When we arrived at the second phase of the ReStart Internet Addiction Recovery Program in Fall City, WA, we had had a fairly good explanation of the type of resident that is appropriate for the program. We had met with Dr. Hilarie Cash and Cosette Dawna Rae, MSW, LICSW for lunch to go over the appropriate participant to the program, and to discuss current trends and experiences within this particular field. One thing that concerned Hillarie was that consultants, therapists and parents don't ask the right questions in ascertaining whether or not a student is actually addicted to Internet, gaming, and/ or technology.

One of the primary indicators of this addiction is failure to function in life. Often the young adults have "failed to launch," which is a common concern, but they also lack motivation to get out of the basement (or off the couch) or to do anything in life. They stop attending school; they quit their jobs. Often they begin to gain significant weight because they order pizzas and coke (or other convenience foods), rather than taking time away from their games to cook anything. Their surroundings are often in shambles and sometimes they haven't changed their clothes or bathed in weeks to months. They have sleep issues. They also display an inability to create/ maintain appropriate relationships with other people, and seldom do they have boy/girlfriends.

Treatment for technology addiction is nothing like treatment for substance abuse, so a standard addiction treatment center won't necessarily work for this population. The best example I've heard is that with substance addiction, one teaches abstinence; with technology, one teaches management. It is as impossible for a technology addict to avoid technology in the modern world as it is for an eating disorder patient to avoid exercise and food.

We had a chance to meet with one of the participants in the second phase of reStart when we arrived. He was living in an apartment in the Fall City/Redmond area with another reStart participant. ReStart occupies several apartments in a huge complex. Their off campus office occupies one of the apartments and the residents check in to do their homework, manage their computer usage and get support. The residents in Phase II attend college, hold part time to full time jobs and participate in local activities and clubs, in addition to the required "on campus" time which they spend daily staying connected with the reStart facility for continued support and exercise.

The young man we met had attended reStart for 60 days initially. He felt he could return to his previous setting and attend college in a metropolitan area across the country, where he enrolled and started his new semester. Shortly into the semester, however, he faltered and slipped back into his addictive pattern. After about half the semester of sitting on his couch eating pizza and playing video games, his mom announced she was coming for a visit and he was snapped out of his haze. He cleaned up and when his mom arrived, he asked her to return to reStart. After a second, 45-day stay, he transitioned into phase II and began a supported new segment to his journey, showing mentor/leader skills in the community. His story brought tears to my eyes and seeing his community pride and his desire to grow and help others was truly inspiring.

We left the apartment and headed over to the main campus of reStart. The main house is located on a five-acre piece of land in what feels like the middle of nowhere. We had no idea that an area so populated as Redmond could contain such a remote place. We turned down the driveway and it opened up into a beautifully groomed yard with a large two-story home in the center.

The young men were preparing to go on a weekend camping trip for Memorial Day weekend when we arrived. They were looking forward to getting out in nature. Many of them had never seen the wilderness before. They were giddy about the wildlife they might see, or the dirt they might encounter. This may sound silly or trivial to some, however with Internet/Gaming addiction, kids don't get out and experience real life, so to them it is a big deal when they finally detox from gaming.

The group circled up and talked to us for about 15 minutes about why they were at reStart and where they had come from. The youngest at the time was 18, about to turn 19; the majority of the men in the house were ages 22-24. After our conversation, the young men eagerly led us around the 5-acre property, talking to us about their chickens, chicks, Dakota the dog and a couple of guard cats, the tree house, which is used as a therapy room, the climbing wall that was built as a community project (though not currently in use) and the other therapy rooms around the campus. They also showed us their garden before we walked back up to the house.

Entering in through the back door, we walked into the laundry room. Each participant does their own laundry and chores on a rotation. From there, we had almost direct access into the garage, which has been added to and converted into a full crossfit gym. Every participant, no matter which phase of the program, comes to the gym to workout, daily. We left the gym and continued through the house. All the students at reStart have a room on the main floor, with typically 2-3 students per room. There are two centrally located bathrooms for the students to share. The rest of the house contains a full, industrial kitchen, a family style room with a large screen tv for special movie night and a full dining room with piano. The 18 year old sat down for us and played a beautiful song that he had written; creativity that may have never been realized had he stayed in a video game his whole life.

When we had toured the entire first floor, we sat in the family room where there are large, cozy couches and chairs. The participants have group in this room, as well as morning meeting and community meetings. We learned about transition requests and a little more about each of the young men. A couple spoke up more than the others and stood out as the leaders in the group.

To transition to Phase II, a resident must petition to the community for the right after presenting their lengthy and detailed Life Balance Plan. The graduates, the phase II residents, the staff and the current Phase I residents all get together for a community meeting to discuss the request. A young man had recently been denied transition when we visited as the community had decided he was not yet ready. This young man stood apart from the community and we could see he was a bit emotional about the rejection, but being emotional was a good thing for him as he had been numbed to emotion while his addictions ruled over him.

The only place we hadn't seen on the visit was the upstairs of the house. Cosette and her family have a small apartment on the upper level of the house, where the main office is also located. After visiting with the students for a bit longer, we headed up and said goodbye to Cosette, who was busily working on some last minute communications before heading out for the long weekend.

We decided we had delayed the camping trip long enough; these young men were anxious to get on the road to their next "real life" adventure. We thanked them for taking the time to share their program with us and headed out.