by Derek Johnson

Created on: November 04, 2008

A recent addiction in Stony Brook University is not from amphetamines or alcohol. It is a new type of drug: Computers.

Some symptoms for computer-addicted Stony Brook students include missing classes, financial problems, loss of sleep, loss or gain of weight and disregarding social and/or athletic activities, according to Kate Valerio, a Health Educator from Student Health Services. "We feel we're doing the best to get the info out there about computer addiction," Valerio said, "because students at Stony Brook are becoming more distant and are not reaching out."

According to Student Health Services, 37% of SBU students in danger of academic dismissal last year indicated late-night computer use was a major factor. Fifteen percent of SBU students indicated their computer use was an impediment to their academic success. Students who are addicted to computers face even more anxiety when they realize how much time that they could have been spending on work.

Within the addiction to computers, there are several issues. Some students are in credit card debt because they get lost in the compulsiveness of online shopping or online gambling. There is also an addiction to computer games. Students lose hours at a time to them. According to John Seto, a junior, he had a friend that had an addiction to computer games: "It was WarCraft 3, then World of WarCraft. Because he only did class work and games, he never went outside." Gaming and the virtual world is a distraction for people from the real world.

Ellen Driscoll, a Certified Alcohol Substance Abuse Counselor and Licensed

Substance Worker at Student Health Services, explains what these students that play video games most of the time are thinking. "I'm not good at coping skills,'" she said, "I'm not good with the real world.' It is a great distraction. The gaming and virtual world is a fantasy. There is no time limit, you lose yourself."

According to Driscoll, there is no large awareness for computer addiction. "It's kind of new," she said, "There is no diagnostic on it in the medical world. The mission of Student Health Services in regards to Computer Addiction is trying to find the individual and help them with their use."

There is more live interaction with the Internet now because of high-speed access and other technological advances. People with more addictive personalities are more vulnerable to it than others. It can have about as much an impact as sex, alcohol and drug addiction. However, there can be smaller computer

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