5 tips for curbing your Internet addiction
A new study says withdrawing from the Web is similar to coming down from drugs such as ecstasy. Here’s how to avoid that crash—and reclaim your sanity.
Your drug of choice? The Internet.
Researchers at Swansea University found that for those who consistently use the Web, stopping such behavior creates withdrawal effects akin to coming off hardcore drugs.
Swansea Professor Phil Reed tells the Daily Mail:
“Our results show that around half of the young people we studied spend so much time on the net that it has negative consequences for the rest of their lives.
“When people come offline, they suffer increased negative mood—just like people coming off illegal drugs like ecstasy. These initial results, and related studies of brain function, suggest that there are some nasty surprises lurking on the net for people’s wellbeing.”
Last year, the latest version of the DSM—the diagnostic manual that catalogues mental health disorders—added “Internet-use disorder” as a condition for “further study,” according to Slate.
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