As awareness of the disorder becomes more prevalent so do the number of proposed solution and techniques to combat this problem. One possible solution suggested by medical practitioners begins with the realization of the addiction; in other words, the first step is for the individual to become aware of his or her addiction. The individual does this by recognizing the central symptoms of the disorder; for instance, "A key signal to this would be time spent at the computer, but also time spent thinking about the Internet or in activities related to the Internet" (Ferris).

Following recognition the addicted individual should attempt to identify any underlying problems or causes that may have led to this from of addiction; for example, if the individual is using the Internet as a means of escaping social or personal problems and uses the online worlds as a means of avoidance. The third step is to "… devise and act out a plan to work through the problem, rather than escape it" (Ferris J. R).

From a psychological pint of view there are a number of cognitive therapy based approaches that are recommended. This approach is favored "…due to their systematic and direct focus on reducing problem use and preventing relapse, and the strong scientific support for the approach" (Bursten and Dombeck). Family and marriage therapy is also a useful avenue of assistance to consider.

However if one take into account that more and more young people are spending longer online with the expansion of the internet into social networking, then this raises the problem of control and monitoring. While this is a contentious issues from a privacy point-of-view, if the reality of this form of addiction is accepted it also suggests that parental control and monitoring of their children's online activities should be recommended

Conclusion
The issue of whether Internet addiction is real or fictional is an extremely important debate for a number of reasons. If, as has been suggested in this paper, Internet addiction is a serious reality, then this leads to a number of important concerns. The seriousness of this form of addiction could affect young people who are unaware of the problem. Parents who assume that Internet addiction is only a form of hype may also not look out for the telltale symptoms of this addiction until it is too late.

The medical and research evidence indicates that Internet addiction is a reality that should be dealt with at the same level of seriousness as alcohol addiction. This means in the final analysis that more research and efforts to make the public more aware of the problem should be initiated.

Works Cited

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New York Times.1 Dec. 1996. April 21, 2009.

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DeAngelis T. Is Internet addiction real? 2000. April 21, 2009.

http://www.apa.org/monitor/apr00/addiction.html

Ferris J.R. Internet Addiction Disorder: Causes, Symptoms, and Consequences.

April 21, 2009.

http://www.files.chem.vt.edu/chem-dept/dessy/honors/papers/ferris.html

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April 21, 2009. http://webpages.charter.net/stormking/iad.html

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http://www.addictionrecov.org/intwhat.htm