At first blush, it sounds far fetched. Addicted to the Internet? It may not seem possible. But the truth is anything that takes over someone's life can be considered an addiction. And sometimes breaking the habit is an exercise in extreme frustration and sorrow.
The problem is especially acute for a younger generation who grew up never knowing a time when they weren't connected. From online video games to text messages, chatrooms and email, they may feel they're missing something if they're not online.
The syndrome is gaining wider acceptance in the medical community thanks to studies like the one conducted at the Universite de Montreal's Department of Psychology.
"The problem isn't widespread but we know of serious cases in which teenagers don't leave the house, don't have interpersonal relationships, and have been isolated in front of their computer screen for the past two or three years, and only speak in the language of the characters they play with in network video games," warns Professor Louise Nadeau.
"In a few years we'll have couples in therapy because the Internet will have become their main occupation."
Still skeptical? Nadeau cites a recent Quebec health network study that shows hundreds of patients have sought professional help for the problem over the last few years - and those numbers are growing.
It's not just the connectivity that's the problem. The Internet gives everyone easy and instant access to activities that can easily lead to additive behaviour, including gambling, pornography - even video games and social networking. There are also ways it can be linked to other health issues.
"Someone can get hooked on the computer because they have social anxiety or they have Asperger Syndrome, or they have post-traumatic stress disorder and they use it to disassociate," explains Dr. Bruce Ballon with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.
So how much is too much?
"It gets back to, is it taking up too much of your time?" Ballon continues. "It's very important before somebody gets identified with an Internet addiction to actually look at the whole context of the person to see what's going on with them."
So how can you tell if your child or your relative is going too far with his or her Internet interest?
Here's a test that can give you an idea as well as some places where you can seek help.
20 Question Test
Where to find help
Problem online gambling help