It's not a habit, it's cool, I feel alive.

I think I spend too much time on the Internet. I think most of us spend too much time on the Internet. But I wonder if this is an addiction or just a necessary way of modern life. Furthermore, can something like this be considered an addiction?

I believe I spend roughly seventy hours a week online. It's a staggering amount of hours, and it doesn't seem like such a big deal. I like checking my e-mail regularly and surfing the web, and a portion of my job requires being on the Internet. Is it a crime to be up to date on everything sent to me virtually? I don't think so. So, what gives?

Maybe addiction is really only a problem until it starts to affect how you interact (or don't interact) with people. For example, there have been a few Dr. Phil segments on married men addicted to watching Internet porn, treating the topic as a problem. Men choosing to look at naked women online more than their wives naked? Then that's a problem. Men checking the score of a college football game every two minutes on their BlackBerry? Not seen as a problem.

Maybe addiction is really only a problem when there are physical side effects, like with drinking too much alcohol, smoking cigarettes, or taking hard drugs. I don't know, but I know there's plenty of life out there and life's too short to spend it all surfing the web.