reSTART, first US Internet addiction clinic opens

[Matthew DeCarlo]

The first US gaming and texting addiction clinic is now open for business. Positioned 13 miles away from Microsoft's headquarters in Redmond, Washington, the reSTART Internet Addiction Recover Program provides a 45-day intensive care program for Internet and game addicts. The package comes complete with psychotherapy, 12-step group counseling, nutritional education, personalized fitness plans, and "high adventure outings."

According to the clinic's mission statement, it is "specifically oriented toward launching tech dependent youth and adults back into the real world." The program is designed to help people break their Internet and/or computer-based cycle of dependency. Participants will engage activities that are often avoided because of excessive computer, video game, and Internet use.

For only $14,500 (or the cost of an 80.6-year WoW subscription as noted by ZDNet) you can hop on the path to recovery, and kick your Web abuse for good. Who's in line?

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/35960-restart-first-us-internet-addiction-clinic-opens.html

 

[Guest]

There should be an X-Box controller as the pic, those kids play more than PlayStation users, and are very abusive.

 

[Matthew DeCarlo]

There you go tiger, request granted.

 

[AndrestheBean]

hahahah, only attention *****s go there.

 

[Captain828]

Wait, they also give you *****s there??
Too bad I'm not sick...

 

[Vrmithrax]

I can just imagine some of the 12 steps...
Step 1: Unplug Console
Step 2: Go outside and experience actual sunlight
...
Step 11: Make friends that aren't l33t gankers
Step 12: Get a (real) girlfriend

 

[AndrestheBean]

imagine when they are cured,

and they have withdrawls,

"man im really craving some halo 3:dead:"

 

[Twister123]

they take internet addiction very seriously in china its big over there and holland has treatment centres for video game addicts and apparently alcoholics and video game addicts relate to each others symptoms .

 

[Guest]

That $14,500 could buy me a few PS3's maybe an X-Box, some exclusives and cross platform titles an HDTV a 7.1 stereo system a lazy boy chair, a trip to the supermarket, an alarm system for my home, then locked down for a few months in my basement and play games all day and night long.

 

[TomSEA]

LOL...$14,500 because you can't walk away from the Internet or a game? Hell, give me $5,000, I'll pop the CPU out of your PC and we're all good - addiction solved. ;-)

 

[Wendig0]

Sorry, but for $14,500 I could put a nice down payment on a house. I can quit at any time. I swear.

 

[TorturedChaos]

Almost seems like a joke to me
But i guess when I worked at office max there was a couple that came in, looked like they were strung out on crack. Wanted to buy a router and some other computer stuff. When I asked them if it was for a particular use, they said as long as it will work with Ever Crack err Quest.
Made me laugh

 

[Eddie_42]

I think with most medical conditions (especially the newer ones like Internet addiction) there is a level of truth in them, but there are also many other people using it as an excuse. I'll be the first to admit that when I'm on vacation and don't have my PC or an internet connection i feel a little lost. But by no means will I 'tweak' if i dont have internet for a week or a month.
If this place can help the people who really need it, its a great thing...if they are trying to capitalize on the general stupidity of people in large quantities...then maybe not. But hey, its America, make a product, sell it, win...that's the modum operadi
$14k for 45 days, rent, food, and "adventure trips" included, not really a bad deal. yes its out of my price range, but I can easily see 5-6k of this just covering the basic expenses like rent ($100/night for a decent hotel; I bet this is on par if not more), food ($22 a day is still $1000), and electricity. Plus the labor and overhead of the staff and the cost of transporting people to the adventures and costs to do the adventure.
And to the first poster, what proof can you offer the xbox players are more addicted then playstation users....sounds awfully fanboy-ish to me

 

[Guest]

Eddie_42, very nice post.

People have all kinds of addictions, drugs, alcohol, sex, work, video games, smoking, etc. If you don't have any addictions good for you, however there are people who need help and can't just walk away without it. If the addiction is real then some of these costs should be covered by insurance.

 

[Guest]

@Eddie_42:
There are just too many surveys done for you not to realize that X-box users spend longer time playing, than PStation users. Am going off the surveys. I urge you to do a web search.

 

[viperpfl]

Does being addicted to TECHSPOT count?

 

[Matthew DeCarlo]

@viperpfl: Haha, find out for yourself. They have a little questionnaire on their site that classifies your addiction level. According to their survey, my habits "suggest possible abuse" - not bad for someone who spends 10+ hours a day online.

Check it out here: http://www.netaddictionrecovery.com/the-problem/are-you-addicted.html

 

[Emin3nce]

I know that some teenagers need a boot from their games, but shouldn't a good parent be able to do so? I know i got my teen motivated and off of world of warcraft. Whilst he still plays it, he's now more interested in life.
Instead of 15k, why not try actually getting "with it" and trying some real parenting applied to the modern world?
As for taking the internet relation away completely... Why would you do so? People need a break from reality.

 

[red1776]

Not really a good start when you get there and its called the' internet addiction 'Crysis' Center'

 

[Twister123]

I know that some teenagers need a boot from their games, but shouldn't a good parent be able to do so? I know i got my teen motivated and off of world of warcraft. Whilst he still plays it, he's now more interested in life.
Instead of 15k, why not try actually getting "with it" and trying some real parenting applied to the modern world?
As for taking the internet relation away completely... Why would you do so? People need a break from reality.

I guess its like any addiction , they can't handle it in any amount . Good parenting might get them of the path to addiction before its to late but the early signs aren't as easy to spot as someone getting drunk all the time or always smelling of weed , internet porn addiction would be more worrying .

 

[Xecutor]

red1776 said:
Not really a good start when you get there and its called the' internet addiction 'Crysis' Center'

LMAO red! Good one!
I feel, as someone else has said, that there is a real underlying truth to this, but the way it is positioned is too "commercialized" for it to hold any weight except for the people who are "desperate ones"...
AND, 14k$ is a bit much for anyone.

 

[Twister123]

14k what internet addict or any addict for that matter would have that amount of cash , google and the likes should be paying for the clinics .

 

[red1776]

14k what internet addict or any addict for that matter would have that amount of cash , google and the likes should be paying for the clinics .

Hey Twister,
maybe Eric Schmidt should do PSA's about "responsible internet" like Gary loveman does for Harrahs

 

[Twister123]

I had to do a google on all of that red , have a look at where I'm living , we don't get much news on Harrahs and Gary loveman over here , but with the financial boom of the past , casinos , strip clubs, prostitution and cocaine sprung up over night here in a big way , now everyone's skint clinics are full to burst , there's a pattern here somewhere I think .

 

[viperpfl]

Matthew said:
@viperpfl: Haha, find out for yourself. They have a little questionnaire on their site that classifies your addiction level. According to their survey, my habits "suggest possible abuse" - not bad for someone who spends 10+ hours a day online.
Check it out here: http://www.netaddictionrecovery.com/the-problem/are-you-addicted.html

Thought I would add a little amusement
I actually don't consider something that someone enjoys classified as an addiction. If we go that route, then we might as well classify a lot of things we do as an addiction. I would be seeing the shrink everyday for my addiction to computers, chocolate, fishing, music, movies, etc.
Sure there are some people who take the use of the internet a little to far but people do it with a lot of other things as well. The internet is not the problem, it's those people who are using it.