Comments on: Internet Addiction Rehab Center: Do We Really Need It?

By: Rowe

Rowe — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 10:21:51 +0000

Yes, Vered, I do think it is possible that addiction to the internet exists. With blogging and other social networking sites, dare I say there is a social narcissism attached to it.

By: Brad

Brad — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 21:40:27 +0000

cb,

Are you familiar with process addictions like gambling? Same thing going on in the brain here.

By: cb

cb — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 18:18:39 +0000

While the internet can have a powerful psychological pull and cost us marriages, jobs, or our life, it’s not a physical addiction like one would get from a chemical drug like cigarettes or meth or even caffeine. I am psychologically dependent upon and obsessed with the internet to the point that I’m getting up an hour early each day to have more time on it before work, but on the other hand if my power went off for a week I would not be in true withdrawal with physical pain and danger(although I’d be very, VERY unhappy)!

By: Brad

Brad — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 00:57:48 +0000

I sense a tongue firmly planted in your cheek Jo Ann…

By: alaJoAnn

alaJoAnn — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 03:16:00 +0000

Internet addiction rehab centers – sounds like a cleverly targeted niche market. Maybe someone should offer these services online!

By: Brad

Brad — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 21:22:11 +0000

Thanks. Haven’t been there myself, but I know the dad of the young man whose story is featured. They got their son back, and you can’t put a price on that!

By: MomGrind

MomGrind — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 21:17:32 +0000

Friar, I know what you mean, but this doesn’t make it any less real… yes, it’s a problem of a well-fed, spoiled society, but it is still a problem. I hear that depression is also rare in societies where people are busy putting food on the table, but depression is still a serious problem that requires treatment.

Brad, I have visited your blog and read with interest your take on the Internet addiction rehab center. You are a supporter – and I respect your opinion since you’ve been there.

By: Brad

Brad — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 19:02:42 +0000

Yes, it is pretty sad. Like anorexia, it is rapidly evolving into a ‘culture bound syndrome.’

According to Wikipedia…

A culture-specific syndrome is characterized by:

1. categorization as a disease in the culture (i.e., not a voluntary behaviour or false claim);
2. widespread familiarity in the culture;
3. complete lack of familiarity of the condition to people in other cultures;
4. no objectively demonstrable biochemical or tissue abnormalities (symptoms);
5. the condition is usually recognized and treated by the folk medicine of the culture.

Any argument based on this definition?

By: Friar

Friar — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 18:43:20 +0000

This is a sure sign that as a civilization, we have peaked and we’re on the downward slope.

Just shows how much we (as a society) are spoiled and out of touch with the rest of the world. We invent things like this to worry about because we have way too much time on our hands and don’t know what to do with it.

Internet addiction re-hab?

For crying out loud.

Try explaining this to someone in the Thirld World. Who doesnt’ have $14000. Let alone the Internet.

Or electricity. Or food, for that matter.

By: Brad

Brad — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 03:34:01 +0000

Lots of people are put off by the cost of the inpatient program in Washington state. We’re fortunate here in Canada. There’s an outpatient pilot program for youth 16-24 years old in Toronto that’s fully funded by our universal health care program.