For Just $14,000, You Can Now Go to Rehab for Internet Addiction
You can now go to rehab for being addicted to the internet. Starting next week, a hospital in Bradford, Pennsylvania will be the first place to offer inpatient treatment for it.
The program lasts 10 days and starts with a "digital detox," where you're not allowed online at all for 72 hours. Then they teach you how to go back to using the web, but without letting it destroy your life.
And apparently a "digital detox" is no joke. According to the doctor who started the program, Internet addicts have actual withdrawal symptoms. And one patient she treated even resorted to chewing Styrofoam cups and punching the walls.
However, she notes that even if you use the Internet a ton, it doesn't necessarily mean you need treatment. But if you've tried to cut down and can't, and feel like it's making your life spin out of control, rehab might be the way to go.
You better be serious about it before you actually sign up though, because the program costs $14,000 and is not covered by insurance. Signs of Internet addiction include neglecting family and friends, and lying about how much you use it.