such rewards are messages, interesting tales on the social media, money making opportunities and the likes. This happens every time you pick up your phone.

These rewards which come with the internet are responsible for the increase in dopamine production.

This in turn leads to a creation of a vicious cycle which motivates people to continue using the internet so that their dopamine production would be a continuum.

So, if you have found it difficult with your obsessive need to always be on the internet, and you find out that your entire day is unproductive, then you have developed an addiction.

If you also feel depressed when the internet is out of your reach for a period of time, then it also means you have an addiction. It is best for you to opt for programs which will aid you to conquer your compulsions.

The advent of the internet has been a stroke of luck to the human race in many ways which cannot be counted. It has saved us a whole lot of time which when spent manually, would take lots of hours, months or even years to complete. The internet has improved our productivity as we can carry out more tasks promptly.

However, the excessive use of the internet by some people, have proved to be a great cause for concern. These set of individuals dedicate ample time to browsing on the internet, and just a little amount of time to other areas of life.

When this addiction is on the increase, the attention paid to essential aspects of life such as health, education, relationships amongst others, is on the decline. This happens because browsing has become an utmost priority, and the person’s participation in reality is greatly reduced.

SIGNS TO OBSERVE WHEN YOU ARE BECOMING ADDICTED TO BROWSING THE INTERNET

1. Difficulty in abstaining from browsing for a day or more: Once you discover that you cannot do without browsing for just a day, then you could be addicted already. A non-addicted user of the internet can do without browsing for more than a day.

2. Losing track of time while browsing: If you are not always conscious of time when browsing and you get to realize that lots of hours is like a few minutes, then you might just be addicted.

3. Deriving happiness only when online: If you are someone who looks depressed and despondent in reality, but always happy and content when online, then you could be a step closer to being addicted to browsing the internet.

4. Skipping meals: This is a strong sign of addiction among internet users. So, if you regularly skip your meals, or at the very least, you eat your food in front of your computer, then you are addicted already.

5. Usage of the internet late into the night: If this happens quite frequently, and you always wake up early the next morning, it is a sign of addiction. Also, if you have tried to stop this times without number with little or no success, you are addicted to browsing the internet.

6. Less interaction with people in reality: While browsing the internet, if all your time is spent chatting and keeping track of the lifestyle of people online, without paying close attention to the people around you, then you are an addicted user.

Internet addiction is a condition whereby a person feels there is an utmost need to spend much time on the internet. In most cases, this amount of time could be utilized into carrying out other productive acts. However, someone who is addicted to the internet does not give much cognizance to that reality. In the long run, other aspects of the person’s life begins to suffer. An evident sign to spot an addicted internet user is, the level of inner joy and attention which the person exhibits and gives, whenever such person is on the internet. All attention is devoted to it, and such person would not like to be disturbed in any way.

Being addicted to the internet can be likened to someone who is hooked on hard drugs. They both have the same basis of operation. Someone who is addicted to hard drugs can hardly do without it. If it is absent, it is more like a death sentence for such person. The drugs would need to be taken as soon as possible in order to prevent the person from taken further detrimental actions.

An internet addicted user would find it hard to stay away from the internet. In most cases, such person has found for himself a home, a family and a couple of friends. He has people with whom he interacts with. In reality, it would be hard for such person to relate with people. The communication gap between him and the outside world is further broadened, and this is not good enough.

The concept of internet addiction requires a continuous increase in the amount of time spent on the internet, this increase is directly equivalent to the level of satisfaction derived. If the addicted user is unable to go online, some symptoms such as nervousness, sulkiness and obsessive fantasizing, are bound to occur.

If negative feelings like self-reproach, nervousness or depression are experienced in reality, the only available source of solace for the addicted user, is the internet. Surely, the addicted user would maximize the time spent on the internet in order to get over any of the aforementioned negative feelings.

There are major categories of internet addiction and they are four in number:

1. Relationships

2. Games

3. Information

4. Sex

So, the internet addicted user might belong to three categories at once, or strictly one category. It varies in various individuals.

Addiction to the internet refers to a condition whereby people spend more time than expected on the internet. This excessive amount of time spent on the internet is usually used in carrying out non-beneficial activities. What even makes it more critical is, internet addicted individuals are aware of the fact that much time is being wasted, they often overlook it.

People who are addicted to the internet often struggle with developing relationships and better communications with people in reality. It is a herculean task for an internet-addicted user to completely abstain from the usage of the internet. This can be likened to prompting someone who is addicted to drugs to stop abruptly.

The mainstream idea of internet addiction cure, is to completely disable the internet connectivity and lock up the computer in an unknown place. This would hardly work because, productive activities could arise which would need the internet usage. You would then have to utilize the computer and the internet for whatever task you have to undertake.

STEPS TO RECOVERING FROM INTERNET ADDICTION

Internet addicted users must realize that the major step in recovering from addiction, is to accept the addiction and have the littlest of motivation to be assisted in the journey to recovery.

1. Doing the exact opposite: The first step to recovering from internet addiction, is to readjust your routine. You could start by integrating other activities which would be carried out in reality, into the time and schedule which would have been used online.

2. Self-restraint: If there is a specific activity which keeps you online for a long period of time, you can begin to make conscious efforts to reduce the amount of time spent on it. For example, if seven (7) hours is spent normally on the internet, you could start by reducing it to four (4) or five (5) hours.

3. Rehabilitation: For a professional addiction rehabilitation treatment, you would have to seek the services of a professional therapist or a guidance counsellor to put you through and properly follow you up.

4. Develop relationships in reality: For internet addicted users, this part of their lives has suffered a lot. It is a rare sight for you to see an addicted internet user who has a strong relationship and communication with family and friends in reality. Internet addicted users always prefer to keep to themselves and focus more on the people online.

FOR CHILDREN AND TEENAGERS

There are two major reasons for spending much time on the internet. The first could be, a search for an important information which could take hours to find, the second could be spending much time on the internet for the purpose of escaping from anxiety, depression, loneliness and the likes. The first reason can be overlooked, as it would definitely not occur frequently. For the second reason, it would most likely occur frequently.

Focusing more on the second reason, spending too much time on the internet is hazardous and there are a lot of demerits involved. A research study showed that kids who are below 18 years spend an average of eleven (11) hours a week. This amount of time is on the increase as they advance in age. This amount of time being spent, results in less productivity in almost all aspects of life.

Parents and guardians have a pivotal role to play in regulating the amount of time their children spend on the internet. They should be able to properly define and point out to their children the differences between normal internet usage and the compulsive usage. If your kids have a project to work on, and it requires the internet usage, they should be given a controlled access to use it, even though much time is going to be spent on it.

It is essential for parents and guardians to note that they can observe if their children are exhibiting signs of compulsive usage of the internet. A number of children and teenagers prefer to spend more time on the internet, rather than people in reality.

Some of the signs of the compulsive usage of the internet includes:

1. General internet obsession: Children and teenagers who are always preoccupied with the internet, or have specific sites or points on the internet without any productive work, are obviously using too much internet time.

2. Self-justification of the time spent online: A child or teenager who frequently defends himself about the amount of time spent online without any cogent reason, should be cautioned.

3. Heightened ecstasy when involved in online activities: If a child or teenager is hyper-active when surfing the web or going through social media platforms, it shows that such child would most likely spend more time on the internet because he or she does not want the fun to decline.

Parents and guardians need to be on the lookout for various signs which their wards might exhibit as regards the internet. Excessive time spent on the internet with little or no productivity as the results is detrimental to children and teenagers in the long run.