Mr. Eric Woods [dot] com

How do you tell if your addicted to the net or not? Hell I don’t even know where to start on that topic.  Some people say that its impossible to have an internet addiction because that type of disorder doesn’t exist. While others will say that internet addiction does exist and its a serious problem for a lot of people.  I must take the side that says the addiction exist. If I didn’t I wouldn’t be able to explain what the hell is wrong with myself, lol

There are MANY people that are in the same boat. If they aren’t sitting at a computer on the net then there’s a problem! OH WAIT no there isn’t because they more than likely have a mobile device with full internet browsing capabilities, or even worse a netbook/laptop with them at all times! 

Damn, I’m guilty of all of the above lol. 

If  you do a google search for Internet Addiction you’ll find all of these sites that explain the topic and also give you an option to take a test. This way you can see just how much of a GEEK you really are

I took one of the test just for the heck of it and the damn thing told me that my time spent on the internet is greatly affecting my life and personal relationship, lol. Isn’t that some @#$%! I mean yea I might dabble on the net for long periods at a time and I may always have a internet capable device attached to my hand. I may also be ON that device every second I can get, but that in NO WAY is any indication that I am addicted to the internet. Nor does it indicate that it is greatly affecting my life and personal relationship. I mean I HAVE to be on the net all the time because I conduct a lot of business over it and I need to be accessible at all time…….RIGHT? YEA, THATS IT! lol. Now for those that say that internet addiction doesn’t exist I really don’t see their reasoning for saying so. With anything else if you indulge in it too much then its an addiction right? Things like Gambling, drinking, smoking, shopping, eating are all things you can be addicted to. What makes the internet different?

Supposedly the whole idea and term Internet addiction was made up as a joke by a fellow named Dr. Ivan Goldberg. The guy is famous for naming a disorder that he says doesn’t exist, lol. Check out this except from an web article I found on About.com

 

Ivan Goldberg, M.D. started it all as a joke. Internet addiction disorder was intended as a parody of addiction disorders. Instead it has become a subject of research, and some people seem to be building their careers on it.

Janelle Brown, in a December 1996 Wired article quotes Goldberg as saying: “It’s all bullshit…. There’s no such thing as Internet addiction. The Internet is about as addictive as work: Sure, there are workaholics, but they’re simply working to avoid the other problems in their lives.”

 

So now you know where I’m going with this right? If this disorder/addiction doesn’t exist……then what the hell is wrong with me? Why do I feel like I need to be on/connected to the net at ALL times? Maybe my net addiction stems from another one of my addictions……I’m also addicted to TECHNOLOGY. Yes I’m a techy so you can always catch me making a trip to Best Buy or sitting in some electronics section of a department store, but that story is for another time and another day. 

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