Customer Reviews

Caught in the Net: How to Recognize the Signs of Internet Addiction--and a Winning Strategy for Recovery

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I spent most of my time chatting away for hours and I forgot about my family and friends all the while. Kimberly Young's book helped me to figure out what was missing in my life and why the Internet held such great appeal. The book was able to balance the positive aspects of online use, especially chat room friendships, and help me to uncover other issues in my life that contributed to my addictive behavior. The book really dealt with the issue in a straight forward manner and I felt like I wasn't alone in my struggle. The case studies supported the theory presented and the book offers great practical advice.

Caught in the Net is an invaluable resource for either those who find themselves addicted to internet use or for those who find their lives impacted by a loved ones' excessive internet use. As a recovering chat addict myself, I can vouch for the kind of misery this dependence causes. I, like many other married people I met online, found myself "falling in love" with charming members of the opposite sex and thus jeopardizing my long and happy marriage. As one fellow female chatter expressed it: "I thought I was happily married until I started chatting!" I, like another reviewer of the book, question the likelihood that anyone who has experienced an addiction to chat, is going to recover without abstinence. I found that although I thought I had broken the cycle, once I returned, I was experiencing the same "buzz" and "high" that led me into difficulty there in the first place. The only solution for me was to swear off forever. Dr. Young's book was a refreshing change from the "nudge-nudge, wink-wink" approach to the phenomenon I found in so many other books on the subject which failed to recognize how this problem is devastating real life relationships and how real people in one's life are neglected in favor of attending to the needs of "virtual strangers."

DON'T GO ON THE NET WITHOUT READING THIS BOOK FIRST!

As someone was was deeply addicted to the Net (but use to laugh at such a notion before) I can tell you that this book is exactly 100% on the mark.

Internet addiction hurt my university studies very badly as well as my job performance and family life. No, the Internet is NOT all bad! But it can be. Behind all the hype there is a great deal of very painful and dangerous territory that you will never hear about in the media, wall street driven rosy analysis of all the benefits if cyberspace, or computer/Internet magazines.

I know several families who have been hit very hard upside the head by the Internet's litle publicized and know dangerous. People who use to laugh at notion of the Net being a source of addiction have lost their jobs, marriages, and much more. I have seen univeristy/college students (MANY) lose a year or two and thousands of dollars of their parents 'education money' with no degree/diploma to show for it.

When HR personnel, schools, and families in general begin to realize that the Internet can be a very dangerous and costly (not just in monetary terms) trap they will come to appreciate the great importance of this book and the message it conveys.

If you are on the Net or considering getting it for your KIDS, SCHOOL, WORKPLACE, OR HOME -- STOP! READ THIS BOOK BEFORE YOU DO IT.

Five years from now (maybe less) I can see a great many lawsuits being levied against employers and schools for jumping on the cyber bandwagon without due consideration for the potential suffering, pain, and cost the Internet can bring to individuals, families, marriages, children, students etc. etc. Then this book will surface as a hidden treasure.

Net addiction can strike anyone. It is no laughing matter. It is not trivial nor should it be ignored. Do yourself and those around you a BIG favor -- read this book! Give it as a present to a relative in college/university or to a friemd who is considering exposing their home and family to cyberspace.YOU COULD END UP SAVING SOMEONE'S MARRIAGE, CAREER, FAMILY, OR COLLEGE EDUCATION. NOTE: I was disappointed but the author's failure to mention the very dangerous and REAL link between Net addiction, Shopping addiction, and gambling.

Cybershopping is full (and growing by the minute) of 1-click, easy to use, painless shopping sites. Spending money, maxing out credit cards, and even gambling has never been easy -- right from the comfort of your own home, school, or workplace. Perhaps a next edition will draw the links.

