Video Game Addiction: a New Diagnosis?

Video Game Addiction: a New Diagnosis is the title of an article written in the Washington Post. A somewhat informative article, written by Lindsay Tanner from the Associated Press about people who are quite literally, and sometimes fatally, addicted to computer games. One thing I found in almost all of the cases described in the article was that the kids had their own computers in their own bedrooms. And the parents wonder why these kids get addicted? DUH?

Let me see if I understand this properly. A child says to the parents "I want my own computer". Without asking the child a gazillion questions, the parent blindly complies and buys the child a computer. Then, the child says, "No, I want MY computer in MY room!" So, the blind parents comply once again, and some go to great lengths to add new cable lines into the child's room, possibly buy the child a special computer desk and chair, and get this child all hooked into the internet. Then the child says, "I want more stuff for my computer! I want games, programs, gaming keyboards, equipment, software!" Blind parents once again comply (seemingly without asking the child any questions at all)...and then they wonder why their child goes from a normal kid, to a maniacal beast in under a year? Are people really THAT stupid?

And now, these same people want the AMA to officially classify this situation into an actual medically termed addiction? What's worse, is that some of these people get so bad that they actually lose their jobs, marriages and even their lives, because of this so-called addiction.

Now, to be fair, I will say this. IF this is an adult that has this 'addiction', then there's really no one to blame but that adult. However, that's literally as far as I'm willing to even accept it. And, as far as that scenario goes, any adult who allows themselves to become THAT addicted to a GAME, needs a little bit more than just mental help, ok? Some lady even went so far as to say that because her father was an alcoholic, she knew the signs of addiction. Bullshit!

First of all, over half of the people who are addicted to alcohol, are addicted to it because it stops pain. This is the very same reason that people use medical merijuana. It stops the pain. Alcoholics also do not drink because they like the taste of the booze. They drink to get drunk. That's their primary objective, and there are millions of alcoholics out there that no one would ever suspect as being such. Why? Because these people live normal lives, and have jobs, and drive sober, and go to their churches, and visit their doctors regularly, and eat healthy, and live well. It just so happens that these people also require about 3 -4 alcholic drinks in order to help them either sleep at night, or kill the pain that even prescription pain killers can't touch (like, severe arthritis or back pain, for example).

These alcholics can't take high grade prescription pain killers during the day, because these pain killers also supress their systems making it impossible for them to even stay awake half the time, much less drive, work or function normally. They can't take medical marijuana because they have jobs and the anti-drug regulations that are enforced in over 90% of all jobs out there today will not allow them to keep their jobs while using medical marijuana. So, this leaves them with few options. Many also see doctors, chiropractors and go to physical therapy classes. Many of them are even on specialized diets to help reduce the pains, build tissues and reduce inflammation. The alcohol, to them, is still required. So yes, while they are addicted, NO ONE is going to sit there and tell me that just because one person had a BAD drinking problem, that this now qualifies them to 'know the signs' of a totally different and, in my opinion, completely ridiculous, 'addiction'.

Both my husband and myself have played on line and RPG games. Guess what? We're NOT addicted. And, we've both been around the computer systems for the last 25 years ok? This is not anything new to us at all. We started using computers in high school, and we both live normal and happy lives. We are not addicted to the games that we play, nor are we stupid enough to give our kids their own in-bedroom computers.

So for all you addicted adults out there.... get a freaking life ok? For those addicted kids out there... I blame your parents for being lazy, stupid and not aware enough. Be glad you're not in my home. You'd never see anything other than a radio in your bedroom. Not joking. And, for all you responsible and normal kids out there... congratulations! You get to live a happy life with no stupid reliance on an expensive plastic paperweight with electronic characters all over its screen!