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Originally Posted by xg4bx
mine has decimated my sleep cycle. i'm (unfortunately)unemployed and i haven't been going to bed until about noon and waking up at 7, 8 at night. its getting impossible to have a life like this but i find myself craving non-stop information, even if its useless information. and on days i wake up and the cable/internet is down or my wife is on the computer, i almost start itching like a junkie when my routine is interrupted. i'm so afraid that i'm going to miss something that my mind can't turn off and i have to take melatonin to get to sleep.
i should probably go speak to somebody. i may have undiagnosed OCD or mild aspergers or something and the internet is feeding/a symptom of my problem.
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xg4bx, google "web rehab". I try to avoid shilling products, but take a look at this e-book. It's not perfect but I found it to be a good place to organize my own rehab process. The author sought therapy for OCD and discovered that what helped that disorder could also help his internet addiction.
I'm in the same boat you're in; I've been unemployed since December and my bad internet addiction became a lot worse since being unemployed. I think I have a pretty good general idea where you are. I'm starting work soon and I decided that if I didn't want to mess up this opportunity, I needed to address this issue. I've tried many things over the years--software that blocked internet access, dropping DSL altogether at home and years of therapy (though it wasn't just about my internet addiction). None of them stuck. I don't know if this round will work for good either, but I know I have to give it a shot.
And yes, I do have withdrawal and craving symptoms. It's incredible how the brain can be trained--both good and bad. I'm now trying to re-wire it...