Drug and Alcohol Rehab Blog

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

A Growing Problem: Internet Addiction

Addiction treatment professionals are facing a new trend: Internet addiction. Professionals are only beginning to understand the similar problem of gambling addiction, and this new trend is leaving them at a loss. Experts anticipate that the problem will grow in coming years. Louise Nadeau, a professor at the Université de Montréal's Department of Psychology, commented:

"The problem isn't widespread but we know of serious cases in which teenagers don't leave the house, don't have interpersonal relationships, and have been isolated in front of their computer screen for the past two or three years, and only speak in the language of the characters they play with in network video games. ... In a few years we'll have couples in therapy because the Internet will have become their main occupation." (Source: sciencedaily.com)

Labels: addiction, gambling, internet