Comment on the internet and other addictions

Unit.1 The Internet and Other Addictions

Comment on the internet and other addictions

     Technology is changing the nature of problems.

      The internet today has become an integral part of daily life that facilitates communication, education, and entertainment. The behavioral pattern of excessive internet usage has similarities to substance addiction, such as tolerance, withdrawal, repeated failure to reduce or quit, and impairment in daily life. Yet, there is no consistent physiological change that accompanies excessive use of the internet, as there is in excessive substance use.

       Internet addiction, also described as pathological internet use, is defined as an individual’s inability to control his or her use of the internet, which eventually causes psychological, social, school and/or work difficulties in a person’s life.

Addiction is a psychological and physical inability to stop consuming a chemical, drug, activity, or substance, even though it is causing psychological and physical harm. Some addictions also involve an inability to stop partaking in activities, such as gambling, eating, or working. In these circumstances, a person has a behavioral addiction. When a person experiences addiction, they cannot control how they use a substance or partake in an activity, and they become dependent on it to cope with daily life.

Internet addiction is described as an impulse control disorder, which does not involve use of an intoxicating drug and is very similar to pathological gambling. Some Internet users may develop an emotional attachment to on-line friends and activities they create on their computer screens.

Juan Leonardo Castillo Contreras

DD- 0276