Internet addiction is especially difficult to recover from without help from an internet addiction treatment center. This is largely because the internet is nearly everywhere. Smartphones commonly have data plans and allow you to use public internet connections and many jobs require some form of internet use, even if it’s just a company email account. An internet addiction treatment center can help you reduce and control your internet use. So you can regain control over your life. While the internet is a useful tool that has made communication and productivity more cost-effective and efficient, as many as 8.2% of Americans and Europeans struggle with internet addiction. The internet plays a central roll in both educational and employment settings. This can make it difficult to control internet addiction. Internet addiction is an impulse-control problem, which means that you’re unable to control behavior. Unlike physical addictions, like an opiate or alcohol dependency, behavioral addiction is psychological.

What is Internet Addiction?

Behavioral addictions can encompass a variety of stimuli, ranging from shopping to gambling. Behavioral addiction is psychological. This means you aren’t physically dependent on the behavior in order to feel normal or to avoid withdrawal symptoms. When you develop a behavioral addiction, your brain’s pleasure, and reward center change. When you have an internet addiction, using the internet causes your brain to release an excessive amount of dopamine, which is a neurotransmitter that induces positive and pleasurable moods. An internet addiction operates on a variable ratio reinforcement schedule, meaning that each time you engage in using the internet, you get a different type of reward. This type of variable reward is also present when you gamble. The pleasure you experience when you use the internet drastically increases when you are interacting with stimulating content. These are typically chatting with other users or viewing pornography. Common signs and symptoms of internet addiction include:

• Your internet use is negatively impacting your schoolwork, job, or relationships
• Significant preoccupation with the internet
• Feeling irritable, anxious, or restless when you can’t access the internet
• Failed attempts to reduce or eliminate your internet use
• Lying to others about how much you rely on or use the internet
• Using the internet as a means to escape or reducing negative moods

If your internet use is negatively impacting your life, an internet addiction treatment center can help.

What is an Internet Addiction Treatment Center?

An internet addiction treatment center focuses on helping you learn how to identify and change negative thinking patterns, emotions and behaviors. Although you may not be able to completely avoid using the internet, learning how to control and limit your internet use is an important part of recovery. An internet addiction treatment center offers both inpatient and outpatient treatment options, depending on the severity of your addiction. An internet addiction treatment center can help you learn valuable coping skills that make it easier to avoid relapsing. When you receive help from a recreational addiction treatment programs, you can expect to receive highly individualized care and a personalized treatment plan.

Finding the Best Internet Addiction Treatment Center Today

If your internet use is controlling your life, or if you are spending the majority of your time constantly online, you may suffer from internet addiction. Finding help is the first step in limiting your internet use so you can return to a normal and healthy life. To find out more about the best internet addiction treatment center, call us today at 1.713.528.3709.