ervices. Soon he began neglecting household chores, stopped joining Judy for dinner, and would stumble into bed late at night. So it was apparent that Bob had chosen his virtual life over his real one, so Judy left. (Potera)Internet addiction has been growing more and more, and there is a small chance that it has affected you in your life. But if it does, do you know how to cure this ailment? Obviously, the most used treatment, is to just limit use of the Internet. But this is like asking a smoker to quit cold turkey; it usually isn’t a good diagnosis. Maressa Hecht Orzack says there are two main options in therapy, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT). “CBT is a familiar treatment based on the premise that thoughts determine feelings. Patients are taught to monitor their thoughts and identify those that trigger addictive feelings and actions while they learn new coping skills and ways to prevent a relapse.” So they are taught to ask themselves which are more important, the relationships online, or the real ones. Another treatment is Motivational Enhancement Treatment (MET). “MET is less familiar. Its aim is to help patients acknowledge that they have a problem and need to change their behavior. The stages of change are contemplation, determination, action, maintenance, and contemplation again after a relapse.” Therapists also assess the computer the use of patients in great detail and reaffirm their acknowledgment of the need for help. Therapy groups are the most advised way for treatment. When you can relate to others with others who also have the same problem. The Internet has opened the door of the information age to many people. Actually, the information age was created due to the Internet. Yet, the negatives will never out shadow all the positives that the Internet has done for the world probably, and the Internet is almost assuredly here to stay. So people must be able to use it, w...
