Our counselors offer services for internet addiction in Westborough, MA

Therapy in Westborough, MA for Internet Addiction

For some people, a technology detox is a welcomed thought, and they can unplug without a problem. However, others have difficulty. They may mindlessly reach for their phone, lose track of how long they are online, or even take risks that put themselves in danger online. Compulsive Internet shares many characteristics with other behavioral addictions—like gambling or shopping. Just like other compulsions, Internet addiction has effective treatments.

More and more, Thriveworks Counseling in Westborough Internet Addiction Therapists are seeing clients who are addicted to the Internet, but our therapists understand what it takes to re-establish balance and control in an individual’s life. Many people are found the help they needed for their compulsive Internet use by working with a therapist at Thriveworks Westborough.

Internet Addiction and Compulsion

When people display a minimum of five of the following, they may be addicted to the Internet:

1. Escalating the amount of time one spends online or the risks one takes online in order to feel content.
2. Being obsessed with the Internet—thinking about it constantly, even when not online.
3. Losing control and spending more time online than one planned or wanted to spend.
4. Difficulty stopping or limiting how much one is online or what one does online.
5. Lying to loved ones about one’s Internet use.
6. Jeopardizing one’s personal or professional life in order to be online or do certain things online.
7. Self-medicating with the Internet—using it to regulate one’s mood and difficult emotions.
8. Feeling irritable, moody, or depressed with unable to go online.

Internet addiction can manifest in a number of ways, such as…

• Cybersex addiction: Losing control over how much one uses the Internet for sex and/or porn.
• Net compulsions: Using the Internet to gamble, shop, or day-trade compulsively.
• Computer addiction: Playing video games on the Internet obsessively.
• Information addiction: Endlessly scrolling through websites, databases, or social media.
• Cyber-relationship addiction: Compulsive and controlling online relationships.

Internet Addiction’s Physical and Emotional Toll

What happens online can take a toll in an individual’s real life. Just as other addictions can extract a severe toll in an individual’s life, so can Internet addiction.

Physically, compulsive Internet use can cause poor personal hygiene, weight gain or loss, insomnia, and neck pain, among other issues. Emotionally, compulsive Internet use can cause depression, loneliness, isolation, and more.

Reaching Out for Help at Thriveworks in Westborough for Compulsive Internet Use

If you are ready to work with a mental health professional, know that Thriveworks in Westborough is ready to meet with you. We have appointments available for Internet addiction. When you contact our office, your first appointment may be within the same week. We work with many different insurance companies, and we offer weekend and evening sessions. Let’s work together. Call today.