{"id":2652,"date":"2013-03-31T21:36:09","date_gmt":"2013-03-31T20:36:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/?p=2652"},"modified":"1970-01-01T12:00:00","modified_gmt":"1970-01-01T11:00:00","slug":"internet-addiction-disorder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/internet-addiction-disorder.htm","title":{"rendered":"Internet Addiction Disorder: How We Can Become Hooked in a Cyber World"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"InternetInternet Addition<\/b><\/p>\n

The internet has changed not only the way we live our lives but also how we view life. What was once unthinkable 70 years ago can be a simple click of a button or a push of a screen. We work on the internet, we play on the internet, we do our shopping on the internet, we socialise on the internet, we find love on the internet, we share our knowledge on the internet and we can even gain sexual pleasure via the internet. You could say we live our lives in a cyber-internet world. The Office for National Statistics says that 30.1 million adults in the UK accessed the internet almost every day in 2010 and the popularity of social networking sites continues to flourish. But what if we really do start to become part of a cyber world? What if we spend so much time online that the cyber world starts to become our reality and our cyber friends start to replace our \u2018real\u2019 friends? What if we were struggling to stop this happening? <\/p>\n

What is Internet Addiction Disorder?<\/b><\/p>\n

Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD) is the term used to describe a number of subtype problems which are all essentially characterised by excessive and inappropriate use of the internet or computer. This is a somewhat difficult thing to measure. We each use the internet for different reasons maybe to work or to chat with friends abroad and avoiding the internet can be almost impossible thanks to smart phones. The key thing to remember is that spending time on the internet only becomes a problem when it starts to interfere with our relationships, our work, our health etc. If the negatives associated with using the internet begin to outweigh the positives and you still keep using it may be time to go-offline. That\u2019s not to say that you can never go on the internet again. Many of us turn to the internet to manage a whole host of negative feelings such as stress, loneliness, depression and anxiety. But if the internet becomes your only way managing these feelings it may be time to get some help to show you the different ways you can manage outside of the computer.<\/p>\n

Types of Internet Addiction<\/b><\/p>\n

Some of the subtypes included under Internet Addiction Disorder include:<\/p>\n