As the Web’s importance grows in day-to-day life, Internet addiction is becoming recognized as a legitimate and serious disorder. While the benefits of Facebook, email and other ways to connect with your community and friends are well-recognized, those suffering from Internet addiction disorder take a healthy activity and escalate it to abnormal levels.

Internet addiction has been recognized in many studies as a considerably harmful ailment.

Although Internet addiction does not have an official definition, it is a behavioral disorder where a person spends an excessive amount of time online. Those afflicted with the addiction seek the instant gratification of communication, video games, gambling and pornography, among other things, on the Web to the point that their behavior becomes obsessive and compulsive. Teenagers have been shown to be the demographic most affected by the disorder.

Studies have cited many symptoms of Internet addiction including depression, aggression, trouble in relationships, poor appetite, irregular sleeping patterns, skipping meals, increased use of alcohol and tobacco as well as physical symptoms like back strain and carpal tunnel syndrome.

One study found that in a selected population of 2,853 adolescents, 1.2% had Internet addiction. The same study concluded that there were correlations among addictive behaviors including gambling, work addiction and compulsive buying, so a person affected by Internet addiction is susceptible to or may have another addictive disorder. Typically, the occurrence rate of Internet addiction has been found to be around 1% for serious cases and approximately 2-3% in less severe instances.

Currently, researchers are making the argument for Internet addiction to be added to the official list of diagnosable disorders in Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition. Whether Internet addiction is officially recognized or not, it will continue to be debated and dealt with among the psychiatric community. (ref: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

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Not all those who gamble are addicts!

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One of the most certain ways to ruin your life is to abuse alcohol and drugs. It really is unbelievable how common substance abuse is among high school students. In fact, my best friend was addicted to alcohol and cocaine, so I have seen firsthand how her addiction to alcohol and drugs can hurt a person.

My friend’s substance abuse problems began with social drinking on the weekends during parties. Gradually, she began to try other drugs, and was soon using them in excess. She started sleeping with people she barely knew, and never used any protection. It got to the point that we no longer had very much in common because she was literally obsessed with drugs and drinking. Over the course of one semester, she went from an A student to someone who did not show up for class half the time.

Even though her behavior had changed, my friend was able to hide her problems from her family. It was as if they were blind to her addictions. However, when she failed to come home one night after a cocaine overdose during a party, everything changed. I had to rush her to the hospital, where she had to have her stomach pumped. She then had to seek withdrawal services because her addiction to drugs was so deep. Upon seeing her lying in a hospital bed, her parents finally acknowledged that she may have a problem. From that point forward, her parents began dedicating their time to helping their daughter overcome her substance abuse problems.

Despite having a loving and supportive family, my friend seemed to care more about obtaining drugs and alcohol than she did about improving her health and well-being. She stole money from her parents and brother to buy drugs, and her destructive behavior eventually led to a family breakdown. She eventually ended up overdosing two more times before finally committing to take part in an outpatient substance abuse program and Alcoholics Anonymous.

As her friend, I do my best to learn about substance abuse and to prevent her from putting herself in situations in which she might be tempted to drink or abuse drugs. I talk to her regularly about the dangers associated with substance abuse, including increased risk for sexual abuse, legal matters, and premature pregnancy. She is gradually becoming more like the friend that I used to have. While my friend seems problem free at times, I remind myself that addictions are powerful and that she could relapse at any time. Every day I find myself hoping that she will have the strength to follow through with her treatment and beat her addiction.