We have all seen Brittany Spears take trips to her local rehab on MTV, and may personally know someone that has been admitted to a rehabilitation center for drug or alcohol addiction. There are numerous rehab clinics around the United States; however, for the first time a center has been opened with a primary focus on ‘internet addiction’. The past two decades can be marked with the changes society has undergone due to the radical technological feats. The rise of social networking on the internet via Facebook and Twitter has made it possible for anyone to live their life in a virtual character. MMORPG games and virtual reality simulators like second life give users the capability of creating 3D avatars to represent them in cyberspace. For some its great entertainment, and for others it has become an addiction.
Ben Alexander, 19 years old, is the first patient at reSTART, the first internet addiction rehabilitation center based in Fall City, Washington. He became addicted to World of Warcraft and now instead of going on adventures to fight dragons, Alexander will be paying $14,500 for a 45 day stay at reSTART. The center explains they have gone ‘cold turkey’, shunning all forms of technology from their premises. The creators of the program believe internet addiction is a growing problem affecting up to 10% of online users.
“The problem is worsening,” Ms Cash said. “More kids are being raised from the earliest days with technology. If allowed to spend too much time there, their development is not balanced.” A growing portion of the population has slowly become more dependent on online social networking, and Hilari Cash, psychotherapist at reSTART, believes its causing major problems in their social life and their abilities to converse with others. The center focuses on teaching kids how to properly start conversations and allows them to take part in activities in the wilderness and even practice dating.
The clinic isn’t the first of its kind either. Many have opened in East Asian countries such as China, where internet addiction has been a problem for years.
The clinic also has an outpatient option. Treating those with “extensive exposure to porn, but not much to sex”. Horrible…
