Internet Addiction..

[Asheis]

This may hit close to home for a few of you.. definately did for me.

I recently moved up to a strange new place, where I had absolutely no friends and no family that I knew. Now normally I'm quite a personable kinda guy. I get along with new people very easily. Up here it wasn't really that easy, because school didn't start for another month or so..

But, even when it did start, I didn't even really feel the need to make friends.

Now i'm sure you can understand where i'm going with this one.. A certain online game (won't mention any specifics) had taken up much of my time (bout a month or so prior to the move, but I had friends that allowed me to regulate myself easier).

I ended up spending two terms of my first college year practically friendless (of course, I had a bunch of friends back home, but they don't count.) This was probably made much worse by the fact that I didn't stay at the dorm and didn't join any clubs.

I was psychologically addicted to the game, and the people in the game. They gave me a sort of.. artificial friend feeling, so I didn't have the drive to make any new ones.

I managed a pretty clever way (if I may say so about myself) of getting myself OFF the game, and a firm cancelling of my account.

That was a couple months ago.. i've managed to make a few friends in that time of being away from the game, but the addiction did take it's own special toll.

So, my question is two-fold.

Firstly, do you have any stories about your particular internet addiciton problem you'd like to share? And secondly, what are your thoughts on internet addiction? Does it exist as a real addiction, or is it just in the inability to control ones-self enough to not spend the time playing the game, or chatting online, etc?

[Hecate]

Welp, for one I think I know what game you're talking about, and if that's not it then I have two others in mind.

Anyway, I got addicted to the internet, actually here with TFF when my highschool friend (Aeris) brought me here back in June of '01. I got addicted in both TFF and the FF games, and after being through a rough time in my life where I couldn't be a kid, I kinda went on a drama spree......made plenty of online friends, AND enemies. I got out of the worst part a couple years ago after taking a few "breaks" but even though most of my friends have gone, I still keep coming back like a puppy they don't want anymore who finds their way home again anyway.

Believe it or not, people can conrtol obsessions. I have an obsession, which isn't this and I won't say what it is.....some people know....but anyway it's a serious matter for me, I obsess over it TOO easily, but actually deep down, I have the power to not obsess over it, and when it comes to socializing, most of us have the power to freely do that, and if not, then they need to find a solution to be able to do so. Humans are social creatures, and it's not healthy to be cooped up in an obsession for very long. Even people who think they need professional help can bring themselves out of it, they just need to see how it works then have the power to bring themselves out. I'm working on a couple things myself, one will take a while.....but everyone has the power to break the obsession, and it's usually by getting out and about. Even if you have no one to chat with or hang out with, taking a walk outside, spending time away from the source of the obsession will make anyone feel a lot better.

[Angantyr]

I moved down south in December, I have finished Highschool for 1 & 1/2 years, last year I did a lot of part time work buying stuff like a car, ps2 games, stereo this computer etc... Well anyway I had a car accident just before christmas as some of you may know, and this has forced me to be stuck home without much to do besides playstation and my Computer. Basically after I completed most of the FF games I kind of lost interested in Video games, I had a brief period in which I played the SH games but I have lost my will to play other games.

I have pretty much lost the desire to do anything, nothing really interests me anymore except coming online, I use to go in chatrooms but then it got really repititive so I kind of came here.

Most of the time I am just sitting here not really doing anything, I wish I had the desire to play games but I just lose interest real easy. I am pretty much ready to work but I don't have a job to go to yet, also I am going to do a computer course in July for a year. But yeah I am addicted and it doesn't help that I have no car, no job, don't know anybody and other personal stuff.

[relm]

Neat topic Asheis ^^

My addiction: FFXI

OK.... Internet addiction, or more specifically game addiction has
plagued me for a good amount of my life. For a while it has been game
after game after game... I would never be satisfied without a game
to help me kill my spare time. It was then that I met FFXI.
*dramatic music kicks in*

FFXI took me to a world of escape. Escape because in
Vanadiel, everything was care free, fun and exciting.
Everyday was a new adventure, and meeting new friends
was always fun, when forming parties. NOT that I don't have
friends in RL, because I have many ^_^; However, through
this alternate universe called Vanadiel, I was beginning to
lose sleep, concentration in class, and contact with friends.
Heck. I was SO into farming and making money - I stayed
up for almost 48 hours during the Easter event to try and
take advantage of all the Noobies selling their eggs for cheap ^^.
(made 300k gil too )

Days, Months... A year flew by, and I realized I was severly falling
behind in a few of my classes. I was simply devoting TOO much
time to FFXI. I knew it too. I just couldn't stop because I was... well,
Addicted. I then came to a cross road. Zel... you either drop FFXI now
or fall behind on your future... A very painful choice, but some how, I
gathered the strength to take a long break from FFXI... I'm telling you
it was tough! Not only did I have to say goodbye to my beloved
online friends, but I don't even know if my character still even exists :/...

