Friends have suggested that I might be suffering from internet addiction. After researching the subject, I have to admit that I probably am, but alternatives are less attractive. What are the signs that a computer/internet addict will display? Do you find yourself among the select few?
- Are you unable to set time restraints on computer use. You promise yourself an hour on line and you take 12. Or you say you'll stop logging on for a week and just can't do it?
- Are you dishonest with yourself or with others about the time you're on line or about your activities on the web?
- Have you had problems with you friends and/or family as a result of your time or activities on the web?
- Do you log on and become an animal, entering areas that compromise your moral and ethical values because you can hide your identity?
- Do friends and family feel you are attaching too much importance to your computer? Do you become defensive when others object to the time you spend on the computer?
- Do you have mixed feelings about doing what you do on the web? A combination of euphoria and guilt brought on by either the inordinate amount of time spent on the computer or by the abnormal behavior acted out while using the computer.
- Are you subject to depression or anxiety when for some reason you loose your connection with the web for a protracted period of time?
- Even when you are away from the machine, do you frequently think about the computer and what you plan to do when you're on line?
- Do you use the computer to mitigate anxiety, irritation or depression caused by something in another other area in your life. Do you use the computer to focus attention away from uncomfortable feelings that are happening inside.
- Do you spend more money on computer hardware, on-line connections and the like than you can really afford?
For every one of these
questions I have to answer yes but I really don't want to change.