INTERNET addiction

Hey all, new here and figured I'd chime in on this one as I'm really struggling with this myself. I friggin' love the internet, have spent entire days, weeks when I was unemployed, just sitting around surfing the web or watching movies. My usual haunts include FB, TONS of time wasted on YouTube, and cycling through these with interspersed visits to porn sites. As a result, my personal responsibilities at home and to friends and family have suffered severely, and even my work has suffered. I had to disable the internet on my phone because I would spend too much time on it at work. That situation improved immensely after that, but I'm not entirely out of the woods there as I will stay up late into the night browsing around on the net and my performance the next day will suffer.

However, what is most severely impacted is for sure my responsibilities at home. Dishes, housecleaning, outside chores, and personal projects will all frequently get put on the backburner while I procrastinate on the web, especially youtube. I will dive down rabbit holes on youtube for hours upon hours, exploring all kinds of subjects, or just zoning out with memes.


Anybody got some exercises I could try to help me refocus my attention on what needs doing rather than zoning out on the web? Ways I can motivate myself to do my chores?

Exercises, as in physical exercises?

@medievalbushman working on some things myself. I know how it is to get on a roll with YT...although eventually, it led me to something productive. Yoga. I found some good videos and now I don't even need them to do the basics...so, I mean exercise always helps distract you from needing more internet.

but now I'm just trying to limit the different sites I frequent...not visit each one every day and/or maybe not visit some more than once. Oh, that wasn't my original advice though....

this was more helpful to me. Try recording all the things you do around the house and how long each thing takes. Try to work your way up to doing more every day. My goal was 3 hours. I regularly fall short but it's good to have a high goal, otherwise you get (oh what's the word? complacent is what comes to mind, but I was thinking of something else). Anyway, yeah set a reasonable number of hours to work up to, not something too high to where you feel bad if you don't do enough, but like i said, also high enough. Make to do lists of what all needs to get done and check those off. Try to give meaning to the work you do and soon you'll be prioritizing that over the internet. Try to find useful sites too and limit the ones that lead you down that rabbit hole.
Best!

Not really, I was thinking more along the lines of mental exercises I could do to help me refocus my energy on things I need to be doing more than wasting time on the internet... LIKE EXERCISING! lol, but seriously, it would be neat to see how much progress I could make in my sword-and-shield techniques if I could motivate myself to do even 1/2 an hour of pell work each day.

@giddykitty thanks, I will definitely be giving your suggestions a try. I've done lists before, but I tend to focus too much on how much I put on the list rather than on just doing one or two things a day.

@giddykitty It has been a long time that I wrote back on this forum.
I have been posting on my different forums.
Last march My mother in law died while in the hospital.WE had to put down jeffs cat. my meds stopped working and I went manic took 5mg of klonipin to get to sleep. my pdoc freaked out and sent me to the hospital for evaluation
I spent 2 hours there and my bill was for $4k....Well there went my deductible so we are still paying on that.new year new deductible.
So I ended up in-patient for a month and then to a IOP for 5 weeks after that.My meds got changed and that was what I needed to have happen. so I am good.

How are you?
bizi

I can help you with internet addiction. First you are going to need some sort of support group, so if this is your support group remember to keep it for a while. Next search the local area for offline support groups, which is impossible right now, but since this is the internet this is for the future when someone searches this post pandemic. Next since this is the pandemic find a support group for internet addicts, this counts (done). Download cold turkey the application to your computer and block all offending sites and applications, have someone else set passwords. If for some reason you find work arounds around cold turkey, give away your computer to someone and live without it. Use the one at the library or buy one that you can't trick. You have to be as determined to beat this as you were to get into it. Then fill your life with replacement activities, hobbies if you will. Much of this will be trial and error. You'll need help from family and friends. You'll also need a therapist or friend to help you set parental locks on your cell phone or you'll have to get a dumb phone. There ones with more features now and there is the option of getting an iPhone which you can add apps and have zoom on it, but then have a parental lock (which is nice if you can't have a computer anymore). Most people in the group I'm in didn't have as hard of time as I did, so maybe it will be easy for you. I had an all day problem at some point, I even got a job to suit it and a hobby (blogging and video games) to match my addiction. I even watched tv with my boyfriend and vollunteered at a computer lab at the library and I still went online in-between all that. It was bad. When I got outside it felt so foreign and refreshing. Block some stuff, get up and take a covid safe walk if you feel safe doing so, it will be nice.

Hey Bizi

I do not have an internet addiction but I just saw your post. I'm glad you're still posting

I have not seen giddykitty for a while.

Hugs and respect


I was also thinking how important language is for our well being (there are certain negative, emotive words I try to limit my use of For my wellbeing and hopefully for others too.....)

hi fuzzy thanks for your support, it means a lot to me.
(((((HUGS)))))
bizi

Thank you for your post.
I am doing better.
bizi

hoping for change when you keep doing the same thing is insanity.
bizi

Hugs and love to you Bizi

I'm so glad you're doing better

Much love to you

hey folks! @~*glass_owl*~ that is some great advice. thanks!

i'm still in the back and forth grey area as to whether i've an addiction. some moments i get addicted. i do get moments where i feel the urge to be online. but i...well, i worry some of it is just my adhd (undiagnosed but pretty convinced I've got).
so idk. but hey, yea i'm back! kinda lol I can't get on from my mobile so it's not as often i get a chance, but i'm around.
take care all! <3

hi gitty kitty.
I thought you were bipolar?
I must be thinking of some one else.

I figured out that all this time I could be
diagnosed adhd when actually I am just bipolar.
Your motor runs high, You can definitely

have both of those disorders.
I should get off this computer have been on it for hours.
need to get to bed at a decent time tonight. had to get up early this morning to take a much needed shower.
It is hard for me to get into the shower. I avoid them until after 45 days I just have to take one.
do ya know what I mean?
nice to see you back.
(((((HUGS)))))
bizi

Thank you fuzzy,
hope you are doing alright.
(((((HUGS)))))
bizi

Did I say something wrong?
sorry if I did. did not mean to.
bizi

No, you thought right! I had a dx of "unspecified biopolar" but now recently, they seemed to see hypomania presenting, but if after this trial of vraylar doesnt help, then will reconsider adhd. I mean, it could very well be both too!

Anyhoo. Yea, I'm working on all things though, sleep, net use, getting things done, and trying to be happy but not overly so. Vraylar seems to be helping since i missed my dose yesterday and could see how it would be if i was off again. And THIS next is what i forgot in my last communication to you. Maybe i just still don't have enough in my system and maybe over time, the missing a dose won't be AS dramatic as it was. But idk. I need more thoughts on this now. So here i am.

Right, back to work now tho, eh?

That post was ages ago, I don't remember posting it. You didn't say anything wrong

I have seen just how addictive and damaging Internet Addiction can be to the addict as well as their families. I have found most addicts, especially young adults, have social anxiety as well as a lack of focus in their lives.