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What would you advise Roger to do?

I would advise Roger to develop some other hobbies so as to divert himself from the virtual world of internet. They could be playing sport games, socializing with friends, going to movies, attending improvement courses, etc.

Do you think that net addiction is exaggerated? Is it another case of media hype?

I think net addiction becomes a worldwide phenomenon and I do not think it has been over exaggerated. In Mainland China in fact, there are addiction treatment centers for the youngsters who are addicted to internet. On and off, there is news about youngsters who spent nights in internet cafes and refused to go home. In addition, we can see that wi-fi penetrating everywhere which allow people to surf on internet in parks, cafes, telephone booths, even buses etc. The sale of netbooks has been rising dramatically over the past months. These phenomena are strict proof that net addiction is not just a media hype, but a real social issue that authorities may need to respond and address to in future.


Do we really live in a world of addiction? Can you think of any other so-called additions…

We are now living in a world of globalisation where human beings get overwhelmed by information from all over the world. We are dominated and judged by the trends which are preferred by a huge population. We are greatly influenced by advertisements on tv, internet, outdoor media etc which promote an ideal life with different forms of addiction, such as the addiction of wines, the addiction of restaurant food, the addiction of facial beauty, the addition of slimness, etc. People get bombarded by different means of influence which lure them to spend lots of money on them.


Do you use a computer regularly? How often do you use a computer? Can you do without a computer? Why/why not?

I use a computer regularly to read news and retrieve emails. I use it practically every night at home when I have no social engagements. I do not think I can live without computers, as most of my friends are from overseas and we depend on emails to exchange information. I also depend on web to get on my living such as booking for holidays, getting information of dining places, direction of transportation, improvement courses, etc. (including this net learning programme) I also depend on the computer to read the news. Therefore I do not think I can live my life without a computer. I feel handicapped whenever my computer is broken down, which happened almost once or twice a year.

·What support groups are there for Net addicts?

The followings are some of the support groups, resources and treatment centers for Net Addicts:

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Adult Children Anonymous
Union Church, 22A Kennedy Rd, HK
Email: adultchildrenhk@yahoo.com

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The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups
21/F, The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups Building,
21 Pak Fuk Road, North Point, Hong Kong.

Tel: (852) 2527 2448
Fax: (852) 2528 2105



Hong Kong Christian Service
Tel: +852 2731 6369
Fax: +852 2731 6363
Address: 33 Granville Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China

**Online Resources Against Addiction:**
Website: Away from the Net
http://cyberaddiction.tungwahcsd.org/
It's a website produced by a special scheme under the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals targeting at youth internet addiction. The website has listed a number of addiction symptoms and devised a simple test for the public to undergo self-evaluation. Apart from this, the website provides advice on how to prevent net addiction and use the net safely. It teaches parents and teachers to be more aware of youngsters’ addiction to the net and help them teach youngsters to use online resources properly.

Based on this website, I have these findings:
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· What is the most interesting/useless/unusual advice on offer?

The most interesting advice is: Firstly, to place the computer somewhere at home where it can be easily observed by other family members, such as placing it in the living room rather than in the bedroom. Secondly, to devise a timetable for one’s surfing on web. I think both are practical and reasonable ways to avoid addictions in web surfing.

The most useless advice is, in my humble opinion: Not to send emails to other people containing viruses. (If one knows that his/her emails contain viruses, certainly he/she will not do it, unless for a wicked purpose against the recipient.) Threfore, I consider this advice superfluous.

The most unusual advice is: Not to accept gifts offered by someone known on the net. (To be honest, I don't think anyone offers gifts to someone well acquianted nowadays, not to mention netpals)

· What other kinds of addictions are catered for on the Internet?

A few examples are (dangerous) drugs, alcohol, gambling, smoking, spending, video gaming, etc.

· What causes these addictions, according to the experts?

The experts believe that the determination of whether a person is genetically or bio-chemically predisposed to addiction or alcoholism is a controversy that has been debated for years within the scientific community. One school of thought advocates the Disease Concept, which embraces the notion that addiction is an inherited disease, and that the individual is permanently ill at a genetic level, even with those experiencing long periods of sobriety.

Another philosophy argues that addiction is a dual problem consisting of a physical and mental dependency on chemicals, compounded by a pre-existing mental disorder (i.e. clinical depression, bipolar disorder, or some other mental illness), and that the mental disorder needs to be treated first as the primary cause of the addiction.

The treatment philosophy is, therefore, commonly referred to as Dual Diagnosis, which involve multi-disciplinary approaches to identify the underlying problems of these individuals.

· Do the experts consider these addictions to be diseases, crimes or personal weaknesses?

The concept of drug addiction/dependence is being refined in light of new research on blood concentrations, receptor sites, brain chemistry and withdrawal syndromes. A philosophy subscribes to the idea that chemical dependency leads to "chemical imbalances" in the neurological system, which would be a substance induced imbalance.

Therefore there are certain medical grounds to propose that addictions can be genetically or even medically correlated. Some researchers also believe that there are links of addictions to familial backgrounds and behavioral patterns.

The fact remains that there is scientific research to support all of these concepts, but that none of these theories are absolute.