Addiction is a complex phenomenon that develops due to genetic, environmental, and psychological factors. Compulsive drug use or engaging in an activity despite negative consequences defines addiction as a chronic condition. In some individuals, the brains reward system becomes dysregulated, and they start to associate certain substances or behaviors with a strong sense of pleasure. The role of dopamine and its impact on the brains reward system exacerbates addiction and highlights the need for a comprehensive approach to address this complex phenomenon.
The Concepts of Addiction
Because addiction alters the structure and function of the brain, it is challenging to break the cycle of addiction. Over time, the brain adjusts to repeated substance use or behavior and becomes dependent on it for normal functioning (PBS, 2019). The substance or behavior becomes ingrained in the brain, making it extremely difficult to stop using or engaging in it. The brains desire for the substance or behavior becomes so strong that it can override an individuals willpower and motivation to quit (PBS, 2019). Dopamine is a brain neurotransmitter that is associated with reason. It is responsible for producing feelings of pleasure and reward, which reinforces behaviors and encourages repetition.
Drug use can have a significant impact on the physiological structure of the brain. Chronic substance use can cause changes in the brains reward system, making it more difficult to feel pleasure from natural rewards (PBS, 2019). It can also cause changes in the brains memory, learning, and decision-making processes. The connection between trauma and addiction lies in the fact that individuals who have experienced trauma are at a higher risk of developing an addiction. The initial video caused mixed feelings that are hard to describe; I feel pity and encouragement at the same time. After watching the video, questions arise as to whether addiction is necessary for a person as a biological being and why it appeared in the process of evolution.
Conclusion
In conclusion, addiction is a complex phenomenon that develops due to genetic, environmental, and psychological factors. The cycle of addiction is difficult to break due to the changes in the brain due to substance use or behavior. Dopamine plays a crucial role in the development of addiction, and drug use can significantly impact the brains physiological structure. It is crucial for individuals to understand the underlying causes of addiction and to seek support in overcoming this chronic condition to improve their quality of life.
Fast food has become so embedded in the daily menu that many can no longer imagine their life without cheeseburgers, fried potatoes, and other snacks. Researchers have been writing about the dangers of such food for a long time and constantly, but there are also useful elements in it. Both presented articles argue the harmfulness of fast food, but the scientific article provides evidence of the existence of healthy fast food, while the popular science article focuses on the harm of such food.
Both articles contain an explanation of the factors that make fast food harmful to health. Thus, the authors of both works agree that a large amount of sugar and fats in fast food products leads to the early development of heart and vascular diseases and obesity. People who often eat fried food are more likely to be diagnosed with high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol concentration. According to scientists, this is a provoking factor in the development of atherosclerosis and many other serious pathologies. Due to frying in a huge amount of oil, where the carcinogen acrylamide is formed, the consumer receives one of the most harmful products. If one eats it constantly, it will lead to weight gain and deterioration of health.
The authors of the two articles note that a person will begin to suffer from high cholesterol with regular consumption of fast food in large quantities in the near future. If a moderate amount of fat enters the body, then the body transports it in small volumes. Excessive consumption of smoked (bacon), fried (French fries), and other similar products increases cardiovascular disease risk. This is due to the fact that elevated cholesterol levels lead to increased pressure, numbness of the limbs, and ultimately heart attacks and strokes.
Although both articles examine the negative effects of fast food, Mohiuddins work provides a larger list of consequences and refers to numerous previous types of research to advocate for ones point. For example, Mohiuddin, adding to the health risk factors mentioned above, claims that fast food consumption may lead to type 2 diabetes, cancer, reduced muscle strength and physical performance, reproduction issues, and dental cavities. In this regard, he notes that previous studies found a direct relationship between increased unhealthy food consumption and lung, stomach, colon, and rectal cancer (7). Additionally, the author shortly notes that fast food may positively impact the body, such as stimulating certain enzymes that are otherwise dormant (Mohiuddin, 8). Therefore, the scholar maintains the importance of limited fast food consumption. However, in this regard, his biggest concern is related to the fact that fast food producers do not declare the fat content of their products, which makes it more difficult for customers to regulate their diet.
On the other hand, the article Heres How Fast Food Can Affect Your Body uses quite a simple language that can be easily accessible to everyone and discusses the problem straight to the point. Moreover, the paper uses a more engaging and relatable language generally, the difference between scientific and popular literature. For instance, it says, When 5 p.m. rolls around, and you havent given a single thought to whats for dinner& the burger joint down the street might be calling your name ( Heres How Fast Food). In conclusion, the paper suggests that it is possible to rarely consume fast food, but it urges the readers to always consider burning the excess calories after the meal.
In summary, both articles discuss the negative effects that fast food has on the human body. However, if Mohiuddins work provides more evidence-based information and a longer list of consequences, the second article explains everything simply and engagingly. Yet, the authors of both pieces agree on the necessity to limit fast food consumption. As for reducing the negative impact of fast food consumption, Mohiuddin suggests that all sellers should be transparent about their products fat content. Conversely, the second article suggests that people should engage in physical activity after each fast food intake.
Works Cited
Heres How Fast Food Can Affect Your Body. Cleveland Clinic, 2021, Web.
Mohiuddin, A. K. Fast Food Addiction: A Major Public Health Concern. Journal of Diabetes, Obesity & Metabolism, vol. 2, no. 2, 2019, pp. 1-12.
Sugar, although not always consumed directly, has become an inevitable part of peoples diet. Currently, it comprises more than 10% of ones daily calorie intake, whereas the recommended dose should not exceed 5% of an average ratio (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Such an increase in sugar consumption happens due to two major reasons. First, many people do not realize that the majority of food consists of added sugars, even if the food itself is not sweet. Sugars are divided into two major groups: natural sugars such as lactose and fructose and added sugars used to sweeten the products artificially (Jacques et al.). Second, sugar consumption develops a solid predisposition to addiction and craving. Thus, increased consumption of sugar contributes to the release of dopamine to the body, contributing to the risk of craving.
