The third day, the tech calls with bad news: a part has to be ordered. Anxiously you ask how long that will take? Oh, only a few more days, he says; but your palms sweat, your heart pounds as you wonder what you'll do during this empty interval?
You have no options, however; you must accept the delay in getting back on-line. Already you've felt vaguely at loose ends -- so you did all those pesky, boring tasks you'd been putting off since going on-line. But now, everything is finished -- you're way ahead of your work schedule, or household chores or parenting/marital responsibilities. What on earth will you do to fill this void where on-line activity once fit in a perfect niche?
You vow to do some serious soul-searching, deep reflection about what your reactions mean in terms of being on-line. Is it an addiction or not? Certainly, it's not a destructive, escapist addiction -- like liquor or drugs or pulp fiction or mindless TV viewing. However, something is definitely wrong if your activity on-line is this important, enough so that the wild, impractical idea of dashing off to buy a NEW computer has occurred to you!
What is the absorbing attraction for that ephemeral on-line world which you feel compelled to join frequently? And it IS ephemeral you realize with a chilling shock: The chat/email friends are faraway geographically, the interactive web is unreal in that it exists ONLY within an electronic realm -- not touchable, not accessible EXCEPT via computer.
Suddenly you are scared, frightened by a horrendous sci-fi vision of a virtual world portrayed in cheap techno-thrillers that expose a grim, dark side to computer- mania.
A day or so passes, and you are still pondering why you miss the net activity. Has your cyberlover forgotten you? Found another in the plentiful supply of willing opposite (and same) sex partners on-line? Is your email overflowing, being kicked back to those trying to reach you? Worse, has no one even missed your on-line presence?
Admittedly, you may have access to a work computer -- but if you utilize it for email and/or on-line socializing/entertainment, as you do your home PC -- isn't that a sign of addiction?
Several days later, you are feeling better; you've resumed living a semblance of your former life prior to going on-line: spending more time with family, reading a literary classic, watching a good movie -- or even being creative with a former hobby, a home project. It dawns on you that the on-line community has continued unabated without you. Really, did you imagine your presence would be noticed, acknowledged among the hordes of on-line junkies? You're momentarily stunned at this personal insight -- you had actually WANTED to be known, to be part of that artificial electronic universe peopled by strangers!
The fact is though, your presence there is as insubstantial as those shadowy personae created in the murky social structures on the Net -- chat groups, multi- player gaming, email/IM relationships -- ephemeral and elusive realms constructed for individual indulgence. And now, now that YOU have learned this lesson, you vow never to fall victim to this netherworld of addictive behavior again!
Even so, when the phone rings and the tech informs you your computer is ready, you feel lightheaded and you race out the door, heedless of those calling after you, family, friends.
You tell yourself it's not like drugs or liquor or mindless TV but...
Your palms sweat,
Your heart pounds,
You hate to admit it
But you're addicted to the net!
TEN SYMPTOMS OF NET ADDICTION
1. Can't control time on machine.
2. Lie about time spent.
3. Suffer negative consequences from time spent.
4. Compromise morals by using anonymous personae.
5. Have an overdeveloped sense of importance for the PC in your life.
6. Experience mixed feelings of euphoria and guilt from being on-line.
7. Become depressed when sessions are cut short by outside influences.
8. Are preoccupied with PC use.
9. Use the computer as an outlet when depressed or sad.
10. Cause financial problems from computer use.
--National Counseling Intervention Services
