Online Addiction

    The issue of internet addiction is a fairly new problem. In a society battling alcoholism, drug addiction and eating disorders on a daily basis, online addiction may seem trivial or petty. In reality, it is a rapidly growing problem that has the capacity to wreak havoc and destroy lives.

    A person who becomes "hooked" on the internet usually falls hard and fast. It begins as a curiosity and progressively worsens until a spouse, sibling or child has become a slave to the computer. It is the first thing they touch in the morning and the last thing they see in the late hours of the night. When a person becomes addicted to the internet, they begin to neglect everything around them and their time with family and friends becomes very limited. They lose interest in spending time with others as the solitary lifestyle of a computer addict takes over. Time once spent with friends now becomes time spend in the glare of the computer screen. Unfortunately, it doesn't end here. The internet can have disastrous implications for couples.

    If one partner decides to take their internet use further than just "looking", the results can be detrimental to the future of those involved. The lure of chat rooms and internet dating sometimes can entice even the most faithful of people. An innocent curiosity can quickly escalate into a full fledged infidelity. Chat rooms and messenger services can turn into a fantasy world of sex and deception right in your own home. Web cams can make these fantasies a reality. Those who decide to take things further can decide to meet in person. The internet has become the new way of dating and searching for sex. Your partner does not have to leave the house to meet prospective sex partners; they just need the a computer and the internet.

    Children too fall victim to the unrelenting pull of the internet. Prehistoric games of hopscotch and tag have been replaced with online games that frequently portray sex and violence as the norm. Internet chat rooms can also entice children with the opportunity to meet new people but many times, young girls fall prey to pedophiles who search for underage children on the net. Children and adults alike spend hours in front of a computer screen, setting themselves up for problems in the future. The internet offers users a place to escape reality and enter a world of fantasy and access to the world and the people in it. The enormity and anonymity provided by the internet are a lethal combination to those people who suffer from online addiction.There is hope for those who suffer from this problem.

    Cancelling the internet is one solution. The computer is a remarkable tool for communication, learning and working. But when the computer constantly becomes the preferred pastime instead of friends, family or a productive life, it becomes an addiction.

    Ask yourself why you enjoy your computer so much? Is it for positive reasons such as sending out that article or checking out the daily news? Or is it to look at pornography for hours or to chat with your online lover while your husband sits in the next room? What is missing from your daily life that you have to immerse yourself online to escape?

    The alcoholic first drinks to forget, to escape or to become accepted. The drug addict does the same. The gambler dreams of the big win that could be around the next corner and the skinny girl starves herself to feel in control of herself. What is missing from the internet addicts life? When did you feel it becoming a problem? Is it making your life unmanageable? These are questions to be considered when treating any addiction.

Admitting the problem is the first step.