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6/20-6/24: Internet Addiction Disorder

"Internet Addiction Disorder" (IAD) is now official. University of Pittsburgh researcher Kimberly Young says IAD is as real as alcoholism (including loss of control, cravings and withdrawal symptoms, social isolation, marital discord, academic failure, excessive financial debt, and job termination). Could you quit anytime? Is IAD real or ridiculous? If it's real, what should we do about it?

MikeBee: I think IAD is a problem of temporary nature. It occurs when people become internet addicts AFTER they married, found a job and succeeded in earning a living. Nowadays lots of children are surfing the net BEFORE they start with school. Many of them will never have social contacts, not to mention academic success, marriage,etc. So what is the problem? Seriously: Society has to learn how to cope with information technology in general and internet in particular. It is a threat as well as a chance.

dpadgett1: I sometimes wonder what would life be like without the Internet. My ex-wife tells me she divorced me because I spent more time on the computer than on her! Seriously, the Internet is a problem for me, no time for anything else.

Noppie: It is strange! How many interests do you have to have to stay on the net all the time. OK, there is a lot to see, but not to be there that much. I think that you can learn from the net. There is a lot of junk, but that doesn't keep your attention to long (at least not my attention)

sherwood: Ridiculous! I can stop (enter) anytime. To think (double click) that a person (backspace) could become (F1) addicted to a piece of electronic (insert) equipment is (delete) probably as (shift-tab) stupid as saying that just because my wife is (home) calling me I can't (right click) hear her. Honey, please (page up) don't pull that plug! If you do, my (enter) computer will...................

Mattas: I couldn't quit so I'd have to say It's REAL!!!

kf0yn: I have no doubt that it's real. Could I quit? Probably. I can and have taken "sabbaticals" from the net, but always with the knowledge that I could return at any time. I do make an effort to make sure that a good chunk of my social interaction is in "real life", which probably helps.

LowKeyCat: The internet is a communication tool, just like the telephone, television, and the Postal Service except that it utilizes higher technology. IAD is only as plausable as TelephoneAD TelevisionAD or PostalServiceAD. I've never heard of any of these officially classified as a disorder, and I would definitely be a candidate for two of them. Could I quit using the Internet? Why would I want to? Could I quit using the telephone or Postal Service? Certainly! Of course I would then have to drive halfway across the country every month to hand my mortgage payment to the bank... IAD is ridiculous.

rjnerd: I am a very long term net user, (since '72) but I also learned I could do without. For the better part of a year (the time between developing a keyboard overuse injury, and getting a voice recognition system) I was without my regular net fix. So I know I can do without.
By the same token, the machine (not just the net) has caused some problems. The overuse injury was one (but that was mostly work related. At home, I find myself futzing with the thing, and it has encouraged my nocturnal proclivities, which has led to some friction with my partner.
The talk of addiction shouldn't be net specific. We already have words for other sorts: the TV and its "couch potatos", pinball (and videogame) addicts, etc. At least the net can challenge the brain, which isn't often the case with other things with video screens.

DK8: "These activities are a form of love . . . beyond the fierce competition there was an atmosphere of being involved in a communal activity . . . that by sitting there,we these men, were perhaps upholding, perhaps ratifying, perhaps creating or re-creating some important aspect of our community." - David Mamet.

The above quote was found at the little House of Quotes. Addicted? Me?? Categorically, chronically, terminally, unambiguously definitively positively hopelessly thesaurusically, thoroughly exhaustively and unequivocally, hooked, but also devoted, captivated charmed and ahem yeah okay, addicted.

CarolN: I can see where IAD would be real, especially for someone who is new to the world of computers. There is so much to explore, you can lose yourself and find that time goes by very quickly. You can alsofind yourself becoming impatient with slower ways of finding information. I'm enjoying everything I've seen so far, but not to the point where I've lost touch with reality

dkatta: I think it is only as addictive as say, the TV. U got nothing else to do, ur mind turns to it. Not like an addiction, which pulls you away from whatever u might be doing. I've used it before on and off, at school. While it seems you can't do without it. But shut it off, go for a vacation, and u won't really miss it. My experience.

