Rehab For Internet Addicts

If Amy Winehouse came out with the song "Rehab" today, we'd have to add the Internet to the list of possible things she could be trying to recover from. The world's first rehabilitation center for those who are "tech-dependent" was recently opened outside of Seattle and is aimed at launching patients "back into the real world."

How can you tell if you qualify as a tech addict? ReStart, world's first internet addiction clinic, offers a survey that (surprise!) can be completed online and attempts to diagnose e-addiction based on symptoms like weight gain, chronic exhaustion and poor general health as a result of excessive Internet use.

The program, at $14,000 for a 45-day stay, is a serious financial commitment and is geared at younger Internet users and adults who spend excessive amounts of time gaming or texting.

What will be interesting to see is whether or not treatment typically reserved for chemical dependency works on psychological addictions: reStart utilizes a 12-step recovery plan, psychotherapy, exercise, and adventure outings -- all foundations of rehab programs designed to help patients overcome alcohol or narcotics addictions.