Pick Me Up! – 30 May 2019

Areyou Addicted?

hot

Are

you

hook

ed

on your

phone?

Is it timeforyoutohavea digital

detox?You’renottheonlyone

W

hatdoes

anaddict

looklike?

Perhaps

you’re

picturing

a pale,gauntfigurelooking

fortheirnextdrugfix.

Orsomeonestruggling

withalcoholism.

Butchancesare,if youlook

around,theverynextperson

youseewillbeanaddict.

Perhapseventhefacelooking

lDoyoufrequently

spendmoretimeonyour

phonethanintended?

lDoyouuseit to

escapefromproblems

ordifficultfeelings?

lAreyoufrequently

beingtoldbyotherpeople

tocutdownonusing

yoursmartphone?

Two-

thirds of

16-to-19-year-

olds check their

phones in the

middle of the

night.

Words: rebecca Knight. Photos (Main and ‘are YoU addicted?’ Posed bY ModeLs): gettY

back at you in the mirror.

Because statistics show we are

a nation of smartphone addicts.

Think that’s an exaggeration?

Think again.

A recent survey by mobile-

phone insurers loveit coverit

revealed a whopping 73 per

cent of 25-to-30-year-olds are

so hooked on their phones they

can’t go to the loo without them.

Sound familiar?

Chances are, at one time or

another, most of us have sat on

the toilet tapping away on our

mobile phone.

Well, sometimes those

WhatsApp chats or Facebook

debates are too gripping to

miss even for a second, right?

But if taking your phone to

the loo is the new normal, what

about taking it to the bedroom?

Incredibly, 16 per cent of

25-to-34-year-olds have

confessed to checking social

media during a steamy sesh in

the bedroom, while 14 per cent

admitted making a phone call.

And if you didn’t think it

could get worse,

15 per cent have

admitted to

checking

a dating app

while having

sex with

somebody!

Puts a whole

new spin on the

term ‘three in a bed’!

Yet behind the jokes

hides a genuine addiction that

can have similar effects on our

relationships, mental and

physical health as gambling

or drug addiction.

A 2015 University of

Derby study into smartphone

addiction found that out of 256

smartphone users, 13.3 per

cent were classified as addicted.

It also found that the more you

use your phone, the higher the

risk of becoming addicted.

‘For individuals who

consistently take smartphone

usage to an extreme over a

prolonged period of time, there

could be lasting effects on the

brain,’ explains Dr William Van

Gordon, Associate Professor

of Contemplative Psychology

at the University of Derby.

Apparently, our brains

are hardwired to remember

behaviours that lead to reward,

which our smartphone provides

in the form of escapism,

distraction, social connection

and emotional highs.

So every time you see the

flash of a text message or

l Do you often feel

uncomfortable or become

stressed when you are unable

to use your phone?

l Is your phone having

a negative effect on your

health or relationships?

If you answered mostly ‘yes’,

it might be time to look into

your phone usage.