Posted on: Tuesday, December 25, 2001

Some experts estimate online addiction ruins millions of lives

By Greg Wright
Gannett News Service

Gene Mason craved the Internet so much that nothing else mattered, not even his wife and kids.

He would wake extra early to play Multi-User Dungeon (MUD), a type of text-based fantasy role-playing game. Images of dueling wizards, witches and trolls would swirl through Mason's head all day at work.

He would rush home, wolf down dinner and get back on the Web so he could play superhero in a make-believe world until late in the evening. He barely talked to his family.

"I didn't go out at all. My wife left me several times because we would fight," said Mason, 25, who lives in Springfield, Va. "Of course there were females (in the game chat room) and I would flirt and try to hide it, too."

Think illicit drugs are corrupting the nation? Think again, because some psychologists report the Internet — with its lure of chat rooms, games, pornography and gambling — is becoming a hard-to-kick habit for many. Six percent of the more than 200 million people online around the world are addicted, said David Greenfield, a psychologist in West Hartford, Conn., and founder of the Center for Internet Studies.

But other psychologists and legal experts say although Internet addiction is real, it is not epidemic and it warrants further study before it's classified as a mental disorder. Some people are simply spending too much time on the Web because it's still a novelty, said Sheila Blume, a consultant to the American Psychiatric Association's Council on Addiction Psychiatry.

"The term addiction is much overused," she said. "It is trivialized."

However, some psychologists on the front lines said Web addiction appears to be growing. Tennis star Serena Williams conceded she is an online shopping addict, according to an August CNN news report.

"I've had cases where people were online around the clock — 12, 14, 16 hours a day," Greenfield said. "To the point where they lost their business, their marriage either ended or was in jeopardy, or they were in legal problems or going to jail because of sexual improprieties (on the Internet)."

Experts say several factors push some people toward Web addiction, while others are unaffected.

The Web lets some people escape from anxiety, depression or the pain of relationships, said Dr. Kimberly Young, executive director of the Center for Online Addiction in Bradford, Ill.

For instance, 40-something Texas native Joyce Byrd said she used to play Internet cribbage and euchre card games all day to relieve the pressure of a demanding home-based business and caring for her cancer-stricken mother.

"Addiction to the Internet fills a void in a person's life," said Byrd, who beat her addiction by gradually reducing her time on the Web each day. "If you have nothing better to do on a Saturday night, the Internet is always your friend."

Mental illnesses, including compulsive disorders such as sex addiction, also are fueling Web addiction, experts said. In fact, 17 of 20 Web addicts interviewed by the University of Florida in Gainesville and the University of Cincinnati Medical Center had been treated for mental illness.

A person who is a failure in life can go in a chat room and pretend to be a successful businessman or sexy model or a stud.

This behavior is the most damaging thing Web addiction does, some psychologists said. It keeps people from connecting with real people and family, in real time, in real places.

"People become expert with dealing with people online, but by the same token they have difficulty talking to people face to face," said Dr. Jonathan Kandell, director of counseling service at the University of Maryland, College Park.

But others argue that instead of isolating people, the Web has brought together people from around the world and launched thousands of friendships, romances and marriages.

"When you look at teenagers who are spending four, five or six hours a day on the telephone, it's very analogous," said Boston psychologist Dr. John Grohol. "Now they are spending four, five or six hours on the Internet."

Curing Internet addiction can be difficult. Helping an addict admit he or she has a problem is the main hurdle, according to psychologists.

Web addict Mason started playing MUD with friends when he was 18 and was hooked for five years. Mason said he might still have a problem today if the game Web page was not turned off because the owner did not pay the monthly Internet service provider bill.

All the fantasy characters Mason had built up over the years were gone forever.

"It's just computer bits and bytes," Mason said.

His wife Gidget has a different opinion.

"I think he felt that his married life and family were much more important," she said. "I put my foot down and said either (MUD) or me."