In an article in the Seattle Times March 14, 2010 reporter Tyrone Beason informs readers that the Blackberry has jokingly been dubbed “Crackberry” by owners who can’t seem to put it away even in social settings. According to a report from the University of California at San Diego, the average American consumes a brain-exploding 34 gigabytes of content and either sees or hears 100,000 words each day, from the Web to TV to text messages. The question the reporter seems to be asking his readers is, are we addicted?
An internet recovery program in Falls City Washington seems to indicate some individuals are in technological crisis. reStart cofounders Hilarie Cash and Cossette Rae treat clients who have lost jobs, relationships and homes because of their Internet addiction. The center is the first in the nation aimed solely at helping a new category of addict that researchers are still attempting to understand. By last February 2010, 8 people had gone through the entire program. http://www.netaddictionrecovery.com/
Some of the Internet addicts who show up here are so far gone that simple experiences such as working in a group and chatting across the dinner table have become foreign to them. They need to be shown not just the emotional rewards of physical activities but the basic lessons of human interaction. They must be brought back into the world.
As a species, humans are vulnerable to any outside stimuli that changes the way we feel. One of our nation’s biggest concerns today is obesity. As a staunch Libertarian, I am both a defender and believer in humans ability to judge for themselves and get and receive help from others if need be. In other words, even though there is an obesity problem, I don’t believe the government should outlaw cheeseburgers. I feel the same way about obesity and Internet addiction. I believe education is always the best medicine. And, if we need help we can go to rehab.
reStart is a program with 12-Step model of recovery….
12 Steps and Principles for
Internet and Technology Addiction Anonymous
These twelve steps and principles are guidelines for members of Internet and Technology Addiction Anonymous (ITAA) to live by. We can recognize and overcome living issues by using the twelve steps and/or principles. If you choose to embrace these steps and principles into your life, it will get better, no matter what you are having a problem with.
1. HONESTY: Admit that you, or yourself, are powerless to overcome your addictions and that your life has become unmanageable.
2. HOPE: Come to believe that the power greater than ourselves can restore you to health.
3. TRUST: Decide to turn your will and your life over to the care of your higher power as you understand it.
4. TRUTH: Make a searching and fearless written moral inventory of yourself.
5. INTEGRITY: Admit to yourself, to a higher power, and another human being the exact nature of your wrongs.
6. CHANGE OF HEART: Become entirely ready to have a higher power remove all your character defects.
7. HUMILITY: Humbly ask a higher power to remove your shortcomings.
8. BROTHERLY LOVE: Make a written list of all persons you have harmed and become willing to make restitution to them.
9. RESTITUTION AND RECONCILIATION: Wherever possible, make direct restitution to all persons you have harmed, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. ACCOUNTABILITY: Continue to take personal inventory, and when you are wrong promptly admit it.
11. PERSEVERANCE: Listen (and continue to listen) to your heart. Earnestly seek to understand your higher power, whatever that may be on any given day. Continue to give yourself credit for earnest effort, however imperfect.
12. SERVICE AND SPIRITUALITY: Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps, share this message with others who excessively use technology and practice these principles in all you do.
Note: The Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous have been adapted for Internet Addiction. Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. ("A.A.W.S."). A.A. is not affiliated with Internet Addiction Anonymous as A.A. is a program of recovery from alcoholism only.
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