People are going on-line looking for information, entertainment and friendships. Just like drugs and alcohol, the Internet can become addicting to adults. These Internet addictions can be anything to do with the Internet. Adults could be addicted to the Internet itself, chat rooms, adult sites, role playing games or to a particular websites. Here is a list of common Internet addictions for you or other adults in the home and what they may include.
Anyone could be or could become addicted to the Internet. Internet Addiction is defined as any compulsive behavior related to the Internet. The Internet addiction can interfere with a normal life and harm the person’s relationships with family and off line friends. Addicts will think that their virtual world is more important then their real life world and their real life will suffer. Heavy usage of the Internet is considered to be more then eighteen hours a week or about three hours per day for leisure. This does not include time for work if you job calls for Internet use.
On-line communities have some good value. It allows you to find people with your same interests either in your area or anywhere around the world. On the bad side though, these same on-line communities not only pose a problem to your safety they can also become an addiction. These on-line communities are very much like a private club, a place to go and find the friends you have always wanted or feel you want. For adults this can start as a way to escape what is going on their lives or to just find other people with similarities. You can leave messages on these sites and even get in touch with old friends who you may have lost contact with.
Chat rooms are also a way for adults to communicate with other people without leaving their home. This is highly addictive for homemakers who are in the house much of the time. The use of chat rooms can also become an addiction. You can use these in much the same way that you would form regular friendships but this time you can make the friendships without actually meeting someone and all chats are in real time. In on-line chat rooms you can be anyone you want to be and no one really knows the difference. Chat rooms are available at any time and with a few clicks of the mouse you are chatting with a new “friend”. This becomes more of a reward leading to more of an addiction.
Adult sites are a very big addiction. These can be anything from mild content to very disturbing content. Once you are in one of these sites it can be very hard to click back out of it. The pictures will gradually become more disturbing and in many cases a person can become desensitized to the material. It’s not only men who are accessing these sites now; women are also using them. These hold the same problems that chat rooms do. You can be someone who you are not on adult sites. You can lie about your age or attractiveness. These can be very addictive because of how you create your own world which can be more inviting than your real world. Adult sites are becoming a number one cause for divorce.
Another common Internet addiction for an adult could be on-line role playing games. These games are ones where you play with other people from around the world at a particular game. There are many of these games out there; they create a place for like minded people to play. The players can play a role as different characters and achieve different skills. The more they play the more advanced and skilled they become. This creates an attitude that they must play all the time creating an addiction.
On line shopping and Internet gambling are common Internet addiction for adults. You can sit in your home and have everything come to you. You can shop or gamble at any time of the day. You can shop all over the world and gamble with some of the best with the hope of winning something. Shopping and gambling are already considered addictions. These addictions just become worse in the Internet world.
The Internet is a wonderful tool for learning and leisure if used in the correct way and with caution. Addictions are all over the place; keep an open line of communication and watch what you and other adults do to help prevent the risks of an Internet addiction.