A Scandinavian chauffeur has been booked into a clinic for SMS addiction after his habit left him sending more than 200 e-chat messages daily.

The 25-year-old apparently drove at night and spent his daylight hours frantically sending short message services (SMS) on his mobile phone. He got to the point where he was sending an average of 217 text snippets per day. Meanwhile, his quarterly mobile phone quintupled to 12,000 Crowns (£967) - unaffordable on his Danish driver's salary.

The SMS junkie is being treated at an unnamed Danish clinic which specialises in treating pathologic gamblers and Internet addicts. Michael Joersel, head of the institution's Net therapy centre, told the Jyllands-Posten newspaper he expected a growing number of SMS chat addicts to start seeking help, Reuters reported.

The Internet therapy centre has treated around 60 addicts since 1998. There are 2.6 million mobile phone users in the former Viking land, and 1.1 registered Web users. ®

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