China opens clinic for the Internet addicted

Irritable? Edgy? Waiting for the day when a real rain will come and wash the streets clean? Well perhaps your antisocial behaviours are a sign that you're addicted to the Internet. If you live in China, now you can check your head while preventing further decay to "public morality" at the first officially licensed (read: government stamp-o-approval) Internet addiction clinic in Beijing. The two-dozen-strong doctors and nurses treat mostly 14 to 24 year olds who demonstrate those tell-tale symptoms of "depression, nervousness, fear and unwillingness to interact with others, panic and agitation, sleep disorders, the shakes and numbness in their hands." So come on in, rid yourself of the Internet-crack-monkey while snuggling up to your complimentary Winnie the Pooh duvet and special clear fluid drip to "adjust the unbalanced status of brain secretions." Damn, how do we sign up!?

[Peter Rojas @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

test

[Ben Hou @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

im in beijing. thats for me!
Now if i could only figure out where it is located...

[someone @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

ahaha i need this i've got half the symptoms up dere ahahaha...

[Robert Preseau @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

"Related entries: Transportation"

?? ;-)

Dr. Young (quoted in article) knows her stuff. I talked with her a little bit back in 1996 when I was writing my own paper on Internet addiction. At the time, she was the only person I could find doing any sort of research. Books and print articles were non-existent. "I need HOW MANY sources for this paper???"

How times have changed...

[VVV @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

I wonder if they do remote treatments by internet??

[Robert Preseau @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

Actually, the Internet Addiction Support Group (IASG) held meetings online which I found extremely odd. :-)

[B-Sabre @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

I wonder if they have wireless in the waiting room....

[strider_mt2k @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

Monkeys are funny.

Just say no to the internet kids.
It'll rot your brain until you have nothing left but to post comments on weblogs!

[OddManOut @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

"Actually, the Internet Addiction Support Group (IASG) held meetings online which I found extremely odd. :-)"

Like holding an AA meeting in a bar...

Maybe it was dial-up only, to slowly ween them off the web...sort of like 'Methadone' for 'Net Junkies' :)

My dad used to call me 'Video head' with ye olde 'That boy just ain't right' click of the toungue and toss of the head. HA! Now there's proof it could have been FAR worse (although that one $300 AOL bill will be hard to forget...good thing that was our first month at the unlimited rate so the dollar amount was accademic...)

[Jeff @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

I can quit any time I want to. Yessir, I can do it. I just don't want to right now. But I could if I wanted to.

[wErSa @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

if they give good pharmacutical narcotics to help with the "withdrawls" of my internet addiction... SIGN ME UP!!!

heh

[rossyboy @ Dec 19th 2005 2:05AM]

And Internet Addiction is a bad thing?........;)