Are You an Internet Addict?

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What is Internet Addiction Disorder?

Internet addiction disorder (IAD) is excessive computer use that interferes with daily life. It becomes a compulsion behavior that completely dominates the addict's life. Internet addicts make the Internet a priority more important than family, relationships, health and work. Just like gambling, excessive gaming, a growing sexual addiction or compulsive shopping. It is suggested that most people online who think they are addicted are probably suffering from a desire to not want to deal with other problems in their lives. These problems can be depression, anxiety, stress, unemployment, health a disability problem, or a relationship problem. Though there is no suggestion about someone trying to make a living online.

The internet becomes a particular kind of stimulation to the point where obtaining a steady supply becomes the sole and central focus of their lives. Mental health professionals are split as to whether or not internet addiction is real. There are sites online to help with addiction. What is disputed is whether people can become addicted to the Internet in itself, or rather to the stimulation and information that the web provides. Who is to say that Internet addiction is no different than being a Couch Potato. In my mind, there is more stimulation in cyberspace. Therefore more brain activity is used than sinking in a chair and staring at the tube.

Some studies suggest that 5 to 10 percent of the population have IAD. The current Internet population is nearly 50/50 in terms of proportion of men to women. Research on which of the sexes has more of an addiction is unclear. Gender has influences on the type of internet interaction that men and women seek. Men tend to seek out dominance and sexual fantasy online, while women seek out close friendships. Men are more likely to become addicted to online games, cyberporn, and online gambling, while women are more likely to become addicted to chatting, instant messaging, eBay, and online shopping. Though in the social networks that I belong to, there seems to be an equal split of men and women.

What Makes the Internet So Addictive?

Social interactions are top on the list. Socialization is what makes the Internet so addicting. Social networks are growing by the handful. We all have this need to interact with others. Whether it is e-mail, a forum, chat, or an online game, people are spending time exchanging information and support with other people like themselves. Even if you have an online business, you spend time advertising in a form of socializing to send traffic to your site.

If you feel that you need help consider consulting with a local licensed psychologist, social worker or counselor, specifically one with experience treating addictions.

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Confessions of An Internet Addict 

I have been accused of having an internet addiction. The first thing I do after I wake up is turn on the computer. Of course I need to check my email and websites. (Ebook Tree Saver, Embrace the Hill just to name a couple.) What about PayPal? Did anyone buy from my Amazon or Half account? What about my many Cafepress or Zazzle shops? Let's not forget about the many social networks that I belong to. To name a few Squidoo, Tagfoot, Twitter, Big Crumbs, Zenzuu, Facebook, Digg and MySpace. What about the comments? Did anyone leave one for me?

There is no way that I can let a day go by without checking the essentials on the internet. Does that make me addicted? Of course not! I can stay away any time. Today, I made a conscious effort to stay away from the computer. After all there was the house to be cleaned, laundry to do and errands to run. (Only a woman can relate to this or a very extraordinary man. Know where can I find one?)

The day went on. I caught up with some of the things that I had let slide. Did all the errands, chores and even baked a Pineapple Upside Down cake. Something that I hadn't made in years, but done so from the constant badgering...I mean a request from a special person in my life that would really appreciate something I hadn't made for him in 25 years. Not like I don't set a time for cooking. (Although at times the dinner gets served late.) Today I even set time aside to walk the dog. And to top it all off, I escaped that look. Are familiar with this look? The one given from your family members and drives hard into your very soul...You find some sort of guilt complex. Maybe, just maybe you are wasting your life away searching for something inside the box.

All right! I confess...it hadn't been 24 hours. But from the hours of 1:30 am to 10:30 pm I was free. Free of sitting in front of the white screen, typing away, searching for life inside the box. Free of going through the thousands of messages in my email. Free of the disappointment I often feel when I haven't made the money I had hoped for online, or not receiving the right comments and messages.

Oh yeah! I am not an internet junkie! There is no problem here!

Is the Internet More Interesting? 

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RSS Addiction 


Do you have an addiction to RSS, most commonly said to be an acronym for 'Really Simple Syndication'? Do you feel like you have to feed everything that you see into your blogs, your network sites, Squidoo lenses.

Below are some of my blog RSS addictions.

OLD AGE IS...OLD AGE...SO EMBRACE THE HILL 

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Recipes for All 

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Squidoo Me 

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Squidoo Marketing Strategies 

What every addict needs

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Pets are Family 

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Unlimited Affiliate Riches Using Squidoo Methods 

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Internet Addiction Test 

Do you have an internet addiction? I found this online test developed by Dr. Kimberly Young, called The Internet Addiction Test (IAT) is a 20-item questionnaire that measures mild, moderate, and severe levels of Internet Addiction.

