INTERNET addiction

well so much for not being on the computer much. I have been on here 4 straight hours. the last 30minutes have chatted with a man who is sober for 15 months. I am going to start posting again on the HAMS sight again. harm reduction.
They promote abstaining or moderating to prevent harm to others and self.
I used to frequent there in 2016 quite a bit. I went there tonight and found 2 of the posters from that time recently start back up again. So that is support right there.
bizi

I drank a lot of beer on our vacation.
It was never to excess. Beer Has a lower alcohol content, and is cheaper than water in prague!
There was not any internet while we were gone and
have been on here less than before. Which is good.
bizi

Well I have been addressing 2 of my 3 addictions.

Food and alcohol
Have lost a few pounds and am AF 18days.
my internet usage is sky high.
I am avoiding work, have not shopped for thanksgiving yet. pretty much sat in front of this computer for the past 4 hours.
sigh
bizi

I've just realized that I'm using the Internet all around the clock (except 6 hours of sleep). On the way to work, at work, on the break, on the way back home.... I don't notice that but I am online 24/7. Thinking about digital espionage and personal data hacking, I scare.

Yes I think this new technology is habit/addiction prone.
Hubby is glued to his phone.
Admitting you have a problem is the first part.
perhaps you could introduce other areas of interest...like learning a new instrument, or art or many many other things to do beside be on line.
I was going to the gym and walking on the tred mill but that was before our trip to europe now since we have come back...I have not exercissed inthe evenings...like before. I just get on line. Friday nights I go to a chat room and that is extremely interactive. I usually post on forums so I circle thru each forum to see if any one has responded.I keep going thru my favorite sights/forums/face book/email/ forums get the picture?
bizi

I admire everyone who's struggling with this and still fighting I have a problem with this, too

HI mickey,
you are not alone.
I think there are a lot of folks( adults and children) who are having problems with tech gagets...that don't know it is a problem. Knowing is half the battle.
(((((HUGS))))
bizi

Bizi,

Thanks for this thread. I am trying to only spend 1 hour or less a day on my computer. Addiction to places like PC can sort of sneak up on you. It is a lot like food addictions (where you eat to sooth yourself rather than just for the sustainance) because you can't stop eating food, rather, you have to figure out how to moderate your behavior. People need the internet for school, work, finances, etc. Yesterday, I was reading and posting at PC more than an hour. Some of the stories are fascinating, triggering, etc. I see people in the Psychoanalysis Forum complaining about unhealthy attachment to their therapist. I am not complaining but I've become attached to some people here. It feels weird and unreal. I have found myself wondering if I have all sorts of psych problems that I probably don't even have. Though it is not right what people like Jussie Smolllett have done to get attention--I wonder if the internet contributed to his downfall? Some of us have to be on guard so we don't get sucked up into it. Taking it day by day. Will try to make this (this morning) the only time I "look" today....

Bizi,

Noticed this is not your thread--it is more like you adopted it.

Though I have not spent that much time on PC yet today , I have been thinking that I am not completely addicted to the internet (that is my GAD/hypochondria), it is just a bad habit I developed because I relied on PC to get encouragement/help sorting out a confusing event. I am not quite as confused now. They say we tell ourselves stories and constantly tweak/revise stories about traumatic events in our life. The stories are about finding meaning about what happened. Our interpretation of the events makes all the difference in whether or not we heal ourselves. What matters in life is supporting each other. Maybe we need the "thanks" and "hugs" while we are sorting through it all. Though we might get "hooked" on them, this is a good place. That I am aggravated to be "attached" or that I miss (members that left) some of the wonderful people who just tried to help me is a bit dysfunctional. But yes, we do sometimes need to reevaluate how we are spending our time without making it into a crisis when it might not be.....

for me....I am addicted to it.
I am on line as much as I can get away with. I have favorited bipolar neurotalk, bipolar and addictions at psychcentral, yahoo email, facebook, spark people(a dieting and cutting down drinking) and Hams forum (a cutting back on drinking forum).
So what I do is sit and scroll thru my favorites again and again seeing if any one has posted to me.
I call it mental masturbation.
bizi

Well here I am again....have been on line for hours. Hubby went to join his friends for drinks after the concert tonight. He dropped me off back home because I am not drinking right now and did not want to be out around people with out a drink in my hand. I have social anxiety issues.
Alcohol lubricates those awkward moments.
After mardi gras I was at my highest weight. so decided to give up alcohol and started dieting for lent.
so far have lost a good 12 pounds in a months time.
So that is good.
I am still 7 pounds heavier than what I was before christmas break.

sigh

I will get there.
so working on 2 out of 3 addictions.
At least I am working on some of my problems.
bizi

My twin grandsons, now 17, are addicted to the Internet gaming. They live overseas, and I visited them twice over there. Excited to visit, they only said "hi" a few times before retreating to their bedroom to resume their internet activity. They were such sweet young boys, but their parents, my daughter and her husband, both educators , have allowed them to become absorbed and obsesses with internet gaming. They're 17 now, approaching leaving school to embark on college, but their grades are bad. I attribute this wholly to allowing then to focus on internet instead of school. I mean, all night! when the visited me this past summer, they barely spoke to me, absorbed in their internet activities. To speak to them, I had to interrupt them to remove their headphones, to which I would get a one word reply. I don't have confidence that they will succeed in anything. They are supposed to go to college next year.

I think that this is a big problem.And you are not alone in your worries.
It will be an interesting time....their grades being so bad they may not even find a collage to accept them.
I feel for you....
bizi

Bizi, exactly. Thank you for your response. I can't do anything about it. If I even mentioned this to my daughter, I'd be resented. They'll just have to find out for themselves, I guess.

Don't smoke, don't drink on a regular basis. Never thought this is a thing, untill started noticing that I don't feel comfortable without peeking every 10-15 minutes at my phone. Now try to limit that to every hour. It is an addiction.

I continue to spend a lot of time on line. Per my therapist:I am to try to limit my computer to 15 minutes in the morning as I have been running late to work.
This is very hard to do.
bizi

Well my internet time usage has increased. I am on here a lot more and even using my cell phone during the day at lunch or in between clients...I never used to do that!
sigh
bizi

My internet usage has continued to raise. I have been on here all day.
sigh
bizi

I've been on here a lot today too grrrrrrr. Can you set a timer and do something else for 5 minutes? Maybe you would feel a bit better. Sorry if this advice isn't helpful, I'm not an expert. I'm sending hugs

btw I have to go and clean my fangs, it takes me ages and I've been here procrastinating

And then I have to try to sleep

Goodnight

I am procrastinating from doing work....paperwork for my business. It is much more fun being on line and goofing off.
This is very childish.
oh well....need to get back to my desk.
thanks for your support.
bizi