The Internet is a fun place to be and you will almost never run out of things to do. You can do research for an assignment, play computer games with others, watch movies, listen to music, communicate with friends and relatives, and of course do online shopping.

However, too much of something is really bad. Since there are a lot of things you can do online, addiction can happen to anyone. When the fondness or love of the Internet turns into an obsession, then that is a serious problem. In fact, Internet addiction is already considered as a disorder: the IAD or the Internet Addiction Disorder.

Sources of Internet Addiction

It is hard to get tired of the Internet because there are a lot of things to do on it. When a person, for instance, gets tired of online gaming, he can rest by checking email, chatting with friends, posting on message boards, or updating his profile on a social network.

Here are some of the most common things people do on the Internet:

• Email. Email or electronic mail has revolutionized communication. Instead of using “snail mail” that took days or weeks for a person to receive, email simply takes a few seconds. However, email is not only used for personal or official communication. It is also linked to other services on the Internet by transforming it into a pager that alerts a user of updates or notices from other services.
• Chat or Instant Messaging. Chatting or IM-ing is like a faster version of email where users can communicate in real-time. Though it has many advantages, it can be very addictive since it is quite exciting to meet other people, too.
• Online Gaming. Playing computer games by yourself is already very addictive, what more if you get to interact with other people through the game itself? Online gaming allows multiple players to either face off or cooperate depending on the type of game. The fun, excitement, and adrenaline rush gamers get is more than enough reason to get hooked.
• Social Networks. Myspace, Facebook, or whatever social network you prefer, getting on any of these websites is fun and arouses interest. Not only do you get to communicate with your “friends” in your network, you get fresh and juicy updates or sometimes even gossip, whether you like it or not.
• Watching Videos / Listening to Music. Thanks to broadband Internet, people can now download or stream either music or videos from the Internet. With so much content available online, movie and music lovers will have their hands full watching or listening.
• Surfing. By clicking away on various links, you can go a long way. Be it something a person is interested in, or something curious about. Surfing the Internet can be eat a lot of time because most often, people won’t feel time pass by.
• Blogging. Blog, short for web log, was originally the online version of a diary. Blogs today have evolved from being daily journals to diverse topics. Blogging can be very addictive especially when the blogger is somewhat “famous” or at least popular in the blogosphere.

The Signs of Internet Addiction

The Internet plays an important role modern man’s everyday life, but that does not mean the Internet is life. Sure there are a lot of things that can be done on the Internet, but there is still the real world that should never be neglected.

Internet addiction disorder is currently classified as a type of obsessive-compulsive disorder because addiction to the Internet is an urge or even a craving to engage in ritualistic behavior.

Typical physical manifestations of IAD are depression, sleeplessness, and anxiety when there is no chance to go online. Sometimes a person suffering from this disorder may experience other symptoms like headaches and dry eyes.

Other signs of Internet addiction include:

• Denial of excessive use of the Internet.
• Decrease in productivity
• Preoccupation while online and when offline is looking forward to going back online again.
• Neglect of other chores or tasks.
• Prefer to be online than go out with people.

Effects of Internet Addiction

The number one effect of Internet addiction is the deterioration of relationships with friends, family, and loved ones. This happens because more and more hours are spent sitting in front of a computer rather than interacting physically with people.

The health of the person suffering from this disorder is also at a great risk. RSI (Repetitive Stress Injury) like carpal tunnel, worsening of vision, obesity are just some of the negative effects.

Self Discipline: The Key to Get Rid of Internet Addiction

Getting rid of Internet addiction is quite simple but very hard to do. In a nutshell, it is all about discipline, limiting the use of the Internet so that it will allow other things to be done.

Here is a simple way to reduce the hours you spend online:

The use of the Internet is not really evil, but it can turn that way if its use is not kept in check. It surely is difficult to quit spending a lot of time on the Internet, that is why you must have other things to do like going out with friends, or engaging in a new sport. The Internet is not life.