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Caught in the Web

A few months ago, it wasn't unusual for 47-year-old Carla Toebe to spend 15 hours per day online. She'd wake up early, turn on her laptop and chat on Internet dating sites and instant-messaging programs -- leaving her bed for only brief intervals. Her household bills piled up, along with the dishes and dirty laundry, but it took near-constant complaints from her four daughters before she realized she had a problem....
- By January W. Payne

Comments

Internet has made human a human, who has had these abilities of communication from birth but did not had the means and the language skills to communicate. Internet made that possible. In a way this is another revolution which very much resembles the revolution that brought human out of the caves. Over enthusiastic humans at that time also must have been eaten by animals. The pictures is the same-- over enthusiastic computer user are being eaten by this newly achieved freedom. Any body spending hours playing games is actually playing games with his life. It seems fancy and sexy talking to the opposite sex over the Internet, since you have not really really seen that person--your emotions paint a more than rosy picture and scenarios. This is almost hallucinating and of course not normal. But since no body is watching you, you simply do not care. Solution: Counseling is the best way out. Talking about this addiction as much as possible and interviewing people who crossed this hurdle successfully is the way to go. These champions will list their problems as well methods they used to get over the addiction. Time and money it cost and lessons learned will be shared with those who want to get out of the addiction. Rest will be eaten by the animals ! Thanks you Amarjit Duggal

By amarduggal | Nov 14, 2006 8:57:24 AM | Request Removal

After graduating college, I did not have a job or a car because I was moving across the country in 2 months. I played World of Warcraft for about 80 hours a week without a second thought all summer. Some Guilds groups that players join in the game to have people to play with would require their players to be online at least 60 hours a week to aquire items in the game that help when fighting against big monsters. Most of the monsters in the game that provide good items to players when they die require 40 players to fight against them at the same time and then only drop 2-4 items when they die. Plus, all of the good monsters can only be killed once a week.

By behrlich | Nov 14, 2006 11:12:33 AM | Request Removal

This story is pure sensationalism. Saying the Internet is addictive stretching it. If the Internet is addictive then how does the TV compare? At least when you use the Internet the user has to ask for something and interact. Unlike the TV where users just sit and turn into marketing victims. You want to talk about societies inveterate well then you better start looking into studies about materialism, marketing and sensationalism on TV. It is within humans to become attached when entertained. If one wants to call it addiction then one-day air will be on the list, because people are dying without it. We are a society that is high on money, but low on cash.

By dphelan | Nov 14, 2006 11:12:54 AM | Request Removal

It seems to me that many of the comments so far indicate confusion about what addiction is, a confusion that has existed for many decades. Dependency, addiction, compulsive behavior, and personality disorder are all used to indicate the same type of behavior, the choice of terms depending on the biases of the person speaking. As a former drug addict, these days I am doubting the definition of addiction as a physiologically based disorder, because I have long realized that it wasnt a discerible physical need for the drugs I used that drove me, it was not wanting to face the agony of the aftermath of their use--commonly termed withdrawal--that can be avoided only by continuing to take the drug. I am what is termed an addictive personality-- I get rid of one addiction only by transferring to another. Now it is computer games, and I dont stop notice I dont say cant because I need the comfort/escape/relief from stress they give me. I see this escape from various unpleasant stresses as lying at the basis of any kind of compulsive behavior, no matter what you call it. We all now live in a world that is falling apart in a hundred different ways--no wonder we seek escape.

By washingtonpost | Nov 14, 2006 11:54:46 AM | Request Removal