3 ms·
> This isn't a real addiction. And it trivializes what addicts actually go through. This is demonstrated being that it was possible for the author to replace th
by jfim 11y ago
> This isn't a real addiction. And it trivializes what addicts actually go through. This is demonstrated being that it was possible for the author to replace the "higher power" of the 12 steps with someone to unplug the Internet router.
Just like it is possible to fix alcoholism by having someone remove alcohol from the house and gambling by having someone prevent the gambler from walking into a casino.
If using the internet in a harmful way (eg. spending six hours a day reloading 9gag, FB, slashdot or whatever up to the point where it hinders your normal activities), how is it different from alcoholism or gambling?
- thrwy111 11y agoI don't think you can fix gambling or alcohol addiction like that. I'm not saying someone can't be addicted to the Internet. I'm just saying this author's story is not a story of addiction. There is such a mental block with addiction. It's like trying to fix an airplane engine while piloting it. And you're trapped in an infinite loop. It's exhausting. If all it takes is someone to unplug your router, or dump out the alcohol, you are not addicted.
- codemac 11y ago> Just like it is possible to fix alcoholism by having someone remove alcohol from the house It's different because alcohol withdrawal can kill you. It can give people seizures and hospitalize them for weeks. Telling someone to "remove alcohol from the house" as a cure is so left field for me it feels like you're missing the very real medical struggle long-term alcoholics go through. I'm livid but I know this should be a civil conversation. I haven't seen someone's facebook+9gag habits tear a community, family, or person apart. Maybe that's my ignorance.
- jfim 11y agoNone of the "solutions" I mentioned are actually serious solutions and were intended to show that the parent's reasoning didn't work (ie. you're not going to cure internet addiction by unplugging the router just as removing alcohol from the house won't prevent an alcoholic from seeking and obtaining alcohol). Someone who's really addicted to something will seek the object of their addiction and think about it constantly. As you mention, there are also physical components to some addictions, such as alcohol addiction.
- codemac 11y agoWow - ok, I totally missed your point then. Thank you for your reply with explanation, much more sensible than I was interpreting.