Compulsive Internet use: "I was shaking and sobbing uncontrollably"

Text Message from the Depths of Digital Hell: "I sat there quivering and weeping"

by Doris Schneyink
∞ - 6 Min Read

Sitting rigidly, I sobbed intensely and without control. - Compulsive Online Engagement: "I was quivering and sobbing"

He observed that what he once loved had the power to annihilate him, it was almost too late. Florian Buschmann was 15 years old at the time, among the top scorers in the shooter "Warface". He would spend up to 16 hours a day exterminating enemies or supported allies. The more his digital friends praised him, the more often the algorithm bestowed him with greater firepower or ammo, the stronger his motivation to play.

Conflict with parents, warning from teacher

"I neglected everything," says Florian Buschmann today. Friends, track and field training, family, school. He argued with his parents, lied to them, hid his excessive gaming, his father threatened to take away his computer, once in a fit of rage and despair, he unplugged it; but Florian had backup cables stashed away in his room. A teacher warned him, "If you continue like this, you won't reach the 10th grade, not at the gymnasium in Dresden you attended, but also not anywhere else."

He persisted.

"I had completely lost control," says Florian. The digital persona he had crafted offered him confidence. He couldn't imagine life without it. Meanwhile, he suffered from the consequences of gaming. He felt empty and alone when he wasn't playing, increasingly plagued by depressive thoughts.

The desire to stop came to him for the first time in 2018 during a school exchange in Romania. A week of involuntary abstinence.

With his host family and the other students, he was constantly on the move, hiking, climbing, playing basketball, sitting around the campfire, chatting. "It was cool," says Florian. "When my host's son checked Facebook messages on his computer in the evening, I was genuinely sad and said, 'Can't we do something else?' As if I starved for real experiences."

On the return train journey, a friend who also played excessively said to Florian, "I'm done with this shit, I don't want to do it anymore." "I was happy for him," says Florian, "but I knew I wouldn't be able to do it."

It wasn't until a year later, as nightmares of war and death haunted him and he felt worse and worse, that he recognized he needed to change his life. "I wanted to prove to myself that I had the freedom to decline," he says. He decided to forgo computer games for a month as a test.

It would prove to be the hardest challenge of his life.

Addiction as a Brain Disease

Never has the freedom to decline been more threatened than today, not just for those who have developed a serious addiction. Maybe everyone knows that nagging feeling that what should bring joy can eventually take on compulsive traits: posting, liking, messaging, scrolling, gaming, online shopping, consuming online porn, gymming, eating, working. The underlying reason for this everyday addiction is the neurobiology of the brain. All these activities – just like the consumption of classic drugs such as alcohol, amphetamines, nicotine – are accompanied by massive reward stimuli and lead to an increased release of the neurotransmitter dopamine.

Research on rats has shown that, for example, eating chocolate increases dopamine production by 55%, sex by 100%, nicotine by 150%, and amphetamines by 1000%.

Dr. Anna Lembke, director of the addiction clinic at Stanford University and bestselling author, explains: "Dopamine is the substance that makes us 'want' and increases our cravings, making us restless and driven." Without dopamine, we couldn't survive. But too much of this neurotransmitter puts our brain in serious jeopardy. The effects of which are well-known: losing control of scrolling through Instagram stories for four hours every night and going to work the following day exhausted; spending the entire weekend competing on chess platforms rather than preparing for exams and failing as a result; checking the weather app incessantly; shopping online so much that your account is empty and your wardrobe overflowing.

Loss of control is partly due to the ruthless business models of big tech companies. Expending a lot of time on social media means a lot of money for the operators. On the other hand, loss of control also carries a tragic side: our brain is poorly adapted to a world of abundance and constant rewards.

Neuroscientists and addiction specialists increasingly view addiction as a brain disease and are researching therapies to better protect the brain from the daily onslaught of dopamine.

Strengthening the will through brain stimulation

One approach is to strengthen the prefrontal cortex, the brain region that helps us control impulses and warns us: "Hey, this might feel nice now, but it will hurt tomorrow." In children, this region is not yet fully developed, making it particularly difficult for them to resist rewards.

Tuesday morning, 10 a.m., Central Institute of Mental Health (ZI) in Mannheim. Manuel Richter*, 48, a tall, solid man with a trimmed gray beard, sits in a ZI lab in front of a computer. Letters and numbers are rapidly descending on the screen in front of him, F, D, 7, 3. Some are rotated around the axis, others are mirror-reflected. The difference is difficult to spot. Richter is supposed to press the control key whenever numbers and letters are not* mirrored. A challenging task that requires his full attention.

With this and other tests, cognitive functions are examined: attention, working memory, cognitive flexibility, impulse control. Following this, Manuel Richter receives transcranial direct current stimulation (TDCS) for 20 minutes on three days, to stimulate his prefrontal cortex. Finally, the tests from the initial day are repeated for him and the other participants to see if the results have improved.

"There are initial promising indications that stimulating the prefrontal cortex through TDCS helps individuals with addiction disorders prevent relapses," says Sabine Vollstadt-Klein, professor of neuroscience at ZI and head of the neuroimaging department. She is now collecting data from a study with 162 participants to provide long-term evidence of the effectiveness of direct current stimulation. Research in smokers has shown particularly positive results. "Participants consumed significantly fewer cigarettes after the treatment."

