Addiction

Sorry, I feel like such a slacker! It's exam week at my school, so I hope that you can imagine how things get stressful and I have to spend more time studying then I normally would. Tomorrow are my last two exams, and after that I'll have more time and post more.

When you hear the word 'addiction', what do you think of? Most people will probably think of drugs or alcohol, and how you use them more and more and they slowly drive you insane. You probably think about how you know the drugs or alcohol are bad for you, you just can't stop using them. But addiction knows no bounds, you can be addicted to almost anything. Think of the TV show on Discovery Fit and Health, 'My Strange Addiction'. People on there are addicted to things like pulling out their hair, bathing in bleach, or sleeping with their blow dryers.
But one addiction that is becoming increasingly common is Internet or video game addiction. I'd say that most people that use Stardoll regularly have been addicted at one point in time, or are addicted. I'm not innocent of it either, I'm addicted. I've been on Stardoll for years, coming back even when I try to leave or getting an account deleted because I'm not sane enough to be on Stardoll. Here's a list of common Internet addiction symptoms...can you see any of them in yourself?

• Going on Stardoll every day without skipping. Do you ever get anxious when you can't go on to check your guestbook comments or go on for 'just five minutes' to see what your friends are up to?
• Losing track of time after getting online. Do you ever get on Stardoll, intending to just check your guestbook messages or see what your friends are up to, being on and off in fifteen minutes, but then look up at the clock and see that hours have passed?
• Going out less and less. Have you ever chose going on Stardoll to talk to your online friends or work on a project rather than going out and doing something with your family or real life friends?
• Spending less and less time on meals at home or at work, and eating in front of the monitor. Have you ever went to get lunch, and then instead of eating at the table like a normal human being, eating while going on Stardoll? After all, you're multitasking!
• Denying spending too much time online. Have you ever lied about how much time you spend on Stardoll? Have you ever not been able to see a friend's point of view when they say you spend too much time online, after all, three hours isn't a lot....right?
• Others complaining that you spend too much time online. Have your parents ever gotten mad and said you spend too much time on the computer?
• Checking Stardoll too many times a day. Even if you can manage to go on in short bursts, have you ever caught yourself checking Stardoll ten times a day or something?
• Logging on when you're busy. Have you ever spent time working on a Stardoll project when you should have been working on schoolwork, or doing your real job?
• Sneaking online when family members are not at home, with a sense on relief. Have you ever tried to hide how much that you're on, going on in secret whenever they're gone?

So, could you be addicted?