Porn and chat rooms are vices that have ended many a relationship. They have also been reasons for getting fired for some people who like to indulge themselves while at work. Thus is the case for 58-year-old James Pacenza, who was fired by IBM after an initial warning for visiting adult chat rooms while at work, according to a May 25 BBC article.

Pacenza, a self-described sex addict, is now fighting back with a $5 million lawsuit against IBM on the grounds that IBM should have offered him “sympathy and treatment” instead of firing him because he is a Vietnam War veteran who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. He is arguing that he used the Internet sites as self-medication for his condition.

What if cocaine addicts and alcoholics also started to “self-medicate” at the workplace? According to IBM’s Web site, the company offers an Employee Assistance Program that provides professional counseling for a wide range of conditions. It was not IBM’s job to offer sympathy to a man who visited inappropriate sites during work hours. Its job is to offer mental health resources to employees, and this it does do.

The ruling on this case is expected to have implications for how employers regulate workplace computers. Is there a difference between someone who sends a personal e-mail or buys a plane ticket from a work computer versus someone who visits adult chat rooms?

There’s no denying that we check e-mail, read the news or shop here and there while at work, and employers should expect this to an extent and make their expectations and parameters known. But indulging in adult fantasies? That should be left for home.