{"id":57,"date":"2011-10-15T00:59:23","date_gmt":"2011-10-15T00:59:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/amomentofchange\/?p=57"},"modified":"2011-10-15T01:03:03","modified_gmt":"2011-10-15T01:03:03","slug":"internet-gaming-addiction-not-just-kids-play","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/amomentofchange\/2011\/10\/internet-gaming-addiction-not-just-kids-play.html","title":{"rendered":"Internet Gaming Addiction: Not Just Kids Play"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: left\" align=\"center\"><a href=\"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/amomentofchange\/files\/2011\/10\/internetaddiction.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-61\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/307\/2011\/10\/internetaddiction-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" \/><\/a>Sherry Gaba LCSW, Psychotherapist, Life&amp; Recovery Coach is featured Celebrity Rehab on VH1. Sherry is the authorof \u201c<a href=\"http:\/\/thelawofsobriety.com\/\">The Law of Sobriety\u201d<\/a> which uses the law of attraction to recover from any addiction. Please download yourcopy of \u201c<a href=\"http:\/\/forms.aweber.com\/form\/34\/1360324434.htm\">Manifest Holistic<\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/forms.aweber.com\/form\/34\/1360324434.htm\">Health<\/a>\u201d from Sherry\u2019s Enrich Your Life Series. Contact Sherry at\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sgabatherapy.com\/ServicesProvided.en.html\">http:\/\/www.sgabatherapy.com\/ServicesProvided.en.html<\/a> for webinars, teleseminars, coaching packages and speaking engagements.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\" align=\"center\">The internet is a wonderful tool and a great source of<br \/>\nentertainment, relaxation and fun for many people. Kids, adults and seniors are<br \/>\nfinding new ways to play their favorite card, board and role play games online<br \/>\nwith people from all over the world. While internet gaming itself is not bad<br \/>\nthere are increased concerns by mental health professionals that some people<br \/>\nare becoming addicted to online gaming.<\/p>\n<p>Online gaming addiction, sometimes referred to as video game<br \/>\naddiction, can be used as an escape from the stress in the world around people.<br \/>\nThis is particularly true with role playing games where the player develops an<br \/>\nalternate persona within the game. They identify strongly with that character<br \/>\nand often attribute characteristics to that animated being that they feel are<br \/>\ndeficient or absent in their life. Over time the need to feel the positive<br \/>\nattributes of the game character can create changes in the brain that are<br \/>\nsimilar to other types of psychological addictions such as gambling, shopping<br \/>\nor viewing pornography.<\/p>\n<p>Understanding the symptoms of internet gaming addition is<br \/>\nthe first step in seeking help through addiction counseling services. The major<br \/>\nsymptoms noted with this addiction include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Spending excessive amounts of time online in the<br \/>\ngame while neglecting real relationships, commitments and requirements in daily<br \/>\nlife.<\/li>\n<li>Discussion about the game or the role play<br \/>\ncharacters as if they were real individuals or actual events that occurred in<br \/>\nthe person&#8217;s life.<\/li>\n<li>Sleep deprivation and poor eating patterns,<br \/>\noften spending hours to days on the computer without sleeping or eating.<\/li>\n<li>Missing work or school to stay home and play<br \/>\nonline.<\/li>\n<li>Misrepresenting time spend playing online or<br \/>\nhiding the activity.<\/li>\n<li>Withdrawal from previously valued or enjoyed<br \/>\nsocial activities and regular interactions with friends and family.<\/li>\n<li>Headaches, eye problems and back or joint<br \/>\nproblems due to long periods at a computer without exercise, breaks, sleep or<br \/>\nproper nutrition.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If these symptoms are noted in a family member, friend or<br \/>\nloved one seeking support for that person with an addiction recovery therapist<br \/>\nis essential. Failing to get help will only increase the probability that this<br \/>\nbehavior will cause serious consequences in the individual&#8217;s life.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sherry Gaba LCSW, Psychotherapist, Life&amp; Recovery Coach is featured Celebrity Rehab on VH1. Sherry is the authorof \u201cThe Law of Sobriety\u201d which uses the law of attraction to recover from any addiction. Please download yourcopy of \u201cManifest Holistic Health\u201d from Sherry\u2019s Enrich Your Life Series. Contact Sherry at\u00a0 http:\/\/www.sgabatherapy.com\/ServicesProvided.en.html for webinars, teleseminars, coaching packages and&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":402,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[3,15,4,13,5,6,14,7,8,16,10,9,11,12],"class_list":["post-57","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-actors-in-recovery-addictions-addiction-specialist-agoura-hills-agoura-hills-psychotherapist-alternative-medicine-binge-eating-calabasas-celebrity-addiction-celebrity-rehab-co-dependency-diet-dr-drew","tag-being-single","tag-binge-eating","tag-dating","tag-diet","tag-eating-disorder","tag-finding-love","tag-food-addictio","tag-httpblog-beliefnet-comthecelebritytherapistwp-adminedit-phppost_typeposttagactors-in-recovery-addictions-addiction-specialist-agoura-hills-agoura-hills-psychotherapist-alternative-medici","tag-internet-addiction","tag-love-addiction","tag-over-weight","tag-relationships","tag-romance"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Internet Gaming Addiction: Not Just Kids Play - A Moment of Change<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/amomentofchange\/2011\/10\/internet-gaming-addiction-not-just-kids-play.