The researchers have estimated that sugar has a significant impact on the human brain, with uncontrolled consumption leading to addiction and cognitive impairments. As Jacques et al. (2019) state, sugar consumption, while required by the brain to promote cognitive development, is also consumed by people for the sake of pleasure and mere comfort. Added sugars have an extremely strong dopamine response, as the consumption of sugar helps the brain release dopamine to the blood. The dependence on dopamine release grows unprecedentedly and contributes to the emergence of cravings and a higher tolerance for sugar intake, demanding a more significant sugar dose for the hormone release. Hence, the consumption of added sugars has the properties of addiction, as it consists of a dopamine reward system and has severe withdrawal symptoms. For example, in a study analyzing withdrawal from sugar-sweetened beverages among adolescents, the findings indicate that during SSB cessation, adolescents reported increased SSB cravings and headache and decreased motivation, contentment, ability to concentrate, and overall well-being (Falbe et al. 1). For this reason, it is necessary to address sugar dependence as any other hazardous brain addiction.
There exists an argument that despite having the properties of severe addiction, sugar, unlike other hazardous substances, remains legal. However, when compared to the tobacco and alcohol industry, the consumption of sugar is more complicated because glucose remains crucial for ones cognitive development. Tobacco and alcohol consumption do not present any value to the cognitive and emotional well-being of an individual, and, in most cases, they tend to interfere with peoples homeostasis. On the other hand, restrictions on sugar lead to glucose deficiency, resulting in a lack of body energy and the inability to function properly.
For this reason, the suggestion to impose restrictions on sugar intake is risky due to the fact that every individual has an individual metabolism pattern, and there is no commonly accepted norm of glucose required by the body. However, in order to avoid the adverse effects of sugar intake, a plausible suggestion would be to increase taxation on beverages with added sugars and other hazardous products. In the example of Australia, it has been demonstrated that such an initiative contributes to the reduced consumption of sugary drinks (Allen and Allen). Considering the information above, it can be concluded that sugar, while impossible to eliminate from the diet, should be regulated by health care professionals, individuals, and, in some cases, public authorities. Excessive sugar intake is a detrimental addiction that should be addressed through education rather than an explicit ban.
Works Cited
Allen, William MK, and Katrina J. Allen. Should Australia tax sugarsweetened beverages? Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, vol. 56, no. 1, 2020, pp. 8-15.
Falbe, Jennifer, et al. Potentially Addictive Properties of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Among Adolescents. Appetite, vol.133, 2019, pp. 130-137.
Jacques, Angela, et al. The Impact of Sugar Consumption on Stress Driven, Emotional and Addictive Behaviors. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, vol. 103, 2019, pp. 178-199.
In America, addiction to oil results in high oil prices and a unique structure of economy dependent upon crude oil. The future of oil in the world economy is one of the most controversial topics in international affairs at the present time. With the different views held by the producing and consuming countries, it seems that clashes of interest will occur, with perhaps even greater frequency in the future. There is no doubt that the Western governments were shocked with the use of oil as a political weapon by the Arabs and also by the impact which this had on the worlds economy. It caused all of them to re-evaluate their energy policies and, in particular, make greater use of alternative fuels and more efficient use of energy. Of particular interest is the marked growth in the use of natural gas, which before the early 1990s, was flared without any beneficial use in many of the oil producing countries. A different pattern prevails in the USA over the same period (Falola and Genova 33). Here both the consumption of oil and natural gas have shown significant decreases of 4 and 20 per cent respectively. In the world context, the USA is unusual in so far as it has been a major user of natural gas for many years now. Today petroleum products in the USA make up only 66 per cent of energy consumption, compared with over 80 per cent in 1972. This has been achieved largely by a considerable increase in the use of solid fuels and nuclear power. It is also worthy of note that total energy consumption in the USA has only grown by 8 per cent between 1990-1993, while world consumption has gone up by 37 per cent. This reveals the increased energy consciousness within a country which still consumes 24 per cent of the worlds energy, yet contains only about 5 per cent of the worlds population At the present day, the USA is almost self-sufficient in terms of natural gas, but it has to import about 45 per cent or 224 million tonnes of its oil needs. In Western Europe, the situation with regard to oil is even more critical as the consumption of 566.8 million tonnes ( 1985) is 198 per cent more than is produced. Even this seems insignificant when one considers Japan which produces only 0.5 million tonnes per year and yet needs 201.3 million tonnes. These facts illustrate the strategic importance of oil movements to maintain the Western nations (Falola and Genova 39). Although the USA now obtains most of its oil needs from Latin America, Western Europe and Japan remain highly dependent on the Middle East and North Africa for their oil supplies both now and into the foreseeable future. There can be no doubt, therefore, that the Middle East will continue to play a vital role during the remaining years of the twentieth century as a petroleum source for the developed and developing nations of the world equally, though it seems likely that oil and natural gas will continue to become less important as primary energy sources in the twenty-first century. Oil will have played an important role in the development of the worlds economy, but before the bicentenary of its discovery in commercial quantities is reached, its heyday will be well past.
For third world countries, including China and India, oil is the main source of energy. These countries buy oil from Middle East companies or use gas. Besides the proven oil resources, there is always an interest for strategic planning purposes as to the amounts of oil which might still be discovered in a region in the future. The United States Geological Survey has estimated the probability of the amount of undiscovered oil in the Arabian-Iranian basin, which is the richest petroleum province in the world. As far as the individual countries are concerned, the crucial figure is how much oil revenue the government receives. This is related to both the price of the oil and the volume produced (Falola and Genova 41). Over the last few years, certain OPEC countries have attempted to keep their revenue totals high by increasing production when oil prices have been falling. The net effect of this has been to release more oil onto a market already suffering from over-production. The result has been to push prices even lower. Since the early 1980s, OPEC has been aware of this growing problem and has attempted to enforce a system of production quotas on the member states, though with varying degrees of success. During this period, it has only been the Saudi Arabian governments willingness to cut back its own production substantially, which has prevented the price of oil from falling more rapidly than in fact occurred. Suppose it had not been for the fall of the Shah and the Gulf War between Iraq and Iran, which both disrupted oil production. Then an oil glut would have depressed world prices even earlier (Falola and Genova 66). Over the years, the importance of oil revenues has been in the development potential it has provided for the country which has received them. In these early days, it was oil companies themselves, which were the major agents of change. Even in those countries where large reserves are known, such as Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, there is a growing awareness that petroleum supplies will one day come to an end, and an increasing desire to ensure that the countrys economy is on a sound footing before this happens. One of the main problems is that as oil is removed from a reservoir, it becomes increasingly expensive to obtain what remains until eventually, the costs of extracting the oil can equal the revenues which can be obtained from it (Falola and Genova 43).
