Clinic to help addicts break Internet habit is now open in Seattle

Alexander, 19, needed help to break an addiction he calls as destructive as alcohol or drugs. He found it in this suburb of high-tech Seattle, where what claims to be the first residential treatment center for Internet addiction in the United States has opened its doors.

The center, called ReSTART, is somewhat ironically located near Redmond, headquarters of Microsoft Corp. and a world center of the computer industry. It opened in July, and for $14,000 offers a 45-day program intended to help people wean themselves from pathological computer use, which can include obsessive use of video games, texting, Facebook, eBay, Twitter, and any other time-killers born of technology.

“We’ve been doing this for years on an outpatient basis,’’ said Hilarie Cash, a therapist and executive director of the center. “Up until now, we had no place to send them.’’

Internet addiction is not recognized as a separate disorder by the American Psychiatric Association, and treatment is not generally covered by insurance. But there are many such treatment centers in China, South Korea, and Taiwan - where Internet addiction is taken seriously - and many psychiatric specialists say it is clear that Internet addiction is real and harmful.

The 5-acre center in Fall City, about 30 miles east of Seattle, can handle up to six patients at a time. Alexander is the only patient of the program, which uses a cold turkey approach. He spends his days in counseling and psychotherapy sessions, doing household chores, working on the grounds, going on outings, exercising, and baking ginger cookies.

Whether such programs work in the long run remains to be seen. For one thing, the Internet is so pervasive that it can be nearly impossible to resist, akin to placing an alcoholic in a bar, Cash said.

The effects of addiction are no joke. They range from loss of a job or marriage to car accidents for those who can’t stop texting while driving. People have died after playing video games for days without a break, generally stemming from a blood clot associated with being sedentary.

Psychotherapist Cosette Dawna Rae has owned the bucolic retreat center since 1994, and was searching for a new use for it when she hooked up with Cash. They decided to avoid treating people addicted to Internet sex, in part because she lives at the site with her family.

According to Dr. Kimberly Young of the Center for Internet Addiction Recovery in Bradford, Pa., addiction warning signs include being preoccupied with thoughts of the Internet; using it longer than intended, and for increasing amounts of time; repeatedly making unsuccessful efforts to control use; jeopardizing relationships, school, or work to spend time online; lying to cover the extent of Internet use; using the Internet to escape problems or feelings of depression; changes to weight; headaches; or carpal tunnel syndrome.

“From what we know, many so-called ‘Internet addicts’ are folks who have severe depression, anxiety disorders, or social phobic symptoms that make it hard for them to live a full, balanced life and deal face-to-face with other people,’’ said Dr. Ronald Pies, professor of psychiatry at SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, N.Y.

Alexander started playing “World of Warcraft,’’ a hugely popular online multiplayer role playing game, about a year ago, and got sucked right in.

“At first it was a couple of hours a day,’’ he said. “By midway through the first semester, I was playing 16 or 17 hours a day.

“It was an easy way to socialize and meet people,’’ he said. It was also an easy way to flunk out.