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Internet Gaming Addiction: Not Just Kids Play - A Moment of Change\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Sherry Gaba LCSW, Psychotherapist, Life&amp; Recovery Coach is featured Celebrity Rehab on VH1. Sherry is the authorof \u201cThe Law of Sobriety\u201d which uses the law of attraction to recover from any addiction. Please download yourcopy of \u201cManifest Holistic Health\u201d from Sherry\u2019s Enrich Your Life Series. 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Sherry is the authorof \u201cThe Law of Sobriety\u201d which uses the law of attraction to recover from any addiction. Please download yourcopy of \u201cManifest Holistic Health\u201d from Sherry\u2019s Enrich Your Life Series. Contact Sherry at\u00a0 http:\/\/www.sgabatherapy.com\/ServicesProvided.en.html for webinars, teleseminars, coaching packages and&hellip;","og_url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/amomentofchange\/2011\/10\/internet-gaming-addiction-not-just-kids-play.html","og_site_name":"A Moment of Change","article_published_time":"2011-10-15T00:59:23+00:00","article_modified_time":"2011-10-15T01:03:03+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/amomentofchange\/files\/2011\/10\/internetaddiction-150x150.jpg"}],"author":"Sherry Gaba","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/amomentofchange\/2011\/10\/internet-gaming-addiction-not-just-kids-play.html","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/amomentofchange\/2011\/10\/internet-gaming-addiction-not-just-kids-play.html","name":"Internet Gaming Addiction: Not Just Kids Play - A Moment of Change","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/amomentofchange\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/amomentofchange\/2011\/10\/internet-gaming-addiction-not-just-kids-play.html#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/amomentofchange\/2011\/10\/internet-gaming-addiction-not-just-kids-play.html#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/amomentofchange\/files\/2011\/10\/internetaddiction-150x150.jpg","datePublished":"2011-10-15T00:59:23+00:00","dateModified":"2011-10-15T01:03:03+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/amomentofchange\/#\/schema\/person\/0741dfc75bdebc7207322576ec56d97e"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/amomentofchange\/2011\/10\/internet-gaming-addiction-not-just-kids-play.html#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/amomentofchange\/2011\/10\/internet-gaming-addiction-not-just-kids-play.html"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/amomentofchange\/2011\/10\/internet-gaming-addiction-not-just-kids-play.html#primaryimage","url":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/amomentofchange\/files\/2011\/10\/internetaddiction-150x150.jpg","contentUrl":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/amomentofchange\/files\/2011\/10\/internetaddiction-150x150.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/amomentofchange\/2011\/10\/internet-gaming-addiction-not-just-kids-play.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/amomentofchange"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Internet Gaming Addiction: Not Just Kids Play"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/amomentofchange\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/amomentofchange\/","name":"A Moment of Change","description":"Beliefnet Voices","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/amomentofchange\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/amomentofchange\/#\/schema\/person\/0741dfc75bdebc7207322576ec56d97e","name":"Sherry Gaba","description":"If you think you might be codependent or a love addict, get Sherry\u2019s FREE Ebook, \u201cThe Truth about Codependency\u201d https:\/\/wakeuprecovery.com\/codependency-quiz\/ Sherry maintains a private practice in Westlake Village, and is a sought after transformationn and recovery coach. For more information visit www.sherrygaba.com or sign up today for Sherry\u2019s online group coaching program for codependents for $19\/month https:\/\/wakeuprecovery.com\/become-a-member-co\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/amomentofchange\/author\/sherrygaba"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/amomentofchange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/amomentofchange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/amomentofchange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/amomentofchange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/402"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/amomentofchange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/amomentofchange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":63,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/amomentofchange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57\/revisions\/63"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/amomentofchange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/amomentofchange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/amomentofchange\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}