new data released from the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania show that more than one million young people currently are using Internet gambling sites on a monthly basis. Among males 18 to 22, Internet gambling doubled in the past year.
The new data are being released by the National Annenberg Risk Survey of Youth, which has tracked gambling among young people ages 14 to 22 since 2002. Based on the survey's most recent estimates, approximately 850,000 males ages 18 to 22 gamble online at least one a month. The corresponding number for males between 14 and 17 is 357,000.
Among the 18- to 22-year-old age group, weekly use of Internet gambling sites increased from 2.3% in 2005 to 5.8% this year, a statistically significant increase.
With a rise in online gambling comes a greater danger of addiction, according to Nancy Petry, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Connecticut’s Center for Gambling Research and Treatment.
In a recent study, Petry found that Internet gamblers were more likely to have a serious gambling than other gamblers. Furthermore, Internet gamblers were more likely to suffer from health and emotional problems such as substance abuse, circulatory disease, depression, and risky sexual behaviors.
As teens and pre-teens go online with greater frequency, the risk for addiction and the form it takes becomes greater. Old favorites such as sports betting and casino games still dominate the Internet but in the future there will be more opportunities that could draw new gamblers into the fold. People can go online and bet about whether Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie will get married or if Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes’s marriage will last. They can bet on the outcome of the Oscars or who will win on Survivor. These are the new kind of bets that are done by people who might not normally visit a gambling site.
As a follow-up to my discussion on online gaming addiction, I received this email from a recovered gaming addict that I wanted to share. I wanted to hear from other gamers to see if physical numbing or problems also result from intensive playing.
"Hello: I play World of Warcraft which I'm sure must be responsible for a great deal of online addiction. I have gone through periods of playing somewhat intensively which I may do for up to 4 hours 4 evenings in a week but then I am suddenly so bored with it that I don't touch it for a month or two then repeat the cycle. So maybe a binge addiction! Anyway, the purpose of this message is to comment on your online survey: Are you an obsessive online gamer? I am a nurse and one thing I have noticed is that frequently people are playing to a point of physical harm. I am in a guild that actually meets every once in a while in San Francisco (so real face time with fellow guildies which I think is unusual) and often they have what seem to me to be tendonitis and other repetitive stress/overuse injuries such as Carpal Tunnel (although as a nurse naturally I would leave diagnosis up to the physicians!). Also I often hear (on Ventrillo which many gamers use for audio) or see (in online comments) remarks that people have tingling or numbness in the nerves of their hands, wrists, forearms, shoulders, or necks, any of which could be the onset of more serious conditions. People seem to accept all this as part of gaming, especially heavy gamers who go on "raids" (something I'd never do) which take hours and hours maybe three times a week to complete. Therefore I think you need to add a question to your online gaming questionnaire: HAVE YOU EVER PLAYED/CONTINUED TO PLAY AN ONLINE GAME AFTER YOUR HANDS OR AMRS BEGIN TO HURT? In this case I am not even addressing lower back pain and possible damage to spine/cartilage, or damage to vision, both of which I suspect as a result of computer use. I think it would be good to see something on your questionnaire about this."
This is an old idea in which some people thought that even one drink could kill thousands of brain cells. Alcohol can kill brain cells, but only after many years of heavy drinking. One old study involved giving alcohol daily to a dog for several weeks, then looking at damaged brain cells in the dog at autopsy. A calculation was made of the number of brain cells damaged, and this was extrapolated backwards to determine how many cells would be damaged with one drink! Obviously alcohol given over time leading to brain cell death has nothing to do with single drinks of alcoholic beverages.
Marijuana has few toxic effects on major organs. Even though it has a well-established effect on mood and can cause dependence, there is no known lethal dose of marijuana in humans.
This is an old notion that suggests recovery takes place in 28-day inpatient treatment centers. We have always known that twelve-step programs are a lifetime commitment, and this is why we use the word “recovering” rather than “recovered”. More modern treatment is taking the attitude that dependence is a chronic medical illness that requires longer treatment and lifetime monitoring.
Euphoria is “a sense of well-being”. Cocaine produces tremendous euphoria, whereas nicotine produces mild euphoria. Yet most experts agree that nicotine and cocaine are both highly dependence-producing. Euphoria is the reason why people use drugs (“to get high”). Dependence (“addiction”) occurs in some, but not all, people who experience euphoria. People who experience dependence have a brain disease.
