Internet Addiction

Over at Boing Boing there is a good post about internet addiction that appeared on their site today.  They talk to a psychologist at a rehab center who tells them that 20% of all addicts that check into the center are now checking in for internet addiction.  Internet addiction is sometimes a response to other mental illnesses like depression.  The biggest abusers now are World of Warcraft players and Everquest players.  Surprise, surprise huh?  A typical stay in a rehab facility is around 30-90 days and the cost can be around $1200 a day.  But some people insurance will cover part of it, of course that's only if you have good insurance.  If you are a normal person they probably won't cover a dime.  Some things to look for as warning signs of addictions are:

Are you getting in trouble at work? Is your partner leaving you? Are you forgetting to shower, eat, and pee? If so, you might want to consider getting help. "An addiction is an addiction," Young says. "It doesn't matter if it's porn or the Internet."

There is an addition test you can take HERE and you can read more about internet addiction at the website maintained by the psychologist that was interviewed for the article above, netaddiction.com.

Some of the questions from the test are real food for thought such as:

How often do you block out disturbing thoughts about your life with soothing thoughts of the Internet?

Id recommend taking the test, many questions may not apply to you but it may give you an idea what to look for if you have friends or relatives that may have a problem.