[26] The habit started hitting hard when he finished his studies in the big city and moved back home. Without the support of a school paid computer, he racked up hundreds of dollars in Internet-related toll bills. The huge expense, followed by a few months offline while he searched for a job, was the wake-up call he needed.
[27] "When I got access again it didn't have the same appeal any more. Now I use it more as a tool, but I would say a lot of my friends are addicts. One friend was talking about a deal with a set rate for 200 hours of Internet access a month. He said that wouldn't be enough. I end up counselling people about it because I've been through it. It definitely isn't worth neglecting real-life relationships for romances on the Net. Often they don't work out."
[28] Phillips should know. A few years ago he became heavily involved with an American woman he had spent a couple of years chatting to. Wisely, they decided not to make any commitment to marriage until they had met face-to-face. Phillips spent a month in the United States before they agreed the relationship wouldn't work. "Because I've been on the Net so long I've got some good friends that I've been chatting to for years. I occasionally meet people I've talked to online at the pub, and I could certainly travel through America on a budget--I know so many people there.
[29] "The Internet is definitely addictive but if you can keep it in control it has advantages, too. Using it can be a steep learning curve so it helps you become very quick at learning. Also there is a huge demand for people in the field of Information Technology (IT) and hours on the Internet are great training."
[26]菲利普对因特网发生浓厚兴趣，是在大城市里念完书，回家以后开始的。由于不能再使用学校付费的电脑了，他要支付几百美元因特网服务费。这笔巨大的费用及时地敲醒了他。在随后的几个月中，他去找工作，不再上网。
[27]“当我重新回到网上时，不再有原来那种痴迷了。现在我更多地是把它当作工具来使用，但我要说的是，我的许多朋友依然是‘网上瘾君子’。有个朋友在谈论每月固定上网200小时，他说这还不够。由于我是过来人，所以不愿对此事说长道短。为了网上的风流韵事而冷淡生活中的真情，显然是不值得的。因为这种网上爱情常常是没有结果的。”
[28]菲利普应当明白这些。几年前，他与一名美国妇女打得火热，几年来，他一直跟这个女人在网上聊天。明智的是，他们决意在相互晤面之前对婚姻不做任何承诺。他在美国住了一个月，最后他们都承认这种关系不会有结果。“由于我上网多年，结交了一些好朋友，多年来一直与他们在网上聊天。我偶尔会在小酒吧里碰到网友，我还可以不用花很多钱周游美国——在那里我认识很多朋友。”
[29]“因特网的确容易让人着迷，但如果你能把握分寸，也会获益良深。使用因特网有助于你快速获取知识。在信息技术（IT）领域工作的人，要求大量使用因特网，而且在网上工作是很好的训练。”