Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine: Coming: A 12-step plan for computer addicts?

Neophyte investors quit their day jobs to become full-time day traders. Stay-at-home moms amass a house crammed with junk, courtesy of eBay. College students rack up credit card debt by betting on sporting events over the Internet. What they all have in common is a form of addiction that's spreading faster than you can click a mouse: Internet gambling, in all its forms.

There are no hard numbers, but compulsive-gambling hotlines are getting more calls and mental-health professionals are reporting more pleas for help.

And no wonder: Four years ago, there was one online gambling site; today it's estimated there are between 300 and 400.

The Internet adds fuel to a fire. Stock trading has always had the potential to be addictive, but the Internet makes it more accessible, says David Greenfield, a psychologist and author of Virtual Addiction: Help for Netheads, Cyber Fzeaks and Those Who Love Them. "The less you have to deal with a human being, whether it's a bookie or a broker, the more potentially dangerous the situation is," says Greenfield.

Just as drugs or alcohol can cause a physiological reaction, "the interactive capacity of the Internet adds to the addictive nature," says Michelle Weil, co-author of Techno-Stress: Coping With Technology @Work @Home and @Play. For people who are gambling, trading stock or bidding online, the adrenaline flow provides a genuine neurochemical kick.

Faster access will make things worse. "As bandwidth increases, people will find it more addictive because they will get those hits quicker," predicts Greenfield.

The easy accessibility of the Internet can also make an addiction particularly hard to shake. "If a gambler stays away from the racetrack, there's less risk of gambling. But if you use the computer for work and other things, the temptation is right there winking at you," says psychologist Joyce Brothers.

Gambling sites and even the online-brokerage industry are starting to recognize the problem. National Discount Brokers (www.ndb.com) has a hot link to the Center for Online Addiction (www.netaddiction.com), and gambling sites are adding links to Gamblers Anonymous (www.gamblersanonymous.org) and the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey (www.800gambler.org). Some gaming sites set betting limits and even exclude people when they're contacted by family members about a problem gambler.

Still, a growing number of teenagers and college students are drawn to gambling sites, where all they need to join the game is access to a credit card. Online gambling will also become a thorny issue for employers, predicts Arnie Wexler, a compulsive-gambling counselor. "We've gotten numerous calls from people telling us that they're gambling and playing the stock market right on the job," says Wexler.

Are you addicted? You may be, if trading stocks, buying at auction or betting is changing your daily routine and sleep patterns, interfering with your family or work life, causing you to hide or lie about your behavior, or inducing you to spend money that you can't afford to lose.

In addition to seeking professional help, try setting a clock to limit the amount of time you spend online, or set a dollar limit on how much money you'll spend. Switch to a personal broker or money manager to handle your investments. And seek emotional support from others in the same boat, advises Brothers.