How Do We Think about Success in the Treatment of Internet and Video Game Dependence (Gaming Disorder/Internet Addiction)?
by Dr. Hilarie Cash, Ph.D.
Parents often ask how successful we are. They want to know if their adult child, who has been lost in the virtual world for months and years, in a state of addiction, passivity and dependency, is going to be able to function as an adult in the world, i.e. able to support himself and lead a healthy, productive life. These are adult children who often have often managed to graduate from High School because of the structure provided by parents, but once at college, lacked the ability and/or motivation to manage themselves. Some of them, overwhelmed by academic demands and an uncomfortable social world, sought escape from these challenges in the virtual world, and a mild addiction bloomed into a severe one. For others, the virtual world had been the preferred place to spend time for many years; their addiction was severe before they left home and it just got worse, or, they never left home.
What people often fail to realize is just how profoundly the personalities of their sons and daughters may have been affected by years of virtual living. The brain wires itself according to what it does, so, any repeated behavior will be strongly wired, and other behaviors, unpracticed, are not wired well or at all. In the case of our clients, the behaviors they engaged in online, which they found highly pleasurable or relieving, such as surfing, video gaming, looking at pornography, watching Youtube, Netflix, etc., had become addictive, creating neural wiring which supported their addictive patterns of behavior rather than non-addictive, healthier patterns. And, if these young adults had been engaged in these behaviors since elementary school or earlier, imagine just how strong their wiring is in comparison to other addictive disorcers who often begin “using” between the ages of 12-15.
The point is, that it takes a very long time to undo the damage to social skills, basic life skills, self confidence in the real world, physical fitness, self-directed goal-directed behavior, the ability to delay gratification, concentration, and a host of other problems which we consistently see among our clients. So, from our point of view, we count it as a great success when a young adult in our care moderates problematic engagement with digital media and fully engages life, with all its ups and downs. We see our alums getting and quitting jobs, experimenting with dating, exploring new hobbies, signing up for college courses where they experience successes and failures, and so forth. As long as they are still in our program we are there to catch them, coach them, support them and guide them to the extent that they allow us to. But, now, they are more in control of their own life, their recovery and their chance to manage adulthood. They may make plenty of mistakes, but, at least they are in the fray.
Recent Comments