In a wired world and a global economy, cell phones have become a virtual necessity for modern life. A Pew Research Center report found that 83 percent of Americans were cell phone users in 2011.

According to “USA Today,” more than one-fourth of American households no longer have landlines and use cell phones exclusively.

Inevitably, such a major change in society — especially one that has happened so rapidly — gives rise to concerns about the long-term consequences. It’s easy to dismiss such concerns as a stubborn resistance to change — but you may want to reflect on the nature of your cell phone use and whether or not you’ve been swept up into a socially acceptable, but potentially dangerous, addiction.

With so many people using cell phones so frequently, the concept of cell phone addiction may strike you as bogus — as absurd as the idea of being addicted to breathing. Addiction, after all, usually refers to mood-altering substances like alcohol or narcotics and carries a social stigma. Preoccupation with cell phone apps, upgrades and innovations is so commonplace and socially acceptable that the stigma, it would seem, should fall on people who are not addicted to cell phone technology.

However, addiction — whether it’s to drugs, gambling, Internet or cell phones — has distinctive features that separate normal use from abnormal use. Cell phone “addicts” may not yet have support groups like Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous, but the methods these and other groups use to overcome addiction may well apply to people whose obsessive cell phone use has become a problem.

Addiction and Cell Phones

Addiction is characterized by an extreme preoccupation with a substance or behavior, followed by an increased tolerance and the presence of withdrawal symptoms if the addict loses access to the substance or isn’t able to indulge the behavior. An addict pursues the drug or behavior — and indulges it with steadily progressive frequency — despite mounting social, financial, physical and psychological consequences. Addictive behavior goes against the person’s self-interest, overriding the most basic survival instincts.

Addiction is both a psychological and physical problem. For those addicted to alcohol and drugs, the “high” produced by those substances replaces the function of brain chemicals like serotonin and dopamine that create natural feelings of pleasure and a sense of well-being. These “feel-good” brain chemicals are stimulated by beneficial activities like exercise and potentially harmful behaviors like gambling. It’s the pleasure that’s addictive. Whether that pleasure is achieved by artificial chemicals or the over-stimulation of natural brain chemicals is almost irrelevant, since the results can be equally devastating.

Cell phone use undoubtedly activates pleasure centers in the brain. It creates a sense of pleasure and well-being by making you feel connected to the larger world. Many cell phones and personal digital assistants feature apps and games that provide entertaining diversions from reality. If you’re prone to addiction — particularly if you have difficulty coping with life due to anxiety or depression — cell phone technology could easily become as addictive as a mood-altering drug.

The rapid nature of the technology’s ongoing evolution, with each new cell phone or PDA model boasting even more capabilities than the previous one, creates a phenomenon similar to that of alcoholics who build a tolerance for beer and progress to hard liquor, or marijuana smokers who move on to heroin. For a cell phone addict, last year’s model doesn’t give them the buzz it used to, so they must get the latest technology in order to achieve the same “high.”

Symptoms of Cell Phone Addiction

If you continue a behavior despite mounting negative consequences, the behavior is likely addictive. In the case of cell phone addiction, such consequences could be financial — phone bills that exceed your budget, or a propensity to buy upgrades and newer models that you can’t comfortably afford.

The consequences may be social. If you prefer communicating through text messages or talking on your phone over face-to-face communication, you may have a problem. Addiction is an isolating disorder. Cell phone addiction lends itself to isolation because it creates the illusion of meaningful connection to others, but nothing can replace face-to-face communication and actual, physical contact.

How do you react if you lose or forget your cell phone? Are you nervous or fidgety in situations where you have to turn your cell phone off? Do you find it difficult to concentrate on basic tasks or face-to-face conversations because you desperately want to check your voice mail or text messages? These may be symptoms of withdrawal, closely mirroring the jittery and distracted behavior of drug addicts deprived of their “fix.”

Risk-taking is another hallmark of addictive behavior. The problem of “distracted driving” — people texting or talking on their phones while behind the wheel — has received plenty of media attention; the risk is well known. Drivers who pay more attention to their cell phones than the road have become nearly as much of a menace to society as drunk drivers and although many states have passed laws against it, people continue to use their cell phones while driving. Are you one of them?

Societal Factors

Some addictions seem less serious than others. Caffeine addiction, for example, is so commonplace that few seem to view it as a serious problem. For many decades, the same was true of cigarette addiction — until the health consequences became so well-known that society’s attitudes toward cigarettes gradually changed.

Cell phone addiction seems less serious because frequent cell phone use is so common and cell phones themselves are viewed as necessary in the postmodern technological age. Cell phone marketers create television ads that put a humorous and light-hearted spin on consumers’ obsession for the latest app or the newest model. Addiction may be devastating for the addict, but it benefits the companies that make the products and features that deliver the “fix.” The cell phone is a billion-dollar industry that spends a lot of money to market the idea that addictive behavior is perfectly normal and harmless.

Solutions

Studies have shown that Twelve-Step programs and cognitive behavioral therapy are most effective treatments for alcoholism and drug addiction. While these are very different approaches, they have one thing in common: they raise the addict’s level awareness about his behavior and its consequences.

If your cell phone use is addictive, the first thing you have to do is admit it. This can be hard to do when you’re surrounded by people whose cell phone behavior, on the surface, appears to be the same as your own. Alcoholics often struggle with a similar hurdle: they see people everywhere drinking and enjoying themselves without negative consequences. You have to see and admit to the problem before you can do anything about it.

Once you’ve passed that hurdle, keep track of how much time you spend using your cell phone. Record what you’re actually doing with this time: how much of it is of legitimate benefit to you, your loved ones and your work, and how much of it is mere escapism? How often do you use your cell phone when you drive? Look, too, at how much money you spend each month and be honest with yourself about whether or not the expense is justified.

If you’re convinced that you have a cell phone addiction and its consequences are unacceptable, talk to a few trusted friends and family members about it. You may have difficulty getting them to take you seriously — excessive cell phone use doesn’t seem like a serious problem to most people. However, if you impress upon them how serious the problem is, you’ll create accountability: if you continue to indulge the destructive behavior, they’ll know, and will hopefully call you on it.

Addiction typically masks underlying emotional or psychological problems; the addiction itself is likely a way to avoid those issues. If you’re unable to cope with negative feelings as you moderate your cell phone use, you make an appointment with a therapist who specializes in addiction and/or cognitive behavioral therapy. Read the Twelve Steps that have helped millions of addicts recover from their disease and think about how their solutions might apply to you.

Society may not yet recognize cell phone addiction as a serious problem, but many in the mental health professions do. Be sure to align yourself with those who see the problem for what it is. Denial is the common denominator for all addictions. In a world where cell phone addiction is viewed as harmless at best or a necessary evil at worst, you’ll need a support network of people who understand the serious nature of the problem and will help you find solutions.