I was watching a basketball game one night and found myself reaching for my phone to check Instagram. I wasn’t feeling bored, and my team was playing well at that moment. I checked in with myself to see what feelings I might be trying to avoid, and I discovered that I was feeling worried about my beloved aunt whose health is declining. This insight didn’t prevent me from checking my phone but it did motivate me to move the phone to the other room so I could enjoy the game and explore my feelings toward my aunt.

As a child I used books and bike riding to numb my feelings; there were no cell phones. As an adult I have used overworking, overexercising, and other habits. I’m fascinated by our constant need to be occupied/distracted or busy; an “addiction to busy” with technology and the internet leading the way.

In my prior career, I felt compelled to check my email and phone before, during and after work. After work, my home computer would chime, letting me know I had new messages. I would glance at the screen, intending to answer one or two messages and before I knew it thirty minutes had passed. I was exhibiting at least one of the symptoms of internet addiction- spending more time online than I had originally intended. Today I check email during business hours and no longer use auditory alerts on my computer.

The late Dr. Kimberly Young was a pioneer in the field of Internet/Technology Addiction. Dr. Young studied the pleasure people receive when clicking and finding content on the internet, viewing a text on the phone, reaching a high score in a challenging game, searching for content on Facebook, etc. The variety and intermittent timing of these “hits” is what makes the internet so addictive. She conducted the first study on Internet addiction in 1996 and found that the subjects in her study met the same criteria as individuals who were classified as pathological gamblers; gambling occurs in an environment where there is intermittent reinforcement. When people gamble, there is a pleasurable charge which occurs intermittently; it is called a “variable reinforcement schedule”; that same schedule exists when we use the internet.

Dr. Young developed the first screening measure for diagnosing Internet Addiction, the Internet Addiction Diagnostic Questionnaire (IADQ). The IADQ consists of the eight questions listed below. Sometimes I use this questionnaire to help my clients explore the desire to use their devises to numb out. The next step is usually some Brainspotting our EMDR.

1. Do you feel preoccupied with the Internet, (think about previous online activity or anticipate the next online session)?

2. Do you feel the need to use the Internet with increasing amounts of time in order to achieve satisfaction?

3. Have you repeatedly made unsuccessful efforts to control, cut back, or stop Internet use?

4. Do you feel restless, moody, depressed, or irritable when attempting to cut down or stop internet use?

5. Do you stay online longer than originally intended?

6. Have you jeopardized or risked the loss of a significant relationship, job, or educational or career opportunity because of the Internet?

7. Have you lied to family members, therapists, or others to conceal the extent of involvement with the Internet?

8. Do you use the Internet as a way of escaping from problems or of relieving a dysphoric mood (e.g., feelings of helplessness, guilt, anxiety, depression)?

If you answered yes to 4 or 5 of the questions, you may want to examine your own internet/technology usage. I continue to explore these issues in my own life. I use an out of office message on my business email on weekends but sometimes I slip and take a quick peek; but normally I wait to return email on Monday mornings. I’m working on leaving my phone in another room when I am relaxing in the evenings.

Do you find yourself using the internet, or your devices more often than you’d like?