How to Cure Internet Addiction
The first piece of research on internet addiction was introduced by Dr. Kimberly Young in 1996. According to her and Stanford University's School of Medicine, this is a growing problem that is estimated to affect nearly one in eight Americans. In fact, internet addiction is even being considered for inclusion in the next version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders due out in 2012. However, there are ways to get internet addiction under control so that it is not a problem.
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Instructions
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Getting Support
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Seek professional counseling or psychotherapy to help cure your internet addiction. Trained professionals and psychologists can use appropriate behavioral and cognitive techniques to help you change your internet behaviors and addiction.
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Join a support group for internet addicts or a general addiction support group that helps members with different types of problems. These kinds of support groups can offer advice about how to get your problem under control, oftentimes utilizing a 12-step model that is common for alcoholism recovery groups.
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Enlist the help of family members and friends to help cure your internet addiction. Tell them about your goals, what you intend to do, and ask them to remind you of why you need to disconnect from the internet.
Breaking the Addiction
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Write down your goals for curing your internet addiction and post these around your house and next to your computer. Be sure to make practical, achievable goals. For example, cutting down your internet time from 40 hours to 20 hours is quite possible. However, ceasing all internet activity whatsoever would be quite difficult to achieve.
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Change the time slots of your internet habits. The Center for Internet Addiction recommends reversing the times that you normally surf the internet. For example, instead of using the internet first thing in the morning, reverse your practice and surf the internet for a few minutes right before bedtime. Another example would be only surfing the internet on weekends if you currently spend time online during the weekdays.
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Create physical reminders and tasks that will interrupt your internet addiction. For example, schedule doctors appointments and meetings at the times you would normally surf the internet so that you don't have the chance to practice your internet habit.
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Spend more time outdoors away from your internet addiction temptation. Taking up hiking or biking are great ideas that offer both exercise and time away from the internet. Volunteering and visiting friends are also practical suggestions that will pull you away from internet use.
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Take up new hobbies that will require time to learn and practice. Consider your talents or activities that you have wanted to try in the past but haven't. For example, woodworking and needlepoint are both relaxing activities that allow to you work on something productive apart from your internet habits.
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