I personally think this is the biggest crock of s%^t I've ever heard of. There is no physical withdrawal when you stop, hence not a disease.

I agree that it is really an addiction and I personally feel that, people should minimize this addiction.

I think this is much more a lack of will power / a bad behavior than an actual disease.

Yep. This country has a bad habit of mixing up vices with addtictions. Porn? Not an addiction. TV? Nope, not it either. Internet and gambling. Ditto. When you decide to stop, you don't get the shakes or physically ill. It's more like biting your nails. It's really hard to stop because you've been doing it so long that it feels natural. But that doesn't make it a disease in my book.

In response to southboca:I was watching Discovery channel last night while I surfed...They were doing a segment on extreme overeating. It claimed that when drug addicts fell off the wagon, they released dopamine into their blood stream which made them feel very good. The same thing happened when the obese patients slipped off their diets. I'm not saying that makes it an addiction...but it is at least interesting to consider.

I believe RPGs (role-playing games) are an addiction, which fits with Gamers Addiction, but not the internet in general.

In response to skywalker:Sorry, but I'm not sure I agree. There are no physical withdrawal symptoms when you stop playing RPGs. Without them, I'd be hard pressed to classify it as a disease.

What absolute bullocks. If you use the Internet too much, the answer is easy. Cancel your service and use the internet at the library. They boot you off after 30 minutes.

That's such a load of bull. Come on guys, do we really think every bad behavior is a disease? Suck it up and show some self control.

It's hard to limit the things that we like. However that does not mean we have a disease. I think too many people want excuses for poor self control.

I don't think that anyone can use the Internet as an excuse for neglecting their children. Forgetting to take out the trash, maybe. Forgetting to feed your kids, no. These people just didn't bother and should spend some time in prison.

It appears that the problem is not limited to the US. I read this disturbing article a few days back... "Most Chinese schoolchildren chose to stay home and surf the Internet during the summer holidays rather than play outside, a state media survey revealed this week."

WOW!!! Those people are idiots! While I'm sure that internet addiciton is not exactly the best (I suffer from it too, but I know my limits), the addiciton is not over a substance that your body needs badly. The addiction to the internet can be easily controlled!