One more thing...
The way I've heard addiction medicine specialists actually define the state of 'addiction' is:

"The continuance of an action even when adverse consequences arise"

I think that what most people are calling 'addiction' is actually just 'reliance'. The two are easily confused. You rely on the internet because its there every day. Its how you make your living. Its there for you whenever you need it, morning or night. Its natural that you'd miss it when you're away from it -- but after a couple days, it probably wouldnt even bother you...
But ask yourself if you really think you're addicted?

For example, if a loved one or family member told you they felt the internet was seriously affecting your relationship with them -- would you unplug it for a week at their request? a month?
...or, what if your friends asked you to go on a trip for a couple days; and you knew there would be no internet access the entire time?
...if none of these apply, replace them with something thats relevant to you and ask yourself what you'd do.


Maybe this is something Im just reading way too much into, but its a subject I have had alot of experience with...and itts becoming more and more prevalent as time goes on, but still widely misunderstood.

One of the joys of our holiday in Thailand was never going on the Internet, not even to check GFY. :)

I'm off to England tomorrow and will be offline for 5 days, bliss.

Admittedly we have built a good crew who can look after the shop while we are away, but getting away is necersary to maintain sanity. Could never be like some people accessing the Net every day. Would send me crazy.

Yeah...I actually stopped by the Library the other day to look up some information I couldn't find online for the life of me, and realized I couldn't even remember the last time I'd been there. Before the internet, It was rare for me *not* to go there 2-3 times a week to look stuff up.

When I go on vacations, I rarely take my laptop... However, at home--It is connected 24/7. When they internet first become popular among "casual, non business users" back in 1996- I would wake up at 7 and stay on the computer until 3am and repeat the next day for atleast a year. I was addicted to mIRC and pIRCh. Last year my bellsouth connection was down for less than 30 minutes and I was ripping my home apart looking for one of those AOL spam CD's just so I could access the net....

This last year I've become much less obsessed. I check it when I feel like it and walk away without getting anxious.

Baby steps, Baby steps....

If you can use your laptop in your hotel room to manipulate the content and just need the internet access to upload and check stats, e-mails and stuff you could go to any "lan house" like this one called "Monkey" and plug your laptop to their network.

You are on drugs?

I do not may live without internet :)

I too am looking forward to it.. maybe in 5 years or so.

I left my computers for 10 days and galavanted around Alaska camping and hiking...When Hubby finally drug me back home, I just stared at the computer for about a week before I could turn it back on. It was a nice break from it all :thumbsup

Each year I have a few weeks in the summer off where I am out in the woods in my tent with my wife, mountain bikes and acoustic guitars.

Nothing like no access, its refreshing.

Digital cameras will always be in my gear since photography is a major hobby and a ton of the art in my home is pics from my travels.

I think that's an excellent decision. I'm working on it too, but on a little different version of it. I want to setup my businesses in such a way that I only have to check them once in say bi-weekly or monthly.

Fifty addicted webmasters.


How did we ever live without the interweb? How?


I can't fathom it.

i could really use a break from the net, work period, and any computer related action.

I alos look forward to leave 'the internet' behind. My main problem though is to make a proper deal between greed and freedom. As it is now, I've got a lot to do before I can be set free (and surf or board all day :).

Yeah, I would love to have logging onto the internet be a weekly rather than a daily exercise. It's been daily for years now and it's overkill.

I'm totally addicted and obsessed with the Net. I'm a total technology fanatic to the max. I'm structuring all my business investments now so they are auto-pilotable as much as can be and can be managed as much as can be over the Net. I love being able to communicate and watch everything from one central management point, which the Net lets me do. I have programmers for example working for me in countries outside the US and it all functions just like we were in an office together.

So no I can not imagine life without my PC or the Net now.

It was one of the reasons my 2nd marriage fell apart. I was online even more then when I was doing heavy day trading and literally didn't want to get off my PC to even go and take a piss because I became so mesmerized by the rush I was getting from the fast paced action of that wall street sport. I wasn't as attentive to my wife as I should have been.

I'm also a news, history and information junkie. The Net is an information junkies dream come true. Its like being connected into the world's biggest library where anything you want to learn about is only a click away.

This will probably sound even more fucked up, but I hope when I die its while I'm on my PC. I can't think of a better place to go out on.

:1orglaugh

:)

Ive been online everyday for about the same amount of time. For some reason I freak out if I can't get online for more than 2 days. When the internet breaks i'm going to have to goto therapy or somethin.

Especially now I live in the rural mid-west, the Net is great for shopping: I have bought everything from out-of-print books to carpets, coffee and cigarettes. On a good day it's okay for basic research, but for anything I want in-depth and for news, I still prefer print media.

In many ways the Net's greatest strength is also its main weakness: namely that anyone can go online and create whatever impression they want. A good example is the way the "Passion" movie has generated so many contrary arguments. Thousands of sites and board posts proclaiming the Romans killed Christ. As many, with equal conviction and the same appearance of factual backing, saying that the Jews were responsible. Too much information. Too few credentials.

Work-wise it seems ungrateful to knock something that has kept food on the table for years. And sure it's great to have a cash machine that doesn't care if you "go to work" in your underwear. But for me, having customers who don't exist except as statistics, is a huge drawback. I built three good businesses in my life, basically by watching and listening to customers. Now I spend my time guessing what they want and I have only largely meaningless stats to tell me if I'm wrong or right. That is why so many people in this game end up pulling crap on their visitors they would never dream of doing in "real life". We forget because we don't see their reactions, they are the same people as walk into stores, restaurants, etc. And they are going to react the same way they would if bricks-and-mortar businesses played games with them.

There are some things I would miss if I lost the Net tomorrow. But overall, no, I don't think I would feel too badly about it.

Lol. Do that one more time. :Grrrrrr

All I can add is that The Internet definitely revolutionized outsourcing. No longer would labor need to be shipped out to its market. All we need is some fast bandwidth, English-speaking labor supply, and we're all set.

i went a full 5 months with NO internet access.

then i was able to use familys computers to check email......that was my 2 yrs (off of GFY & net all together) that i was movin around a lot. never plugged in my computer.

I don't wanna say goodbye! wahhh!

I just went 11 weeks while I was laid up. Shook abit the first day but thats only until I gigured out the cable remote to get to all the movie channels. Didn't bother me abit after that. lol

I admit.
I am addicted.
:(

:(

I have been online for so long it seems like a part of me. The amount of things I do online streamline life and make it much easier in my offline time too. I pay most of my bills online instead of standing in line, I study, design, maintain my sites, and keep in touch with family and friends all over the world. I value my time online and the advantages iut affords me when I am offline too. :2 cents:

Yes, I too was once connected to the Matrix. I will do my best to get you out.

It would be a rude shock to alot of people. I usually get away for a few days every couple of months and feel better for it. I don't have a lot of assets tied up in cyberspace though.

inter who? :glugglug

:glugglug

Is this the new you ?

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/mike.jb...stor_chris.jpg

I very much agree with this. The web is fantastic BUT it really allows us to be seperarted from the person/customer too easily. We also see that on here. People can be total pricks on a message board with a nickname and do stuff they never would do in real life.

Truth be told..I never worked from home I must go into a office. I use the computer all day at work but when i come home nothing! I just bought my own computer for home a month ago. I think I just hooked it up a week ago