Cyber Junkie: Escape the Gaming and Internet Trap [Paperback]

Kevin Roberts (Author)

Book Description

Release date: August 2, 2010

Video gaming and Internet surfing are the top sources of entertainment for tens of millions of North Americans today. As these technologies continue to grow and flourish, so does the number of people becoming obsessively absorbed in the imagination and fantasy that they present. More and more people are isolating themselves, turning their backs on reality, ignoring family and friends, and losing sleep and even their jobs due to excessive use of video games and the Internet—and they continue to do so despite harmful consequences to their mental, physical, and spiritual health, a telltale sign of addiction.

 In this groundbreaking book, recovering video game addict Kevin Roberts uses extensive scientific and social research, complemented by his and others' personal stories, to give compulsive gamers and surfers—and their family and friends—a step-by-step guide for recovery. He outlines the ways that 'cyber junkies' exhibit the classic signs of addiction and reveals how they can successfully recover by following a  program similar to those used for other addictions. Readers learn to identify whether they have an addiction, find the right resources to get individualized help, and regain a rewarding life away from the screen by learning new thoughts and behaviors that free them from the cravings  that rule their lives. Included is a guide for parents for working with their addicted children.

 Kevin Roberts is a recovering video game addict who runs support groups to help others struggling with cyber addiction get their lives back on track. He is a nationally recognized expert on video gaming addiction and a regular conference speaker. Roberts has a background in education and is the developer of a sixteen-module curriculum designed to give those with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), often a driving factor of video game and internet addiction, the skills they need to succeed. Cyber Junkie is his first book.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In Roberts's sober personal account of addiction, he reveals a modern society completely inundated with electronics. We are embroiled in stimuli from texting, chatting, social networking, casual gaming, and massive multi-user role playing games that allow us to trade real life for highly stimulating virtual realities. For the majority of users, these stimuli provide a brief, entertaining diversion from the quotidian. But for some, it results in destroyed careers and relationships, and ruined lives. A recovering "cyber junkie" himself, Roberts outlines the ways in which game addiction occurs and manifests, and provides step-by-step strategies for concerned family members and friends who want to help their addicted loved ones recover. While cyber addiction is a decidedly modern phenomenon, the steps to recovery will be familiar to anyone with an even passing knowledge of AA, and readers will be forgiven for mistaking his intervention advice as something taken from a substance abuse tale. Roberts's tale shines most when salaciously highlighting the myriad forms that cyber addiction takes, and when explaining the seductive allure of modern stimuli. Readers who can move past skepticism about cyber addiction will find Roberts's tale disturbing and enlightening. (Sept.) (c)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

Ask Amy: Son's Internet Addiction Has Parents Worried

By Amy Dickinson
Tribune Media Services

Posted: 04/18/2011 04:04:20 PM PDT

Updated: 04/18/2011 04:39:13 PM PDT

Dear Amy: My 18-year-old son is addicted to online gaming. He is in his first year of community college full time and living at home. He is failing his classes, spending all of his time gaming, does no homework, forgets to eat and plays all night instead of sleeping.

Until he was 18, we limited his computer time. But now we keep waiting for him to regulate it or work it out for himself. It's not happening. What should we do? -- Worried Parents

Dear Parents: Online gaming is your son's drug of choice. The natural consequence of your son's addiction is that he will not be able to find success in the actual world until he deals with his issues.

You need to have a heart-to-heart with him, and let him know how worried you are and what his choices are at this point.

Your son should be evaluated by a mental health practitioner with experience in treating gamers; he may have underlying issues or difficulties that make him lean toward gaming to the exclusion of everything else.

Your son won't be able to modulate his behavior until he faces his compulsion.

Because he failed his classes, he should not return to school. He is not ready to pursue a college education. You should restrict online access at your home and help him look for a job.

For insight into this challenging issue, read "Cyber Junkie: Escape the Gaming and Internet Trap," by Kevin Roberts (Hazelden Publishing, 2010).

(Amy Dickinson Tribune Media Services )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 204 pages
• Publisher: Hazelden (August 2, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592859488
• ISBN-13: 978-1592859481
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.6 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #101,852 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Kevin Roberts was born in Detroit, Michigan, attended 12 years of Catholic school, and graduated from the University of Michigan. He has a Master's Degree in ADHD studies from Antioch University. As part of the coursework, he did extensive research on addiction. He taught high school and middle school social studies and foreign languages for four years. For the last 13 years, he has been an ADHD Coach and educational consultant, helping underachieving individuals succeed in school and life. In addition, he conducts support groups for teens and adults who struggle with cyber addiction. Roberts is a nationally-recognized expert in cyber addictions and also lectures widely on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). He regularly speaks at conferences, hospitals, clinics and medical schools. He speaks French, Spanish, and German in addition to some conversational capacity in Greek, Italian, Arabic, Quechua, Polish and Mandarin. For more info, go to: www.kevinjroberts.net

