[RVRC] 'DETOX' for internet 'overexposure'...

[Marvin Bronstein]

THAT FINAL ITEM: THE AGE OF DIGITAL DETOX

And finally, if you have been spending far to much time in front of your computer screen, then a Pennsylvania hospital may be able to help you. This as it becomes the first to offer an inpatient detox program for those addicted to the internet. No we are not kidding as we hear from Amateur Radio Newsline’s Cheryl Lasek, K9BIK:

--

Bradford Regional Medical Center in Bradford, Pennsylvania will soon have a program available to assist those whose lives have spiraled out of control because of their addiction to the World Wide Web. The program will offer a voluntary, 10-day in-patient treatment program that was created by experts in other, more traditional addictions like alcohol or drugs.

In the hospital wing already occupied by patients with addictions of other sorts, groups of four internet addicts will take classes and take part in the sort of group therapy traditionally reserved for chemical and other dependencies. This program can also intervene with medication, if needed, to treat withdrawal symptoms and diagnose and treat the underlying issues that often accompany the web addiction problem.

Only one catch. The price tag of the program could be prohibitive enough to keep all but the most desperate of internet addicts away. A stay for this digital detox facility will cost around $14,000 and currently no insurance program will cover it. So if you are a ham who may be addicted to web based contacts or just surfing the web night and day, it may pay to simply try limiting your time on the Internet and spending most of it using RF to make contacts on the air. 

But before you do anything be sure to consult your physician for advice. That’s because none of us are doctors nor do we play one on TV. 

For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I’m Cheryl Lasek, K9BIK, in Zion, Illinois.

--

The United States is not the only place where digital detox will be taking place. According to a report in The Japan Times, that nations Education Ministry plans to set up the camps next year, offering addicted students a chance to unplug from their computers and smartphones, enjoy some time in the real world, and face their web based addiction head-on with tablet-free counseling sessions and lectures. (London Daily Mail, CTV News, other published reports.)