Internet addiction may seem funny. It is even the subject of many jokes. But even though it seems trivial to many, for some people it can cause as much trouble as heroin, and other drugs. It can even cause serious illness, and death.
For those of you who don’t believe that Internet addiction can kill, read the rest of this. Chinese officials reported today that a man died after a three-day non-stop gaming binge at a Beijing Internet cafe. The 30-year-old man was rushed to the hospital after passing out during the 3 day marathon and was pronounced dead shortly thereafter. Authorities say the cause of death was most likely exhaustion.
The man’s death is part of a disturbing trend amongst gamers who are playing online until it kills them. In 2005, a 28-year-old South Korean man died of exhaustion after a 50-hour marathon gaming session in an Internet cafe. The South Korean man, identified only as Lee, spent 50 straight hours playing the game ‘Starcraft’ in an Internet cafe, pausing only to use the toilet and brief naps. Lee had eaten next to nothing in that time, and was physically exhausted. “We presume the cause of death was heart failure stemming from exhaustion,” a Taegu provincial police official told the Reuters news agency. And in 2002, a 24-year-old South Korean man died after 86 hours of online gaming, while that same year, a 27-year-old Taiwanese man died after 32 hours of Internet gaming.
The Internet is not the enemy just because people become dependent on it. It has many important and necessary benefits. It is a fast way to get information, more ecologically sound than newspapers and magazines, convenient, and informative. In many ways it makes our lives much simpler. The Internet provides an escape from reality and everyday problems just like alcohol or drugs. Some would argue that interaction with other people on the Internet fills a social void. So the Internet can be a really good thing.
However, it becomes a problem when people become so engrossed and enmeshed in on-line activities, and their “other” lives to the point of neglecting their health, relationships, jobs, and other responsibilities. As with many of life’s pleasures, moderation is the key.
Does someone you love show signs of internet addiction such as:
* Preoccupation with the Internet. (Thoughts about previous on-line activity or anticipation of the next on-line session.)
* Use of the Internet in increasing amounts of time in order to achieve satisfaction.
* Repeated, unsuccessful efforts to control, cut back, or stop Internet use.
* Feelings of restlessness, moodiness, depression or irritability when attempting to cut down use of the Internet.
* On-line longer than originally intended.
* Jeopardized or risked loss of significant relationships, job, educational or career opportunities because of Internet use.
* Lies to family members, therapist, or others to conceal the extent of involvement with the Internet.
* Use of the Internet as a way to escape from problems or to relieve a dysphoric mood. (e.g., feelings of hopelessness, guilt, anxiety, depression.)
If this is the case seek help before it is too late.
Illinois Institute for Addiction Recovery Center For Internet Addiction recovery
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7 Responses to “Internet Addiction: A Deadly Pursuit”
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These guys were mostly addicted to gaming, not the internet. Gaming is much more excitement than just surfing the net and maybe chatting. So I guess it all comes down to dopamine and adrenaline …
personally i think id rather be :sleepy: then playing the dang computer all the time but there use to be a time where i could have easily sat in front of the comp for a good day or two without even thinking about other things. as for gaming yes its addictive that is where moderation comes into play or at least it should. But thats not to say that internet isnt addictive by itself because it is and there are more then enough people that are willing to admit to that… thats why we have self help groups and internet addiction is the norm these days…
The internet provides these people with the games that they are addicted to, while allowing them to play against other people who are playing the game through the internet. I do believe there is a problem with internet addiction. I have seen it first hand with my nephew. And when his father want let him play his game, my nephew will bag me for my computer to get on the internet!
I agree with them. My bro is addicted to video games especially Internet video games and I hope I email this article to her in order to show her that Internet addiction is deadly and dangerous.
To help these people who have no self control or general health knowledge…
The government should intervene in appropriate ways…There should be restriction on the internet cafe opeing hours, can’t stay longer than 4 hours etc…retrictions on the game contents and rules so that they do not challenge players to keep going and general education at school and in the media, TV, radio, general public places etc to warn people about this deadly pursuits/behaviours.
It is a sad day to see people dying in vain and in ignorance, in the name of games and modern technology. Well…, instead of using technology to advance our society, and to put it to good use.
End of the day, the people who develop the game, the internet cafes, those who would challege theirs mates to contine gaming like this nad to promote such cultures have all bloods in their hands.
Now that we see how deadly this can leads to, people should act, stop and reflect, take actions and move on so that we do not see more death like this.
Otherwise, the person next going could be your friend, brother or sister!
Our world is already full of so much misery, wars , poverty, famine and diseases etc, we don’t need more death like this.
Life is so much more than just gaming and taking on such futile challenges from the computer games.