christabel: I have to laugh, what will they come up with next? I remeber when similar discussions were about television. Internet is new, exciting and therefore a lot of people will become temporally addicted. Internet is the future and soon a necessary tool in everyday life and can hardly be compared to alcohol!! On the other hand if you ask my supervisor he will assure you that I do suffer from all the early symptoms off IAD!:))

Shire: It's one of those eternal questions....Life without Internet? hmmm..... nope it'll never happen but an addiction....Well I suppose, and if it's true then you can diagnose me with it. So yeah I think it's real

goat358: IAD is very real. It's very obvious to me how easily a person could become addicted to the internet, especially one who already has an addictive personality. I don't know that I'm addicted, but I think I'm at a point where, if I don't conciously control the amount of time I spend on the internet, it's all I do. What I'd like to believe is that the internet is a kind of temporal warp, and every time you enter it, you lose hours in the course of minutes. This usually happens while you wait for a page to load on your browser. I say that I'm not addicted, but I consider the internet to be my lifeline to the world. I'm a stay-at-home mom, and we live in a major city where I know no-one. My husband is frequently out of town on business, and I DON'T watch television. The internet is my source for news and entertainment. My husband wondered about me being addicted to it recently, but there was a test in one of our magazines to figure out if you are addicted to the 'net, and I took the test, and I showed it to him, and he was satisfied, but I still wonder. It would be so easy to be addicted to it. Not a day has passed in the last six months that I haven't been on the internet for one reason or another. I usually don't get on the computer until after my children are in bed, and I try to be done before 11pm, but many's the night that I'm on well past midnight. I was a bit of an infojunkie before I started doing this -- it wasn't unusual for me to read well into the night, so I don't really believe that I'm addicted to the internet. I stayed up to all hours before. There really isn't anything that you can do about IAD, except for getting some counseling, if it's bad enough to cause problems in your life. It is also my opinion that people who become addicted have other problems, and the internet is an easy way to forget those problems. I also read recently that a large percentage of the people therapists are seeing for IAD are people who were addicted to something else before, especially pornography. There is something about the false annonymity that the internet provides that makes it easier for these people to pursue their other, more prurient interests.

zstuart: I am definitely addicted to the internet. I spend so much time on here. It has made me a little more anti-social...but then I like being in control. If I want contact with people I do IRC ( I really need to get a life) However, when I tear myself away...and see friends and Date...I always enjoy being out in the real world. I don't think I could quit....it is just too awesome, this internet phenomenon.

mszippy: I am totally addicted to the Internet. I even dream about it. I never leave the house unless I absolutely have to. I didn't even want to go out for my birthday. I love building web pages and learning all the new stuff. It's really a problem because there's always more to do and learn. It will never end. For me, it's better than what I've been doing for all my life, and that's compulsive gambling. I started with bingo when it became legal...a little boring and then I discovered the pull tabs (like little cardboard slot machines.) Then I learned how to play Pan...night and day. Finally got a job as a dealer in Gardena, then Bell Gardens, then Commerce (California). I made tons of money but it didn't matter, I gambled it all away and put myself in horrible debt...ran up all my credit cards, and ruined my good credit. Then I discovered the video keno machines. Boy, did that ever take over. And I started again with the bingo. I've always had a computer right back to my first Atari800, and always spent endless hours on it. But I always preferred the gambling. Now, I don't care about gambling. This new Web thing is powerful. I don't think I could ever quit. Fortunately I have a real tolerant husband who likes TV a lot. Every now and then he makes a nasty remark about the computer, and I feel embarassed to go over to it...but I do edge my way over. I stay up until 2 and 3 in the morning, and wake up at 7 and rush over to it. I used to require the basic 7 to 8 hours of sleep, but not any more. Yes, this is a real problem. It wouldn't be a problem if the entire population lived through computers, but they don't and never will. I imagine a future like in a horrific science fiction movie. The idiotic President wants computers in every classroom. How will the kids learn to socialize and interact with others? This is what they really are supposed to learn in school. I think it's okay to teach them how to use the computer to access information for school...PERIOD. The middle class is getting closer to being obsolete every day and this will only speed up the process. There will be the computer society, and the underground homeless, poverty ridden, and despised underworld. The funny thing is though, I have a college degree and some graduate work completed. Haven't been able to find a real profession over the years. It's just not out there...so I'm really poor. My husband got laid off and works for a deli delivering food. I grew up totally middle class, both parents at home, maid twice a week, new car every 2 years, nice house, etc. Now I live in a tiny apartment. Me, my husband, and my computer. Where will I be when I can't afford to live anywhere? Jobs are disappearing left and right. It's only a matter of time until the Post Office is forced to close. What will the people without computers do then? Oh, and there's just so much more. With the government having absolutely no concern for our natural environment, it will be unfit to sustain any life forms. Only the ruling computer class will be safe. This new form of communication does everything a person needs except provide food, a bathroom and a place to bathe. No need to go out! All of this really scares me.