About a year ago my wife began chatting and suddenly developed a cyberaffair with a man she met over the Internet. Our once happy marriage quickly turned into chaos as she now wanted a divorce. Not only was this difficult for me to cope with, but our children ages 9-14years didn't understand the personality changes that took place over their mother. Kimberly Young's wonderful book explained the lure of cyberaffairs and online relationships. It is the first book to really get at the heart of what makes cyberaffairs so seductive. Not only does she speak to the "addicts," but her book offers specific ways that spouses can cope with cyberaffairs and gives practical advice on how couples rebuild the trust in their marriages. After reading the book, my wife and I are now in marital therapy and on our way to repairing our relationship. All I can say is thank you to Kimberly Young for writing this book as it helped save our family from falling apart.

The problem is not, but the book is a outdated about the internet access fee. The terrible story about people spending $800 a month for internet access and get into financial trouble, no longer exist today since we are no longer charged by minutes (which makes it easier to get addicted).

Besides, I don't think controlling the online minutes is a good solution for chatroom / message board addiction. Just like quitting cigarattes or recovering from alcoholism, the only way is to cut off completely.

Now the good things: The existence of this book alone would help. The first step to recover is the simple acknowledge that Internet addiction is a real problem and how destructive it would be. The examples used in the book make you realize you are not alone in this problem.

Some friends had told me I spent too much time on the internet (playing EverQuest and generally surfing) and that they were starting to worry. I laughed at them and said "don't be silly" and then secretly went off and purchased this book and read it while I was away on holiday. I was shocked to find my life outlined on most of the pages in the book. The advice Dr Young gives helped me recognise my addiction and also provided a winning strategy for me to reduce from 40+ hours a week online, down to around 5 a week ... and it was relatively painless!

Along with so many other reviewers here "thank you Dr Young" is all I can say. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

This is a good book on balance, which treats a serious subject matter that is far more insidous than commonly believed.

The only criticism is that the author reveals a somewhat superficial understanding of things Internet, referring to "Information-sorting systems such as Netscape" and never convincing the reader that she has actually *played* a MUD in more than cursory fashion, although the text is peppered with references to them.

Much of the treatment advice is good, but Young seems to miss some key pieces of valuable reality therapy. Hunter S. Thompson might view chatrooms as a strange kind of territorial pissing. The clever commentary and witty banter is vaporized upon exit. All that mental focus, for what? Even the accomplished raconteur can only maintain ground by staying constantly engaged. New entrants rarely take the time to review the recent history of wildly interleaved chat bytes, nor care--too concerned with establishing their own ground, this session, this minute. The sheer mad transience of it all should compel addicts to seriously reconsider their behavior.

I concluded that I am a mild addict. No IRC's, no chat rooms, no Usenet news, but a too-heavy tangential surfer to wherever, so the book was a welcome wake-up call.

I'll rationalize a bit though. I watch *no* TV! Stick that one in your craw, slackjaw!

This was a pretty good book overall. It gave insight into the world of internet addiction in general. I was hoping there would be more information on internet "sexual" addiction, such as cybersex and pornography. I think it could have had a better recovery plan, i.e. twelve step system for "Netaholics", etc.

Dr. Young's strategies helped me to identify and learn about my addiction to the Internet. I was spending all kinds of time in online chat rooms and instant messaging, my marriage of 15 years almost ended, and I almost lost my kids because of it. My wife bought this book and it helped me to understand what I was dealing with - an addiction - and gave me specific ways to help me recognize what triggered this problem. I've been in counseling for the past few months and slowly putting my life back together and I thank Dr. Young for her book. It saved my family!

First, the drawback? This book is based on studies done ten years ago. But to be fair, the problem is real and getting worse. And we need more current research into this addiction that fractures families.

Now, let's look at the positive side of this book. The reasons around this addiction haven't changed. People who are addicted to the 'Net often don't see there's a problem until, well, there's a BIG problem. Dr. Young gives us helpful information on how to become "unplugged" and get back into real life.

If you think you have 'Net addiction, it won't hurt to read this book, would it?