Television addiction
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Television addiction is a disorder where the subject has a compulsion to watch television. The compulsion can be extremely difficult to control in many cases. It has many parallels to other forms of addiction, such as addiction to drugs or gambling, which create an altered mental state in the subject.
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[edit] Disagreements on definition
Defining addictions in general can be difficult. Although television viewing habits have been studied for decades, there is no commonly accepted checklist to diagnose television addiction. It is however, widely recognized as a real problem that people face.
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[edit] Effects on life
Television Addiction becomes a problem when a subject does not want to watch TV, but experiences an uncontrollable compunction to start or continue watching. The subject may not accomplish tasks or goals that he or she feels are important.
Another bad effect of TV addiction is that people often feel withdrawal symptoms when they try to go for long periods without watching TV. Many viewers may feel anxious for a time as they try to adjust to living without TV's relaxing effects.
[edit] Overcoming
[edit] Tips on trying to overcome TV addiction
- Get the support of friends and family
- Remove the TV from the house
- Unsubscribe from cable TV, and remove your antenna feed
- Get a small black and white TV and place it where it isn't as comfortable to watch - eg, breakfast table
- Be careful not to compensate by watching excessive amounts of videos on the web
- Create a diary on how long you watch each day
- Think about why you are watching too much TV and why you want to stop
- Find ways to use the time you were formerly watching
