Addicted to smartphone

Addiction can extend to cellphones, leading interpersonal relationships to suffer.

With the recent BlackBerry service debacle, where users were left without BlackBerry Internet Service 10-13 October, it’s become evident that more people are becoming increasingly reliant on their smartphones – they can’t go a day without BBM, Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp and access to the internet. If you found yourself feeling lost and craving the rush you get from sending and receiving BBMs when services went down, you may need to look deeper…
Joanne Brodie, an addiction counsellor, says the behavior of an addict becomes all about their cellphone as they become more popular and easily accessible. Their capacity to chat on their smartphone is insatiable and they put themselves at risk by using their phones at inappropriate times, like chatting while driving. Interpersonal relationships suffer because they are always on their phones.

How to monitor the time you spend on your smartphone
Brodie offers the following advice regarding smartphones and setting boundaries:
• You need to set boundaries or limits, like deciding to only use your smartphone at certain times.
• If you really don’t need to get your emails on your phone, set your data device accordingly.
• Check how many apps you have and how many you actually use on a daily basis.
• If you are a BBM user, go through your BBM contacts and decide who really needs to be there.
• Don’t use your phone at mealtimes and don’t take your phone to restaurants. If you must, keep it on silent and have the courtesy to not touch it until you leave the restaurant.
• If you are using social media on your phone, investigate how involved you are on Facebook, Twitter and any other social networks. Decide if it is absolutely necessary for your wellbeing. If not, delete the application on your phone.