I'll admit it, I'm addicted to spoilers. Spoilers, in case you're not familiar with the term, are those little snippets or plot details about upcoming scenes/storylines that you read before they air. The term spoiler can be applied to anything with a story or has an ending, but it’s usually used in conjunction with a TV show, movie or book. You can find spoilers in many newspapers or magazine publications, but I've found it easiest to find spoilers online.

I visit many ABC soap message boards on a regular basis. I occasionally try to remain spoiler-free, but it never works. My curiosity usually wins out and I take a peek. Usually the only time I may miss a spoiler is when I'm on vacation or a computer isn’t available. However, now that my phone has complete internet access, this rarely happens and my obsession with spoilers remains intact.

The downfall about relying on spoilers is that they may be wrong or a scene has been cut. Many people claiming to have spoiler knowledge actually make things up. I have been disappointed on many occasions when I'm expecting a certain scene or storyline, but it never happens.

Reading spoilers or taking a peek at what's coming up is an individual decision, but sometimes things are spoiled without warning. It can be frustrating for people who accidentally come across information when the person posting doesn't use the "spoiler warning" in a title. Even the previews at the end of each show could be considered to be spoilers, but they usually remain very vague and are used to draw the viewer back to the next day’s show.

I know there aren’t any 12 step programs to cure my addiction, but I’m really going to try and stop reading so many spoilers. It would be nice to just enjoy the show without all the backstage tidbits and information about the scenes I’ve read about. I might actually be surprised for once. Can I live without finding the answers to these burning questions ahead of time: will Erica really go to jail?; will Dorian and Vicki fight over the same man…again?; will John and Natalie ever get back together?; or will Jason and Sonny ever be convicted of a crime? Time will tell…