Addicted!
As one that does quite a lot of ministering online, God’s been dealing with me as it relates to my time. I recently ran across this quote from a fairly well known pastor, and it really got my attention: “To master your time is master your life because if you waste your time, you are literally throwing your life away.” Unfortunately, many of us that are online regularly are throwing our lives away, and aren’t even aware of it.
There is a growing number of Internet/Computer Addiction Services because of what mental health professionals are calling “Onlineaholics”. They even have a diagnosis: Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD). An addiction is anything that controls a person, to the point where he/she feels it’s impossible to do without it. Often addictive behavior is an attempt to hide from reality to put off dealing with issues that hurt. And the Internet offers an affordable, anonymous, accessible escape from reality.
Specialists estimate that 10-15 percent of the approximately 250 million Internet users in the United States have a dependency that can be as destructive as alcoholism and/or drug addiction. My own personal research has found that people who abuse the Internet are typically struggling with other problems, like depression and anxiety. And in cases of “Internet withdrawal”, experts say they see similar signs as in alcoholics or drug addicts, including profuse sweating, severe anxiety and paranoid symptoms. Symptoms of Internet Addiction include intense cravings for the computer, lying about how much time is spent online, withdrawing from hobbies and social interaction and back pain/weight gain.
There are 5 specific types of Internet Addiction:
1. Cybersexual Addiction: Either online pornography or adult fantasy chatrooms.
2. Cyber-Relational Addiction: Virtual adultery; Online friends which become more important than real-life relationships.
3. Net Gaming
4. Compulsive Surfing and Data Collection (associated with obsessive compulsive tendencies)
5. Computer Games
Here’s my challenge: log how much time you are spending online. If it’s more time that you spend giving to God (i.e. your prayer time, your quiet time with God, your scripture reading, etc.), I strongly suggest an Internet fast until you can become more disciplined about your time. Who knows? You might be surprised to find out how much time is being devoted to the computer. And know that I’m not asking you to do anything that I’m not doing myself. I’m accepting this challenge as well.
For a quick test to see if you might suffer from Internet Addiction, click here.
Edifying, Encouraging & Enlightening,
Excelsius
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