Internet Addiction
The Internet is rapidly becoming an addictive source to a lot of its users. Use of the Internet include: students, housewives, and business professionals. Some of these users spend a minimum of thirty-eight hours per week on the “net”; hence, losing touch with reality and wreaking havoc on their studies, family lives, and even their careers. Based on level of addiction, there are three groups of Internet addicts (A) the “I’m-not-addicted-users”, (B) the “I-only-use-it-when-I-have-to-users”, and (C) the “Internet Junkies.” The “I’m not addicted users” are those who try to convince themselves that they are not addicted to the Internet. This group includes college students who don’t go online during the day to prove to fellow classmates that they can do without getting online; only, to stay up all night in a chat room. College students are not the only people who fit in this category though. In general, these users are addicts but portray themselves otherwise in the presence of people. The “I only use it when I have to users”, are those who make convenient excuses to go online. And finally, the “Internet Junkies” are unlike the addicts in the previous two groups, these users neither sneak online nor make excuses to get online. They put their lives on hold while engrossed with their computer usage.
The addiction begins innocently. At the start, you are not even aware of the possibilities of your excessive computer use. You begin to take an avid interest in e-mailing with your friends and family. Once the novelty of keeping in touch with your colleagues wears off, and researching starts to bore you, you may possibly expand your computer usage to chatting and visiting social network sites. And so begins the addiction. Once you become involved in meeting people online, it is difficult to break such a habit. This habit then becomes extremely time consuming taking up practically your entire day and night time too.
Symptoms of Internet Addiction Disorder include: A) Psychomotor agitation, B) anxiety, C) obsessive thinking about what is happening on Internet, D) fantasies or dreams about Internet, E) voluntary or involuntary typing movements of the fingers. These symptoms begin to cause conflict in social, occupational, or another important area of functioning. People, who become addicted, use the Internet to relieve or avoid withdrawal symptoms, which are similar to those brought on by the halt of drug use. The disorder is recognized by the “persistent desire” or “unsuccessful efforts” to minimize the Internet use. People with no prior sign of psychiatric trouble have got hooked on the Internet too. Yes, it is avoidable, but still many people fall into the addictive track, just as if it were smoking, drinking, or any other habitual behavior.
The addiction can attack anyone, of any age. Today’s youth, live with the Internet as a daily part of their lives. Chatting after school and on the weekends is listed among the usual activities like sporting events and shopping. Housewives and even professionals are not far away from this addiction, the reason being too much free time on hand, loneliness or a means to escape from work stress. To break free from this social disorder we need to come back to the world of reality. To the world of hobbies, sports, reading books, real friends and neighbours, outdoor activities, music and dance concerts etc. Help is available; don’t get yourself tangled into the addiction. Don’t get. lost in the world of technology. It’s hard to break once, you’ve got yourself wound into the habit. Good luck fellow Internet users.
