By Helen Headlee | LSU Student
With technologies like laptops and smartphones available the Internet is more accessible than ever before. For the one in 25 college students addicted to the Internet staying away is a constant battle.
Signs of internet addiction include:
* Neglecting relationships with family and friends to stay online
* Surfing the web to escape reality
* Hiding the amount of time on the Internet
The bottom line is whether online activities like shopping, gaming or instant messaging are taking over one's normal routine.
"For us to diagnose a disorder we have to know it's interfering with your day to day life," said clinical psychologist Christine Vinci.
Young and single people are especially likely to get hooked on the web, and between 60 to 80 percent of internet addicts have other disorders such as depression, anxiety and social phobias.
Breaking an internet addiction is difficult because it provides for a high for the addict similar to drug or alcohol use, said Catherine Lemieux, addictions professor and social worker. However, it's not impossible.
"The key to a successful recovery is some kind of support whether from a professional, family members or some other network," Lemieux said.
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