Mukul: The IAD is a REAL problem now. I speak from experience. I have not met any friends for the past 2 weeks. I am perpetually glued to my computer. My fingers ache from typing and clicking. And I am not the only one. And as in the future our lines become faster, technology gives us better stuff, we'll probably not even need anyone else. My phone bill is going through the roof. I can't concentrate on my job. My social skills are falling. Bad Bad Bad. I think I'll just have to throw away my computer one of these days if I have to live in the physical world.

Netsiren: Set up accounts that have an automatic shut off time on it. Use criteria based on the worst symptoms of the individuals' case of IAD. If the service starts going out of budget... disco! If it's getting close to study or bed time DISCO! Unfortunately there's no such thing as nicorette for the internet but limiting the use by any means necessary should do the trick. Or you could have kids.. I for one, have two kids and absolutely no time to get totally hooked online.

Ransome: What a crock! Why does everthing have to be a disease. Sure, some can spend too much time on the internet. But it is a choice -- not a disease. Come on -- people have to take responsibility for their choices and actions. You can't blame wrong decisions on a disease.

bob442: I feel that it is real. For some people it's surfin for others it's the chat rooms where they can be who they want to be.

orbot: The basic misunderstanding, just like the Internet porn routine, is that Internet addiction is a bad thing. It isn't. We don't talk about information addicts when they go for a useless lPh.D. We always understood that the life of themind is the really important one. Lighten up! How can a society discourage the inquisitiveness of its members. First you complain because we drive around aimlessly, then you complain because we use the elctronic means to move our mind, which is the only part that matters, the defining part of a human. As long as the physical needs are met, there is no problem here. I've always been a magazine subscriber, now I just don't kill trees to read things. I can hardly wait for the next step in this EVOLUTION.

glennbo: I don't think it's real. I spend 18 hours a day on the Net. I keep a stocked fridge and a bedpan next to my desk so I don't have to leave. I've been doing this for 3 years straight. And I'm not addicted!

Sharkman: The INternet is definately addictive, but it makes the real world a better experience. IAD is real, because I would say that I have it. But, I can control my addiction, as I have in the past.

Griffey24: Why on earth would you want to quit?

Akaila: It's another excuse for irresponsible behaviour thought up by our liberal, socialist, apologists. What's the next step ? A murder defense based on "IAD" ? Alcohol & other drugs cause actual physiological changes and cause addiction either by a) the person craves the change (phsychological) or b) the person's physiology goes even furthur out of balence w/o the drug, causing an intense craving for the drug (chemical addiction). The only aspect of "IAD" is phsychological. The only physiological changes are likely to come about from either not eating (starvation) or eating junk food (fats, salt, & sugar "highs"), effects unrelated to the activity engaged in while either not eating or eating improperly. A person who wants to say they have "IAD" is merely saying they don't want to be responsible for their own actions. With *real* addictions you at least have some actual biological effects! The whole idea of "IAD" kinda sounds like the Democratic Party's platform, doesn't it ?

