The primary reason that internet addiction flourishes everywhere is because people do not take it seriously as an addiction. The new North American standard for owning digital communications devices is a minimum of a cell phone and a personal computer, laptop or tablet for every person aged 17 and over. With the ownership of these devices so celebrated in our culture, it is not surprising that addiction to them has become a trend. They provide a world of entertainment to their user and they are completely portable, enabling people to depend on them more heavily than they should for entertainment, information and relationship.

It is more a state of mind that people become addicted to rather than simply a behavior. Digital communication offers its users pleasurable feelings of power, distraction and connectivity. These pleasurable feelings create the brain chemical dopamine which tells the psyche that something rewarding is taking place. Those prone to addiction have been found to have problems creating a normal amount of dopamine, so when they find something that creates it in greater quantities, they become very attached to that substance or activity. This is true even of things such as gambling and internet usage. Addictions can be common or obscure, and because of how greatly the internet and digital communication changed our lives, it has become some people’s addiction.

Many people still scoff at the idea of receiving addiction treatment for something like the internet, saying that it is not a real addiction like alcoholism or drug abuse. While it is true that an internet addiction is less of an immediate threat to a person than a drug like heroin is, it can still meet the qualifications of a severe addiction. This is exemplified in the ways it has been found to deteriorate a person’s physical health, personal relationships and performance at work, school or personal vocations. For this reason, internet addiction treatment has become a legitimate program at many addiction treatment centers and rehabilitation facilities. Staff and counselors have the training to help people with their internet addiction problems, so if you are ready to break away from your excessive internet usage, do not hesitate to reach out today!