Tag: Internet Addiction

Stagnant Spirit of Adventure: An Interview with Alex

Posted on by Kevin.

Alex is a member of one of my cyber recovery groups. He is a 23-year old with a very high IQ, but whose life has gone nowhere. He has been booted out of numerous living situations, lost jobs and alienated friends and family, mostly due to his obsession with multiple aspects of video games. Peeling… Read more

I am a Cyber Junkie

Posted on by Kevin.

Over the years, hundreds of cyber-addicted folks have trusted me with their stories.  I am sure that one of the big factors in such trust being placed in me comes from my willingness to share my sordid tales of cyber madness.  I am not just someone who helps cyber junkies; I am one myself. I… Read more

Cyberland: The Great Escape

Posted on by Kevin.

Every participant in my cyber recovery groups shares one thing in common: escapism. Video games, online social networking, and the Internet provide us with alternate realities, different worlds that allow us to avoid the unpleasantness and dissatisfaction of the world we inhabit. The extent to which we avoid our problems mirrors, in many respects, our… Read more

Isolation and Anonymity Online

Posted on by Kevin.

When I was ten years old, a group of outlaw bikers stopped for a few hours in my grandparents’ idyllic lake shore community: Port Sanilac, Michigan. Close to a hundred bikers, many with a female companion in tow, milled around the town on that Saturday afternoon, striking panic into passers-by. None of the terror-stricken townspeople… Read more

Attention in Cyber Land

Posted on by Kevin.

Cyber activities can enhance our ability to pay attention.  One study found, for example, that surgeons who play video games make fewer mistakes in certain laparoscopic procedures than their non-gaming colleagues.  But the video-gaming doctors who participated in the above study only played three hours per week, paling in comparison to the screen time logged… Read more