In sum, addiction to oil can be explained as a policy followed by the USA and its partners for decades. Estimates of the worlds oil resources are made at regular intervals by the petroleum industry. These figures are never constant, owing to the dynamic nature of the industry. The total rises as new oil fields are discovered, but with every year of production, the reserves are being depleted. On balance, however, the net total of known reserves has steadily risen since records were first made. Since 1970, the rate of new discoveries relative to oil consumption does appear to have slowed down considerably, though the trend still remains upwards. The distribution of the estimated proven oil reserves throughout the world varies greatly from one region to another. In particular, the area of Southwest Asia alone contains 56.4 per cent of the worlds reserves.
Works Cited
Falola, T., Genova, A. The Politics of the Global Oil Industry: An Introduction Praeger Publishers, 2005.
The conflict between Israelis and the Palestinians has been so brutal over the last decades, and there have been many failed attempts to reach a settlement. However, the solution is not on the horizon, and there are many forms of extreme reactions like the cult of martyrdom and suicide bombing among the Palestinians that are still quite ill-understood. In his essay “The Culture of Martyrdom: How Suicide Bombing became not Just a Means but an End,” Brooks provides an analysis of the cultural status of suicide bombing among the Palestinians. Brooks’s argument is not without weight, but it can be said that he provides a compelling case for seeing suicide bombing as an addiction, but he fails to justify his claim that it is an end in itself, and from there a huge difference in the application of the argument follows.
It seems to be true that the Palestinian culture is deeply addicted to martyrdom. Brooks’s evidence for that claim is ample. The TV shows and bizarre statements in combinations with appalling exhibitions speak to the conclusion that there is some kind of perverted cultural obsession with martyrdom, for which the idea of addiction is the closest metaphor. It might not be the case that the source of addiction is the sheer sense of adrenaline and rush caused by violence, as Brooks (82) would suggest. Rather, I would argue that the addictive component of the practice comes from the sense of countering injustice and dying for a cause.
At this point, I come to the main disagreement that I have with Brooks’ argument. Namely, I do not agree that martyrdom has become an end in itself. Crucially, Brooks (83) writes,
There are two ways to look at this: One, the parents feel so wronged and humiliated by the Israelis that they would rather sacrifice their children then continue passively to endure. Two, the cult of suicide bombing has infected the broader culture to the point where large parts of society, including the bomber’s parents, are addicted to the adrenaline rush of vengeance and murder.”
It seems to me that both of these assertions are true. Namely, martyrdom as addiction has arisen in an attempt to offset the injustice that is so intimately felt by the Palestinian people.
It is crucial to think about the nature of addiction and to understand it well in order to grasp the reason for my disagreement with Brooks. Namely, I believe that it is impossible to think about addiction as an end in itself. Consequently, Brooks has to be mistaken in thinking that one practice can be both an end in itself and an addiction. Addiction might sometimes be thought of as an end in itself and a practice that is engaged in by certain people just for the sake of it. However, upon more careful analysis, it turns out that addiction is never an end of a consciously direct process, but rather a response to something else. Studies in the psychology of addiction have shown that addictions are often merely symptoms of an underlying malady that addicts face.
These underlying maladies can be of various sorts, like economic hardships, disappointment, severe depression, etc. Individuals become addicts out of sheer desperation and in an attempt to both run away from the reality of their lives and end their lives in a slow manner. Martyrdom can indeed be the ultimate form of addiction as it is one move that negates the reality and ends one’s life instantly. It might be the ultimate form of response to despair. All attempts to look at addiction as an end in itself inevitably negate this feeling of despair that every addict would report.
With this insight in mind, we can look at the potential underlying causes of this strange addiction to martyrdom. If we accept the idea that every addiction is merely a symptom of an underlying malady, as I believe we should, it will follow that if we are to understand the quest for martyrdom on the part of Palestinians as addiction, we would need to look for its underlying causes. I think that we should look no further than the, in my view, false dichotomy that Brooks offered in the quotation given above. It is not the case that martyrdom arises either from the profoundly felt injustice or a broad cultural addiction, but a true characterization of it would make room for both of these explanations. In other words, I would argue that the injustice that the Palestinians have experienced and the sense of complete inability to rectify that injustice have caused the entire Palestinian nation to sink into despair.
Once a society sinks into despair, violent addictions and extreme political ideologies are bound to emerge. History is filled with examples of these potent ideological opiates. One need not look further than the famous case of Nazi-Germany in the 1930s as a reaction to the utter failure of the German state in the 1920s as a result of unjust peace settlement at Versailles. The hardships of failed working-class communities in the US from Detroit to New Jersey have given rise to a combination of both classical addictions on drugs and many extreme ideologies.
In conclusion, Brooks provides a quite compelling argument that that cult of martyrdom among Palestinians has become a form of addiction. However, he is not as convincing in his claim that this addiction is actually an end in itself. Like any other addiction, the cult of martyrdom is caused by a profound sense of despair that forces people to reject the reality around themselves and end their own lives in an indirect manner. Therefore, the injustice that is felt by the Palestinians is forcing them to resort to this ultimate form of addiction, which is martyrdom.
Works Cited
Brooks, D. “The Culture of Martyrdom: How Suicide Bombing became not Just a Means but an End.” Pearson Custom Library: English Mercury Reader. Ed. Kathleen, S. Cain, Janice Neuleib and Stephen Ruffus. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson, 2012. 80-86. Web.