I had planned on putting the entire test on here, but it is easier to find out your level of addiction to go right to the site Internet Addiction Test

Here is the first question. You can answer it here. Once you take the entire testthe test add it to the comments in the guest area and (or) Twitter it below. It would be interesting to find out what percentage has an addiction problem.

Note: My score was 70.

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Internet Addiction or Not 

Once you take the Internet Addiction Test find your score and see what it says about you.

20 - 49 points: You are an average on-line user. You may surf the Web a bit too long at times, but you have control over your usage.

50 -79 points: You are experiencing occasional or frequent problems because of the Internet. You should consider their full impact on your life.

80 - 100 points: Your Internet usage is causing significant problems in your life. You should evaluate the impact of the Internet on your life and address the problems directly caused by your Internet usage.

Do you have an internet addiction?

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The internet is taking over my life. HELP!

SoyCandleLover-Maker says:

But it's for a good cause! I wanna be a stay-at-home empty-nester raking in enough to avoid pinning my hopes on the lottery. :D

spunkymunky999 says:

I swear im not addicted, I can quit anytime. Uh oh computers crashing with 100 pages open at once lol

XpectMorebizsolutions says:

It is causing major problems in my life. Due to the internet and my addictions I accidentally ,on purpose, do not get my housework done, supper fixed, get out of the house, and get hardly any sleep.

What's a poor mama to do? Lol

Trendblazers says:

Hell yes and I love it. It's one thirty in the morning, the baby has finally gone down to sleep and this is my respite. Gof if it wasn't squidoo, it'd be something else.

x

Dauma says:

Cool test!

No way! Everything in my life is balanced.

24websurf says:

It says I'm an average user with a score of 46. How can that be when my life is spent online? :)

spirituality says:

Surprisingly - apparently not. I'm scoring well within the 'average online user' pool, even as I spend 5 to 8 hours a day online. But I do not have trouble staying offline to read a book or go out or anything like that.

roysumit says:

My score was 38. So I am an average online user which helps to
keep my balance in life with all other things I have to perform daily to keep my life going. I will keep this balance
because it makes sense for me.

flipflopnana says:

I try to stay balanced - I have no clue as to how so many squids can keep track of so much. I just can't seem to squeeze it all in.

Jimmie says:

Cool test! I'm so relieved! I scored 40 -- You are an average on-line user. You may surf the Web a bit too long at times, but you have control over your usage.

I periodically take internet breaks -- four to seven days at a time when I'm traveling and am not online. That helps a lot.

 
view all 23 comments

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Additional questions on Internet Addiction

1. After being on the internet do you have difficulty sleeping or concentrating?

2. When you are not on the computer, do you have a constant yearning to get back online?

3. Do you find yourself speaking in acronyms?
"OMG, I found myself ROTFLMAO."

4. When someone interrupts your internet activity do you find that you are irritable?

5. Do you have more friends online than offline?

6. When someone calls you, do they hear the continuous typing?

7. Do you have Carpel Tunnel?

Mugs and Coasters on Cafepress 

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Sitting at the computer all day, you might need some caffeine type drink in your Cafepress mug to keep you alert. And don't forget to put a coaster underneath.

I have 41 Cafepress shops and counting. That is the drawback of having a Free Basic account. It might not look pretty, but a complete list of my Cafepress shops and one Zazzle can be found on
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Internet Addiction and Soup 

Two of these are about internet addiction and one is my only YouTube video. Guess which one is mine. You comments, rating and adding me as your friend on YouTube are appreciated.

Hint:
You can find this video on my recipe blog Recipes for All and my lens Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Here is another hint:
How to Make Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Notebook: Internet Addiction (CBS News)

Runtime: 65
10115 views
61 Comments:


How to Make Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Runtime: 175
1120 views
10 Comments:


Internet Addiction Disorder

Runtime: 255
1991 views
7 Comments:

curated content from YouTube

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The Perfect Balance 

Since I have online businesses I have to check the internet everyday. But I need to find that perfect balance. The object is to work less hours than an outside job. Not more. Taking a break is good for your health.

Getting Better or Burnt Out 

Update since the start of this lens!

Lately I have cut back on my internet hours. Instead of 18 a day, it is probably more like 10 to 12 hours a day. Keep in mind that I am trying to make a living online. Though I have been spending my time foolishly on places like Squidoo and Tagfoot. These are great places, but they are addictions.

Yet I have gone whole days without even turning on the computer. The most resent day was Mother's Day. And to top it off I wasn't even shaking!!!

Am I getting better or am I burnt out?

Are You Out of Control? 

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