Unfortunately, the affflicted rarely admit to the problem, and it
usually takes a crisis with a job, relationship, or school to spur an
Internet addict to seek treatment. More often, it's loved ones who turn
to the experts. "Families notice things and call me," says Orzack. And
she receives letters like this: "We got divorced one year after we got
the computer. My wife was in chat rooms all the time and ignored our
young daughter. She spent hundreds of dollars on phone bills. . . [and]
had an affair on-line that turned into a real affair...Then she left. I
don't know what to do. Please help." Now lawyers and family courts call
Orzack and Young wanting them to testify about Internet addiction in
divorce and custody battles. (In October, a Florida woman lost custody of
her kids when her ex-husband convinced a judge that the woman was
addicted to the Internet and thus incapable of properly caring for their
children.)
College students are often vulnerable to Internet addiction because
many universities provide free, unlimited access. At the University of
Texas Counseling and Mental Health Center at Austin, Scherer and her
computer scientist husband Jacob Kornerup created a workshop, called It's
4 A.M. and I Can't -- Uh, Won't -- Log Off, to help students recognize
harmful Internet habits. Scherer and Kornerup recommend keeping a chart
sorting weekly Internet time into academic/professional and
leisure/personal use. If a large part of your leisure time is spent on
the Internet, she says, ask what you get out of it, what you're giving
up, and why you're finding on-line time so much more pleasurable than
other activities. Take note if your personal relationships are
suffering.
Next, set a goal of how many hours a week you want to use the
Internet. If your actual usage exceeds it, remind yourself to log off
after a period of time. Set a kitchen timer and turn off the computer -- no
excuses -- when it rings.
It's particularly important to separate work and play when on-line,
says Jane Morgan Bost, Ph.D., assistant director of the University of
Texas Counseling and Mental Health Center. Stay focused, visit only sites
needed to complete work, and don't detour. Also, she says, cut back
mailing list memberships and sort play e-mail from work e-mail.
None of the experts PT spoke with demonize the Internet; they use
it extensively themselves and applaud the benefits of rapid communication
and information exchange. But, they add, the Internet is here to stay,
and problems with excessive use need to be addressed.
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