Now, rehab clinic for Internet addicts!

London, October 22 : People running the risk of Internet addiction have help at hand with the first of its kind residential rehab clinic in the Seattle suburb of Fall City, Washington.

The ReSTART clinic reportedly costs 9,000 pounds for 45 days of live-in treatment, including taking care of the farm’s goats, building a chicken coop, long walks around the greens, receiving counselling and massages.

The rehab treats the addiction in many forms such as excessive gaming, inordinate online social networking, uncontrolled online shopping or gambling.

Co-founder-psychologist Dr Hilarie Cash warned how internet addiction was fast becoming a growing global problem.

“Wherever the technology exists, the problem follows. The internet can be as addictive as alcohol or gambling,” the Daily Express quoted Dr. Cash as saying.

But the treatment has sparked debates since the American Psychiatric Association does not recognise internet addiction as a legitimate disorder.

In the mean time, Dr Cash offered pointers to judge if one is addicted or not, explaining: “If you do it compulsively, despite the negative consequences, then we’d say that’s an addiction.”

--ANI