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Netaholics

Internet addiction is increasingly recognized as a clinical disorder, characterized by excessive use leading to withdrawal symptoms, social isolation, and negative repercussions. Dr. Jerald Block highlights its prevalence, particularly in South Korea, where many children require treatment and the issue is considered a public health crisis. The addiction manifests through various online activities, and treatment options include self-help groups and professional counseling.

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Begonia Lopez
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10 views2 pages

Netaholics

Internet addiction is increasingly recognized as a clinical disorder, characterized by excessive use leading to withdrawal symptoms, social isolation, and negative repercussions. Dr. Jerald Block highlights its prevalence, particularly in South Korea, where many children require treatment and the issue is considered a public health crisis. The addiction manifests through various online activities, and treatment options include self-help groups and professional counseling.

Uploaded by

Begonia Lopez
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Netaholics: Addiction to Internet ‘is an illness’

2PRE READING: VOCABULARY EXERCISES


Write the keywords and phrases from the article into the sentences.
discussion boards clinical disorder irony significant other
inaccessible diverse psychiatrist excessive repercussions
withdrawal symptoms adolescent self-help group component

1. When something is ___________________ it is much more than is reasonable or necessary. (subtitle)


2. ___________________ are the unpleasant physical and mental effects suffered by someone who stops taking a
substance that they are addicted to.
3. A ___________________ is a medical problem or condition.
4. A ___________________ is a doctor who treats people with mental disorders.
5. A ___________________ is a part, or feature of something.
6. When something is ___________________ it is impossible to reach or use.
7. ___________________ are the bad effects that something has, usually lasting for a long time.
8. An ___________________ is a boy or girl who is not yet a man or a woman.
9. Your ___________________ is the person (or thing) you are having a (romantic) relationship with.
10. ___________________ is a form of humour in which you use words to express the opposite of what the words
really mean.
11. ___________________ is another term for online forums.
12. When things are very different from each other they are ___________________
13. A ___________________ is a group of people who discuss their similar problems and find ways to deal with
them.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
New evidence shows that excessive use of the Internet causes people to suffer from isolation, tiredness and
withdrawal symptoms
David Smith, technology correspondent. March 23, 2008

Tense? Angry? Can’t get online? Internet addiction is now a serious health problem that should be officially
recognized as a clinical disorder, says a leading psychiatrist.
In the respected American Journal of Psychiatry, Dr Jerald Block writes that the disorder is caused by excessive
gaming, viewing online pornography, emailing and text messaging. He says that the disorder is now so common
that it should be included in medical text books. According to Block, Internet addiction has four main
components:
Excessive use, often associated with a loss of sense of time;Withdrawal symptoms, including feelings of anger,
tension and/or depression when the computer is inaccessible;The need for better computers, more software, or
more hours of use;Negative repercussions, including arguments, lying, poor achievement, social isolationand
tiredness.
Block says that in South Korea 10 people died from blood clots because they stayed seated for long periods in
Internet cafes and another was murdered because of an online game. South Korea now considers Internet
addiction one of its most serious public health issues. The government estimates that around 210,000 South
Korean children need treatment. 80 per cent of them might need drugs that target the brain and nearly a quarter
could need to go to hospital. Since the average high school pupil there spends about 23 hours per week gaming,
another 1.2 million are believed to be at risk of addiction and require basic counselling. Many people are also
worried about the number of addicts who stop going to school or leave their jobs to spend more time on
computers. In China ithas been reported that about 10 million adolescent Internet users could be considered
addicts.
Dr Block, a psychiatrist at the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, writes that it is more difficult to
estimate how bad the problem is in America because people tend to surf at home instead of in Internet cafes. But
he believes there are similar cases, and says: “Unfortunately it is not easy to treat Internet addiction.” He told The
Observer that he did not believe specific websites were responsible. “The relationship is with the computer,” he
said. “First, it becomes a significant other to them. Second, they use up emotions that they could experience in the
real world on the computer, through any number of mechanisms: emailing, gaming, porn. Third, computer use
takes up a huge amount of time in their life. Then if you simply try to remove the computer, they feel they’ve lost
their best friend. That can take the form of depression or rage.”
Harry Husted, a single 51-year-old from New York, spends 16 hours a day on the Internet. He insists that he is not
addicted, but admits that he used to be. “I used to work with computers for eight hours, then get home and go
online for another seven hours. I stayed up until two or three in the morning, or until I got so sleepy I had to go to
bed. I didn’t go out to get the groceries and I didn’t care about friends, TV, or anything. After a while I realized
what was happening and did something about it. Now if I use MySpace it’s only to advertise my business.”
Internet addiction clinics are opening all around the world, and many people have turned, apparently without
irony, to web discussion boards with names such as Internet Addicts Anonymous. The Centre for Internet
Addiction Recovery in Bradford, Pennsylvania, says Internet addiction has become a growing legal issue in
criminal, divorce and employment cases.
Robert Freedman, editor of the American Journal of Psychiatry, said Internet addiction can be diverse. “In Korea,
it seems to be mostly gaming sites. In America, it is Facebook. Additionally, it’s porn, it’s games, it’s gambling,
it’s chatting with friends. All these things existed before, but now they’re a lot easier.”
To beat the addiction, he advised: “A self-help group might be a good place to start, but maybe a real group is
better than an online one.”
4

5 Discussion: Are you a net junkie?


Do you feel preoccupied with the Internet?
Do you need increasing amounts of time on the net in order to achieve satisfaction?
Have you repeatedly made unsuccessful efforts to control, cut back or stop Internet use?
Do you feel restless, moody, depressed or tense when you try to cut down or stop Internet use?
Do you often stay online longer than you originally intended?
Have you jeopardized or risked losing a partner, job, educational or career opportunity because of the Internet?
Have you lied to family members, a therapist or others to conceal the extent of your involvement with the
Internet?
Do you use it to escape from problems (e.g. feelings of helplessness, guilt, anxiety, depression)?

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