Technology: an addiction that people aren’t talking about
By Ashleigh Plemper
Farmer Staff Writer
(Editor’s note: This is the third part of a series on current initiatives the McKenzie County Community Coalition is taking to promote mental health/wellness for the youth.)
Let’s be honest, we all have something we tend to splurge on when we like it. Whether it’s binge watching a good television series on Netflix, or eating five pieces too many of your favorite chocolate, at what point does indulging in something cross the line of addiction?
“An addiction is defined as a person’s inability to stop the use of a substance or behavior, despite negative consequences,” says Miranda Samuelson-Figaro, of the McKenzie County Community Coalition.
While drugs and alcohol tend to be the first thing that enters a person’s mind when they think of addiction; however, there’s another type of addiction that is dominating these days. That addiction is technology, which is classified as a behavioral health addiction.
“Chemical addictions are stronger and occur faster, but both types of addiction act on the same parts of the brain,” says Samuelson-Figaro.