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http://www1.whdh.com/features/articles/specialreport/DBM1144/
Online Addictions
Air Date: 01/21/2005Video games have come a long way over the last two decades. Many players turn to the Internet…but for some, it has turned into an addiction. Now a new 12-step program is helping them log off. 7’s Christa Delcamp has the story.
Video games can be found online, at home, in bars and restaurants. It’s a multi-billion dollar business and it provides an escape for many.Will Kenny, Loves video games
“In a game you can be powerful, you can control other people, you can be competitive with other people.”Will Kenny is a college student. When he loses himself in the world of video gaming, entire chunks of the day can pass him by.
Will Kenny, Loves video games
“It doesn’t sound like it’s healthy, especially when you hear yourself say it, but I can’t deny it. I’ve done it before. When I can’t blink without my eyes hurting, that’s a pretty dead giveaway that I’ve been staring at the screen way too long.”While Kenny games for enjoyment in a fictitious world, others are hitting the web to try to win and win big. Online poker games have exploded in popularity, according to one site that tracks money spent on online poker.
Since January 2003 it’s estimated that online poker web sites have increased their business by almost 125 million dollars, despite the fact that online gambling is illegal.
For some, gambling of all kinds offers more than an escape from reality. It’s also an addiction.
Dr. Alan Levy, Psychiatrist
“They might not be able to crack the code of the popular clique at school, but they can be master of the universe.”Dr. Alan Levy says there is an allure to achieving the kinds of successes that kids and adults can attain in the world of video gaming – and the activity can become an impulsive behavior, a pleasure seeking behavior that overtakes aspects of a person’s life, harming family, social and work relationships.
Online gamers anonymous has modeled a 12 step program from the group alcoholics anonymous, the key is admitting that gaming is a problem.
Dr. Alan Levy, Psychiatrist
“Individuals who have addictive personalities or impulsive kinds of problems tend not to respond to the same types of medications, such as Ritalin. Psychotherapy and support groups are much more successful in dealing with those issues.”To learn more about the gaming 12 step program:
I’m addicted to scratching my ass, are they going to give me ritalin?
Is that for real? :woo-hoo:
