ecaarch: "Hi, my name is ecaarch and I'm addicted."

group: "Hello ecaarch and welcome to our group."

group leader: "Yes, ecaarch, admitting that you have an addiction is the first step to overcoming it."

ecaarch: "It started innocently enough.."

group leader: "It usually does."

ecaarch: "A friend told me about FlyerTalk. I found it interesting. Soon it became so alluring. The GLBT forum. The destinations forums. And then I found the Delta SkyMiles forum. Oh, the Delta forum."

group leader: "The Delta forum snares many"

ecaarch: "I thought I had it under control."

group leader: "Most addicts think they have their usage under control. When did you realize that you had a problem?"

ecaarch: "I started checking FlyerTalk daily, then several times a day, just to see if anything new was posted. I began excusing myself from family at the holidays so I could follow along with an interesting thread."

group leader: "We've heard all of this before, correct group?"

group: "uh huh."

ecaarch: "Before I knew it, my post count was approaching one thousand. Then I started planning my round-the-world trip. I began checking into internet service at hotels before I would book a room. And then I panicked because I was worried about getting hi-speed access in Zimbabwe."

group leader: "Anxiety about your next fix is quite common."

group: "Welcome to our group, ecaarch. We feel your pain and we are here to help and support you thru your withdrawl from addiction."

ecaarch: "I have a few more days until my trip. Maybe if I tried reducing my usage a little each day..."

group leader: "Ah, you just need to cut it cold turkey the day that you leave. When you return, maybe you will have learned to live without your fix."

So ecaarch agrees to try his trip without FlyerTalk. But secretly, he still wonders about broadband in Zimbabwe...