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Posts with tag internet addiction

Internet Addicts Start "Unplugging" Once a Week

Is It Time for a Tech Sabbatical?
It is well established that we are a culture driven by connectivity. And its not just Americans that check E-mail on the john. or text while driving -- it turns out hat even the Italians and British are choosing TV over sex. But some out there are choosing fight back against their (our) addiction.

Sharon Sarmiento realized she had a problem when she started blogging in her dreams and hearing phantom instant messages while far from her computer. Similarly, Ariel Meadows Stallings compares her time in front of the new boob-tube to being blackout drunk: "I would sit down to check my email and it was almost like I would wake up six hours later and find I was watching videos of puppies on YouTube," Meadows told a Reuters reporter. Both women have taken to "unplugging" at least one night a week and have blogged about their battles with Internet addiction.

Unplugging once a week, one weekend a month, or even for two weeks out of the year is probably good not just for your personal relationships, but also for your mental health. It's difficult at first, and many even suffer from withdrawal symptoms such as tremors or extreme nervousness and irritation, but we can assure you that once you get past the initial pain, it's amazing how pleasurable not having to hear the ping of your instant messenger every 30 seconds can be .[Source: Reuters]

China's Summer Camp for Internet Addicts



Federal or state programs to help citizens deal with drug and alcohol addiction is something we're used to in the U.S. In China it's a little different. The scourge of the streets in Shanghai and Beijing is... (bum bum bum) the Internet. Over the past few years, there have been a series of Internet and gaming related deaths in China (both from sickness and from murder), which has finally led to government action.

A pair of Internet addiction treatment centers have opened in China. One is a summer camp specifically geared toward young adults age 14 - 22. The camp will treat the youngsters for depression, fear, and social anxiety.

The new treatment centers are part of the government's attempt to stem the tide of Internet addiction that has overtaken a reported 13 percent of Internet users under the age of 18. The government has banned new Internet cafes and is considering legislation restricting violent video games.

From Tech Digest

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Are Your Gadgets Making You Sick? (5)

Addiction


Are Your Gadgets Making You Sick? Addiction
The condition: Like just about everything else that's fun in this world, the Internet is a magnet for compulsive types. Whether it's in the form of a poker site, role-playing video games or even eBay, online addiction is estimated to affect between five and 10 percent of the population, ruining lives and relationships along the way. Think we're exaggerating? Check out eqdailygrind.blogspot.com for tales of breakups and divorce at the hands of massively multiplayer online games like 'EverQuest', 'World of Warcraft' and 'Second Life'.

How to prevent or cure it: The first step in curing online addiction is to take this online self-diagnosis test. The other 12 steps can be found here, here, here and here. And if traditional treatment options don't stick, you can always book passage to China for shock therapy.




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