Smartphones are “as addictive as cocaine or any other drug,” according to psychotherapist Steve Pope, who has been helping a man cope with the addiction that cost him his relationship and job.
John Benson from Blackpool in the UK discovered the hard way that his smartphone was no longer just a useful tool or periodic pastime, but something that he felt compelled to use, and something that began to take over his life.
“It's not as if I knew I was doing it,” Benson told BBC Radio 5, “I just got a phone and realised I could play games on it, which is all good and well, but it was like downloading apps or wanting music, or if you were out somewhere and just wanted to listen to one song, you can do it. I thought it wasn't addictive.”
The problem became much larger, however, when Benson began to spend most of his time on the smartphone, downloading thousands of apps and songs, sometimes the same app several times due to impatience waiting for the download to complete.
He stopped eating, stopped bathing or shaving, and did not leave the house. In fact, there was an attempted break-in of his house at one time, but Benson did not stir from his smartphone. He was also £10,000 out of pocket due to the cost of apps, etc, over the three and a half years he spent on the devices.
Benson even smashed up smartphones to stop himself, but he said it does not work, as he just wanted another one. He said he feels better with the phone in his hand, and his hands are sweaty without it.
Pope, Benson's psychotherapist, called smartphones “a silent killer” because of the fact that they are legal and thus it can be deceptive about just how addictive they are in the hands of someone with an addictive personality. He said the problem is particularly prevalent among teenagers and children.
Read more: http://vr-zone.com/articles/smartphones-as-addictive-as-cocaine-/19923.html#ixzz2SJb4uFyr
