Internet Addiction has recently taken flight. Many Internet users face an addiction that corrals users into browsing the web for twenty hours at a time. Compulsive use of the Internet threatens to interrupt social life and relationships. In some cases, clients facing an addiction will use caffeine or other supplements in order to stay awake to prolong time spent on the computer. This disrupts sleep, leading to many other problems.
Spending time online can become preferential to tangible relations, causing overstimulation and degrading relationships. Being addicted to the Internet can cause fatigue and become an impediment for work or school. Usage could provide a sense of relief from negative feelings, like anxiety.
Common Symptoms of Internet Addiction
• browsing the Internet becomes a top priority
• excessive usage
• inability to stop
• use of stimulants to continue
• agitation at others’ criticism of being online
Causes
Internet addiction is often caused by underlying deficiencies. The Internet provides escapism from conditions such as depression. Usage could provide a sense of relief from negative feelings, like anxiety, instead of getting to the real root of the issue.
Treatment
An Internet addiction can put strain on relationships and involvement at school or work. Treatment for Internet addiction involves therapy. A therapist can help with replacing using the Internet with other healthy activities. Therapy also provides clients with appropriate coping skills to reduce stress that may play a factor in the addiction. A therapist can help clients deal with any aggression or irritability that emerges while withdrawing from using the Internet.
We Can Help
Open Path’s therapists offer beneficial services that encourage insight, self-reflection, and healthy coping mechanisms. They can help clients set goals for Internet usage, build a balance of time spent on and off the web, and get to the root of an overwhelming Internet addiction.
Interested in seeing one of our therapists for an affordable rate? Start your search here.
