Do you develop cravings and withdrawal symptoms when away from the computer?

Do you neglect important family activities, work responsibilities, academic projects or health concerns to spend hours on the Internet?

If you answered "Yes" to these questions, you might have developed a new illness, one that psychological specialists call Internet addiction disorder (IAD).

IAD is defined as a psychophysiological disorder involving tolerance, which means increased amounts of Internet surfing become necessary to evoke the same amount of pleasure. And withdrawal symptoms occur, especially anxiety, tremors and moodiness, or affective disturbances and interruptions of social relationships.

Mental health experts point out that IAD symptoms are becoming more common as online usage increases by the day.

About 6.4 percent of college students are suffering or heading towards IAD, according to a survey conducted by Professor Qian Mingyi with Peking University, with a group of 500 students from 12 universities in Beijing.

It is generally accepted that the World Wide Web is informative, convenient, resourceful and fun. But for some people, these benefits are becoming detriments, and the computer world rivals their real world.

Internet abuse has been cited as a contributing factor in the disintegration of marriages and the collapse of promising careers.

There are varying opinions on the subject, especially among Internet users themselves. Some say the Internet can be addicting, to the point that it disturbs one's life and the lives of those around him. Others say there is no such thing as IAD - getting pleasure out of a computer is not the same as getting pleasure from cocaine or any other drug.

IAD is not a recognized medical addiction like alcoholism, but "more like an out-of-control behaviour that threatens to overwhelm the addict's normal life," said Professor Lin Xuanhui with Fuzhou University.

"Some people are addicted to online game playing, some enmesh in chat rooms, others may engross in downloading pictures, songs and other information," said Lin. "It is a coming-home feeling that can entice people to the detriment of family, home, career and health."

Those who surf the Internet for a very long time every day are not necessarily subject to IAD. "A hobby is not an addiction," Lin said. "Whether there is overwhelming involvement in the computer and ignoring of the real world is the point."

Anyone with access to the Internet may become addicted, Lin warned. Home-based computer users are at the most risk.

However, the Internet is not the enemy just because people become dependent on it. It has many important benefits and in many ways, it makes our lives much simpler.

Yet in many other ways, it makes our lives more complex. As with alcohol or drugs, the Internet provides an escape from reality and everyday problems.

Some argue the interaction with other people on the Internet fills a social void and allows people to assume new identities. Others who interact with the false identity may assume these online relationships are the same as the real thing.

When does Internet use become a problem? Clearly, a problem exists when people become so engrossed and enmeshed in online activities that they neglect their "other" life in terms of health, relationships, jobs, and other responsibilities.

As with many of life's pleasures, moderation is the key.

(China Daily January 18, 2002)