IN THIS ARTICLE: Getting hooked on the Internet isn't confined to a few computer nerds. It's on the rise everywhere--and women are the most likely addicts. Ingrid Parker, once a slave to Internet chatrooms, found her experiences so devastating that she wrote a book to help other addicts break the habit. --Editor

本文簡介：沉醉于因特網而難以自拔的人已不再局限于少數計算機迷了。對因特網癡迷的人越來越多，到處都是--婦女最可能成為對因特網著迷的人。英格麗德·帕克一度沉溺于網上，后來發現那段使她損失不小，因而寫了一本書以幫助其他網上君子們改掉上網成癮的毛病。。

[1]It's the equivalent of inviting sex addicts to a brothel or holding an Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meeting at the pub. Internet addicts tired of their square-eyed, keyboard tapping ways need look no further than the Web for counselling. There is now an online counselling service at www.relate.org.nz for Internet obsessives. Just e-mail the details of your Internet-induced crisis and help comes direct to your inbox. The new breed of cybertherapists see nothing strange about offering help through the very medium that is swallowing their clients' free and splitting their marriages.

[2] Sue Hine, of Relationship Services, says: "Internet obsession has become a more noticeable problem over the last 18 months. At least this is an area addicts are familiar with and they'll be able to use it as a tool to overcome their obsession." Nor do experts worry that the Relate Website might become a favourite--a place to spend hours online in the name of Internet therapy. Dependency is always a risk with any form of counselling. There are various strategies we can adopt to keep that in perspective, says Hine.

[3] Though some may regard Internet addiction as another dubious ailment dreamed up to keep therapists in work, Relationship Services says the problem is real.

[4] Internet usage is up to four-and-a-half hours on the Web each week, compared to three-and-a-half hours a year ago. Therapist Robin Paul says there tend to be two scenarios. Some people meet through chatrooms and fall in . It's like having an affair, then they meet and it's like a whirlwind honeymoon. It's devastating for the person left behind and quite often it has no real foundation.

[5] I saw one couple who were still together but it was very rocky. He met someone on the Net and went overseas to meet the woman. Then he left his wife and children to be with her. In another case I saw recently, a man left his three children to be with a woman (who was) leaving her four children. It's terribly hard on the kids when this happens.

[1]上網成癮如同邀約好的人逛妓院，或者在小酒館里舉行"嗜者互誡協會"(AA)會員集會。網迷們疲勞地盯著顯示屏，敲擊著鍵盤，只想通過萬維網尋求咨詢。現在有一種為網迷開設的網上咨詢服務，其網址是： www.relate.org.nz。你只需把上網引發的"危機"詳用電子郵件發出去，就會從你的郵箱中直接收到幫助信息。新式的計算機治療專認為，通過尋求幫助并不奇怪，正是它吞噬著網迷們的，而且危及到他們的。

[2]"關系服務"網站的蘇·英說："在最近的18個月中，上網成癮已經成為一個非常突出的問題。服務網站至少是網迷熟悉的地方，他們將能夠把它作為戒掉網癮的工具來使用。"專家們也并不擔心服務網站會成為上網者最光顧的地方--一個網迷們花費在線時間進行網上診療的地方。依賴于任何形式的咨詢服務總是靠不住的。海英說，我們可以采取各種措施使服務網站發揮有效作用。

[3]有些人認為，沉醉于因特網的人是患有某種假想的失調癥，這只是使得精神治療專家有事可做。然而，關系服務網站卻認為這個問題確實存在。

[4]一年前，萬維網的使用率為每周3.5小時，而現在達到了4．5小時。診療專家羅賓·保羅說，癡迷于因特網往往表現為兩種情形。有的人在聊天室相識并墜人愛河。這就像有了不正當關系，然后，像蜜月一般慌慌張張的。被拋棄的一方在上會受到極大的打擊，而這種網上通常全然沒有的基礎。

[5]"我曾目睹一對夫婦，他們仍在一起，但彼此之間的已經搖搖欲墜。男方在網上有了外遇，就飄洋過海去與網上見面，之后，他為了和她在一起而拋妻棄子。在我最近看到的另一個例子中，男方為了跟某個女人在一起，拋下了自己的三個孩子，而那個也準備她的四個孩子。這種事情可害苦了那些孩子們。