Assess Your On-line Time

To get a clear idea of how much time you (or the Internet addict in your life) spend on this habit, start off by charting the number of hours involved. For starters, categorize your online activities and decide which you favor and to what degree. Use the following checklist to decide where your Internet time goes:

1. Chat rooms – How many hours spent per week? List all the different chat rooms you visit.
2. Interactive games – How many hours? List the different games you play.
3. E-mail – How many hours? Track the number of mails you send and receive daily.
4. Newsgroups – How many hours? List the various groups you participate in.
5. World Wide Web – How many hours? Identify your favorite sites.
6. Other usages – Are there additional applications you’ve discovered on the Net? Name them and total hours spent weekly on each one.

Compare the amount of time spent on each category and rank them in order of your favorite usages. Now add the hours you spend in each category to determine the total number of hours you devote to the Internet. Do not be surprised by the total number of hours you tabulated. You’re not alone. Most users were amazed to realize the full scope of their online devotion and the hours consumed. But how much time makes an addiction?

How much is too much?

There is no definitive border defining the amount of hours spent on the Net that separates normal and addictive Internet usage. An addiction cannot be defined by quantity alone. One cannot arbitrarily say that 10 beers is okay but 11 or more is addiction. Similarly, one cannot claim that 10 hours per week is fine, but once you reached the 11th hour you’re definitely an Internet addict. Instead, gauge the problems the habit caused in your life rate as a more accurate addiction barometer.

Moderation of Internet usage is possible. Unlike other addictions which require total abstinence from the substance, you do not have to give up Internet usage completely. While attempting to regain control over the time you devote to the Net, it helps to employ certain techniques and follow specific guidelines, which brings us to the next strategy.