March 10, 1997
Ivan Goldberg, M.D. started it all as a joke. Internet addiction disorder was intended as a parody of addiction disorders. Instead it has become a subject of research, and some people seem to be building their careers on it.
Janelle Brown, in a December 1996 Wired article quotes Goldberg as saying: "It's all bullshit.... There's no such thing as Internet addiction. The Internet is about as addictive as work: Sure, there are workaholics, but they're simply working to avoid the other problems in their lives."
Kimberly Young Ph.D. was probably the biggest original supporter of the disorder. Her research included a battery of tests that anyone could take at her website. You didn't get any feedback, though, and the tests were lengthy. She is also conducting workshops to assist people in treating the "disorder." In some of her recent writings she has begun using a more moderate term: "pathological internet use". I like this term much better, and I hope that it catches on as a replacement for "internet addiction."
There has been a trend in our society toward labeling any kind of compulsive behavior as an addiction. There are sex addicts, workaholics, shopaholics, and food addicts. Each has at least one 12 step group for recovering persons to attend. The following groups had web sites in 1997. By now there are probably many more.
- Alcoholics Anonymous
- Narcotics Anonymous
- Cocaine Anonymous
- Marijuana Anonymous
- Nicotine Anonymous
- Al-Anon Family Groups
- Adult Children Anonymous
- Overeaters Anonymous
- Food Addicts Anonymous
- Emotions Anonymous
- Incest Survivors Anonymous
- Gamblers Anonymous
- Debtors Anonymous
- Workaholics Anonymous
- Recovering Couples Anonymous
- Sexual Compulsives Anonymous
- Sex Addicts Anonymous
- Sexual Recovery Anonymous
- S-Anon International Family Groups
- Codependents of Sex Addicts Anonymous
- Helping Cross Dressers Anonymous
- A.R.T.S. Anonymous
Netaholics Anonymous is also on the net, but their site is not quite as serious as the others.
Anything which is pleasurable can become compulsive. Sometimes these compulsions ruin people's lives. Does each one really need to be established as a new "disorder"?
An emerging way to think about addictions is that they involve "compulsive use despite harm." By this definition some people There is help available for people suffering from addictions and from compulsive behaviors of different sorts, including compulsive internet use.
I have seen 12 step groups help a lot of people. I recommend these groups to clients who have alcohol and drug problems. One problem that I have with some 12-step groups is that they are rigid. Their motto might as well be "It's my way or the highway." Studies suggest that people stop using chemicals for a number of reasons, and some studies even suggest that a substantial number of people stop without any support group or treatment.
Some people clearly have problems with their Internet use. Future research should help us understand these issues more clearly.
