Physicians use it to learn more about unf amiliar diseases and the latest medical developments. Ordinary folks use it for shopping, banking, bill-paying and communicating with family and friends. People all over the globe use it to connect with individuals of other countries and cultures. You never know exactly where the journey will take you. But for some people, the computer world rivals their real world.
Some people choose to commune with a computer, rather than their spouses and children.
While they expand their horizons electronically, they insulate themselves from intimate settings and relationships. Internet abuse has been cited as a contributing factor in the disintegration of marriages and families and the collapse of promising careers. Contrary to the stereotype of the computer nerd, a typical addict is a middle-aged female with limited education, although persons of all ages and social groups are prominent in her study. Dr. Nancy Wesson, a clinical psychologist in Mountain View, Calif., pointed out people can develop behavioral addictions like IAD even when there's no true physiological dependence. She asserted obsessive net-surfing can be just as addictive as excesses of other ordinary activities such as eating, sex, work and exercise.