Hi, my name is Michael. (Your reply: "Hi, Michael"). And I have a problem with the Internet.
Now there's a place for people like me who spend waaaay too much time visiting my social networks or playing MMORPGs like World of Warcraft.
The place is called Heavensfield, a six-bed retreat located in Fall City, Wash., not far from Redmond (home of Microsoft... that's right. Microsoft). The wooded, five-acre site is home to the reStart: Internet Addiction Recovery Program.
Two friends -- Cosette Rae, a clinical social worker, and author Hilarie Cash -- opened the 45-day rehab center for adults after treating too many patients with a heavy dependence on gaming, gambling, chatting, texting, and other online activities. They are touting it as one of the first ever Internet addiction rehab facilities in the United States.
"Current research suggests that anywhere from 6-10 percent of the online population is dependent on one or more aspects of cyber technology and the Internet. Among gamers, those playing multi-user games (like World of Warcraft) appear to be addicted at much higher levels," the founders said in their announcement.
Of course, the focus on Internet addiction is more pronounced in China and South Korea, whose governments have designated it as their top public health danger and have responded by developing multiple treatment programs... not to mention beatings.
Deng Senshan, a 16-year-old who logged on one too many times, was sent to the Guangxi Qihuang Survival Training Camp in southern China on a Saturday. His parents paid 7,000 yuan ($1,024.29) for a month of treatment. The kid was immediately beaten, placed in solitary confinement, and humiliated by his trainers for running too slowly. He was pronounced dead early Sunday morning.
Pu Liang, a 14-year-old, was sent to Chengdu, capital of the southwestern province of Sichuan and into one of 200 camps in the country to treat his Internet addiction. The China Daily reported that Pu was put in the hospital by staff. The doctors said the badly beaten boy had water in his lungs and was suffering kidney failure.
Gee, if they had been playing video games at home, you think both boys would still be alive and their parents would have saved some cash?
Speaking of cash, reStart is not cheap.
A 45-day stay costs $14,500 ($322 per day). The application alone costs $200. A screening will set you back $800. Wanna go on a backpacking excursion or do some kayaking? Please write that check for $1,575. In comparison, the National Substance Abuse Treatment Services Survey (N-SATSS) says the average cost for inpatient programs was about $7,000 per month.
But compared to other high-end facilities, reStart is not off the chart. South Coast Recovery in California offers a discounted 30-day drug and alcohol program by the Pacific Ocean for just north of $9,000. The Betty Ford Clinic's 30-day in-patient service will set you back $26,000.
I'm not saying that services like this are frivolous. Addiction is a serious word to attach to a behavior. There are a lot of people out there who are spending too much time on the computer and not enough time with their families, friends, and co-workers.
Famed author and spiritualist Deepak Chopra points out that all addictions are "avoidance of pain and the pursuit of pleasure." To which we submit that there might be a lot more to fighting Internet addiction than just unplugging.
Certainly the wrong way to help is to tell someone with a problem to do the 2-Step Program:
Step 1. Turn the computer off and go outside.
Step 2. Repeat Step 1.
But to me, the inherent problem with trying to cure someone of an Internet addiction is that the cheapest, most cost effective way to connect with these people is... on the Internet!
— Michael Singer, Senior Editor, Internet Evolution. His focus includes executive issues... What's top of mind for CEOs, CIOs, and CTOs?
it's good to see that creativity gives the best of itself when it's a matter of making money
now the internet, the online gaming, the social media, are growing so fast in the world, and we must find new ways to get a living from all this
in the beginning, you sell the access (ISP), then you sell services, say email for example, then create new business models based on advertising, pay-per-view and so on
when you think (and you're wrong) there's nothing more left to invent, then invent a problem and sell the solution
make it scary, bring in some high-impact story
possibly, position your offering very high, since you're the first, and make it pay a lot. recovering from alcohol is an old story, you can sell your program at twice as much, at least
and if you're a doctor, this makes it all very realistic
The internet, gaming, social media, like anything else, need good sense in order not to make them harmful.
But if it's 6-10% of the population to suffer from addiction, then what about obesity? what is the pct of americans overweight?
and by the way, you don't fight obesity by stopping people from eating.....
good sense and education is what is needed in everything, not battles which look like they're run just to make money, once again
most of the people who fight "the internet" and want to stop everybody (employees, teens, etc) from using it, just do not even know what they're talking about...
consider that the US is much ahead of the rest of the world. In Italy, where I live, is even worse. And in China, where in general remedies and punishments are a different story....
Anything can be an "addition," especially if the medical profession gets involved for monetary purposes or the government gets involved for political purposes.
After all, kids in China might be "addicted" to finding the truth behind censored news -- so we'd better call them "addicts" and make sure they toe the Party line. For a long time, Russian activists were imprisoned in mental institutions. Perhaps they still are. We wouldn't want any improper thinking, would we?
I'm amused by people who talk about "getting away" from the Internet and "experiencing life." That's like "getting away from your intellect to experience ignorance."
If doctors and politicians must have an Addiction of the Month, I suggest it be watching sports. That genuinely turns your mind into mush, although who with an I.Q. of higher than, say, 75, would want to watch overpaid quasi-literates gamboling around a field, court, diamond, rink, etc.?
Mary Jander, you reminded me of something. At Carnegie Mellon's 112th commencement, Google's Eric Schmidt talked about how his generation wrote the tools that have empowered today's people in IT to simply get things done. I felt this was a very powerful message - it's true and it reminds me that there are so many possibilities in front of us with technology.
We just need to get away from wasting our time on Facebook and Twitter to realize this potential! All the best.
They've got all the bases covered; even a YouTube Channel where one can assume (I didn't check) there will be glowing Testimonials as to the greatness of this program!!...
Ooops. I forgot they're supposed to cure you of your Internet Addiction.
First, that was horrific what happened to Deng Senshan and Pu Liang. That was a preposterous way in handling that situation that really isn’t a threat to society.
How do we know if those two or anyone were actually doing productive or education tasks?
Where is the line drawn for someone working collaboratively with others across the globe via the Internet?
As larger segment of the population shift to a more active participation in the Internet, there are going to be those who spend considerably more time than others. It doesn’t make them a bad person.
It’s like if someone spends more time at the library than others.
After all, isn’t the Internet a form of a digital library?
Wouldn’t we see one cope with their issues through the Internet medium rather than a harmful medium?
I agree that your 2-step program should be the recommended way to go. It is realistic and it is common sense.
I wonder too if we are all not going down the addicted to the Internet a little too much anyway.
Similar to our culture's insatiable need for alcohol, nicotine, caffeine and the temptations of Eve (jeez, I'm sounding like John Barleycorn) the Internet is filling a need for people to connect, but it certainly has isolated us.
Think I'm crazy? Then why do we have companies like Loopt? Find out where your friends are using an Internet connection? That's just sad. I'm not saying there isn't a problem, but there are things parents (friends, family) can do to prevent anti-social behavior than stage an intervention.
Not that there's anything wrong about being logged on to an MMORPG with people from all over the world, and getting xp with your party using teamspeak. (FTW!)
Perhaps the 9 million WoW addicts out there could be employed in more productive ways, like clicking on banner ads.
The ThinkerNet does not reflect the views of TechWeb. The ThinkerNet is an informal means of communication to members and visitors of the Internet Evolution site. Individual authors are chosen by Internet Evolution to blog. Neither Internet Evolution nor TechWeb assume responsibility for comments, claims, or opinions made by authors and ThinkerNet bloggers. They are no substitute for your own research and should not be relied upon for trading or any other purpose.
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