www.earn-eap.com

www.earn-eap.com

Heather Rahn, MA, LPC

Program Director

rahn@besimplybe.com

Self Quiz

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The Internet: Can it be a problem?

So what about the Internet?

Definition

What is addiction?• Relationship that develops between a person & object• Loss of control• Negative Consequences• Compulsivity

SUBSTANCES

Non-ChemicalsChemicals

(alcohol / drugs) (behaviors)

Dopamine

Time Spent

Loss

What are the types of Internet Compulsions?

Surfing

Cyberporn

Gaming

Buying

Gambling Cybersex

Loss of Control

Continued use despite the negative consequences

Compulsion

Guess The Statistics

• Between X% of all Internet users display signs of compulsive Internet behaviors.

(Stanford University School of Medicine)

Statistics

• Between 6-13% of all Internet users display signs of compulsive Internet behaviors.

(Stanford University School of Medicine)

Guess The Statistics

• X in X Employees admitted to wasting an average of 1.7 hours in a typical 8.5 hour work day. (salary.com)

Statistics

• 1 in 6 Employees admitted to wasting an average of 1.7 hours in a typical 8.5 hour work day. (salary.com)

Guess The Statistics

• X% of all online purchases are made during work hours.

(USA Today Tech Report)

Statistics

• 60% of all online purchases are made during work hours.

(USA Today Tech Report)

Guess The Statistics

• X% of men admitted to accessing pornography at work (www.familysafemedia.com)

Statistics

• 20% of men admitted to accessing pornography at work (www.familysafemedia.com)

Guess The Statistics

• X out of X employees reported their work computers to be the primary way they accessed sexual material. (Cooper, Demonico, & Burg (2000).

The Statistics

• 6 out of 100 employees reported their work computers to be the primary way they accessed sexual material. (Cooper, Demonico, & Burg (2000).

Why Problem?

Difficult to Abstain

Mobile Devices

• Is it interfering with life?• Educating policies beyond web• Detecting incidents of abuse

Symptoms In The Workplace

• Decrease in productivity

• Increase in mistakes • Less interaction with co-workers

Symptoms In The Workplace

•Startled when approached at desk

• Less tolerant of workplace conditions

• Excessive fatigue

• Increased absence/ tardiness

Statistics Websense, 2000

Accessing Pornog-raphy47%

Online Chatting15%

Gaming13%

Sports9%

Investing8%

Shopping8%

Leading Causes for Disciplinary Action or Termina-tion

Study Data• Kimberly Young, 1998

White Collar39%

Blue Collar11%

High Tech White Collar8%

Other- student, retired, homemaker

42%

Employment Backgrounds of Internet Addiction

Considerations

• Does your company have an Internet Code of Conduct?

• Have all employees been educated on use?

• Are Internet-access terminals in public view?

Considerations

•Recovery/Return to Work Solution- EAP

• Does employee want help?

Statistics

Stanford University Internet Addiction Study 2006

Found it difficult to abstain from the In-

ternet for several days44%

Excessive Internet use af-fected their relationships

18%

Found Internet as a means of escape

from the real world26%

Felt preoccupied by Internet when offline

12%

Percent of Respondents

Interventions

• Management Training• Updating Policies –rights & responsibilities

• Adding Internet use to assessment questions of HRA

• Rehabilitation

Statistics American Management Association, 2001

Mon

itor E

mail

Mon

itor I

nter

net U

se

Use M

onito

ring S

oftw

are

Mon

itor E

mpl

oyee

s Non

Spe

cified

0

30

60

90

Survey of 1627 Managers

Survey of 1627 Managers

Study Data

“Employers should be encouraged to implement fair and appropriate policies to

offset productivity losses caused by inappropriate use of the Internet, rather than imposing zero tolerance policies that alienate

employees and leave the employer susceptible to litigation.” (Young, 2001)

Choices

Rehab or Rehire?

$2,000 counseling, assessments, and time off

$10,000 recruit, rehire, retrain

Where can I go to get help?

Web Monitoring Programs

• Websense.com• Spector Pro- www.spectorsoft.com• Webwatcher- www.webwatchernow.com• Webspy.com

Web Monitoring Programs

Parent Monitoring* contentwatch.com *chatchecker.com * safeeyes.com * cybersitter.com* cyberpatrol.com * netnanny.com* computercop.com * safefamilies.org

Resources

• sa.org addictionresourceguide.com

• Sexualrecovery.org recoveryconnection.org

• saa-recovery.org olganon.org• safefamilies.org ncadi.samhsa.gov• gamblersanonymous.org• addicted.com www.nimh.nih.gov• addict-help.com

Movie

How can REBOOT help?

• Individualized treatment plans/strategies

• Confidential clinical counseling services

• Consultation & Education

• Diagnostic assessments & evaluations

Small companies. Large companies. Schools. Nonprofits. Government offices.

Managing compulsive Internet behaviors

A division of EARN-EAP

www.earn-eap.com

www.earn-eap.com

Heather Rahn, MA, LPC

Program Director

rahn@besimplybe.com