Are you an addict?

More than one in eight adults in the US show signs of being addicted to the internet, a study has shown. A typical addict is a single, white college-educated male in his 30s, who spends more than 30 hours a week on "non-essential" computer use.

Users spend hours online each day, surfing the Web, trading stocks, instant messaging or blogging, and a fast-rising number are becoming addicted to Internet video games. This is an increasing problem for employers and families. "We are seeing more people who lost their jobs because of too much time spent surfing the Internet during work. More relationships are breaking up because of spouses sneaking out of bed to check e-mail in the middle of the night," says Dr. Elias Aboujaoude -- principal author of the study and head of the Impulse Control Disorders Clinic at Stanford University School of Medicine.

Though it's not yet an officially recognized psychological disorder, just Google "internet addition" and you'll find a bevy of links to recovery centers and programs.

When the future of BlackBerry was in doubt due to a patent infringement lawsuit in 2006, it was feared that Washington DC would shut down. Since it hit the market seven years ago, BlackBerry has accelerated the pace of business and bred a generation of workers who rely on constant e-mail updates. At a weekend seminar I hosted a couple of months ago, one of the attendees couldn't give up his CrackBerry habit, continually reading and messaging during class, breaks and dinner, hardly pausing to look up. Drove me nuts! Are these people the adrenalin junkies of the technology age?

Are you one of the 14% who can't stay away from the Internet? I know I am, but I have an excuse... it's my job. Heh heh.

BBC: US shows signs of 'Net addiction