• Reuters, Wednesday, October 18, 2006 11:30 AM

Ever get anxious when you arrive somewhere and can't find an Internet connection? Well, you may be an addict, according to new research. Internet addiction has now become a quantifiable problem, affecting one in eight U.S. adults.

The study, from Stanford University's School of Medicine, says "problematic Internet use" is prevalent in a sizable portion of the population. Researchers surveyed 2,581 respondents in the spring and summer of 2004, and found that 68.9 percent regularly use the Web, and 13.7 percent said it's hard to stay offline for several days at a time.

In addition, 12.4 percent stayed online longer than they intended, and 8.7 percent said they tried to conceal "nonessential" Internet use from family, friends and employers. Another 8.2 percent said they use the Internet to escape problems or a bad mood, while 5.9 percent felt their relationships suffered because of Web use.

The research points to a clinical disorder, the study's lead author said, especially among those addicted to pornography and online video games. He added that between 5 percent and 10 percent of the population will experience Internet addiction.

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