. The word "substance abuse" is a weak, wimpy, confusing, inaccurate, and misleading term when applied to drug problems. Is there any "substance" that is not a chemical or a drug? Do we only treat drug abusers in "substance abuse" treatment centers? Is it any wonder that policy-makers and the public look down on “addicts” and those who treat them, when it appears that many treatment centers are not sure about what they're treating?
The myth suggests that drug abuse causes drug dependence, when in actuality they are two different drug-use conditions. In many people dependence is preceded by abuse, but some people develop dependence without going through the progression of drug use, abuse, and dependence. In addition, many people abuse drugs for many years without developing the disease of chemical dependence.
. Science is doing its best to develop ways to diagnose those people who willfully make bad choices about their use of drugs, and those who are born with or develop pathological dependence (“addiction”) on drugs. Most people (75-85%) can use cocaine or heroin for a while and stop using when they decide to stop. Others (“chemically dependent”) cannot stop without medical and structured therapy.
. Although this may very well turn out to be true, there is no evidence that ecstasy is addicting. Most people don’t use it long enough to produce serious withdrawal symptoms or signs of “impaired control”. Because of this lack of data, it is not clear whether users of ecstasy will satisfy the necessary criteria for “chemical dependence
Club drugs include ecstasy, GHB, ketamine, rohypnol, methamphetamine, and LSD. We don’t have much solid research on club drugs, but most have been around for 20-30 years or more. Emergency room reports indicate they are very dangerous, especially when mixed with alcohol. Finally, they affect everyone differently, based upon dosage taken and an individual’s sensitivity to the drug.
The term “addiction” as used by the public does not have an exact scientific meaning. A better term is "dependence" (as defined by DSM, see table at the end of this section). Sugar cannot satisfy 3 or more of the DSM criteria for dependence, therefore sugar is not addicting, in a scientific or clinical sense. Also, scientists have not yet found “sugar receptors” in the mesolimbic dopamine system.
Crack is more addicting than cocaine powder. While there are more “crack” “addicts” observed on the streets, this is probably because crack is cheaper and easier to obtain than cocaine powder. But there is no pharmacological reason why the form of a drug or the route of administration should change the “addiction” liability of a drug. In fact, science is beginning to realize that the drug is not the cause of “addiction”; rather, the susceptibility of the person to the drug determines how much “addiction” (dependence) develops.
A smoke-able form of heroin (“black tar” is one type) is not addicting. Does this make any sense? There is no evidence that changing the form of a drug changes its “addiction” potential. This is an on-the-street marketing ploy!
Scientists do not yet agree that caffeine is dependence-producing, according to DSM criteria. While people have marked withdrawal symptoms from using too much caffeine, withdrawal alone is not sufficient to diagnose dependence (“addiction”). Also, caffeine does not have the same “dysregulating” effect on the “dependence pathway” (mesolimbic dopamine system) of the brain, like cocaine or amphetamine do.
"It seems misleading to characterize behaviors as 'addictions' on the basis that people say they do too much of them," says Sara Kiesler, PhD, a researcher at Carnegie Mellon University and co-author of one of the only controlled studies on Internet usage, published in the September 1998 American Psychologist. "No research has yet established that there is a disorder of Internet addiction that is separable from problems such as loneliness or problem gambling, or that a passion for using the Internet is long-lasting."
Most studies of cyberaddiction are deeply problematical because they
draw on small (sometimes ludicrously small) and often self-selected populations
have no independent oversight
involve serious uncertainties about questionnaire structure and data handling or about the interpretation of figures and answers
are not benchmarked against widely recognised independent research
fail to differentiate between time spent online at work and non-occupational use.
Psychologists and psychiatrists formally define substance dependence as a disorder characterized by criteria that include spending a great deal of time using the substance; using it more often than one intends; thinking about reducing use or making repeated unsuccessful efforts to reduce use; giving up important social, family or occupational activities to use it; and reporting withdrawal symptoms when one stops using it. All these criteria can apply to people who watch a lot of television.
no matter how good any given television show is, to look at that tube of lights and shadows almost invariably brings to mind such things as death, tuberculosis, cats howling on the back fence, incest, dishes in the sink, etc.
Such a reaction ... applies particularly to looking at television alone. A hair-in-the-mouth, screaming-nerves sensation comes from viewing television in solitude, an act of the same category as drinking in solitude or taking morphine while shut up in a closet, but much worse.
