Internet addiction

[glatt]

In China, they have rehab centers for internet addiction.

As I read this article, I had to keep reminding myself that it wasn't The Onion.

No one is comfortable talking about the third floor of the clinic, where serious cases -- usually two or three at a time -- are housed. Most have been addicted to the Internet for five or more years, Tao said, are severely depressed and refuse counseling...

Tao said he believes 70 percent of the teens, after one to three months of treatment, will go home and lead normal lives, but he's less optimistic about the third-floor patients. "Their souls are gone to the online world," he said.

Earlier this month, four teens fled their dorm rooms and jumped in a taxi. They made it to a train station before soldiers caught them, according to Li Jiali, a military guard. They were isolated and asked to write reports about why their actions were wrong.

This was a front page story in today's Washington Post.

Raise your hand if you think you need to go into rehab for the Cellar.

[glatt]

"Their souls are gone to the online world,"

You know, that might make a good Cellar tag line.

[Spexxvet]

Closest smilie for raising hand.

obsess definition
v. ob·sessed, ob·sess·ing, ob·sess·es
v.tr.
To preoccupy the mind of excessively.
v.intr.
To have the mind excessively preoccupied with a single emotion or topic: "She's dead. And you're still obsessing" (Scott Turow).
obsess synonyms
verb
To dominate the mind or thoughts of: possess. See control
To come to mind continually: haunt, torment, trouble, weigh on or upon. See repetition
obsess etymology
[Latin obsidre, obsess-, to beset, occupy : ob-, on; see ob- + sedre, to sit; see sed- in Indo-European roots.]

[Undertoad]

help me before I'm social online again! stop me from talking with other people!

[LabRat]

Not only am I addicted to the cellar, I actually care about some of you...

[lumberjim]

[Bhang]

I'll admit, I might have been a different person all together if there was no such thing as "The Internet" - Many positives though, I have learned a great deal by surfing the world wide web

[wolf]

I can quit any time I want.

[elSicomoro]

Originally Posted by wolf

I can quit any time I want.

Sure you can...and then you'll be like I was for the 3 weeks I didn't have internet at the new place: twitching, grabbing your hair, moaning incessantly, foaming at the mouth, crying for God(s) to intervene, spending too much money at Kinko's, spending too much time at BreadCo/Panera...

It's ugly, I tell ya...

[Griff]

Originally Posted by wolf

I can quit any time I want.

I'm not hurting anybody.

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by Griff

I'm not hurting anybody.

I've quit be before, now I'm back. I will quit when I am ready. I'm not ready.

[wolf]

Originally Posted by glatt

In China, they have rehab centers for internet addiction.

I believe that the Chinese used to call them "reeducation centers."

Broadening one's worldview is still frowned upon there, isn't it?