Effective and Affordable Internet Addiction Treatment for Saudis at The Cabin Chiang Mai
Do you find yourself struggling to limit your internet use or put your phone down? You’re not alone.
Technology addiction is increasingly common in Saudi Arabia. For example, an overwhelming 30% of Saudis reported a decline in health including weight gain and lack of sleep due to overuse of smartphones and the internet.
Smartphones, tablets and laptops have found their way into every aspect of our daily lives – they’re with us at work, school and at home. In many ways, this is a good thing: the internet provides a multitude of communication, learning, entertainment and business opportunities.
However, there are negative consequences to being connected all the time as well.
What is Internet Addiction?
Internet addiction is essentially the compulsive overuse of the internet – and minor forms of internet addiction are all around us. For instance, you’ve probably seen groups of friends hanging out in silence (instead of having conversations, they’re all browsing the internet on their phones).
But internet addiction goes further than the above scenario. Just like other behavioural or process addictions, an internet addict’s reward centre of the brain lights up just at the thought of being online. Often, this is associated with a feeling of being connected – so the pull is strong.
In addition to phone and laptop overuse, internet-based games and social media outlets are major aspects of internet addiction.
How do you know if you have a problem, or if you just enjoy using the internet? Keep reading.
Tell-tale Signs of Internet Addiction
Because the internet is so deeply ingrained in modern-day life, it’s difficult to know when your internet usage has become problematic. Some indicators include losing sleep over internet use, preferring to spend time online rather than with friends and family and fantasizing about the next time you can log on.
In a nutshell: internet addiction sets in when you lose the ability to connect with others in real life, or when internet usage is negatively disrupting other parts of your life such as work, school or relationships.
For a more in-depth list of internet addiction signs, click here.
Effects of Internet Addiction
Internet addiction can negatively affect your life – or your loved one’s life – in the following ways:
- Decreased productivity – Regularly browsing the internet, checking email/ social media or playing online games cuts into work or school time, causing productivity to suffer.
- Reduction in social life –Internet addicts tend to go out and interact with friends and family less and less over time.
- Time distortion – Many internet addicts lose complete track of time once they are online. Checking email often turns into hours of surfing the web or other online activities before they realise it.
- Escapism – More of a reason for internet addiction rather than solely an effect, many internet addicts use online communities as a way of escaping real-life problems. With the problems left untreated, addicts will delve deeper into online communities, losing touch with reality along the way.
- Depression – The jury is still out on whether depression causes internet addiction or internet addiction causes depression. Likely, both contribute to one another.
- Social anxiety – Being online all the time makes it increasingly difficult to deal with face-to-face situations, leading to social anxiety when an addict is forced into social situations.
- Back or wrist pain – Both are associated with long periods of computer use.
What are the Benefits of Residential Internet Addiction Rehab?
Because internet addiction is so ingrained in daily life, many internet addicts find it incredibly beneficial to be removed from ‘regular’ life.
Leaving your day-to-day environment behind for a period of time allows you to completely unplug from the internet and more easily deal with cravings – because the internet is simply not accessible in rehab.
Other benefits of residential rehab include:
1. Personal and Group Counselling Sessions
Your weekly treatment schedule includes one-on-one therapy sessions and daily group therapy sessions. Both types of counselling are absolutely integral to successful addiction recovery.
2. Complete Confidentiality
Everything that goes on behind the doors of an inpatient addiction treatment centre is completely confidential.
3. 24-hour Support
At all times of the day there is a counsellor or support worker available to talk you through cravings or any other feelings or emotions that may arise during treatment.
4. Less Stress
Meals are provided and laundry is cleaned. There are even staff members there to remind you where you need to be – and when – for therapy sessions. The only thing that you need to worry about is getting better.
Why Choose The Cabin Chiang Mai?
Complete abstinence from internet use is not realistic in today’s modern world – which is why The Cabin Chiang Mai uses a unique treatment method, called Recovery Zones, created specifically to treat those addictions for which total abstinence isn’t realistic.
Using a combination of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), The 12 Steps and mindfulness therapy, our treatment programme teaches you the coping skills and tools necessary to develop healthy internet usage patterns.
Many addiction centres do not have experience with internet addiction, but the Western-trained counsellors at The Cabin Chiang Mai have decades of combined experience treating all types of behavioural addictions – including internet addiction.
Our treatment programme has an above-average completion rate of 96% and is offered at a fraction of the cost of similar or lesser luxury rehab centres in the West.
Start Your Journey to Recovery Today.
There’s no better time than now to unplug and begin your internet addiction treatment. The sooner your addiction is treated, the better your chances are for a successful and long-lasting recovery. If you’re suffering from internet addiction, or you are unsure if your internet usage habits are healthy, contact us now for a free assessment.
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