Addiction is something that cannot be avoided. It can range from drugs to playing video games to chatting on AIM to shopping to reading books, but almost everyone is addicted to something.

I personally am addicted to playing chess games on the online chess server Internet Chess Club. I find that my addiction to playing chess is a nuisance when I try to work on my homework, study for tests, or write my papers and journalism articles on my computer.

Whenever I go on my computer to write my papers or check my e-mail, I always have ICC open. By the time I have finished writing the first paragraph of my essay or checking my e-mail, I have already wasted at least half an hour playing one-minute chess games.

Although my addiction to playing chess games online hasn't proved to be a very big problem, three of my friends have complained that their need to play video games completely sidetracks them from doing any homework at all. One of my friends has his time consumed by computer games.

He once joked to me that he was cursed to liking games so much. He wished and believed that if he were addicted to studying, then he would have had the academic capabilities of Alex Zhai.

Two other friends can't stop playing their Xbox 360s. In an attempt to try to solve their problems, these two decided to "hide" their Xbox 360s in a locked cabinet. Everything seemed to work out well for them, and they were able to concentrate on their studies with no distractions.

Likewise, my friend with the online computer game addiction was able to solve his problems. After trying many things, including disconnecting his computer from the Internet, he was able to manage his time more appropriately.

Addiction is hard to control. As in the cases I cited here, maybe the best way to manage it is to limit any access you have to your addiction.