Why?

THe mom says I am adicted to the internet. Well.... I say no I am not I just enjoy that more then I do hanging out with you. Does that count as a addiction though? I would rather go out and do something with friends or something then be on the Internet but I would rather be here then at home. Why do I do this? Is this an addiction? why do other people have an addiction?

Thanks,
Lillyleaf

Using the Internet as a place to "hang out" is not terribly useful or healthy. Think of it in terms of how you use your whole day; when you're sleeping, you're sleeping, that's healthy and necessary, same as when you eat your 3 meals a day :-) Now, the other 14-15 hours, how are you living them? If you go to school, hopefully you are paying attention during class and learning what there is to learn, what might help you with getting a job or into further education or toward a particular interest/goal. Same if you're working; you're working to make money to support your lifestyle or your working at a job you love, in a field you're interested in and perhaps have goals to help you get further in that field or switch to another, etc. That leaves about 5-6 hours. Presumably they are spent in caring for yourself (bathing, preparing food, dressing, neatening your surroundings) and then in genuine interests and working toward personal goals.

Have you ever made a "bucket list"? A list of 100 things you want to do before you die, etc.? When we're on sites like PsychCentral, we can be taking care of our health, can be learning how other people live and manage their illnesses and life challenges and that's a good, healthy thing to do, but not for the entire 5 hours? I use to be on Facebook and play Mafia Wars several hours a day but I realized last Fall (09) that that was not in line with what I truly wanted. I want to improve my health more than I want to rack up points in a cyber game. Yes, the game was a bit helpful to me when I was intensely playing it, I learned some important things about myself and how I "think"/organize and approach problems but the time it took to learn those things, the time to amount learned ratio was too high. I "quit" facebook (I'm still on there but only visit for about half an hour every 2-3 weeks) and came back to a major health/lifestyle change site I love and to PsychCentral, when I'm online. That too. I don't want to spend all 5 hours online, I have other "real" things I want to do in my life with my body than sit here in this chair :-)

It's all very well, the above breakout, but I actually spend 10+ hours a day on the computer. However, I do have legitimate work and studying I do on the computer also, it's not all spent surfing or socializing. However, I also often spend additional time watching television. Only about half my shows are "educational", the rest are entertainment.

It all boils down to how you want to spend your time and how it is "helping" you move forward. Whether it is an addiction or not is not as important to me as what I am "learning" what habits I am forming. I am on the computer 10+ hours a day and would like to get out and exercise more, do more around my house, go out and meet new people/make new friends but I do not. Why? Because I am in the habit of coming downstairs when I wake, getting my coffee, and turning on the computer. Next thing I know, it's after Noon. My husband usually takes a nap and I do a "default" stay here at the computer and it gets to be 4:00-5:00 in the afternoon and I think about making dinner, after dinner there's TV and then I go upstairs to bed to read and around Midnight the light goes out and another day is spent.

It isn't "addiction" one has to worry about, it's habit. Habit can be a useful thing but it can also be a pair of horrible chains. The more you do something, the more you do something and the further you get from doing something else! Wake up and think about how you spend your time. If you would rather go out and do something with friends "or something" (too vague!) then put that in motion. Default becomes habit and, to many, that habit feels like addiction. But whether addiction or habit, only you can change your behavior, can "save" yourself.

if youd rather go out i dont think its an addiction - it sounds like you are using it to avoid being at home - maybe the problems there make you want to run away to the games? thats why i game - to hide ....