Chat Addicts is a one-hour television documentary dealing with the subject of internet chat line addiction.  The show explores the lives of four people.  Jay is a thirty something man who spends up to twelve hours a day using Internet chatlines.  Because of this he is unable to hold down a full-time job.  We explore his story and why he engages in this behavior.

 

Kate is a mother of three who was in an unhappy marriage and began to use chatlines as a way to curb her loneliness.   However, her use of internet chatlines lead to the breakup of her marriage and loss of much time with her loved ones.  She met men on the chat lines and eventually pursued an offline relationship with one of them.  Kate no longer uses chat lines and is happy to be free of them.

 

Jean is a middle-aged man who is a recovering sex addict.  Chat lines offered him an easy way to pursue his addiction.  His use of chat lines and the sexual encounters that came from his online encounters lead to the breakup of his relationship and put him into a spiral of depression and helplessness.  He now, through extensive counseling and hard work, is free of his addiction.  He is a survivor who wants others to know that they can get past their chat line addiction.  He believes that one not only loses their loved ones through this addiction, but they also lose their dignity, and he is working hard to get his dignity back.

 

Nicole is a young woman who was introduced to chatlines three years ago.  She was any parent’s dream child, both innocent and kind.  Through Internet chatlines she became involved in cybersex and craved the attention she was getting from men.  Nicole is extremely ashamed of her behavior.  She is guilt-ridden and embarrassed for what she has put her family through.

 

Nicole truly believes that she was addicted to chatlines, as does Kate. We also speak with experts on the subject of chat line addiction, who explain that it is an addiction that must be taken seriously.  They tell us what some of the symptoms are and how a loved one can be helped if they are addicted. The topic of Internet chat line addiction is exposed through personal stories which show the viewers that the problem is more common than they may think.