Daniel Salter
Penn State University
Editor

Stuart Brown
StudentAffairs.com
Executive Editor

Book Review
Virtual Addiction

written by D. Greenfield

As a psychologist, I'm a heavy user of the Internet, to search databases for articles about my clients' problems, to find self-help web resources and books to recommend to them, to say nothing of using email and being a lurker on about ten professional listservs. Then, because I am blind and newspapers do not come out in Braille, I gleefully read the New York Times and the Christian Science Monitor online; the first time in my life I can read newspapers independently. But am I an addict or just a heavy user of this wonderful resource?

Virtual Addiction by Greenfield helps each of us to answer that question and to help our clients do the same. If there are reasons to answer with a "yes", this book also provides plenty of resources and tips for getting unhooked without having to become a Ludite.

Greenfield first talks about the nature of addiction and the similarities among all addictions. "If it gets you high it's all the same." Then he gives warning signs and two self-quizzes. He handles questions like "is it abuse or addiction?" and "Do I need abstinence or controlled use?" and gives tips for reclaiming your life. These include exercise, taking a net holiday and considering a support group.

Much of the book considers particular pitfalls like cyberrelationships, e-shopping and e-investing, and Internet addiction on the job. Each chapter is replete with case histories and helpful suggestions for conquering the problem. For example, in the chapter on shopping and investing online, it is suggested that you turn off the computer between transactions and make a list of what you're going to buy before you go online. It is suggested that every company have and widely distribute an Internet use policy as well as providing employee assistance services for employees with problems of virtual addiction. A chapter on safeguarding your children online and a chapter on the future of the Internet round out the text. Appendices include FAQs and resources for further help on and off-line.

Virtual Addiction is a useful resource for lay and professional audiences alike. An index and consideration of online games and MUDS would be useful additions, as would a chapter on repetitive strain injury and desktop yoga. Whether someone who was truly hooked could turn it off, tune into themselves and get their life back in balance using only this book is questionable to me. However, even if it only helps someone realize they have a problem, before they end up losing a job, a marriage or a lot of money, it's well worth the price of the paperback!