Effective Internet Addiction Treatment

Millions of people suffer from internet addiction worldwide which is negatively affecting their lives. Without question the raised profile of social media and other forms of internet usage has increased the numbers of people that have actively undertaken internet addiction treatment.

Internet Addiction is a Type of Process Addiction

Internet addiction is essentially the compulsive overuse of the internet. This can be seen in situations where people are with a group of friends, and not a single one is talking to another – instead, they are all seated at a table together pursuing individual activities via the internet. Internet games and social media outlets are major aspects of internet addiction.

Just like other behavioural or process addictions, an internet addict’s reward centre of the brain lights up just at the thought of being online. Often this is associated with a feeling of being connected. When a person loses the ability to connect to others in real life, or when internet usage is negatively disrupting other parts of their life such as work, school or relationships, this is considered internet addiction.

Tell-Tale Signs of Internet Addiction

Because the internet is so deeply ingrained in modern day life, it is difficult to know when your internet usage has become problematic. Some indicators include losing sleep over internet use, preferring to spend time online rather than with friends and family and fantasizing about the next time you can log on. For a full list of internet addiction signs, please click here.

Effects of Internet Addiction

Internet addiction causes many negative effects in a person’s life, including the following:

• Decreased productivity – regularly browsing the internet, checking email or social media or playing online games cuts into work or school time, causing productivity to suffer.
• Reduction in social life – people suffering from internet addiction tend to go out and interact with friends and family less and less over time.
• Time distortion – many internet addicts lose complete track of time once they are online. Checking email often turns into hours of surfing the web or other online activities before they realise it.
• Escapism – more of a reason for internet addiction rather than solely an effect, many internet addicts use online communities as a way of escaping real life problems. With the problems left untreated, addicts will delve deeper into online communities losing touch with reality.
• Depression – the jury is still out on whether depression causes internet addiction or internet addiction causes depression. Likely, both scenarios are equally possible.
• Social anxiety – being online all the time makes it increasingly harder to deal with face-to-face situations and can cause severe bouts of social anxiety when an addict is forced into social situations.
• Back or wrist pain – both are associated with long periods of computer use.

Types of Internet & Gaming Addiction Treatments

Internet addiction can be treated successfully through both inpatient addiction treatment and outpatient. Which one is more effective depends on each individual’s situation and the severity of the addiction. Outpatient treatment requires an internet addict to attend counselling sessions several times per week while still able to maintain their day to day obligations. This is normally reserved for those whose internet addiction is not yet too severe. In more severe cases, or often when an addict simply wants to focus completely on addiction recovery, inpatient addiction treatment is recommended. In these cases, the addict is required to live at the rehab centre while receiving treatment.

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What are the Benefits of Residential Internet Addiction Rehab?

First and foremost, because internet addiction is so ingrained in daily life, many internet addicts find it incredibly beneficial to be removed from ‘regular’ life. Living at the treatment centre for a period of time allows them to completely unplug from the internet. This makes it easier to deal with cravings to use the internet when they are in a new environment and the internet is simply not accessible.

Other benefits to residential rehab include:

1. Personal and group counselling sessions. The weekly treatment schedule includes one-on-one therapy sessions and daily group therapy sessions. Both types of counselling are absolutely integral to successful addiction recovery.
2. Complete confidentiality. Everything that goes on behind the doors an inpatient addiction treatment centre is completely confidential.
3. 24-hour support. At all times of the day there is a counsellor or support worker available to talk clients through cravings or any other feelings or emotions that may arise during treatment.
4. Less stress. Meals are provided and laundry is cleaned. There are even staff members there to remind clients where they need to be and when for therapy sessions. The only thing that clients at a residential rehab need to worry about is getting better.

Why Choose The Cabin Chiang Mai?

Complete abstinence from internet use is not realistic in today’s modern world – which is why The Cabin Chiang Mai uses a unique treatment method, Recovery Zones, created specifically to treat those addictions in which abstinence is not possible.

Using a combination of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), 12 Steps and mindfulness therapy our treatment programme teaches clients the coping skills and tools necessary to develop healthy internet usage patterns.

Many addiction centres do not have experience these types of addiction, but the Western-trained counsellors at The Cabin Chiang Mai are knowledgeable in these areas and have much experience treating all types of behavioural addictions including internet addiction. Our treatment programme has an above average completion rate of 96% and is offered at a fraction of the cost of similar or lesser luxury rehab centres in the West.