Study Finds Star Trek Fans Suffer From Addiction

LONDON (Reuter) Diehard fans of the ``Star Trek" television series are
like drug addicts who suffer withdrawal symptoms if deprived of their
favorite TV program, a British study has shown.

One female ``Trekkie'' spent her whole vacation worrying that her VCR had
not been set properly at home to record the latest episode. Another spent
$10,000 on ``Star Trek" merchandise every year.

After studying fans of the science fiction cult show for four years,
psychologist Sandy Wolfson said: ``My research found that about 5 to 10
percent of fans met the psychological criteria of addiction.''

``They show withdrawal symptoms such as frustration and agitation if they
miss an episode and develop higher tolerance levels, so they need
increasing doses,'' Wolfson told the London Times.

But the news is not all bad.

``Most Trekkies have made friends and even met spouses through their love
of the series, and they are intellectually challenged by the range of moral
and ethical dilemmas presented in the show,'' Wolfson said.