Didn't know where this question would fit, so I put it in general
Anyway, when someone, like me, has little or no social life anyway, how do you know when your internet use is addictive or not? If it's solely based on trying to reduce the use and failing, that's me.
I have made feeble attempts at staying away from the internet, but it always draws me back (usually within the same day). I have no real compelling reason to stop, like I said, I have no other life. I'm 18, at home, in grade 12. I have 3 friends, but we never do anything during the week and only do things on weekend nights (friday and saturday nights).
The rest of my time is spent on the internet, working and at school (about 10 hours per week working and 30-50 hours per week on the internet).
I feel better on the internet. Most of the stuff I do is post on forums (like these, though the other ones I post on are about other topics.) I also do random searches on google (could be about anything. I have a wide range of technical interests from computers to cars to nuclear reactors.)
Aside from that, I download music (legal in Canada) as well as various not-so-legal things. Although you may think this is a lie, I pretty much never use the computer for pornography. When it comes to computers, i'm somewhat of a perfectionist and the junk that browsing porn sites puts on a computer is staggering, I prefer to keep a "clean" computer.
So, to take you through a day of my life.
Wake up after 3 hours of sleep at 8AM, go to school from 8:30AM until 2:20PM. If I don't work, I am online from about 3PM until 1AM, perhaps 2 or 3AM sometimes, and sometimes later. With the occassional break for TV (half hour at most) supper (half hour) and homework (rarely, maybe half hour unless I have a major project due).
I pull off good marks (80s in everything except math, I have a low 90s average in math).
Like I said, I don't really have a life otherwise. I would be watching TV, sleeping or doing some other activity by myself. On weekends I generally have no problem with getting up from the computer and going to a friend's house. If I get home late enough (2AM) then I may just go straight to bed without going online.
If I tried to stop using the internet, it would be very tough. I would first have to stop posting and finish up the threads i've started or am active in on my other forums (to be sure I don't miss answers or what-not). After I stopped posting and finished threads (couple days). I MAY be able to stay off the internet for a couple days. But that's probably maximum. I alway come across
1. Songs I want to download
2. Questions I want answered (from the sites found from google).
3. Questions I want answered (from forums like this, or forums for other topics).
4. Software I want to download
5. Other computer tasks I want to do (trying out Linux or a wide range of other things).
When i'm not at the computer, I make a list of stuff. It's usually songs I want to download. Without access to a computer, I would probably make lists of other things too (questions, topics to research etc).
So I suppose everything in my life revolves around the internet. My social life is mostly the internet, the way I get information and knowledge is the internet and a large part of my day I am sitting right here, on the internet.