Definition of Internet Addiction

Internet addiction is a relatively new and dangerous affliction that can wreck your health, damage relationships and reduce your overall productivity. While many people spend hours online every day for work or play, the line from plugged-in power user to addict is crossed when you can't stop spending time on the Internet, even though the rest of your life suffers for it.

• Spending too much time online is a symptom of Internet addiction.

Escapism

• With virtual role-playing games and online forums covering every topic, it's easy to create an entirely new persona. An addict will spend too much time in these artificial spaces, and avoid dealing effectively with everyday reality.

Relationships

• If someone is reducing the time spent with loved ones in order to accommodate more hours online, or if a person lies or becomes hostile over how much time is spent on the Internet, it could be an addiction.

Health

• According to Dr. Kimberly Young in her book Caught In the Net: How to Recognize the Signs of Internet Addiction, an addiction to the Internet can adversely affect a person's health; personal hygiene may be forgotten, sleep deprivation can set in, and the body can show the stress of staying in one seated position for an extended time. Frequent aches and pains in the neck, back and wrists may be a clue to a larger problem.

Inability to Quit

• An addict can not quit their addiction on their own, and may have failed numerous on numerous occasions to give up their Internet time, according to Dr. Young. The inability to unplug from the online world, even for a day, may mean that the person needs to seek help.

Hobbies and Activities

• An addict's world will begin to revolve only around the Internet, so activities they previously enjoyed, like dinner and a movie, won't seem fun or worth attending.