Since 1979 when the first microcomputer came to the US and Great Britain there has been very extensive growth in the areas of computers. Since that time humanity started to speak of different signs of “computer addiction” – the term stands to emphasize the seriousness of the problem and implies the possibility of drastic consequences that computer mania might have. Contrary to existing views the problem of computer addiction exists, humanity needs to be extremely cautious of its bad effects and it has to work out appropriate treatment to help computer-dependent people to solve their problems. In the current paper, we will explore the problem with the emphasis made on the bad effects of computer addiction and possible solutions that might be offered to reduce them to a minimum or to get rid of computer addiction at all.
The reality of modern life is such that personal computers and Internet access have been proliferating across the world. Everyday activities at home, work, and school are increasingly dependent upon computers. Through the Internet, the computer becomes a useful tool for communication. The importance of computers and the Internet, in particular, can hardly be overestimated but their properties that promote addictive behaviors should not be neglected. Cyberspace that computers and the Internet create may result in cyber disorders such as virtual relationships that evolve into online marital infidelity or online sexually compulsive behaviors. An increasing mental health concern, cyber disorders have been identified to diagnose serious issues related to Internet use (Young & Rogers 25). The side effects that computer overuse has to speak for the fact that computer addiction exists.
Moreover, the existence of computer addiction in modern society is proven by Margaret Shotton’s research. The author conducts an investigation that proves the existence of computer dependency through obtaining the facts from a number of sources, namely, existing literature on the problem, the authors of the literature, and other psychologists, computer studies teachers, and professional care agencies. Personal contact was made with people who worked with computers and average computer users. They all showed belief in the occurrence of the syndrome of computer dependency. Though the respondents did not consider the syndrome to be a widespread problem believing that it affected only a few individuals among the vast number of computer users but the research still confirmed the existence of the syndrome of computer dependency (Shotton 20).
The research has shown that interviewees had both psychological (inability to stop the activity; neglect of family and friends; problems with them, etc) and physical (carpal tunnel syndrome; dry eyes; migraine headaches; backaches) symptoms of computer addiction. Though most of the dependents did not want to admit their addiction some did admit that they experienced negative effects from their activities. Some interviewees spoke of the negative effects that their computer addiction had on their employment. One person admitted that in the past he had spent time playing with the computer while he was at work. But the addiction disappeared when he bought his own home microcomputer upon which he had unrestricted access to the program as he wished. Another interviewee admitted that it was difficult for him to concentrate at work, instead of handling the problems that appeared he found himself puzzling over computer problems that he could explore only while at home. This turned out to be especially problematic when he was cycling home from work as not once he had nearly ridden into parked vehicles. Computer addiction was observed with people of different occupations, therefore, there is no strict rule as to who can fall victim to computer addiction and who cannot.
What one can state firmly is that computer addiction has negative effects on the process of learning. Students of different ages admitted that their academic performance suffered because of their devotion to computing. “My schoolwork suffers”, “It detracts from my schoolwork”, were the commonest answers of those who realized they were achieving lower standards academically (212) Therefore, it is also teachers’ concern to help the students get rid of computer addiction.
Constant involvement with computer activities influences the social lives of dependents. Computers take much of dependents’ free time and, as a result, less time is spent communicating with others. Different misunderstanding appears on the basis of the absence of common interest to computing. Many respondents from Shotton’s research admitted that they found computing an escape from social interaction: they found it stressful in the past and computers enabled them to get rid of the undesired communication. Domestic disharmony, problems in sexual relationships – these were the commonest Negative effects of computer addiction on a family scale (213). To reduce them some help from dependent friends, family members are needed. Their task is to help the addict realize that no machine can substitute real communication.
Other side effects are those on the personalities of the dependents. People addicted to computers tend to be more intolerant and impatient with others. The computer becomes a sort of refuge from real life for them and they become more reserved and restrained. Sometimes a computer-dependent person loses interest in the world around him and does not care about one’s happiness. This occurs because the computer is seen by this person as the only “creature” in the world that can understand him or her.
The negative physical effects of computer addiction include restlessness, sleeplessness, tension, headache, and backache. If computer dependents suffer from some disease the disease worsens while constantly working on the computer.
Internet addiction as a form of computer addiction deserves special consideration. An Internet-addicted person loses the ability to control one’s use of the Internet. This lack of control causes marked distress and/or functional impairment (Shapira et al. 270). The addiction may go along with depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, or alcohol and drug addiction. The most obvious symptoms of Internet addiction include social isolation, family discord, divorce, academic failure, job loss, and debt (Young et al. 475). Other symptoms are: neglecting responsibilities, feelings of depression, tension, anger when the Internet is not accessible, etc. There are five Internet-related issues that Internet addiction is composed of cyber sexual addiction, cyber relationship addiction, net compulsions, information overload, and addiction to interactive computer games (476). No matter what type of addiction a dependent suffers from the side effects of it are always serious. Actually, they are the same as the ones of computer addiction in general. Internet addiction influences negatively relationships within families and may even bring significant financial problems. As it was stated above the dependent’s realization of the problem is needed as well as help from friends, teachers, and members of the family. Still, specialized help is the most effective.
Treatment options for computer addiction include:
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy. It is based on Beck’s (1976) theory that thoughts determine feelings. The theory encourages the dependent to recognize thoughts and feelings causing him/her to inappropriately use the computer to meet personal needs (Orzack, 1999 15). This is achieved through the following stages: pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, maintenance, and termination. In the first stage, the dependent does not recognize the problem that he or she has and, therefore, does not want to change anything. Thus, the therapist’s task at this stage is to help the patient understand that the problem exists and help him/her realize the necessity of solving it. In the second stage, the individual recognizes the need for change but still does not have a substantial desire to change something. In the preparation stage, the individual is ready to establish a plan to address the problem. The dependent person realizes that he or she needs to establish control over computer use by setting time limits. The person seeks other activities that can be done when the urge to use the computer exists. The maintenance stage begins when the dependent learn to control one’s computer use. The goal of this phase is to prevent relapse. The final stage, termination, occurs when the individual has no more desire to overuse the computer. During the treatment, the therapist’s task is to support the dependent in every stage encouraging him or her to enter another stage (Wieland 153).
