is it called addiction to surf through the web for long hours?

Question

i usually spend 4-5 hours on the internet, chating and stuff and i am curious if i iam spending to much time on it..if so please try and tell me the methods i can take to decrease it...

Answer 1

I don't think 4-5 hours is to much time to spend on the net depending on how productive what you are doing is.

Answer 2

I think 4 or 5 hours daily may be a bit over the top if you are using the Internet only for recreation purposes. The danger of this behavior is that you alienate yourself from the "real" world. There is nothing wrong with using the Internet for fun, but there are so many other things to do besides that: read a book, see friends, go to a movie etc.

Answer 3

The difference between and addiction and a habit is with an addiction you cant live without it where as if its a habit you know that if you were to go out one night to a movie you could enjoy it without constantly worrying about who's in the chat room. To slow down your addiction you can turn your computer off and keep it off for as long as you can stand it or you can go online between this time and that but make sure you get off when your time expires....there are a lot of worse things you can be doing though so surfing the net isnt all that bad unless its to the exclusion of family and friends.

Answer 4

I think it's only a real addiction if you start to give up things like bathing, friends, work, family and stuff like that.

Answer 5

It is too long.....The way you decrease it is by going out, meeting real live people, and living a real life.

Answer 6

Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD) is characterized by seven basic diagnostic criteria, among them increasing tolerance of long online hours, withdrawal, and unsuccessful efforts to control Internet use.
Ferris, Jennifer R. Internet Addiction Disorders: Causes, Symptoms, and Consequences. http://www.chem.vt.edu/chem-dept/dessy/honors/papers/ferris.html
A definition of Internet Behavior Dependence, a form of Internet addiction, is proposed by the authors, who are affiliated with the University of Iowa. Hall and Parsons believe that IBD is a correctable, benign condition, and "compensate[s] for a lack of satisfaction in other areas of life."
Hall, Alex S., and Jeffrey Parsons. "Internet Addiction: College Student Case Study Using Best Practices in Cognitive Behavior Therapy." Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 23.4 (October 2001): 312-327.
Some mental health professionals recognize Internet addiction as a disorder, and are treating it as “a dependency that can be as destructive as alcoholism and drug addiction.” The article lists fifteen signs of Internet/computer addiction, as developed by Internet/Computer Addiction Services in Redmond, Washington.
Kershaw, S. "Hooked on the Web: Help Is on the Way." The New York Times (December 1, 2005): 1.
Alcoholics Anonymous is considering setting up a separate division of their organization to work with people addicted to browsing the Internet.
Press Release.
Internet addiction can have a devastating impact on peoples' lives. Help has finally come from The Center for On-Line Addiction (COLA), which offers counseling, consulting and training to help conquer this often unrecognized disorder. COLA was founded by Dr. Kimberly S. Young, Clinical Psychologist and Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford. Resources at the site include online counseling, articles, FAQs, and self-help tests.
Center for On-Line Addiction (COLA)
http://www.netaddiction.com/
Anxiety levels become more pronounced in social situations in which the addicted user's sexual partners are Internet illiterate.
"Social Ramifications of Excessive Internet Use Among College-Age Males." Journal of Technology and Culture, 20 (1): 44-53.
Dependent Internet users can be gauged by their responses to 12 criteria, including "feel preoccupied with the Internet," "use the Internet to escape problems or relieve a bad mood," "keep using after spending too much money on online fees," and "experience withdrawal when offline."
"Are You Becoming an Internet Addict?" USA Today, 129.2672 (May 2001): 7-8.
Internet Addiction Disorder can be diagnosed by the answers you provide to a series of questions about your use of the Internet. Research studies by Young, Davis, Greenfield, Cojac, and NOPO provide data on the extent and ramifications of this malady. Online resources for assistance and sources of further information are provided.
Stone, T. L., "Are You Addicted to the Internet." 2001.
http://www.kudzumonthly.com/kudzu/jul01/addiction.html
AT&T recently conducted a study of Internet users to determine if an addiction to Web-surfing increases users' phone bills, and hence their anxiety level. No correlation was found between bill size and degree of addiction.
AT&T Special Report, #100,453.
Sleep disorders decrease, although the average number of sleep hours per night decreases in inverse proportion to the average number of hours per day of Internet use.
Cojac, Laudi. "Sleep Patterns in Internet Addiction Disorder." Annals of Sleep Psychology, 2002.
Eighty percent of those responding to an online survey of Internet use conducted by Victor Brenner in 1997 exhibited at least five of ten signs of interference in role functioning such as a failure to manage time, missing sleep, missing meals and more. Brenner's subjects reported an average of 19 hours per week of Internet use.
Holmes, Leonard. What is "Normal" Internet Use? 10/06/97. http://mentalhealth.miningco.com/library/weekly/aa100697.htm
The National Organization of Police Officers (NOPO) reports that violent crime has decreased by 14.2% in America since 1995, when surfing the Web became a popular pastime. This has not come without a price. Officer Lynx is quoted as saying, "More and more felons now stay home with their computers. But they are switching to computer crimes and causing us a headache on that front."
http://www.nopo.bogus/report/~lynx/

Answer 7

Just turn the computer off and read a book!

Answer 8

It's your way of life. Not the best one, but..

Answer 9

only if you are snorting coke at the same time

Answer 10

Yes it is.