Internet Porn Addiction = just a tiny part of Internet Addiction?

I don't think it is in my case but of course everyone is different.

I cut myself off from the internet for the best part of a month recently. Considering how much time I spend online I did think that I must be at least somewhat addicted but it turned out that I didn't miss it at all really, I still craved porn intensely though :/

All the mindless surfing, browsing, chain watching youtube etc I just do because the current alternative is to pretty much do nothing. If I had a lot going on I think I could quite easily do without being online tbh. As I said though, things effect people differently. For example I used to gamble heavily, every day more or less for years, by all measures I should have been addicted but nope, one day I decided I couldn't be bothered with it anymore and that was it. Just because I managed to quit easily though doesn't mean I'm going to dismiss gambling addiction as an actual thing, just like how I wish people wouldn't dismiss porn addiction because they haven't experienced it or have managed to give it up relatively easily.

 

In my opinion all those other internet addictions aren't anywhere near as bad as high speed internet porn addiction.

Your right they are still bad though. I actually think most people are internet addicts these days.

For my self I actually find staying off the internet relatively easy as long as I have something enjoyable to do outwith my home.

I don't have a smart phone, so I am only on the internet when I am at home on my laptop. But yes when I am at home I spend the majority of my time on my laptop on the internet.

The thing is I am mainly reading stuff or watching movies, tv shows, videos etc.

Remember another thing with the internet is if you actually finish what your doing it's not as bad. So if you finish watching that entire movie, you finish watching that entire tv series episode, you finish reading that news story or what ever.

It's when your constantly flicking about searching for something else that it's more harmful and addictive. One tab open watching something, another tab open reading something, flicking on to something else, searching something else, flicking back and forth between them all.

This is the addictive and harmful side of the internet.

But yes overall I think if most people got out a lot more and away from their computers and smart phones much more often it would do them the world of good.

 

I have been cut off from the internet at times and it's a strange feeling but the intensity of cravings have never come close to those from porn for me.

 

My experience has been that porn is definitely in a class by itself. I do occasionally get caught up in some mindless surfing, seeking music on YouTube, etc. But there’s actually tons of great stuff online - news, books, magazines. Even pursuing a topic on Wikipedia can be very interesting. My latest is looking at this site a lot because it helps to hear others’ stories and is therapeutic for me to write stuff.

Day Two is Done
One Day at a Time

 

Good question. In my opinion, porn has a different place from all the internet. But things like surfing mindlessly, social media stuffs can affects the brain. A lot of people's attention span is decreasing because of this day by day. Cal Newport mentions on his book and I really recommend it https://www.amazon.com/Digital-Minimalism-Choosing-Focused-Noisy/dp/0525536515

In all internet, porn is the most potential negative effect. But in order to find a digital balance, you might want to organize your screen time.