Psychopharmacology. It is aimed at the treatment of depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and other anxiety disorders that computer addiction goes along with.
Addictions Treatment and Self-Help Groups. The treatment is organized by special addiction services like the Center for Online Addiction, the Computer Addiction Services at McLean Hospital in Belmont, etc.
Solutions to computer addition may include keeping oneself busy by involvement in work irrelevant to the work of the computer. Hobbies become of much importance when there is a desire to get rid of computer dependency. Psychotherapy, marital counseling, addiction counseling, parent counseling, social skills training are among the solutions available. Though they are applicable depending on this or that particular case, the use of them in the complex is also rather beneficial for the dependent if appropriately organized and controlled.
Thus, the paper defined computer and Internet addiction showed their side effects, and offered the most effective ways of solving the problem. Computer addiction exists and requires emergency actions from the dependent and people around him/her. Though the solutions proposed are rather helpful, it is a computer user’s responsibility not to become a computer addict.
Works Cited
Cooper, A. 1999, “Sexuality and the Internet: Surfing into the new millennium”, CyberPsychology and Behavior, no. 1, pp. 181-187.
Lamberg, L. 1999, ‘Computers enter mainstream psychiatry’, Journal of the American Medical Association, no. 278, pp. 799-801.
Orzack, M. 1999, “How to recognize and treat computer addictions”, Directions, vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 13-20.
Orzack, M. H. 2003, “Computer addiction services”, Web.
Shapira, N. et al. 2000, “Psychiatric features of individuals with problematic Internet use”, Journal of Affective Disorders, no. 57, pp. 267-272.
Shotton, M. A. 1989, Computer Addiction? A Study of Computer Dependency, London, Taylor & Francis.
Wieland, D. M. 2005, “Computer addiction: Implications for nursing psychotherapy practice”, Perspectives in Psychiatric Care, vol. 41, no. 4, p. 153.
Young, K. 1998, Caught in the Net, New York, Wiley.
Young, K. et al. 1999, “Cyber disorders: The mental health concern for the new millennium”, CyberPsychology and Behavior, vol. 2, no. 5, pp. 475-479.
Young, K., & Rogers, R. 1998, “The relationship between depression and Internet addiction”, CyberPsychology and Behavior, vol.1, no. 1, pp. 25-28.
Addictions are a serious threat to the health and well-being of individuals. With many different activities and substances, a human can easily become dependent on something harmful to them. Things that are commonly considered to be addictive are drugs, alcohol, thrill, sweets, cigarettes, and tobacco. Most of these things are detrimental to the human body when exposed to regularly or in excessive amounts, making their status as dangerous justified. An action not many people would consider to be harmful or addictive can form a crippling dependency under the right circumstances. That activity is working out, meaning putting a strain on one’s body to gain fitness and increase body mass.
With many seeking to keep themselves healthy and be strong, a workout is seen by many as a most beneficial activity that rarely brings harm to people. This assessment, unfortunately, does not account for some of the details. As a result of personal factors and the presence of eating or image disorders, an individual can be unable to stop exercising even when it is detrimental to their life. Endorphins and dopamine gained as a result of this activity let the body know that exercise is pleasant, giving the brain an incentive to desire more workouts. Conditions such as anorexia or bulimia can also incentivize a person to become addicted to working out. Some researchers also state that a significant percent of exercise addicts also suffer from other harmful habits, such as smoking or alcohol abuse. Overall, individual factors such as the state of one’s mind play a crucial role in developing a dependency on working out, and some people can be in more danger than others.
Thanks to advances in information technology, we have all witnessed a major transformation in life. The internet has turned the world into one global village. In addition, the Internet has opened up new grounds for exciting careers, with most multinational companies adopting web-based recruitments to allow for access to the global market. It has had unnumbered benefits, making it one of the greatest revelations of its kind. However, it has also had disadvantages, which could be severe if adequate attention is not taken (Carr 1). Problems ranging from scammers to health and addiction, among others have been reported, with people and businesses increasingly adopting its use for commercial purposes. Among the worst hit are children, who find themselves addicted to it given that they are in the process of development. Health cases have also risen with behavioral changes observed in most children who use the internet. This paper will explore the internet and its impact on children’s health, behavior as well as addiction.
Definition of internet and IT
Internet refers to a universal system that connects all computer networks, which utilize internet protocol setup (TCP/IP) that serves billions of people. Businesses, government, among other networks utilize it, networked through optical and electronic technologies. Internet carries a lot of information accessed by various users at different times. Its contents include videos, games, and documents, among others. IT refers to information technology and describes any form of technology that can be used to produce, and manage information systems. It is also used to refer to the study, design, execution, management, or advancement of information systems. Children enjoy playing online games, accessing educational information as well as other social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter among others. As much as this has been of help, it has been noted that children end up with many complications. These are categorized as shown below (Carr 1).
Health risks
Health risks associated with internet access for children include both physical and mental risks.
Physical Risks and their solutions
Children love to listen to loud music in online games and videos; this is detrimental to their eardrums especially if they use earphones. Media multitasking, which is most prevalent in children especially those aged between 6 and 17 impairs their social and cognitive development. Besides, they spend more hours either playing games or surfing and this affects their relaxation time, children generally need over eight hours of sleep, plus more time for physical exercises, which are important in their physical development. Long exposures to the screen can also impair their sight leading to blindness or future eye complications (Center on Media and Child Health 1).
Control measures
Solutions to these physical risks would include the use of protective glasses on screens to minimize eye damage, reducing screen exposure time for children to offer the opportunity for other activities, and controlling the content viewed to avoid negative contents that may make them react aggressively.