But chess training, as she discovered together with a Spanish colleague, could also probably help strengthen the prefrontal cortex. Vollstadt-Klein has hired a chess trainer who visits ZI once a week. The goal is not to make patients grandmasters, but to help participants focus their attention or fortify their memory – for example, by remembering certain setups that the trainer only shows briefly and also distracts the participants.

Manuel Richter also participates in the chess training. Last December, this successful software consultant and ambitious triathlete relapsed after five years of alcohol abstinence. When he talks about it, his sorrow and despair are palpable. Originally, he wanted to start visiting all Bundesliga stadiums in Germany with his son at the beginning of the year. Now, he is undergoing treatment at the ZI. He has to painstakingly regain the freedom to decline.

While there are treatment offers for substance-related addictions like alcoholism at various stages, it seems different for behavioral addictions. "There's practically no prevention and early intervention here," says Anne-Kathrin Klemm, vice president of the umbrella association of health insurers. The gaps in care need to be urgently addressed.

Online therapy also provides relief

And, indeed, scientists are developing promising concepts. A recent study with 962 participants between the ages of 16 and 64 suffering from symptoms of mild to moderate "internet use disorder" has just come to a conclusion. These individuals struggled with issues such as loneliness, isolation, depressive moods, sleep disorders, concentration problems, lack of motivation, and dropping out of school. One group received the full therapy program, including a custom app, telephone counseling, and a 15-week online therapy. The control group only received information on obtaining help for problematic behavior.

The group who received therapy showed a significant reduction in addiction issues. "For instance, we asked how frequently participants were impaired in their daily lives over the past month, such as not attending school or neglecting work, and that decreased by up to 50%," says Hans-Jürgen Rumpf, professor of psychology at the University of Lübeck. The three-stage therapy concept has been called "Stepped Care Approach for the Treatment of Internet-related Disorders."

When Florian Buschmann decided to abandon gaming seven years ago, he had no access to therapies. He underwent a cold-turkey detox, sitting at home quivering and weeping. "Especially because I understood how much I had sacrificed due to my addiction," he says. But after approximately two weeks, he started to feel improvements, and when he reached 30 days, he extended it to 60 days. Then 90 days. Now, he hasn't played for seven years and offers workshops in schools to prevent digital addiction. Last year, his initiative "OFFLINE HELDEN" conducted a total of 500 events with over 13,000 participants from first grade and above. "When I ask children in class who spends too much time on social media, 80% raise their hands. They know their behavior is risky, but they can't regulate it on their own."

Enrichment Data:

Treatment Approaches for Internet Addiction

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Description: A talking therapy that helps individuals identify and change negative thought patterns and behaviors. It is widely recognized as an effective treatment for internet addiction, as it addresses the underlying psychological issues driving the behavior.
Effectiveness: Studies have shown that CBT can significantly reduce psychopathological symptoms associated with internet addiction.
Example: A study used CBT to treat internet addiction by helping participants manage their thoughts and behaviors, leading to improved outcomes.
Group Therapy
Description: Provides a supportive environment where individuals can share their experiences and learn from others. It helps address social isolation, a common symptom of internet addiction.
Effectiveness: Group therapy is beneficial for improving social interaction and reducing compulsive behaviors.
Example: Individuals struggling with internet addiction have found group therapy sessions helpful in building social connections and managing withdrawal symptoms.
Coping Strategies
Description: Since total abstinence from the internet is impractical, learning coping strategies is essential. This involves managing triggers and maintaining a healthy balance between internet use and other activities.
Effectiveness: Developing coping strategies can help individuals avoid relapse and manage their internet use in a healthier manner.
Example: Implementing apps that monitor and limit internet access, as well as engaging in activities unrelated to the internet, can help manage addiction.
Self-Help Groups
Description: Organizations like Internet Tech Addiction Anonymous (ITAA) provide peer support and structured programs to help individuals manage their internet use.
Effectiveness: Self-help groups offer a supportive community that fosters recovery and relapse prevention.
Example: Many individuals have benefited from the emotional support and structured recovery plans provided by these groups.
Marriage or Couples Counseling
Description: For individuals whose internet addiction affects relationships, counseling can be beneficial. It helps address issues related to online affairs or excessive pornography use.
Effectiveness: Counseling can improve communication and rebuild relationships impacted by excessive internet use.
Example: Couples have reported improved relationship dynamics after addressing and working through internet-related conflicts in therapy.
The Commission's report on the impact of the new approach also addresses the effects of gaming and excessive internet use on neurotransmitter levels, such as dopamine, which can contribute to addiction.
In Doris Schneyink's article, Florian Buschmann shares his personal story of struggling with an addiction to gaming and its impact on his mental health, similar to the addictive nature of neurotransmitter release in response to other online activities like posting, liking, or scrolling.
The effectiveness of therapies, like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and online therapy, in treating internet-related disorders, including gaming addiction, can help individuals regain control over their behavior and improve their mental health, much like Florian Buschmann who, sans access to such therapies, underwent a cold-turkey detox and is now offering workshops to prevent digital addiction.