Internet addiction is one of the varieties of psychological addiction. It consists in the desire to spend all their free time online, playing online games, communicating with invisible interlocutors or simply browsing interesting sites.
Internet addiction (nonaholism) is easy to recognize:
- neglect of work, family, friends, direct responsibilities, frequent absence from work or school;
- headaches, pain in the neck and back due to prolonged motionless sitting in front of the monitor;
- Feelings of anxiety or fear while offline;
- refusal of food, meals without leaving the computer;
- neglect of personal hygiene.
Causes of Internet Addiction
Loneliness. First of all, people who experience communication problems become addicted to the Internet. On the Web, they get to know their own kind and, as it were, create the illusion of normal communication, and they communicate even on the most intimate topics. Why an illusion? Yes, because the Internet does not contribute to emancipation, it, on the contrary, provokes the development of shyness, isolation, self-doubt when communicating with living people.
Imaginary freedom. Usually people who grew up under the control of very authoritarian parents, who live in a family where the spouse suppress the will, and so on, suffer from nonaholism. In such cases, the Network is a kind of outlet, a world in which everything is allowed.
Low self-esteem. Here we are talking about people with an unstable psyche, susceptible to diseases of the nervous system. They replace real life with virtual, in which they are successful, rich, beautiful, live a full life.
Escape from problems. People who cannot cope with their fears in real life, are not capable of solving the problems of their own or loved ones, often find solace on the Internet, where everything is easy and simple and any situation can be corrected.
Should nonaholics be treated? There is no consensus on this score. However, in cases where the computer interferes with fully living and working, displacing a person from society, contributing to the destruction of the family, the visit to a psychotherapist should not be postponed.
