Her game of choice used to be freecell, but after an 11 year old turned her on to spider solitaire, she was hooked. From what she hears from  the rest of the Super Pals, her addiction is still relatively tame… having not progressed to competitive internet games like checkers, backgammon, hearts and even bookworm. It seems like everyone has a dirty little computer compulsion these days.

Some days—busy days—when she can't afford to waste time, she finds the urge to spider almost overwhelming. And even though her (bookworm addicted) mother assured her this is normal, Girlawhirl felt that she needed the advice of a professional. And so she turned to Dr. Lauren Thibodeau of Princeton Consulting & Therapy.

Dr. Thibodeau agrees with Girlawhirl's mom that wanting a break from stressful tasks is normal. Her suggestions are quite sensible and they work—if you can tear yourself away from gaming long enough to try them!

 • Time yourself. Set your computer or cell phone's timer for a reasonable period of time, say, 5 minutes. When the alarm goes off, get up and move around for a few minutes. Physical activities—a short walk, some yoga stretches—help you refocus. And remember, sitting in your office chair playing games does nothing great for your, ahem, bottom line.

• Reward yourself. Just like Girlawhirl, use game time as a reward for a job well done. It's a great non-caloric way to have a little fun. Then, get back on task after a reenergizing 10-minute game-and-stretch break.

• Ticket yourself. Make up a handful of paper coupons, good for 5 or 10 minutes of gaming, at the beginning of the week. Use them as rewards during the work week. Keep them in easy view as they stack up. Stick ‘em on an antique hatpin or use a cool clip to collect them right next to your computer screen. This way you can see just how much time you're spending on your habit—and you'll notice when it's getting out of hand.

• Get help when you've gone too far. If you find your games interfere with your life—like, you no longer have a desire to shop for shoes unless it's online—it's time to get some help. Check out the Center for Online Addiction If the game addiction is company wide, they'll even come out for a little corporate detoxing!

Go Do It!

Dr. Lauren Thibodeau is a professor, consultant and author. She admits that she became a solitaire expert while working on her book, Natural-Born Intuition: How to Awaken & Develop Your Inner Wisdom (Career Press/New Page Books)

The Center for Online Addiction can be reached by clicking here