It is our nature to excuse bad behavior by calling it an addiction or blaming it on an addiction.
That’s not to say the addiction isn’t real. Being physically or psychologically dependent on a thing — food, drugs, alcohol, pornography, people, whatever — is not pleasant.
Before the addiction sets in, it may feel good to overindulge. But as the addiction progresses and deepens, you need more of the substance to feel the same “high.” You find yourself seeking that first high, which will continue to elude you. Nothing else in your life is as important.
Well, that was my experience, anyway. 
That’s why I didn’t laugh when I read this article about Internet addiction. Does Internet use work on our brains the same way a substance like alcohol does?
Alcohol is a depressant and in small doses, it can make you feel relaxed. It helps “take the edge off.” In large doses, it can cause disorientation, slurred speech, memory lapse, etc. Alcohol slows down the functioning of the central nervous system. Biochemically speaking, people addicted to a substance have some sort of mix up in their brains. Their levels of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that helps regulate emotion, are lower than normal, which can cause depression or a craving for something to relieve the discomfort.
I sometimes joke that I have an “addictive personality.” When I find something I like, I go all the way and tend to overindulge. Do I overindulge in Internet use? That’s hard to say. I work on the Internet. I play on the Internet. I read news on the Internet. Rare is a day I don’t surf. When I travel, I have my Treo.
One way to tell if you’re addicted to the Internet is whether your relationships suffer. Do you lie about how much you do it? Have you tried to cut back but failed? Is the Internet becoming more important to you than the people in your life? Has it become a substitute for real life? According to the study:
- 13.7 percent (more than one out of eight respondents) found it hard to stay away from the Internet for several days at a time
- 12.4 percent stayed online longer than intended very often or often
- 12.3 percent had seen a need to cut back on Internet use at some point
- 8.7 percent attempted to conceal non-essential Internet use from family, friends and employers
- 8.2 percent used the Internet as a way to escape problems or relieve negative mood
- 5.9 percent felt their relationships suffered as a result of excessive Internet use
Are you addicted to the Internet? Tell us. Go on. Admitting you have a problem is a problem half-solved. 
