Are You an Onlineaholic?
Sci Tech Today reports on a new study that finds as many as 10% of Internet users are net addicts.A growing number of healthcare specialists estimate that 6 to 10 percent of the approximately 189 million U.S. Internet users are addicted.There are already therapies and programs to help these "surfing addicts" overcome their addictions. There is even a name for it: Internet Addiction Disorder. Similar addictions have been reported in specific industries: game addiction, generally to the MMORPG types of games, and blog addiction, addiction to blogging. There is likely some truth to what the healthcare experts are saying but 10% sounds far too high.
Dr. Hilarie Cash, who runs Internet/Computer Addiction Services in the city that is home to Microsoft, and other mental health professionals, call such addicts onlineaholics and diagnose them with Internet addiction disorder.
The New York Times reports that these specialists say Internet dependency that can be as destructive as alcoholism and drug addiction.
Skeptics argue that even obsessive Internet use does not exact the same toll as conventionally recognized addictions.
Posted on January 4, 2006
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