Furthermore ... to look at it for any length of time, even in the company of others, causes sexual impotence, shortens the life span, makes the hair and teeth fall out, and encourages early psychosis in otherwise normal people.
When people spend dozens of hours weekly at their computers, or on the internet, or playing video games, it is almost certain that some other activities will suffer. The question is, when does this behaviour warrant the label 'addiction'? Addiction is a strong word, calling for both renunciation on the part of the subject and forceful intervention by others ... a behaviour becomes problematic when, and only when, it degrades other important things in life. A 60-hour-a-week compulsive EverQuest user who fails to speak to his own children when they come home from school is engaging in problematic behaviour. But consider the same user, living alone, with all his friends being online and in the game - is his devotion of time to cyberspace problematic? In the end we can only judge whether presence in the virtual world is good or bad by reference to the ordinary daily life of the person making the choice to go there. For some people Earth is where they really ought to spend their time. For others, perhaps the fantasy world is the only decent place available.
United States 244,661,900
Germany 10,030,200
United Kingdom 8,506,800
Australia 5,655,800
Japan 2,700,800
The Netherlands 1,883,800
Russia 1,080,600
Poland 1,049,600
Spain 852,800
Year Titles
1988 1,300
1989 1,350
1990 1,340
1991 1,505
1992 2,200
1993 2,400
1994 3,200
1995 5,700
1996 8,000
1997 8,000
1998 9,200
1999 10,300
2000 11,500
2001 10,900
2002 11,700
2003 11,400
2004 12,000
2005 13,588
A demonstrated "loss of control" when trying to stop or limit the amount of time on the computer. (Breaking promises to self or others. Promising to quit or cut down and not being able to do so)
Being dishonest or minimizing the extent of the time you stay on the computer, or covering up or being dishonest about what activities you participate in when on the computer.
Negative consequences experienced by the computer user or his/her friends or family as a direct result of time or activities spent on the computer.
Participation in high risk or normally unacceptable behaviors when using the computer. Compromising your morals and values based on the opportunity to remain anonymous and protected on the computer. (a good test for this is to ask yourself if your spouse, partner or family would approve of what you were doing on the computer)
An overdeveloped sense of importance for the computer in ones life. Defending your right to use the computer as much as desired, regardless of the fact that people in your life are feeling left out and neglected. (denial of the problem and justification; not being able to hear or feel what the other people are saying regarding your computer behavior)
Mixed feelings of euphoria (a "rush"), combined with feelings of guilt brought on by either the inordinate amount of time spent on the computer or the abnormal behavior acted out while using the computer.
Feelings of depression or anxiety when something or someone shortens your time or interrupts your plans to use the computer.
Preoccupation with the computer and computer activities when you are not using the computer (thinking about the computer and its activities when doing something else; i.e. having a family dinner, working on project deadline etc.)
Finding yourself using the computer at times when you are feeling uncomfortable, irritated, or sad about something happening in your life. ( feeling uncomfortable in your relationship, so you will self medicate and "hide out" on the computer) Using time on the computer to become externally focused outside yourself as a way to avoid facing what is happening in your life, and avoiding feeling the appropriate feelings inside yourself. (self medicating)
Experiencing financial concerns or problems in your life as a result of money being spent on computer hardware, computer on-line charges, or any other costs associated with computers. (Spending money on computer related items which should have been allocated to other normal living expenses)
When someone finally realizes they have a problem, however, help is available. There are a number of web sites available for the treatment of Internet addiction. They include sites like Cyber Anonymous or ”CYANON“ There is even software available for addicts. One such package is Graham’s Mac Shareware. However, trying to cure on-line addiction by going on-line is probably not the best answer. Face to face counseling is probably the best method for dealing with this problem. The availability of this type of counseling is expanding rapidly. Over the past two years, two major clinics have also been established to treat this addiction.
There's a very high use of pornography among Internet addicts. Sixty-two percent of Internet addicts are logging on to porn sites. However, forty-six percent of non-addicts are also logging on to those sites. But don't forget, two-thirds of the 18,000 people we surveyed were men, who tend to access porn sites more regularly. Clearly, an aspect of the addictive nature of the Internet cannot be separated from sexual interest and/or addiction, but I believe there are other aspects of the Internet separate from sexuality that are addictive in and of themselves.