Mental risks and their solutions
Mental health concerns for children using the internet include anxiety, memory loss, as well as brain overloading, among others. Children are expected to develop as they grow, however, according to Nicholas Carr, a psychiatrist with UCLA, the internet retards Children’s brain development, this is because it minimizes their deep thinking ability, thereby lowering their creativity. It also offers a huge cognitive load on their brain, which affects their long-term memory (Carr 1).
Control measures
This can be controlled by regulating the information accessed from the internet. This will ensure that the brain is not overloaded. Instead, children should be involved in physical exercises to help them relax since repose is a necessity for the brain.
Behavioral risks
Children seek to spend most of their time playing games, surfing, or watching their favorite online movies. This has affected their behavior, as they are forced into multitasking to find satisfaction. Another behavioral effect is aggressiveness, which is observed in most children who view very violent content, these kids tend to confront their teachers or get involved in peer fights (Palo Alto Medical Foundation par. 2-10). Furthermore, Internet undermines family values in children as they spend most of their time acquiring other values that may be distorted and misleading. These distort their behaviors and could vulgarize their minds at this tender age while this is a taboo in most communities.
Control measures
To help nurture children’s behavior, parents should educate them on the safety and risks involved in internet use. In addition, programs that filter negative sites like pornography should be used. This way, children will develop good morals that would shape their behaviors (Viswanathan par. 7).
Addiction
Internet addiction can be referred to as compulsive use of the internet. This has been identified to cause psychological mayhem in children as they suffer from anxiety when stopped from its use. Its use is increasingly observed among children; they spend most time accessing web pages on blogs, email, and social sites among others. This has made its use indispensable, developing into addiction for not only kids but also adults. Addiction has been prevalent especially in those using online games, social sites, and adult content that are known to cause addiction. This has directly interfered with their normal schedules, and in the process affecting their academic performance.
Control measures
Addiction is very serious and can develop into serious health complications like anxiety and mental disorder. It, therefore, requires early detection and control to avoid such complications (Saisan; Smith; Segal, Robert and Segal, Jeanne 1). Parents should also regulate the time children spend with computers to prevent addiction.
Conclusion
Internet refers to a universal system that connects all computer networks, which utilize internet protocol setup (TCP/IP) that serves billions of people while, IT refers to information technology, and describes any form of technology that can be used to produce, and manage information systems. The internet offers a double-edged sword to children. Even though its benefits are many and important in a child’s development, its limits are also quite destructive. While children can learn and improve their performance through the internet, chances of behavioral effects such as anxiety, health risks like impaired ears and sight due to long exposures as well as addiction to bad content like pornography are highly likely. It is therefore a parent’s sole responsibility to regulate the content accessed by children as well as their exposure time. Other measures include creating awareness of its effects and using filtering programs, which would help regulate the content viewed. In addition, parents should expose their children to other hobbies like scouting, which would help limit their time behind computers. Internet is therefore essential for children, but only under monitored access.
Center on Media and Child Health. Internet and Computers: Research on the news about the effects of media on the health of children and adolescents. 2010. Web.
Palo Alto Medical Foundation. The impact of Video games on children. 2010. Web.
Saisan, Joanna; Smith, Melinda; Segal, Robert, and Segal, Jeanne. Internet Addiction: Signs, Symptoms, Treatment, and Self-Help. Helpguide. 2010. Web.
The incredible usability and portability of smartphones increased their popularity and changed people’s lives worldwide. Indeed, these devices offer a wide range of options that allow users to search for information online, connect with others on social media, access entertainment websites, participate in conferences, text, take pictures, and organize their lives (Yu and Sussman 1). However, the use of smartphones was found to have similar features to addiction, “including preoccupation, tolerance, inability to control craving, impairment of daily life functions, disregard to harmful consequences, and withdrawal” (Matar Boumosleh and Jaalouk 2). Furthermore, people are now at increased risk for traffic accidents, sleep disturbances, musculoskeletal disorders, vision deterioration, and mental health problems as a result of excessive smartphone use, especially among children and young adults (Yu and Sussman 1). Still, device addiction has not been clearly defined yet because of the lack of sufficient evidence-based research on this topic and the widespread utilization of smartphones (Yu and Sussman 16). Innovative technologies seem to be becoming a significant issue for humanity’s wellbeing owing to increasing device addiction trends, leading to people’s everyday lives disturbance and social withdrawal, which requires monitoring and proper intervention.
Definition of Addiction
Device dependence is not listed in the DSM-5 manual of psychiatric disorders, but it describes addiction even though it is not a medical term. This concept can be defined as an increasing priority and need in a substance or object that leads to physical or emotional harm, functional impairment, and physical dependence (Panova and Carbonell 253). Addiction is a clinical problem, a critical feature of which is substantial impairment to daily life. Hence, other problematic behaviors that do not have a tremendous negative effect on an individual’s functionality cannot be considered a clinical condition that needs therapeutic intervention.
Is Device Addiction Real?
Although global society has raised the issue of device addiction, it still lacks sufficient scientific data to be classified as a medical problem; therefore, it is unclear whether this issue is real. Still, it often shares specific features with other psychiatric conditions, like substance use disorder and internet gaming disorder (Matar Boumosleh and Jaalouk 2). Indeed, according to Nelson and Pieper, more than 260 million people suffer from device dependence worldwide (2). One of the essential traits of smartphone addiction is tolerance which is defined as “a gradual increase in the mobile phone use to obtain the same level of satisfaction” (Panova and Carbonell 254). Other addiction characteristics such as the loss of control and relapse can also be present, but they are difficult to assess in the case of these devices.
The two other features that should be reviewed to reveal if smartphone use transformed into dependence are salience and withdrawal. Firstly, salience can be defined as raising the priority of a specific question or object, resulting in persistent thinking about them (Panova and Carbonell 254). For example, this trait is considered to be present in a person who recalls one’s smartphone even when it is not being utilized. Secondly, withdrawal is the feeling of discomfort when not checking one’s phone. However, it is hard to measure whether more hours spent with the device are dysfunctional because smartphones are now integral elements of people’s lives, assisting them in education, job, and business. Therefore, it is crucial to discover the true motives behind increased use; otherwise, anything can be categorized as device addiction.
