Internet Addiction Clinic Hits U.S.

Adam Girgenti, a sophomore English student at Ithaca College, has been an avid football fan since his father sat him on his lap when he was a toddler to watch his first Jets game. Refusing to miss a single game, Girgenti has managed to devise a technologically advanced setup that allows him to watch one game on his TV while simultaneously viewing a different game on his laptop and still catching his beloved New York Jets from his iPhone, all without leaving the comfort of his dorm room bed. Without the latest advancements of technology, Girgenti would be stuck catching up on his team's statistics in the weekly newspaper, missing the live play-by-play action that gets his blood pumping and his adrenaline rushing.

On July 27, 2009, the United States opened their first Internet addiction treatment facility in Seattle, Washington known as the reSTART Internet Addiction Recovery Program created by therapist Hilarie Cash. ReSTART is targeted towards young adults between the ages of 18 and 28 who are excessively dependent on technology. Patients at the center undergo a 45-day abstinence based recovery program intended to launch them back into the real world.

The program exposes patients to a variety of everyday activities and life skills that the individuals may have neglected or avoided as a result of their addiction.  Patients participate in activities that will strengthen their interpersonal relationships and conversation skills as well as exercises that will get them involved in activities that are not technologically based. In addition, the patients partake in extensive group and individual psychotherapy and must meet with a therapist every day during the 45-day period.

Cosette Rae, a therapist at the center, said, "The goal is that by staying here and sitting away from the computer, it gives enough time for the brain to stabilize and re-pattern itself and start that process of connecting with real life activities."

In 2007, Daxing, a suburb of Beijing, opened the first and largest Internet Addiction Rehabilitation Clinic. In its opening year, the clinic housed 60 patients on a normal day and as many as 280 during peak times. The patients range from age 12 to 14, some of whom have admitted themselves willingly and some who have been forcibly admitted by their parents.

The cost of treatment is extremely high for average Chinese families and continues to rise as the demand for these facilities increases.

According to an article in 2007 by The Washington Post,  "parents are paying upward of $1,300 a month--about 10 times the average salary in China--for the treatment."

The treatment facility in Daxing was established by Tao Ran, a military researcher who uses a tough-love approach, similar to the approach he has used on heroin addicts in the past, centered around individual and group counseling, medication, hypnosis and mild electric shocks. The treatment is based largely off of standard Chinese military discipline.

Since the Daxing treatment center opened, Vietnam, South Korea, Thailand and Switzerland, among a handful of other countries, have joined in the fight against Internet addiction.

As a 19-year-old college student at the same age as the majority of Internet addicts, Girgenti thinks the problem lies in the individual's sense of self-control. Technology can be fun and resourceful, but the problems begin when individuals allow themselves to become consumed by it.

"As long as you know you have good control, you can be as technologically advanced as you want," he said.

There is no questioning that technology can be beneficial and entertaining, but there is a line. Just like that phrase "one beer too many," technology can become dangerous and ultimately burden people with detrimental consequences if abused. With the growing use of the Internet around the world, problems with Internet addiction continue to arise. Because of this epidemic, Internet addiction clinics have been popping up across the globe throughout the past few years. China, according to government figures, has the world's largest online population with approximately 300 million online. The United States is not far behind with approximately 227 million on the Internet.

The center understands that Internet addiction may be the surfacing of more complicated problems, so they deal with patients on an individual level, assessing different psychological conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, family problems, childhood traumas and others.

"We look at the whole person and all the different things going on with them," Rae commented.

On the reSTART website, it lists the signs and symptoms of Internet addiction and provides a quiz that visitors can take to see if they have a problem.  Symptoms include a heightened sense of euphoria while using the Internet, failed attempts to control Internet use, a feeling of restlessness when not able to use the Internet, poor relationships with friends and family due to excessive Internet use, physical changes such as weight loss or gain and signs of withdrawal. Attending the center costs $9,300 per month plus additional fees depending on the exact program an individual participates in.

Girgenti believes it is crucial for all individuals, especially young children, to get away from technology and focus on the more important things in life. He remembers instances where he was urged by his parents to play outside and climb trees and use his imagination. He said as far as he can tell, the epidemic lies in the newest generation of children whose imaginations are being erased and replaced by the new forms of media.

"You need to be able to just sit with your thoughts without the constant need of artificial media being pounded into your head," he said.