What are Technology Addictions?
What are technology addictions? Technology addictions are a new health problem. It manifests itself by you being compelled to use your smartphone, computer, or video games. Some symptoms of this type of addiction include the following:
- Needing to be online or have access to technological devices
- Not eating or sleeping while gaming
- Loss of interest in other activities
- Spend his time in front of the computer without breaks
- Can’t stop playing to take care of daily tasks
- Bad school grades
- Talk to people online more often than people offline
- Cranky and nasty when not online
- Wearing adult diapers so you don’t interrupt play.
Gaming addictions can take form in cell phone apps, console games, or computer games
Treatments for Technology Addictions
How do you treat the addiction? You treat it through counseling and also some 12 step programs as well. Other ways of treating the addiction are as follows:
Find the right psychologist to treat you such as a person who has experience in online addiction treatment like gambling. If none available, search for a psychologist that fits your profile then again look for something similar like online gambling or online porn addiction.
Also, choose a therapist. Create a program that you cognitive behavioral therapy. Choose a believer in the video game and technology addiction.
Not all therapists “believe” in technology additions, so make sure you find one who does to treat you or your loved one
Background Information on Technology Addictions
Some background in video game and technology addiction is that other addictions are seen while this one shows that are acknowledged addictions. In reality, there isn’t that much out there about video game and technology addiction as it is fairly new. But what has come out is that with this addiction comes other issues such as weight problems, anxiousness, sleep problems, and social phobias.
People who are addicted to using electronics have trouble handling stressful situations and not a lot of support to help with this issue with stressful situations. Some have a problem with depression which can lead to suicide. Not also that but other addictions that are known pop up under the guise of this video game and technology addiction such as video gambling addiction, eBay, shopping, social media, excessive texting and informational overload online.
You only need to have one of the above addictions to be considered to have a technology addiction
Cell Phone Addiction
Another form of technology addiction is nomophobia or smartphone addiction. It is shown through addiction to social networking, online compulsive behavior, such as gambling, and more. Because you can take a cellular phone anywhere, it is an accessible tool that can be used at any given time. Sometimes your cellular phone is your addiction because you are dependent on it. The issues that arise are loneliness, depression, anxiousness, an increased stress levels, loss of attention, less ability to concentrate, distribution in sleep and encouraging self-absorption.
Even young children can have cell phone addictions
Treatment
There are different ways to treat this addiction much the same way you treat video or internet addiction. You need to find a therapist to discuss things with and also pay attention to yourself. For instance, know what triggers you to reach for your cellular phone when you shouldn’t. You should know that real life and your online life are two separate lives. One isn’t the other and the two aren’t similar.
Make sure to keep your good friends close to you. Also, you need to know what triggers you to reach for your phone when you have things to do and learn coping mechanisms to prevent you from doing so. By leaning coping ways then you can learn to recognize those triggers which we mentioned earlier.
Some things that will help you handle your addiction:
- Schedule your use of your cell phone
- Don’t take your phone or computer to bed
- Plan your free time without cell phone use
- Remove social media apps from your phone
- Limit the checks on your phone (meaning checking voicemail, messages from text, emails, and phone calls received as well as phone calls made, internet, calendar and anything else you can think of).
Again, you can treat cell phone addictions with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy as well as individualized programs or programs in groups run by psychologists.
Delete social media and gaming apps on your phone to combat a cell phone addiction
Conclusion
If after a quick review of the above you still want to look for other ways of treating this addiction, there aren’t really any outside of what was listed above and reading manuals. However, it has to do with changing the behavior that the one with addiction currently has.
For example, limiting their time with their addiction such as the computer, video games, and cellular phones, and monitoring what they do at timed intervals. Make sure that they have time away from the addiction filled with real people and real activities so as to keep them aware of what the real world has to offer.
For those who like group intervention, they do have 12 step programs available; group therapy and camp groups that help the person who has the addiction find their way back into normal society. But as stated there isn’t much else that we can do. As with all addictions, it is truly up to the addict to take the first step and admit that they have a problem. Once that step is taken then only then can we step in and say well we have a suggestion and maybe this will help you. But it will also take them sometimes going cold turkey and not just leaving a little bit to get better. They may not be able to ever use the computer, cell phone or video game again in their lifetime.
Try to stop using technology “cold turkey” if you need not need it for your job or other productive means
Recap
To recap, video game and technology addictions are fairly new in the addiction field and as such not currently recognized as a problem for many groups. However, they are a problem and they come with some serious consequences.
How is it treated? Mostly with individualized sessions with psychologists as well as group sessions and workbooks created with activities for the person to do. Who is a target? Anyone who plays video games and uses technology but especially a danger for the teenaged individual. So to protect the child, the wise parent should be armed with all the knowledge she or he can find on the topic and just keep an eye on her teenager and his friends.
While technology addictions may be more noticeable in teens, it also occurs in adults
Hopefully, this information helps someone out there who has this addiction or knows someone who has it.