Anywho. That's my sad tale. No other game in the history of me playing
games has gotten me dangerously addicted as FFXI. (Starcraft was
close, but meh.
*dramatic music fades*

I have an addiction to blogging, aim, messenger, online quizzes, an TFF. I am quit a social person. Never godn without friends since my mother pushed me out into the world. But since I stay up at night I spend less times with them, and I end up on here every night. I thought it was okay until I began to do it while my bf slept. BTW please do not use my family's real names in anything on here. I thought it was because of that, but then I got so big in here that I havr to smack myslef away from it. It has gotten better, but only because my son is a little older an more active, and I am a clean freak come spring. Yeah, but a lot of times my stomache knots at the sight of my computer on an me not there. In-fact even when i am on. I have to tear myself away from it. An it gets annoying.

[Crazy Chocobo]

I have a really bad addiction to the internet. I spend all day and most of the night on here. I don't have anything else to do so I just come online. I also come online because it's the only way I can talk to my boyfriend. TFF is an addiction of mine . I don't find it bad..well..actually I kind of do because I'm wasting my life. I like going online, it's fun. I have been going online since I was 12. At first I only went on a few hours a day and not everyday but that certainly has changed since then. I probably would do other things but I live in a boring little town that has nothing. I can't drive so I have no way of getting anywhere. My parents won't take me anywhere so that's why I'm on here a lot! It's a lot of fun and that's another good reason why I'm here a lot. I should actually get up and do something but I'm lazy.

I have got friends but I would rather go online then go see them LOL. Well, I can only talk to one of them online because she moved to another state. My friend wants me to go over to her house but I prefer to stay at home and go online. I'm a sick person. LOL.

[Hecate]

Originally Posted by cheesevixen

IBTW please do not use my family's real names in anything on here.

Who? I don't see anyone who said anything about you or your family, real names or otherwise?? Everyone, or mostly everyone, already know Scorp's real name.

[Tiffany]

^^Either or, it's not your place to say.

I'm totally additcted to blogging and the few forums I go to. I love reading about people's opinions and whatnot. It's great. I get annoyed sometimes in places like this, mainly due to eleventeen-year olds thinking they know it all love reading people's opinion on the more 'serious' topics and whatnot. "Oh yes, you are SOOOO world-ly at the riple OLD age of 18!!!!" lmfao.

But either or, I love the dynamics that people bring in here

[Chez Daja]

I'm not addicted to the Internet, although I actually use it most hour of everyday that I am awake. I could easily go without the Internet, say, if I had friends' round, or if I was at my boyfriends' house.

The last time I got obssessed with something, it was with Silent Hill, though, as you can obviously tell, I didn't get over my SH obssession. But yeah, that doesn't have much to do with the Internet.

[fosterkid]

the reason i got adicted was to get away from my g/f good god she anoys the piss out of me.
but this place has me addicted to it and i dont know what it is but im hooked.
i go to my dads at like 7:30-8:00 am and i stay here until close to 7:00 pm. thats every day!

[Gorath Sodom]

I used to be addicted, back in the golden days of Napster and Audiogalaxy. I would spend endless hours downloading music, and even lots of time torrenting anime. Needless to say, I felt like I was in Heaven. However, Napster, Audiogalaxy, and my favorite irc/tor clients all sank and I was forced to find another hobby. DAMN YOU, RIAA!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU RUINED MY LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, I'm addicted.

From school-->Online-->Bed. And...of course, there's eating at the computer. XD I'm always here =/

Im nowhere near addicted to the internet.... theres nothing to do on it anymore. I used to go on MSN alot... back in grade 5. I dont see how people can spend countless hours on this thing.