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Findings and Discussion

Traditional abstinence models of addiction are not practical interventions as Internet use has several academic and professional benefits. The focus of treatment should consist of moderation and controlled use (Young, in press). In this relatively new field, outcome studies are not yet available. However, based upon individual practitioners who have seen Internet addicted subjects and prior research findings with other addictions, several techniques to treat Internet addiction have been developed: (a) practice the opposite time in Internet use, (b) employ external stoppers, (c) set goals, (d) abstain from a particular application, (e) use reminder cards, (f) develop a personal inventory, and (g) enter individual therapy or a support group. The list is not comprehensive, but address the major interventions utilized within the experimental on-line consultation service.

The first three interventions presented are simple time management techniques. However, more aggressive intervention is required when time management alone will not correct pathological Internet use (Young, in press). In these cases, the focus of treatment should be to assist the subject in developing effective coping strategies in order to change the addictive behavior through personal empowerment and proper support systems. If the subject finds positive ways of coping, then reliance upon the Internet to weather frustrations should no longer be necessary. However, keep in mind that in the early days of recovery, the subject will most likely experience a loss and miss being on-line for frequent periods of time. This is normal and should be expected. After all, for most subjects who derive a great source of pleasure from the Internet, living without it being a central part of one’s life can be a very difficult adjustment.

Practice the Opposite

A reorganization of how one’s time is managed is a major element in the treatment of the Internet addict. Therefore, the clinician should take a few minutes with the subject to consider current habits of using the Internet. The clinician should ask the subject, (a) What days of the week do you typically log on-line? (b) What time of day do you usually begin? (c) How long do you stay on during a typical session? and (d) Where do you usually use the computer? Once the clinician has evaluated the specific nature of the subject’s Internet use, it is necessary to construct a new schedule with the client.

Young (1998) refers to this as practicing the opposite. The goal of this exercise is to have subjects disrupt their normal routine and readapt new time patterns of use in an effort to break the on-line habit. For example, let’s say the subject’s Internet habit involves checking E-mail the first thing in the morning. Suggest that the subject take a shower or start breakfast first instead of logging on. Or, perhaps the subject only uses the Internet at night, and has an established pattern of coming home and sitting in front of the computer for the remainder of the evening. The clinician might suggest to the subject to wait until after dinner and the news before logging on. If he uses it every weeknight, have him wait until the weekend, or if she is an all-weekend user, have her shift to just weekdays. If the subject never takes breaks, tell him or her to take one each half hour. If the subject only uses the computer in the den, have him or her move it to the bedroom.

This approach worked for Blaine, a forty eight-year-old school administrator, whose main problem had been staying on-line so long in the morning he would arrive hours late for work. Now he skips his morning on-line session and waits until evening to log on. "It was hard to change at first, almost like giving up my coffee in the morning," he relates. "But after a few days of struggling not to turn on the computer in the morning, I managed to get the hang of it. Now that I wait until evening to read my e-mail form friends, I get to work on time."

External Stoppers

Chris is an eighteen year old who discovered inter-rely chat when he received his Internet account at college. In high school, he was a straight "A" student, but his first semester grade point average was 1.8 due to his 60 hour a week on-line habit. He wrote, "I don’t know what to do. I get so lost when on-line, that I forget how long I have been on. How can I control my time?" Unlike television, the Internet doesn’t have commercial breaks (Young, 1998). Therefore, it is often useful to use concrete things that the subject needs to do or places to go as prompters to help log off. If the subject has to leave for work at 7:30 am, have him or her log in at 6:30, leaving exactly one hour before its time to quit. The danger in this is the subject may ignore such natural alarms. If so, a real alarm clock or egg timer may help. Determine a time that the subject will end the Internet session and preset the alarm and tell the subject to keep it near the computer. When it sounds, it is time to log off. In Chris’s case, the application of external stoppers helped him to reduce his 12 hour on-line sessions to 4 hours, which left ample time for completion of assignments and homework for school.

Setting Goals

Many attempts to limit Internet usage fail because the user relies on an ambiguous plan to trim the hours without determining when those remaining on-line slots will come (Young, 1998). In order to avoid relapse, structured sessions should be programmed for the subject by setting reasonable goals, perhaps 20 hours instead of a current 40. Then, schedule those twenty hours in specific time slots and write them onto a calendar or weekly planner. The subject should keep the Internet sessions brief but frequent. This will help avoid cravings and withdrawal. As an example of a 20-hour schedule, the subject might plan to use the Internet from 8 to 10 p.m. every weeknight, and 1 to 6 on Saturday and Sunday. Or a new 10-hour schedule might include two weeknight sessions from 8:00 - 11:00 p.m., and an 8:30 am - 12:30 p.m. treat on Saturday. Incorporating a tangible schedule of Internet usage will give the subject a sense of being in control, rather than allowing the Internet to take control (Young, 1998).

Bill was a busy corporate marketing executive who found himself spending every evening on-line, and ignoring his wife and two children. He belonged to over 50 newsgroups and read through over 250 E-mails per day. Bill had no significant clinical history, but found himself immersed with newsgroups. He lamented, "My wife complains constantly and my children are always angry with me because I prefer the computer to spending time with them." Bill was very receptive to goal setting and planned his on-line sessions every week. He limited the number of newsgroups from 50 to 25, choosing only the most salient ones. He implemented a specific, time-limited schedule coupled with external stoppers such as an alarm clock to control his on-line habit and make time for his family.

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