Understanding Internet Addiction

The New York Times recently reported that online addiction has become so prevalent in South Korea (the most "wired" nation in the world) that the government has opened a number of treatment centers and boot camps to assist addicts.

However, the problem is not limited to South Korea; the Times estimates that nine million Americans are at risk for this troubling new disease.

In fact, Internet addiction is not new. It is simply a new manifestation of general addiction and is best seen as such.

Those who use the Internet compulsively (some of the South Korean addicts spend 17 hours a day online and a few have even died after days of non-stop game playing) share certain characteristics with drug addicts, alcoholics, compulsive eaters, and gamblers.

Chief among these traits is isolation. Because addiction rearranges an addict's priorities, formerly key activities such as work, school, and relationships fall by the wayside, leaving the addict more and more focused on their new solitary pursuit. The more isolated the addict becomes, the easier it is for them to consider their compulsive, all-consuming behavior as normal because it is not contrasted with the larger world.

Secrecy is another hallmark of addiction. The consequences of the harmful behavior must be hidden so the addict commits to a life of secrecy and dishonesty. As jobs fall away and relationships fail, the addict must keep these failures secret in order to continue their deepening addiction.

Just as a drug addict gradually needs more drugs to achieve the same high, online addicts find themselves needing more and more hours to feel the same sensation. Naturally, this trend becomes more and more destructive as the hours spent impact normal life.

A common engine behind addiction is an inability to cope with feelings and perhaps this is why online addicts are overwhelmingly young men. In a world where being in touch with their emotions has never been a priority for men, immersion in the disconnected world of the Internet can be a balm for the frightening feelings of adolescence and early adulthood.

Because they tend to be young, it remains to be seen whether online addicts will move on to more traditional chemical addictions. It seems likely to me that a person who turns to an outside solution to cope with an internal feeling of emptiness is likely headed down that path.

However, the good news is that the treatment for addiction in general is well established and effective when the patient is willing and ready. Presenting Internet addiction as exotic or unique only cuts off those who are looking for solutions.