Is Your Kid a Video Game Junkie?

May 2009 — Parents who long suspected their children are addicted to video games have new science on their side.

The study used a Harris Poll of video game habits among the young people. The survey found that nearly one in 10 players engaged in too much video game play, and that the games were having a harmful effect on their school and home life.

Take it from a former addict: you can become addicted to video games just as easily as you can get addicted to so-called adult vices. That's whether you use the word addiction or the clinical researcher's phrase of "pathological use" of a substance, thing or habit.

So parents, feel free to call your child's obsession with these games an addiction.

I wasn't addicted to video games, but I was addicted to cigarettes, booze and overeating. And, yes, those addictions caused great harm to my health, relationships and home life.

Sure, video games aren't as physically dangerous as smoking, alcoholism and the obesity that comes with chronic overeating. But any addiction is dangerous if it causes harm. When it comes to addictions, it's not just a game.

So ask yourself: Is your kid addicted to these games? Is he or she a junkie? Then ask yourself: What are you going to do about it?

As a parent, you can control the time your child spends playing video games. You can remove video game players from your home. You can monitor your child's computer use to ensure he or she is not turning on the laptop just to play too many video games.

You can do your homework, too, by visiting Web sites such as www.video-game-addiction.org for resources to help you recognize video game addictions.

You can get blunt with your kid and use the word "addiction."

I was once addicted to booze, cigarettes and overeating. I got help, and I quit. An addiction is an addiction.

If your kid's a video game junkie, you and your kid can get help, too.

About the author: Linda Joy Allan of Santa Barbara, Calif., is the author of the book, "I Quit! Cigarettes, Candy Bars & Booze," which has been described as a "courageous account, ultimately victorious," of Allan's personal journey to overcome three addictions. Dr. Laura Schlessinger, author of the book "Stop Whining, Start Living," has said Allan's book "will motivate and inspire."

For more information about the book, "I Quit! Cigarettes, Candy Bars & Booze," contact Linda Joy Allan at (805) 705-4784 or by e-mail at LindaJoyAllan@aol.com.