The main issue with classifying this problem is that some researchers still suggest distinguishing device addiction and dependence on the Internet, social media, and various applications. For instance, Panova and Carbonell claim that similar to a needle in drug use and the glass in alcohol abuse; a smartphone can be considered a vessel that delivers the object of craving (255). Therefore, excessive time spent on the Internet and social media should be categorized as different addictions (Panova and Carbonell 256). Since smartphones are the primary tools for accessing entertainment platforms, this distinction in terminology and classification should be considered insignificant since these inventions are advancements in connecting individuals with technologies (Nelson and Pieper 10). Moreover, behavioral addiction is much easier to conceal than substance use disorder or gambling disorder (Nelson and Pieper 2). However, this behavior becomes a central problem when people are ready to sacrifice human interaction, work, hobbies, and other activities for spending time with their smart screens. Thus, any heavy use of phones not related to job duties or direct communication with family and friends should be viewed as a technological addiction which may need medical attention.
Negative Consequences of Smartphone Addiction
Although no data are available about the negative consequences of device addiction, it affects people’s mental and physical health. For example, according to Panova and Carbonell, smartphone users occasionally report mild tendonitis, wrist pain, blurred vision, headaches, light-headedness, and sometimes traffic accidents (254). Furthermore, the study by Matar Boumosleh and Jaalouk showed that students with device addiction were found to have sleep disturbance, which was an obstacle to their daily activities, leading to a drop in academic performance (7). Specifically, 35% of the study participants reported tiredness during the day due to poor sleep quality caused by smartphone use (Matar Boumosleh and Jaalouk 9). Still, the lack of data is not proof of no effect but indicates insufficient research in this field. The psychological issues associated with smartphone overuse include social withdrawal, low self-esteem, anxiety, and depression (Matar Boumosleh and Jaalouk 1; Yu and Sussman 16). If these problems are not timely and adequately addressed, the outcomes for people addicted to their devices may be severe.
A Possible Solution for This Problem
The severe device addiction cases and mild disturbances may be resolved with behavioral change. Researchers suggest developing self-control in all types of addictions because dependence develops from an inability to understand and regulate one’s thoughts and emotions, particularly in adolescents and young adults who prefer instant gratification (Schulz van Endert 3). Hence, behavioral training should be applied to help them learn to delay cravings and overcome smartphone addiction (Schulz van Endert 3). In fact, Schulz van Endert states that “exertion of self-control suppresses the impulse of choosing a smaller, immediate reward and biases choice behavior towards the larger, delayed reward” (3). Furthermore, regulation of emotions and behaviors is a learned trait that should be taught in families, schools, and other educational institutions. Lastly, another possibility is sending these people for therapeutic consultations if the problem is beyond parents’ and teachers’ competence.
Conclusion
In summary, device addiction appears to be a serious issue that concerns the global population but is not adequately investigated. Since many people use smartphones, it is sometimes challenging to distinguish between abnormal and regular usage. Indeed, device addiction has some common features with other conditions of analogous attitude and behavior. Specifically, people with smartphone dependence seem to have tolerance, salience, and withdrawal symptoms. Some scholars suggest that device addiction should be categorized as a different disorder. However, new smartphone features can be considered an extension of technological advancement; thus, making such a distinction between the Internet and device addiction is not critical. Instead, research should focus on understanding the neurobiology of smartphone overuse and developing new methods of training self-control to reduce screen time, preventing various negative physiological and mental consequences of this addiction.
Works Cited
Matar Boumosleh, Jocelyne, and Doris Jaalouk. “Depression, Anxiety, and Smartphone Addiction in University Students-A Cross-Sectional Study.” PloS One, vol. 12, no. 8, 2017, pp. 1-14.
Nelson, Justin J., and Christopher M. Pieper. “Who’s an iAddict? A Sociodemographic Exploration of Device Addiction Among American Adults.” Social Science Quarterly, vol. 101 no. 5, 2020, pp. 2071-2084.
Panova, Tayana, and Xavier Carbonell. “Is Smartphone Addiction Really an Addiction?” Journal of Behavioral Addictions, vol. 7, no. 2, 2018, pp. 252-259.
Schulz van Endert, Tim. “Addictive Use of Digital Devices in Young Children: Associations with Delay Discounting, Self-Control and Academic Performance.” PloS One, vol. 16, no. 6, 2021, pp. 1-12.
Yu, Sheila, and Steve Sussman. “Does Smartphone Addiction Fall on a Continuum of Addictive Behaviors?” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol. 17, no. 2, 2020, pp. 1-21.
With the advent of the internet, the process of communication and social networking underwent major changes. It became much easier for individuals to link up with each other both by text chatting and by audiovisual ways. Social networking websites such as Facebook came up to help individuals trace and regain contact with friends with whom they had lost contact.
Facebook has been described as a basic directory on the internet which had originally been designed to help college students connect with each other via various social networks established in their respective schools (Baron, 2009). Since its inception over six years ago, the site has spread rapidly to a point where it can boast of over thirty million users spread over different walks of life.
Unfortunately, Facebook was designed in such a way that it requires individuals to constantly log in to their accounts in order to check whether they have received messages or establish new friendships by responding to friend requests (Cohen, 2009).
Facebook in particular has received a lot of following particularly from young adults especially since it provides a platform for creating social groups among individuals irrespective of the distance between them.
As it is, this networking site has led to some form of addiction with college students dedicating a lot of their time on the site chatting and viewing friends’ photos. The situation has become so critical that various health care professionals have launched investigations into the medical problems associated with the Facebook addiction.
Research into the problem
A recent research conducted at the school of medicine in Stanford University came to the conclusion than one out of every American citizens exhibited symptoms internet addiction and that the treatment of such addiction was no different than the treatment of drug junkies (Hayes, 2010).