ScottyScotty: Yes it can be real! But the only addiction I really ahve is my e-mail. I have come to depend on it as a source of contact. Mail a letter WHAT? My family and friends are on the net so why use the post service except for packages? The answer to what to do about IAD? - Try living out in wild for a summer!

bird1: I like the way Sherwood describes the internet addiction. Yes! It is very real. I'm sure I'll hear from someone on this..but when you become addicted to anything it becomes your god. I was spending more time on the Internet than I was in the Word of God...for me that was an addiction. And it told on me in the way I treated other. I like the net but can live without it.

xiabelle: I'll admit, I'm addicted to being online. I'm online a good, good deal more than I should be, to be honest. Is this a problem? It depends. There is a matter of control and the knowledge that there are things that you must do. Yes, if I am at home I like to be logged in and talking to people (no chats, it's those dratted MUSHes and MOOs for me) I like to check my email every day. I wonder what has gone on if I've not logged in. By the same token, however, if I'm out of town, away from the net, etc, I'm not going to go insane. I know I'm coming back. And to me, real life takes precendence. My schoolwork is more important, and /that/ always got done beforehand (not that I didn't occasionally take studybreaks on it). But with the explosion of information and the interest that has blossomed about the Internat, there is no wonder that people spend a lot of time on it. Yes, you can get addicted. And yes it can be controlled. As fo quitting, well, I don't see myself quitting any time soon. I have too many friends I want to keep in touch with :)

Desdemona: Its real, I couldn't quit..Too much of my social life and free time are spent on it, I'd feel like I lost an arm.

balazs: The internet has changed me in some ways, namely how I interact with people. I find myself rushing people to speak faster and being impatient very often. I think this stems from the fact that the internet delivers information by the screenful not word for word, like people do. IAD can be a problem, I think it should be recommended as a weight loss program. People wouldn't even think of eating!

stvndit: Addiction..? hardly so,it is only something new that is becoming part of our daily life, and will get assimilated as time goes by, it is just another form of communication, mind you, a heck of a lot BETTER way of communication shucks, I use it to get a lot of info. instead of having to buy a book or go to the library for research on a particular subject, could I quit?... who wants to stay incomunicado??? bah.. Besides, remember, addictions are caused by inconmensurate usage and abuse of anything...

andreamer: I'm with goat358 and Ransome. Some people do seem to be "addicted" to the 'net, but it's absurd to call it a mental disorder in its own right. Using the Internet as an escape from reality is a _symptom_ of other problems.

As for myself, I was pondering my own relationship to the net a few weeks ago. "Self," I asked myself, "If someone came up to you and told you you either had to give up computers for good or your grandma would die, what would you do?"

I eyed myself warily, thinking that was a pretty ridiculous setup, but considered the proposition. "Well," I replied slowly, "Grandma is old, and you gotta go sometime...But I think I would swear off computers, though it would be a huge pain in the neck and make me very sad. As long as I could still have music and books and friends and food, I would be okay."

Satisfied, I nodded and went peacefully about my business.

MarsFire: My doctor tells me that I'm addicted. He lies quite well for such an old man (I know how old he is...his profile told me) I'm not addicted. Addiction is not a real thing. I have found something that I enjoy. That's not wrong is it? There is a wealth of information for me to explore. Let me freely enjoy this. The only reason that I con't get off is that my computer tells me not to. You see, if I get off this early I might not be able to experiance everything that the internet has to offer me before I dye hanggliding at the age of twenty-nine. A psychic on-line told me this. I am afraid. I want to die knowing everything there is for me to know. That'll shock my family back on Zercon (the fourteenth planet) when I return. If I learn everything that is important, I will be the holder of all of this. I WILL BE IMMORTALIZED!!!! Ha! That'll show those netties at http://non.believers.com/in.Brigid/smoon/the.X-files/ La

DEGE: The Internet is a new source of info, entertainment and contact to society. We must learn to not abuse this new technology. Yes, there is a problem. However, it is just a phase that we all go through, due to the fact that we are in a undiscovered country. The is always some new site to discover. I found myself, when I discovered the internet, on the net surfing for 6 - 7 hours a day. I have now cut down the time to 2 - 3 hours a night. Mostly surfing info for work and maintaining my home page. This is not a disease but it is a problem that will dissolve its self in time!!

shy: I do believe people get addicted to the internet in a short period of time but I totally disagree with having all of those ridiculous symptoms. I know this because after I didn't have the internet for a month, I would do anything to get it back but none of those symptoms occured except for the craving symptom.

Xerox: So what? I eat okay? Phew... what are you? My mother?

