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Interview With the Founder of a Video Game Rehab Clinic
Ten Ton Hammer has posted the transcript from an interview with Dr. Hilarie Cash, co-founder of the "reSTART Internet Addiction Recovery Program," a relatively new clinic that deals with adults who feel that they are addicted to video games. The interview contains some.. interesting nuggets of wisdom. If you want to avoid addiction, you'd better spend less than two hours per day on online entertainment! The good news is that she doesn't recommend beating people.
"When people come, they come for 45 days. It is only for adults; patients must be 18 or older. When they first come, they come for a minimum 2 days to be interviewed and to interview us, because we don't want anyone there who doesn't want to be there. So if they decide they want to be there then they stay for 45 days or longer if they choose. During that time they don't have access to the internet. The idea is that it takes at least 30 days for the brain to make some adjustments it needs to make to get over this addiction, so the brain can begin to rewire back to normal. During that time we are helping them look at why they got addicted, what motivated their addiction and we're assessing to see what skills they are lacking so they can be successful in their adult lives. We try to make a good start at helping to build those skills."
No internet access for 45 days? But there's nothing else to do!
http://twitter.com/onion2k
I wonder if they have a website?
So do what everyone else does in these institutions.
In this case, they hold role-playing classes. People get to give themselves a new identity for the duration of the treatment. They are then encouraged to refer to the other patients by their new names.
They aren't allowed to bring in money from the outside, but they are given gold-coloured tokens which they can spend at the tuck shop for food, or they can go to the costume room and spend it on clothing accessories. If they save up enough tokens, they can spend them on keys to hidden rooms at the centre where they can learn the secrets of beating addiction. They can also buy weapons to further aid them in their epic quest for freedom from game addiction...
Squirrel!
I've played video games for the last 19 years, since I was 12, and I never got addicted.
Actually, I don't have any addictions. I only smoke and drink when I play video games...
... I can't believe people are paying for this.
... noobs !
Just cast cure to remove the confusion status
Don't you know it is now both immoral and criminal to think beyond the next quarterly report?
I am addicted to lazyness
may I get 45 days off ?
The world belongs to those who get up early. - I'm far from being the king of Earth then