The head of the study Dr. Elias Aboujaoude described the internet addiction as one that causes the patient to always want to get online even when they are not particularly looking for anything (Dickey, 2007). This was well equated with the impulsive drive to partake in an a pleasurable activity associated with drug and hard drug addiction.
Like with other forms of addiction, internet/Facebook addiction also leads to problems at both a personal and professional level. This brings about challenges that can negatively intrude in a person’s life.
According to Dr. David Greenfield of the Center for internet studies, students have come to testify that they tend to spend a lot of time on Facebook at the expense of their studies. It however has not been established whether such an addiction is a medical problem on its own or it is a manifestation of indwelling psychological challenges such as depression (Fenichel, 2009).
One study trying to establish the impact of Facebook addiction on the performance of college going students surveyed a total of 217 students from a United States college. Individuals were subjected to both open and closed question and answer sessions (Fenichel, 2009).. It was concluded that individuals who regularly spent time on Facebook performed poorly in school.
The research also established that individuals who did not use Facebook regularly dedicated more time to working for pay as their counterparts spent time engaging in extracurricular activities. Most of the regular Facebook users believed that the habit did not have a genuine negative effect on their lives. this was the position even with most of them confessing to having developed time management challenges as a result of spending a lot of time on Facebook (Dickey, 2007).
Facebook addiction can be described by a number of symptoms including the constant urge to get online , dedicating very many hours to chatting and going through people’s profiles on Facebook, unending talks about knowledge acquired from Facebook, giving up important activities in order to spend time on Facebook as well as the continual resignation to Facebook temptations even when it is clear that this is problematic (Hayes, 2010).
According to netaddiction.com females are more likely to be addicted to Facebook’s chatting application and this leads them to develop conditions such as insomnia and depression associated to large amounts of time spent in this activity.
How companies and educational facilities are dealing with the issue
Companies and educational facilities have come to point out Facebook addiction as a serious threat to performance in their institutions. This is because of the negative effect of procrastination that regular Facebook usage can lead to. As such usage of the networking site has been banned in many enterprises. To ensure that workers and students don’t fall to the temptation, various firewall software have been used to block access to the website (Baron, 2009).
Some institutions have even made it a point to note in their company laws that Facebook access during office hours is an offence that could lead to job termination. Scholars have however suggested that this type of ban could in the long-run be detrimental to the general growth of companies mainly because it has been established that many clients turn to Facebook when looking for bargains on products or service provision experts.
Summary and recommendations
The creators of Facebook may have had good intentions when they first launched the site. However, like anything good, Facebook has its weakness top on the list being the addictive tendencies. College students have particularly been proven to be more vulnerable to this sort of addiction. Even though, it has not been established as a medical condition, current research leans towards the suggestion that addiction to social networking sites has its own trailer challenges including illnesses such as depression (Cohen, 2009).
Various recommendations have been made on how to handle cases of Facebook addiction. However, it must be noted that getting out of any habit mainly depends on the will of the person. Individuals must first have the desire to quit excessive Facebook usage (Baron, 2009).
Effort should then be made to ensure that a strict time management is developed to enable the individual distinguish clearly what should be done and at what time. It is definitely advisable that the schedule include at least a few hours to login to Facebook because at the end of the day the aim is not to put the person in total isolation.
The college should definitely employ the usage of Facebook blocking firewall software particularly in classroom and library computers. This will help students concentrate on assigned tasks as it will make it impossible to give in to the urge of accessing the Facebook website.
Method used in conducting the research
The research was primarily based on secondary data. Data was extracted from various journals, articles on the internet. The criteria of selection for the literature was the relevance to the research topic as well as the year of publication. Both public and private online libraries were visited to access the data.
Facebook problem being a modern day challenge could not be effectively analysed without obtaining information from real case scenarios. Various college and work environments were studied to find out how the issue is being dealt with. This definitely made for some interesting research and it effectively came round to form the back-born of the report.
This was very crucial information that made the research report appeal to both professionals and the general public. For the latter, it may require that some of the information collected be broken down into simple language and at the same time illustrations drawn from the common and familiar situations to further explain the case.
Empirical data was collected from recent studies and numbers and figures used to show the illustrate the seriousness of the situation. Like with any other professional field of study, institution management research has to be conducted in such a way that the offer credibility to the practitioner.
In such a field, the strength of any report lies in the figures provided to support theoretical data and particularly the numbers obtained from real life scenarios to support collected evidence. With this knowledge in mind, effort was made to obtain relevant information to the particular topic in question and this was accompanied by proper citations.
Summary and recommendations
The creators of Facebook may have had good intentions when they first launched the site. However, like anything good, Facebook has its weakness top on the list being the addictive tendencies. College students have particularly been proven to be more vulnerable to this sort of addiction. Even though, it has not been established as a medical condiction, current research leans towards the suggestion that addiction to social networking sites has its own trailer challenges including illnesses such as depression (Cohen, 2009).
Various recommendations have been made on how to handle cases of Facebook addiction. However, it must be noted that getting out of any habit mainly depends on the will of the person. Individuals must first have the desire to quit excessive Facebook usage (Baron, 2009).
Effort should then be made to ensure that a strict time management is developed to enable the individual distinguish clearly what should be done and at what time. It is definitely advisable that the schedule include at least a few hours to login to Facebook because at the end of the day the aim is not to put the person in total isolation.
The college should definitely employ the usage of Facebook blocking firewall software particularly in classroom and library computers. This will help students concentrate on assigned tasks as it will make it impossible to give in to the urge of accessing the Facebook website.
It is also recommended that the college invests in provision of time management sessions to students with the aim of instilling a culture of discipline amongst the students. This is in appreciation of the fact that at the end of the day, an individual can give up an addiction as long as he/she is committed to dropping the habit.
Reference List
Baron, D. (2009). Internet addiction: deadly pathology or just a nice substitute for TV? Web.
Cohen, E. (2009). Five clues that you are addicted to Facebook. Web.
Dickey, M. (2007). New internet danger: Unhealthy obsession (2/07). Web.