14 DAY TRIAL // It was bound to happen eventually, Internet “addiction centers” are making their way to the US after several similar initiatives in Japan, South Korea and, of course, China. The reStart Internet Addiction Recovery Program recently launched in the US with a 5-acre facility in Fall City, Washington, interestingly, not away from Microsoft's headquarters in Redmond. The facility aims to help those whose Internet habits are becoming detrimental to themselves and to those around them.
“The reSTART Internet Addiction Recovery Program is specifically oriented towards launching tech dependent youth and adults back into the real world. Our individually tailored program is designed to assist participants with an internet and/or computer based behavioral addiction to break the cycle of dependency,” the site's “mission statement” reads. “Our 45-day abstinence based recovery program exposes participants to a variety of activities and everyday life skills which are often avoided or underdeveloped as a result of ongoing computer, video game play and internet abuse.”
The facility is a six-bed “family style” retreat and the 45-day program will set the patients, or their parents, back $14,500 which, not surprisingly, isn't covered by insurance. The program has a site set up with some information about the facility and even offers some signs and symptoms of Internet or gaming addiction. Answering yes to three or four of them may mean abuse and over five may suggest addiction.
The program has already gotten its first patient, a 19-year-old from Iowa who was spending much of his day playing the online game World of Warcraft. His parents admitted him to the facility after his gaming behavior got so bad that he was forced to drop out of college. He doesn't swear off the Internet on the long run but for now, he believes that he has managed to leave his old ways behind.
The US program follows others in several countries like Japan or South Korea, where Internet addiction is a serious problem. China has also recently introduced Internet addiction recovery centers, though the methods leave somewhat to be desired.