My name is Jo and I'm a zine-o-holic. Ya know, I tell myself, "I can handle this problem. I'll just read one ezine, maybe two and then I'll stop." That might last a day or two. But before you know it, I feel the urge come over me and I'm back to reading 15-25 ezines a day.

Not the cheap stuff either. The solid-content, benefit-laden stuff. Yeah, we all have our reasons for being here. Some of you get your kicks with the free ads. Some of you are like me; you enjoy reading ezines and the information they provide. Some of us get this stuff in our inbox. Some of us go to websites to get our fix. It doesn't matter. We have to face the fact that we're hooked on zines.

We can't blame it on the publishers. Sure, they offer this stuff for free. They come up to us and say, "Hey, I got some good zine. Great articles, free promotional tools. I can be your best friend. All ya gotta do is subscribe." What they don't tell you is before long you're hooked. You get a taste of one good ezine and before you know it, you're back out there; desperately trying to find another one to subscribe to.

I never thought I would end up like this. I was raised in a good family. Go to school, get a solid education and then go to work for someone else. And I did just that for a while.

I thought I had a happy life. Then it happened. To this day, I don't know how. I got into Internet marketing and that's when everything changed.

I started out innocently enough. Probably just like you. Fell for a few get-rich-quick scams. Wasted my time; wasted my money. But I got through that and thought I was gonna be okay…until I discover ezines. Then there was no turning back.

It's the same story; I'm sure you can relate to it. I subscribed to a couple of ezines. I started reading articles by Terry Dean, Rick Beneteau, Terri Seymour, Michael Southon…there are others out there; but we know who I'm talking about. I learned what it took to be successful in Net marketing. Before you know it, I wanted more. I couldn't get through the day without reading a few ezines.

I unsubscribed to the ezines that had nothing but ads. That gave me the feeling that I was in control. But, my friends, we know how false that feeling is. I was still hooked on the good ones.

To make matters worse, I started earning an income working at home. I'm just minding my own business. Reading ezines; learning from ezines; applying what I'm learning. Money starts coming in. You think you have your life planned and something like this happens. I don't know what to tell you. I never saw it coming.

My friends say I've changed. I'm more self- confident; I'm happier; I'm more positive about life. They just don't understand and I can't tell them my secret.

I thought I could control the problem by shutting down my computer. I realize now that I was just in denial. Before long I was sneaking into the office. I'd tell myself, "Just one ezine. I'll just read one." An hour later, dinner hadn't been cooked and the litter box hadn't been cleaned. I was off and running. Lost in the world of ezines. With trembling fingers, I would turn off the computer. But I knew the truth; I wanted more.

I don't know what the answer is. Just when you think you're in control, you find another ezine to subscribe to. Even if you're particular about what you read and don't like the cheap stuff, there's always one more good ezine out there calling your name.

Well, that's my story. Thanks for letting me share. I won't tell you I'll ever be cured. The truth of the matter is I don't want to be cured. I'll just have to take it one ezine at a time.

Jo McNamara lives in Orlando, FL, with 8 cats and 1 husband. To receive other articles written by Jo, mailto:articles_jomc@sendfree.com. http://www.what-works-online.net" target="_blank">http://www.what-works-online.net