Check out this review from Publisher's Weekly:
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/reviews/web-exclusive/index.html?page=2

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Escaping the trap September 30, 2010

By Karen Fischer

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I had been working at a high-stress law firm and the worse it got, the more time I spent wasting endless hours playing solitaire on my smartphone and it was affecting not only my work performance but time with my family and social commitments as well. I just couldn't stop playing and no one around me seemed to understand how a grown woman could be having a problem like this. Up until I came across Mr. Robert's book, I had no idea how many other people are affected by cyber addiction (and especially those with ADD, which I've been diagnosed with) and that there are solutions. I haven't given up my game completely but through reading cyber junkie I've learned to train myself to just do it in free time and stop when I need to. I think this book is a must-read for the technology generation whether you personally have an issue or you know of someone who does- besides being helpful and informational, I found the writing style quite enjoyable as well. I recommend it.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Book August 16, 2010

By Dr. Alicia Acey

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I am a mother and a psychologist. This book helped me better understand my children and my patients. I am seeing more parents struggle to find ways to balance the "cyber" world with the real world. This book definitely helps with that struggle. It is written in a flowing and easy-to-read style. I had a hard time putting it down.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Kevin Roberts speaks from the heart August 29, 2010

By Debbie Stanley

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

As a local colleague of Kevin's, I know him to be an exuberant, engaging professional who puts 110% into his work with young people with AD/HD. This eagerly awaited book will help parents, counselors, and addicts themselves to find the ideal balance of responsible cyber-fun. I'm buying a second copy to donate to my son's school library.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A phenomenal book about an important topic! November 11, 2010

By Andrew N

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is an absolutely amazing book which discusses in great detail of one of the biggest problems facing teenagers in the 21st century: cyber addiction. "Cyber Junkie" is beautifully written for junkies and non-junkies alike. Whether you're someone who can't get off of FarmVille or know someone whose life revolves around World of WarCraft, this book should be next on your "to read" list. I highly recommend this book to everyone who has some connection to cyber addicts and even those who wants to know what internet and video game addiction is all about. I can't wait to see what Kevin Roberts has in store for us next!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Much Needed Resource! October 19, 2010

By Terry Matlen, Acsw

Format:Paperback

Cyber Junkie is a journey into the world of video game addictions. Addictive behaviors like this are often seen in the people I work with (adults with ADHD) and Mr. Roberts does an unusually fine job of covering all the major points in a way that emotionally pulls the reader in. He does this by courageously sharing his own personal battles with video game addictions.

By doing so, he gently gives the reader permission to see his/her own behaviors as being problematic and shows how one can face the addictive demons and overcome them.

He quite bravely brings in his own personal foibles and childhood history that drew him into gaming in the first place, and offers a short synopsis of why certain types of people (those with ADHD, for example) fall into the trap. He rounds it off by sharing his own experience on how he found his way OUT of the black hole of addiction- and he does this without preaching, or insisting on any particular therapeutic model.

I would recommend this to anyone who is personally struggling with video game addiction and to those around him/her that care. A must have for all therapists' bookshelves!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Cyber Junkie: Escape the Gaming and Internet Trap August 19, 2010

By John W D Speirs

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Fearing an unhealthy amount of time was being spent by my 13 year old son playing video games, I read this book to him. With a humorous and non-judgmental style, the book is engaging and presents a great deal of useful information. It has been a springboard for positive change in my son's life. I highly recommend the book.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An eye-opening read October 19, 2010

By prehistory

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I am one of those people who has abused the cyber world out of dissatisfaction with my life. It's been a negative way for me to escape. I have been frustrated with the lack of forward momentum, and have complained about that a lot. But I never figured out how to make positive steps. Playing games and obsessing on Facebook, of course, did nothing to help my situation. Not only did Cyber Junkie help me to understand WHY I was spending so much time on the computer, but it gave me steps to CHANGE my life. Kevin Roberts is someone who has been where I am and that came across loud and clear. There's no preaching. There's no "video games are Satan." It's an honest story that contains helpful hints from Kevin's own life and the lives of people he has helped. And there are some fascinating stories. It is part novel, part self-help book.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Now I Understand September 7, 2010

By Barb Evangelista

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I am a mother with two sons. One is a couch potato with a penchant for Facebook. He plays Farmville and Mafia Wars religiously. My other son was so into Counter Strike that he was in a clan that played the game every night for hours at a time. I have tried to curtail their screen time, and have had some success. But this book actually helped me understand my sons' cyber behavior from the inside. I now have a greater clue about what makes them tick. I am armed with solutions to not only continue restricting and managing their game time, but also to help them find greater balance and zest for life. The book flowed remarkably well. One section easily transitioned into the next. I very much liked how the author used examples from his own struggles with the cyber world as well as from the people he has worked with professionally. Cyber Junkie really is a reference book that no home should be without.
Cyber Junkie: Escape the Gaming and Internet Trap