Essentially, if you're spending a lot of time online and it's really interfering with your life. That's the quick thumbnail sketch. If it’s causing difficulty in your life, interfering with work, home or Relationships, than you may have a problem. Questions such as: Are you spending an excessive amount of time online? Are you preoccupied with the Internet? Are you keeping it a secret from people? Do other people think you might have a problem? Do you experience intense intimacy while online? Can you not wait to go online or to use the computer? These can all be signs of addiction.
The first step in dealing with any addictive pattern is identifying it--and identifying it as a problem. Here are a few questions that you might ask yourself:
Have there been times when I told myself to stop trading, but still found myself placing trades any way? ~ Do I find myself overtrading by putting on positions with too large size or by trading during periods when nothing is happening? ~ Have my trading losses created problems for me in my relationship(s), or have they caused financial problems for me? ~ Have people close to me told me that I need to stop trading? Is the pain from losing more extreme than the satisfaction from winning? ~ Do I find my moods fluctuating with my P/L? ~ Do I trade simply out of boredom sometimes? ~ Do I find myself preoccupied with trading outside of market hours at the cost of other work and relationships?
Notice that, for many of these questions, you could substitute the word "drinking" or "gambling" for "trading". The dynamics of addictions are the same across the board. If you answered yes to three or more of these questions, I would suggest that trading has become a problem for you.
How does one deal with addictive trading? The first step is to identify it, but the second--and harder--step is to acknowledge that you need help for it. It's pride that tells us we can handle it on our own through will power, but addictions wouldn't occur in the first place if will power were sufficient to prevent consequences.
Telling yourself you can manage your own addiction is itself a form of denial. That is why a key step in Alcoholics Anonymous is acknowledging that you are powerless against alcohol. That is why AA substitutes mutual support for drinking and advocates abstinence as a goal.
Through books, self-help groups, and counseling, you learn to identify the thought and behavior patterns that drive your addictive behaviors. You also learn to identify cravings in advance and channel these in productive directions.
Most of all, you regain a measure of control over your life and end the negative consequences of the addiction. If you find yourself unable to control your trading and you find the emotional, financial, and social consequences mounting, that's not a passion for trading. It's an addiction.
An addiction occurs when an activity provides a strong source of stimulation that, over time, leads to psychological and sometimes physical dependence. We generally label a behavior as an addiction when people seek out the activity even in the face of demonstrable negative consequences. It is the inability to stop the activity when those consequences interfere with life that marks any addiction.
Let's look at the facts:
According to research cited by the National Council on Problem Gambling, 2 million adults (1% of the population) meet the diagnostic criteria for pathological gambling. Another 4-8 million adults (2-4% of the population) can be considered problem gamblers who are experiencing direct problems as a consequence of gambling.
Research in psychology and psychiatry reported in the Oxford Textbook of Psychopathology finds that between 14 and 16 million Americans meet diagnostic criteria for alcohol abuse or dependence. Between 4-6 million Americans are dependent upon illegal drugs.
Rates of substance abuse among men ages 18-44 are double those of the general population.
A family history of addictive problems is one of the best predictors of risk for addiction. Peer influence is another significant risk factor.
According to a research review in the Oxford Textbook, rates of depression are significantly higher among people with addictions than in the general population, with indications that people are using the addictive activities to medicate themselves for the pain of depression.
Addictions are also most common among individuals with attention deficits and hyperactivity problems and appear to be related to sensation-seeking among those needing stimulation.
Online affairs account for a growing number of divorce cases and it is the most frequently treated problem at the Center for Online Addiction. Partners engaged in an online affair go through several personality changes and often rationalize that an online affair isn’t really cheating. They believe it is a harmless flirtation because it doesn’t involve any “physical touching”. However, the emotional pain and devastation to a once warm and loving relationship is just the same.
Cybersex/Pornography Addiction is a specific sub-type of Internet addiction. Estimates suggest that 1 in 5 Internet addicts are engaged in some form of online sexual activity (primarily viewing cyberporn and/or engaging in cybersex). Studies show that men are more likely to view cyberporn, while women are more likely to engage in erotic chat. People who suffer from low self-esteem, a distorted body image, untreated sexual dysfunction, or a prior sexual addiction are more at risk to develop cybersex/cyberporn addictions. In particular, sex addicts often turn to the Internet as a new and safe sexual outlet to fulfill their underlying compulsive habit.
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