1. A person who is overly engaged in his or her inclinations or desires to such a degree that it is impractical and can even be unhealthy: Susan loved her work so much and became so engaged in it that she became a real work addict, and did not have any extra time for her family or friends.
2. Someone who is obsessed by and devoted to the habitual and excessive use of a narcotic: Tim's friend was found to be a drug addict when his parents found cocaine hidden in his bedroom.

Why is it that drug addicts and computer enthusiasts are both called "users"?

• Internet access has become a vital part of the modern world and an important tool in the education of children.
• Like addiction to drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, or caffeine, internet addicts are showing symptoms of increasing tolerance, withdrawal, mood changes, and interruption of social relationships.
• Children and adolescents who have become addicts of the internet often require increasing amounts of time online in order to feel satisfied.
• When they do not have access to the internet, they may have symptoms of withdrawal, which include anxiety, depression, irritability, trembling hands, restlessness, and obsessive thinking or fantasizing about the internet.
• Internet addiction is not limited just to introverted "computer-techies".
• The internet can provide a welcome escape for individuals who already suffer from a variety of psychological difficulties; including, anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem.
• Additionally, those who have struggled with other types of addiction may more easily become obsessed with the internet.

1. To cause someone, or oneself, to become overly dependent on something or a person: Joyce, who was evidently addicted to and overly dependent on television, liked watching TV so much that she totally broke down and cried when a storm caused a temporary loss of electrical power and she couldn't watch anything for over an hour.

There is a significantly increasing number of people who are addicting themselves to foods that make them overly fat and unhealthy.

2. Etymology: from ad-, "to" + dicere, "to say, to declare".

1. A disorder in which some people spend an excessive amount of time on the internet: Some examples of computer addicts involve those who are involved in playing computer games, accessing social websites in an attempt to overcome anxieties or to reduce isolation or loneliness, and to distract themselves from other overwhelming problems.

Some people may be accused of being computer addicts because they are engrossed in achieving more objectives via the internet and their computers than is possible with any other tool or device.

2. Etymology: from Latin com-, "with" and putare, "to reckon" or "to think" + ad-, "to" + dicere, "to say, to declare".