Internet Addiction

In addition to compulsive overeating, gambling, exercise, spending, there is a new category of compulsion that is causing unhappiness to many people, Internet addiction. There are four areas in which those who go online seem to be drawn to the extent that they lose control over their time: Sex (chat rooms or porn,) gambling, game playing, and auctions. Many people play games, buy things on ebay auctions, gamble and interact in chat rooms. What is the difference between the average Internet user and someone who cannot control when they start and when they stop?

Some of the signs of addiction include the need to be involved for longer and longer amounts of time and awareness that you are using Internet activities to escape from your problems or emotions. If you lose sleep because you can’t log off, you may be addicted. When you try to stop do you feel irritated or depressed? That is a sign of withdrawal similar to what alcoholics or drug addicts experience when they try to give up their substances. Have you tried to stop or cut back, but failed? Has your preoccupation with your Internet habits affected your relationships, school or work? Do you lie to others who are concerned about your behavior because you feel intense guilt or shame? People who spend more than 11 hours a week seeking cybersex report that it often interferes in their lives.

Internet addiction is no different from other compulsive behaviors. It is simply a new type of pleasurable activity that allows participants to decrease anxiety and avoid dealing with difficult situations and relationships. Internet addicts won’t be successful if they simply try to white knuckle it. Compulsion is driven by life stress and only when that stress is dealt with successfully will the cravings for pleasure disappear. EFT and other energy psychology methods can relieve stress, decrease anxiety and take away cravings that drive addicts to the Internet to relieve sexual tension, play games, or spend money.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gloria Arenson is a Southern California based psychotherapist with a private therapy practice in Santa Barbara. She helps people to recover successfully from eating disorders, compulsive spending, anxiety, fears, phobias, PTSD, panic disorder and other problems. Gloria is a licensed hypnotherapist and is trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Psychosynthesis, and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). She specializes in cutting edge energy therapies such as Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), an acupressure based therapy method, Thought Field Therapy (TFT), and Tapas Acupressure Technique (TAT).