Internet addiction

I bet I get a bunch of google hits from this one. It may even rival my get rid of findjizz and azaleas are eating my caterpillars posts.

From ABCNews.com:

Dr. Nathan Shapira and other scientists at the University of Florida have been studying the phenomena of Internet addiction and are proposing that mental health professionals use a simple five-point checklist.

In a recent issue of Current Psychology, the university's scientists say online obsession can be pinpointed with a MOUSE. Or, more specifically, people should ask themselves:

Do you spend More time that you intend to online?

Are Other responsibilities being neglected?

Are you Unsuccessful at cutting back the amount of time online?

Are you having Significant relationship problems because of your Internet use?

Do you have Excessive thoughts or anxiety when you're not online?

The researchers say their rodent-based idiom came after face-to-face evaluations of over 30 volunteers, many of whom identified themselves as having problems the Internet.

Based on their research, they say Web-a-holics are likely to spend more than 30 hours a week online and their nonessential Internet use was 10 times greater than essential job- or school-related use.

And from the Kansas State Collegian:

Men at the average age of 29 and women at the average age of 43 who have the vocational background of "none" including homemakers, the disabled, retired persons or students make up the largest demographic of Internet addicts, according to clinical research done by the Center for Online and Internet Addiction.

...the desire to escape stress, can contribute to Internet addiction...

Mariann Fountain, clinical manager of COMCARE of Sedgwick County Addiction Treatment Services, said the desire to escape the routine, or stress of life is a reason people become addicted to the Internet.

"People who are lonely and curious are at risk," she said. "Also people who want to escape their real lives by being someone else or doing things they wouldn't normally do are at risk."

Cyber-relational addiction can also cause problems in being able to relate to people in face-to-face situations, Ann Johnson said.

"I think it limits experience with social skill development, being able to problem solve, and being able to negotiate relationships with others," she said. "One thing about the online experience of interaction is that there can often be a time lag between a question and a response, so people have time to formulate what they are going to say -- or moderate their emotional response. It doesn't happen that way when they get into a face-to-face interaction with another person."

Gary Johnson said if a person's online activities start to cut into the way they function socially, their relationships with others, or their occupations, they should seek help.

I mentioned this issue at the end of my last session with my therapist. We're going to discuss it in greater detail at my next appointment.

Not all of the items in the UofF study apply to me. Just the first three. I'm rarely online for more than an hour when DH is home, which explains why #4 isn't an issue. And I'm rarely offline during the day, so by the time I am offline, I'm pretty well sated.

I'm also concerned, though, about being online affecting my ability to function in "real life" social situations. I used to be able to think on my feet, and to read people. Now, I find myself stammering and feeling inept in real conversations (not good in a job interview) and I assume that people are how they present themselves. I hear almost entirely the content of what people say, and don't read the context.

What bothers me most is the things going undone. I don't have very high standards as far as housework goes, and (thankfully) neither does my DH. But gosh, shouldn't I be able to vacuum more often than bi-weekly? Shouldn't the kitchen floor be swept more often than that, as well? I'm doing OK with the laundry, and with the dishes. But it's not like I have anything really to DO, and little boy is gone all day, and I have tons of free time. I could be sewing curtains, or painting my bathroom, or even just spray painting little boy's bookcase. But instead I sit in this chair for hours...I'm not exaggerating, hours...reading blogs, writing to strangers, looking at job listings (but this is not how I spend the majority of my time).

I'm going to buy a little timer this weekend, and see if I can manage my time better. Even if it's to try going one hour on/one hour off. And then try weaning myself down to twice a day, for an hour each time, except when I'm searching job listings on Monday (classifieds) and Friday (local employer links). If that doesn't work, maybe I need the butt equivalent of a joy buzzer on my chair to attach to the timer.

Please feel free to discuss. I'd like to hear what my readers have to say about this.