PepsiKid: Ummm.. I believe you can have an associative or mental addiction to just about anything, but not a physical addicition to the internet. I was addicted to cigarettes, that was hard to quit. I am on the internet constantly. I love it. I am a cybersurfer down to the marrow, BUT, I could definately stop if it was doing more damage to my marriage (not that I need any help of course).

MarioL: it is actually real. creo que es verdaderamente un problema que debido a la gran cantidad de informacion se esta dando de maner aimportante, sobre todo para los pequeoos, puesto que se ven atrapados en un mundo de informacion del cual no quieren salirse .

mightor: It's as real as cancer. I was addcited to the Net for about 1.5 years. I would spend some 18 hrs a day online, my social life went down the drain, bad grades,etc etc. I got bored with it after a while tho, and now i spend less than 1 hr a day on the Net, mainly IRC, just to stay in touch with a few people i have met both in real life and on the net.

Love_Burn: I seem to have more of a life online than off!! My parents don't understand me and neither do my friends without computers!! I feel that IAD is real and scary because It is almost definite that I have it!! It leaves me shaking if I am offline for more than a few hours!! If anyone wants to talk to me about it, e-mail me at [email protected]. Thanx!

Soh: I guess it's real. Because I can't quit this thing. But it's probably because it's new. After a few years, Internet will be much more common and people won't be surprised by anything...

Zeta: It -is- real. I have it. My husband and I came >< this close to divorcing in the past month. We've been on the net just over a year now and the online relationships were killing our RL relationship. I honestly don't think I could quit. I have friends who had to pull their modems for a year to save thier marriage. They've been an enormous help, but I'm too addicted to quit. I've stayed up all night on many many occasions talking on MUCKs and MUDs. We've spent money we really can't afford on hardware and net connections and we've alienated many of our RL family and friends. I don't know what can be done about it. I think it may just be a fact of life now.

Victoria16: Until cybersex is as good as real sex, the likelihood of my becoming totally addicted again is minimal. On the other hand, I get as much Net as I want on the job (as a webmistress), so maybe I'm not in a position to say. It used to be worse, though. I used to spend hours I didn't have playing around of the Net, watching the morning creep through the window and wondering who gave permission to the sun to rise when I was just getting into what I was doing.

I think, though, that the real danger comes from MOOs, MUDs, and IRC -- it's TALK that's addictive. Waiting for icons to animate is like being forced to read Surgeon General warnings on your favorite vice over and over until the drug takes effect. I get a lot more bored with the Web than I do with chat.

What to do about IAD? Sufferers should get their ISPs to limit their online time. Like an AA for the IAs. There can't be some blanket uber-cure for this, though, because some people need to spend time online for legitimate reasons, like maintaining Internet presence.

baydolph: Is IAD REAL I FEEL THAT IT IS.. As a lot of people use the web day and night as I am persaonally on line with the internet from 10 am to 1 pm, with breaks between this times. I know that it would be almost impossible for me to stop and I have become addicted to the web.

Shaker: My friend JR is addicted.
He tries to stop, but can't, maybe if he reads this, it will help.

worleyd: I have had temporary problems with IAD, but my wife helps me stay "grounded" and I make a special effort to make the family the most important thing. Also, there is really not that much on the net that can hold my attention anymore, there is nothing new under the "Sun" anymore. I've also made time for outside "non-computer" hobbies to get me away from the new BOOB TUBE!

SimsR: IAD is very real. I'm 10 and I am hooked. How do I limit my use to 1 hour a day???

MDARNTON: I guess it's real. I moved into a house this summer and found that one of the people I was living with would not share the extra phone line. I had to quit surfing cold turkey.

whay: There is no WHAY that the Internet can be addictive! I have been on the Internet for over four hours a day for the past six months and I'm still not addicted!!! *LOL*

Canin: I can see where it might be a problem. I spend a couple of hours on the internet a day when I have nothing else to do. I think it comes down to self control. I also think that universities and research centers could find a more pressing and urgent problem to study.

KMorrison: I think IAD is real; and anything that controls you is bad. If you can control it, it's not so bad. It's like alcohol...if you're in control, it's OK, but once it controls you... I "net" more than I should and sometimes I'm late for work because I just don't want to hang up. That's when I have to step back and put things back into perspective.