>>don't know what would happen if we had a power
>.failure.  Is it dangerous to withdraw suddenly from the internet or is it
>.best to take it one window at a time?

>.>my name's jeanette and i'm an internetaholic

Joan U. and Jeanette........I agree with all you've both said re the
addiction and your comments show my addiction to a T...  I got up 3:30 am
and found 111 emails on my computer along with one from Earthlink stating I
neeed to delete as my  mail file is close to the 10 capacity...... I think I
have to go  cold turkey as I have 3 grandchildren here this week and they
will monopolize my computer......will let you know if I survive the cold
turkey process goes..
Joan Hartman -- internetaholic

----- Original Message -----
From: Leo Fuhr <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Sunday, November 14, 1999 6:39 PM
Subject: Re: TECH: Internetaholics Anonymous: its long!


> Joan:  I was inspired by your story and it's similar to my own.  Whenever
I
> lose something...keys, wallet, mail, toothbrush----yes, that's right a
> toothbrush....I usually find it at the puter or in the bathroom.  Seems
> between my home office and the necessary room, I don't even get around to
> other life chores like laundry, housekeeping and even returning phone
> calls....not that I get many since our phone line and the internet line
are
> on the same line.
>
> My husb tried intervention tonite after I unsuccessfully told a BAD JOKE a
> friend of HIS had e-mailed to our one e-mail address.  He said, "Honey,
> you've got to spend less time on the internet!!!  Please get unhooked and
> get some fresh air."  or something like that.  Of course, I think he's
> addicted to the TV remote and swear it is his constant flicking of
channels
> that drove me to the www.  I don't know what would happen if we had a
power
> failure.  Is it dangerous to withdraw suddenly from the internet or is it
> best to take it one window at a time?
>
> my name's jeanette and i'm an internetaholic.
>
> ----------
> From: joan carol urquhart <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: TECH: Internetaholics Anonymous: its long!
> Date: Sunday, November 14, 1999 4:50 PM
>
> That's what I thought too Carole.
> And it's good to know that I'm not alone Jeanette.
>
> It all started one day...I knew something was amiss when I went to get a
> cup
> from my kitchen cupboard and realized that they were all siting beside my
> computer screen...each lined with vintage coffee stains.
> And there's more...I  found myself only using books to prop up my computer
> screen, occassionally refering to them as "Bio-Optically-Organized
> Knowledge" devices  (hence, the acronym 'BOOK').
>
> Shortly after that, while searching my computer files for
> something-or-other, I found loads of sub-sub-sub-directories with titles
> like "doo.what" and "didnt.dat".
> With absolutely no recall of ever having created these directories,
> I began to wonder if I was experiencing cyber-blackouts?
>
> So I began to monitor my daily eating habits...I noticed the following:
>
> When feeling hungry while working at the screen, I would reflexively type
> in
> phrases like
> 'iamhungryandneedtoeatfoodrightnoworelse @ home.meat'
> Whenever I was planning my grocery list,
> I would first do a search at SUPPER.COM   .
> One night, after unsuccessfully searching for  'take-out'  URLs,
> I decided to cook dinner :
> but took a bit of a break from my culinary concoctions
> to check my email,
> only to be quickly recalled to the kitchen by the strong smell of carbon
> filling the air
> ... I reacted to the gooey black mess in my hot pots
> by instinctively  reaching for the "refresh" button on my stove top.
> To my dismay, there wasn't even a "back" button.
> It was then that I knew  my  thinking  was  stinking.
>
> Things went from bad to worse, Jeannette and Carole.
> I found myself referring to viruses as 'electonic microorganisms :
> I automatically blamed them for the lumps in my lumpy mashed potatoes.
> After all those hard lumps, I ultimately asked one poignant question.
> Had I ascribed religious significance to the icons on my computer screen?
> The answer came with a resounding  ERROR message flashing across my mind's
> eye....This was rock bottom.
>
>  I needed help (although technically it is called 'support').
> That's when I discovered Internetaholics Anonymous one day
> while surfing aimlessly.
> It struck me that   AI    (acronym for  'artificial intelligence')
> spelled backwards is   IA  (acronym for 'Internetaholics Anonymous').
>
> At first I tried to find an IA Group on-line.
> But in the end, bit by byte,
> I've come to see through the smoke arising from my modem and gently
> hovering
> in front of my computer screen...
> If I don't get conventional-linear-real-time-and-real-space help soon,
> my retinas will turn into screen savers.
>
> So I have made a decision...I am going to t-t-t-t-turn off my computer
> ..to
> free up a phone line and dial for help.
> I hear that Internetaholics Anonymous can offer a great recovery plan for
> mis-filed data : This is the first step.
>
> Now for Step 2.
> ...'Come to believe that a power greater than our service provider can
> restore us to sanity'.
> When in Step 2, take a deep breath and remember this moral from childhood
:
> "The phone company is omnipotent".
>
> (I am going to need a sponsor to guide me through my recovery tho
> ..I hear that the third step has something to do with a fearless SEARCH of
> personal software.)
>
> If you can offer any insights (or websites), I'd appreciate them (and even
> BOOKmark them).
> I'll keep you posted..but only in moderation.
>
> Joan U.
> (taking it one window at a time)
>
>
> On November 14, Carole wrote...
> >Turn on your computer?    Carole H.
>
> >--- Leo Fuhr wrote:
> >> joan, txs so much for stepping forth and admitting you
> >> are an
> >> internetaholic.  now i'll see if I can admit it,
> >> too.......OK, I admit, my
> >> name is jeanette and i'm an internetaholic.  What's step
> >> 2?
> >>
> >> jeanette fuhr
>