More than 71 percent of office workers abuse the Internet at work, shopping online, visiting social networking sites, playing games and reading personal emails, according to the Center for Internet Addiction Recovery. For some people, that idle surfing at work or at home can become a severe addiction to the Internet, complete with symptoms of withdrawal when you can't access your computer. If you have signs of Internet addiction, consider the various cures and treatment options to get you back on the right track.
External Stoppers
External stoppers consist of outside mechanisms that make it impossible to search the Internet longer than a prescribed amount of time. Mac's "Self Control" application and Firefox's "Leech Block" are examples of external stoppers that allow you to enter in a prescribed amount of time where the Internet is available. After the time limit, the sites are no longer available to you. External stoppers can also be schedule-driven. Healthy Place cites a method where you're only allowed to use the Internet an hour before work; your schedule prevents you from abusing your time.
Therapy
Sometimes what seems like an addiction to the Internet in general is actually an addiction to some of the websites and capabilities that the Internet has to offer, like pornography, online gambling, social networking, dating websites and chats. When you have a severe addiction to a facet of the Internet, therapy can help you understand why you substitute online relationships for face-to-face ones, says Help Guide. A therapist can talk to you about substitutions you're making in your life and how to work through the different addictions in conjunction with your Internet addiction.
Trigger Avoidance
Certain triggers can cause you to want to use the Internet, which you then abuse. Consider how you feel when you see your email in-box notify you of a new message, or receive an alert that someone has tagged a picture of you on a social networking site. Naturally, you want to see the activity and may end up on the computer and losing track of time. Remove any application from your phone or computer that alerts you to activity online, and give yourself two or three passes to use the Internet daily for a short period of time instead, suggests MentalHelp.net.
Abstinence
At times, an Internet addiction can be so severe that you simply need to stop using the Internet in order to be fully cured. This can disrupt your professional life when you use a computer at work. If you don't need the Internet at work, unplug your Ethernet cable so you no longer have a connection. Use the computer for working only, and avoid the Internet. Later, when you've recovered, you can introduce the Internet back in your life through small amounts until you feel comfortable that you won't abuse the Internet again.
