Computer Addiction or Just Modern Life?

Ant writes to tell us that ABC News has an interesting look at computer addiction and what it might take to be considered addicted in today's society. From the article: "Video games and the Internet have been subject to suspicion since the computer became a household fixture. One complaint: People get sucked into spending enormous amounts of time on the computer, to the detriment of other parts of their life. But are they addicted? The answer depends on what you mean by 'addicted.' Most experts say computers are not addictive in the same sense that drugs are, but they could be on the same level as gambling."

My participation in this thread is redundant

[BadAnalogyGuy]

Take over Bos'n!

problem?

[Prophetic_Truth]

problem? problem? i don't have a problem...its valentine's day and i got first post, do you think i have a problem?

Ummm....

[drcagn]

There's no link?

This post is a case study.

[AndreiK]

Note that I am posting this on Valentines day, at 10:30PM instead of spending time with the girlfriend.

Am I addicted? Not in the traditional sense of the word, of course.

ABC News ?

[Yahweh Doesn't Exist]

if it's not "Action News" [slashdot.org], it's not worth my time.

Re:This post is a case study.

[Anonymous Coward]

And me, being his girlfriend and posting from the same house(different subnet), should tell you about the quality of life of the nontraditionally-addicted geek.

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[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Ahha!

[IAAP]

You actually took the time to find the link to the submitters's webpage?

Dude, you need to find a 12 step program - along with me. (I promised on another topic that I'd quit to go to bed. But I can quit anytime I want to...It's just that...I dont' wnt to...I wan't to stay up for more hours... here on /....really...I can quit at anytime...no REALLY....don't touch that RJ-45 connector..GET AWAY!.......(Intervention)

Re:mmm

[Ruff_ilb]

Indeed. I have massive hand stregnth due to my mousing and keyboarding, and the girls always like it when we're good with our hands. And of course, if THAT fails...

Re:problem?

[pHatidic]

Refresh...Refresh...Refresh...Refresh...Valentine' s what?

Re:How about cars?

[Anonymous Coward]

Pointy stick addiction, or just modern life?

I can quit pointy sticks anytime I want. I just don't want to..

Re:Ummm....

[Feanturi]

Oh, I just figured it was a new strategy to mitigate the slashdot effect since most of us don't read TFA anyhow.

Re:Ummm....

[StikyPad]

It's telling that 3 screenfulls of comments were posted before someone noticed the fact that there wasn't a link to TFA.

Re:This post is a case study.

[Average_Joe_Sixpack]

Note that I am posting this on Valentines day, at 10:30PM instead of spending time with the girlfriend.

... and by girlfriend you mean an actual human female and not a cardboard cut out of Mavis Beacon Typing Tutor? Cause trust me dude I've been down that road.

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[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Oh, yeah?!

[kclittle]

"Most experts say computers are not addictive in the same sense that drugs are, but they could be on the same level as gambling.

I'll bet you a $100 they're not... right after I reach level 45 on WoW...

Re:How about cars?

[sien]

Please keep your clothes addiction.

Think of the children.

Re:problem?

[Anonymous Coward]

Oh great, by this reasoning I'm addicted to the toilet; whatever shall I do?

Well...

[JimXugle]

If it's 11:20 PM on Valentine's day and you're posting on /. then you're addicted.

Re:mmm

[Anonymous Coward]

Massive hand strength from what, did you say?

GF!!

[mikefitz]

An addiction? Nope. It is the perfect medium for me to see what my ex girlfriend is doing - I check her away messages on aim all the time. Right now she is on a Valentines date with her new boyfriend. I can't wait until she comes to her senses and we get back together, this is SO us! *cries* /goes back to tech-report.

Re:Addicted to Slashdot on Valentine's Day

[JonathanR]

You're putting it in the wrong hole...

Re:mmm

[calculadoru]

Addiction is not necessarily bad.

That is precisely what an addict would say.

Re:This post is a case study.

[bitflip]

If you were both drug addicts, you'd probably be spending the evening together.

Why settle for just one?

[greg1104]

I'm reading comments here while also sitting at two tables playing Texas Hold'Em on-line. Why distinguish between Internet and gambling addictions when you can have both?

Re:How about cars?

[Anonymous Coward]

> Automobile addiction, or just modern life?

