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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Newest Addiction Hard To Give Up

Ann Landers Creators Syndicate

Dear Ann Landers: You’ve printed a lot of letters about the Internet. Maybe my letter will help other women whose husbands like to surf.

My husband, “Joe,” spent a lot of time at the computer. Crazy me, I thought he was working on projects for his company. We have been married for almost 31 years, and his working at home was nothing unusual.

Whenever I walked into the room, he would quickly switch to a new screen. It seemed odd to me, so I asked if he was hiding something. He always said “no.” After several confrontations and repeated denials, Joe finally confessed he was having sexual conversations with women on the Internet.

I asked him to please stop doing this in our home, which he did, but it was too late. He already had exchanged telephone numbers with one of the women. He told me he never actually met her but admitted they had made plans to “get together.” Joe finally promised he would give up Internet flirting completely.

This has taken a heavy toll on our marriage. I’m not completely sure he didn’t hook up with this woman or might not still try. The trust is just not there anymore. He no longer surfs the Net except to get stock market prices. Please tell all the women in your reading audience to find out what, or whom, their husbands are looking at when they are on the computer. - Surf’s Up in Durham, N.C.

Dear Durham: At this very moment, I have a pile of letters on my desk from both men and women with problems like yours. It seems an astonishing number of marriages are in trouble because a husband or wife has caught a spouse spending too many hours on the Internet, hooked up with a member of the opposite sex, making plans to meet.

Surfing the Internet is the latest addiction. For those who are having trouble using the computer sensibly, I recommend a few counseling sessions. Once a person is hooked, it is extremely difficult to give it up. Good luck.

Dear Ann Landers: I read the letter from “Harrisburg, Pa.,” who wanted to marry a much-younger man. I hope she will do it.

My husband is 17 years younger than I, and we’ve been blissfully married for over 25 years. “Dave” was barely out of college when we met. My ex-husband had abandoned me, and I had three children under 12 to raise. To complicate matters, Dave is legally blind, and I am seriously arthritic.

This man has been a blessing from God. He treats me better than a princess. He loves me for my faults as well as my strengths. He’s been a wonderful father to my children. I encouraged him to return to college for an engineering degree. He was the second legally blind person in New York to earn that degree and was voted most outstanding engineering graduate by his classmates and faculty.

Dave was afraid he would never be able to support me and the children. As an engineer and an inventor, he has supported us beyond my wildest dreams. In every way, he has been my Prince Charming. - No Name in Los Altos, Calif.

Dear Los Altos: What a beautiful story. Although you are heaping a great deal of praise on your husband, I suspect that you are the heroine.

Gem of the Day: Christopher Columbus was the world’s most remarkable salesman. He started out not knowing where he was going. When he got there, he didn’t know where he was. When he returned, he didn’t know where he had been. He did all this on borrowed money and managed to get a repeat order.