AIRED: July 1 , 2013– 11 am PST
AUDIO REPLAY/DOWNLOAD Available 7-3-13
TITLE: “Re-entering the Real World – Internet Addiction Recovery!”
SPECIAL GUEST: Dr. Hilarie Cash – Co-founder of Internet/Computer Addiction Services and co-developer of the Gaming and Internet Treatment Program. Speaker, teacher, and author and has appeared, among other places, on ABC News, CNN, NPR, PBS, the BBC, and in print in the Seattle Times, U.S.A. Today, U.S. News and World Report, and the New York Times
http://www.netaddictionrecovery.com
Hilarie Cash joins Allen and Melody to talk about her organization’s groundbreaking program: The “reSTART Internet Addiction Recovery” which is specifically oriented towards launching tech dependent youth and adults back into the real world. Their individually tailored program is designed to assist participants with an Internet and/or computer based behavioral addiction to break the cycle of dependency.
reStart’s 45-90 day abstinence based recovery program exposes participants to a variety of activities and everyday life skills which are often avoided or underdeveloped as a result of excessive ongoing computer, video game play and internet use. There is also a transition to independent living phase to the program where participants can choose to live in nearby apartments for 6 months or longer, during which time they are taking courses in college and/or working as well as having ongoing therapy and case management from reSTART.
reSTART understands that Internet and gaming addiction often co-occurs with other mental health conditions. Their program is individually designed to address a wide variety of underlying issues which may contribute to excessive Internet use (e.g., family problems, divorce, childhood trauma, depression, anxiety, ADHD, etc.).
- HONESTY: Admit that you, or yourself, are powerless to overcome your addictions and that your life has become unmanageable.
- HOPE: Come to believe that the power greater than ourselves can restore you to health.
- TRUST: Decide to turn your will and your life over to the care of your higher power as you understand it.
- TRUTH: Make a searching and fearless written moral inventory of yourself.
- INTEGRITY: Admit to yourself, to a higher power, and another human being the exact nature of your wrongs.
- CHANGE OF HEART: Become entirely ready to have a higher power remove all your character defects.
- HUMILITY: Humbly ask a higher power to remove your shortcomings.
- BROTHERLY LOVE: Make a written list of all persons you have harmed and become willing to make restitution to them.
- RESTITUTION AND RECONCILIATION: Wherever possible, make direct restitution to all persons you have harmed, except when to do so would injure them or others.
- ACCOUNTABILITY: Continue to take personal inventory, and when you are wrong promptly admit it.
- PERSEVERANCE: Listen (and continue to listen) to your heart. Earnestly seek to understand your higher power, whatever that may be on any given day. Continue to give yourself credit for earnest effort, however imperfect.
- SERVICE AND SPIRITUALITY: Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps, share this message with others who excessively use technology and practice these principles in all you do.
Note: The Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous have been adapted for Internet Addiction. Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. (“A.A.W.S.”). A.A. is not affiliated with Internet Addiction Anonymous as A.A. is a program of recovery from alcoholism only.