G. W. already covered this one, it's oil addiction.

Re:mmm

[Compholio]

Indeed. I have massive hand stregnth due to my mousing and keyboarding, and the girls always like it when we're good with our hands. And of course, if THAT fails...

You're going to learn to type with your tongue?

Re:problem?

[strider44]

Hell I heard that many slashdotters in America didn't even know there was a huge blizzard going on since, after all, their overclocked P4s were keeping the basement to a nice toasty 40c.

Re:problem?

[Anonymous Coward]

Valentine' s what?

Even on Slashdot, ignorance like this is ridiculous. Valentine's Day, of course, celebrates ones of the most famous massacres. You're supposed to give gifts of appeasement to avoid another one.

Not an addiction

[nido]

A competent hypnotist I know says 'addictive' things are the ones where you die if it's taken away, or at least get some serious withdrawal symptoms. If there's no physical dependancy [wikipedia.org], it's not a "real" addiction.

You might get a few jitters if you quit your internet habit cold-turkey, but you'll be okay. "Addiction Medicine" specialists deal with people who've developed chemical dependancies. Good hypnotists help deal with the psychological aspects of an addiction, but they need to work with a doctor-type to keep an addict's withdrawal symptoms under control.

No, what you & I share is an internet compulsion. I was doing pretty well getting mine under control, with the help of a capable cranial osteopath (one who utilizes the 'biodynamic' contribution. Biodynamic Cranio-Sacral Therapists also seem to be good, but my experience is that the Osteopathic vision prescription is important too, and therapists can't do that).

Then I went to a giant used booksale this weekend, and strained my poor shoulders carrying 50+ lbs of books back to the car (in the free parking, 3/4 mile away. Yah, 50lbs isn't a whole lot, but I gave up the wheel [lifelineusa.com] and rubber band training [lifelineusa.com] when they didn't do jack for my typing problem. Ended up going to the Osteopath for that, and am finding that my compulsive behaviors are going away too. Sweet!).

My upper spine is now totally jacked (strains in the muscle & facial tissue pulling the vertebrae out of place), and I went straight for the internet vices I thought I'd kicked (2 weeks without internet porn). Oh well... I've tasted freedom, and I LIKE IT. Guess I ought to move up my next appointment.

I was done with this post, but since it is Valentine's day... One of the things my doctor said after 8 or 12 sessions was that my head was finally working right, and that I'd be making all sorts of snappy comebacks to people (I took a knock to the chin 7+ years ago; slight bleeding on the brain, don't remember 2 weeks, misshapen head [my experience is that cranial bones don't fuse, and are slightly mobile], years later followed with an RSI, TMJ, etc.). True enough, later that week I shot back at my mom, insteading of taking it on the chin like I had before.

While I'm currently single (had a girl friend once, last few months of high school, years ago), part of my problem talking with the ladies has been that I'd always been tongue tied in their presence. But now that's going away too, and I know it's the Osteopathic treatments. You can study all the seduction technique in the world, but you still won't get laid if you freeze up around the opposite sex.

(note to moderators: some of you don't believe in what's been slanderously labeled as "alternative medicine", and will waste your modpoints knocking this down. This post is not "ra-ra" cheerleading for hokey 'therapies', but simply sharing my experience with health technologies that are working for me. Hence the italics. It's more than a placebo effect, because the first 3-5 placebos didn't do anything. If you don't agree for whatever reason, please share your experience in a post. Thanks.)

Re:How about cars?

[Anonymous Coward]

how can i have children if keep clothes addiction?

Re:Addicted to Slashdot on Valentine's Day

[Darth Liberus]

are generally less inclined to fool around.

No truer words have ever been spoken. Fooling around is nowhere near as fun as blowing your wad on the latest graphics card.

No, I'm not kidding.

Re:They were never this concerned about TV habits

[DaveV1.0]

TV Exec: Hey, Bub! Youse is muscling in our turf. Youse guys gotta stop that, see, or something bad is gonna happen

ISP Exec: Oh yeah?

TV Exec: YEAH!

ISP Exec: What youse gonna do about it?

TV Exec: You'll see...

( TV Exec heads off to make up story about computer addiction )

TV Exec: That will show them for trying to muscle in and take OUR addicts!