Is it time someone opened a social media rehab?

The Irish Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (IACP) has claimed that social media is even more addictive than cigarettes and alcohol. So is it time we opened up a social media rehab?

Are you addicted to social media? Apparently, it’s a growing addiction among Irish people as more and more of us turn to Facebook and Twitter to get away from our everyday stresses.

But how do you know if you hooked? Researchers in Norway have developed the ‘Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale,’ which rates the following as addictive behaviours:

You spend a lot of time thinking about Facebook.
You feel the urge to use Facebook more and more.
You use Facebook to forget about personal problems.
You have tried to cut down on the use of Facebook without success.
You become restless or troubled when you cannot use Facebook or use is prohibited.
You use Facebook so much that it has had a negative impact on your job or studies.

Replace the word Facebook with any type of drug in the above text and you’ve got yourself a serious problem.

Many people now find it next to impossible to put down their mobile device when having a meal with friends, attending a meeting, or not tweeting while out on a first date. Does that sound like you?

“As well as being very time-consuming, internet addiction can lead to very sterile lives. Meaningful interactions with other people are replaced by superficial ones,” said Eoin Stephens, a counsellor and psychotherapist who is a member of the IACP.

“Studies have shown that people with high usage of social media sites tend to have lower levels of self-esteem and have a higher incidence of depression.”