reSTART official Internet Addiction rehab center

INTERNET ADDICTION RECOVERY PROGRAM

TREATMENT FOR INTERNET, GAMING, TEXTING, AND VIDEO GAME EXCESSIVE USE

reSTART website

....creepy.....

Annabelle

First U.S. Rehab Center for Internet Addiction Opens Its Doors

reSTART is a 45-day treatment program out of Fall City, Washington (near Seattle) that takes 2-6 people at a time and essentially cuts them off from the web and works with them to “reprogram” their social skills. It includes work with a recreation coach, a therapist, exercise and yoga instructors, and more. Their website actually provides a detailed sample schedule, which includes exercise, nature hikes, “discovery quests,” career development, therapy, and more.

To qualify for admittance to reSTART, you have to display symptoms of its nine guidelines for IAD. They are as follows:

1. Have a strong desire or impulse to use the internet.

2. Decreasing or stopping of the internet leads to withdrawal symptoms (e.g., general malaise, restlessness, irritability, lack of concentration, dyssomnia); and the above mentioned symptoms may be relieved by similar electronic media (e.g., TV, handheld games, gaming devices).

3. Continually increasing the amount of internet use and the extent of internet involvement to reach sense of satisfaction.

4. Use of internet in spite of its harmful effects; despite knowledge of harmful effects, internet use is hard to stop.

5. Difficulties controlling beginning, and finishing, and the duration of time of internet use; efforts to modify internet use may be attempted multiple times without success.

6. As a result of internet use, interests, recreation or social activities are decreased or abandoned.

7. Internet use is seen as a way to escape problems or to gain relief from negative feelings.

8. The extent of internet use is denied or minimized to teachers, schoolmates, friends or professionals (including actual time and expenditure of internet contact).

9. Everyday life and social function is impaired (e.g., in social, academic and workability.)

FOR WEBSITE CLICK HERE

Annabelle

Introduction to Internet Addiction

Found this website about internet addiction and treatment- scary that its actually around

Ten years ago, the only people who spent a majority of their leisure time on the computer were paid members of the technology industry. Today, however, surfing the Web has become a pastime as social and marketable as bar hopping or going to the movies. As the web has become a part of mainstream life, some mental health professionals have noted that a percentage of people using the web do so in a compulsive and out-of-control manner. In one extreme (1997) Cincinnati case, unemployed mother Sandra Hacker allegedly spent over 12 hours a day secluded from her three young and neglected children while she surfed the Web. For better or for worse, this phenomena of compulsive Internet use has been termed 'Internet Addiction' based on its superficial similarity to common addictions such as smoking, drinking, and gambling. Internet Addiction has even been championed as an actual disorder, notably by psychologists Kimberly Young, Ph.D and David Greenfield, Ph.D...


FOR FULL ARTICLE CLICK HERE


notes:

• I think this web site will be really good to help build a stronger backstory for rehab clinic and explaining the going ons within Auroras (aka sleeping beauty) time there.
• We could possibly exaggerate the treatment slightly to create a more sinister underlining or the sinister treatment could be just the characters view on the treatment- exaggeration in her head...?
• need to look into "Cognitive therapy" more 

Annabelle

Net addiction

An interesting website described as "a center for Internet addiction...your resource since 1995"

"The Center for Online Addiction offers hope and valuable resources to those seeking treatment for Internet addiction. Internet addiction is a type of compulsive disorder and as an organization, we are specifically dedicated to helping people who suffer from this new form of addictive behavior."

A Growing Epidemic

Studies on Internet addiction originated in the US by Dr. Kimberly Young, who presented the first research on Internet addiction in 1996 at the American Psychological Association’s annual conference held in Toronto in her paper “Internet Addiction: The Emergence of a New Disorder”. Since then, studies have documented Internet addiction in a growing number of countries such as Italy, Pakistan, Iran, Germany, and the Czech Republic. Reports also indicate that Internet addiction has become a serious public health concern in China, Korea, and Taiwan. Treatment centers have emerged across the US and abroad.

It is difficult to estimate how widespread the problem is. A nationwide study conducted by a team from Stanford University’s School of Medicine had estimated that nearly one in eight Americans suffer from at least one sign of problematic Internet use.

Internet addiction is now considered a serious disorder being considered for inclusion in the upcoming revision of the DSM-V. 

FOR MORE CLICK  HERE

Annabelle

Creative Writings

A creative short story derived from the draft plot in order to understand characters and aid in character development. 

♥ Charlotte

Plot Draft

Set in a hyper reality where social networking has become such an addiction that rehab clinics have been set up. Majority of the patients suffer from extreme withdrawals similar to that of drug addicts.

The real world and online world are dismantled and networking addicts find it hard to come back to reality and socially lack physical and human companionship.

Bringing in the themes of “true love conquers all” and “home is where the heart is” taken from sleeping beauty.

Following a multi-plot structure of two main characters Aurora (sleeping beauty) and Phillip (the prince) and incorporating other elements of the bad fairy/witch from sleeping beauty (personified through the online social networking system) and the good fairy (Phillips sister- linked only through personality traits- she never meets Aurora).

Auroras Story:
Aurora (sleeping beauty) is a rehab patient who is experiencing extreme withdrawals from her offline state. She is in her early stages of awakening and through her addiction she has lost all social abilities within the real world.

• Wakes up in field – represents her early stages of coming out of her withdrawal “sleeping” state.  
• Narrates/flashbacks to the beginning of her rehab- only shows what she’s been told and parts of her blurry visions, hands/presence there comforting and looking after her. 
• Goes back to beginning of her addiction- home life ect...
• Awakens in middle of the night and finds Phillip crying, Aurora wants to talk/communicate but cant because she has been so removed from the real world and people that she doesn’t know how to act 
• From this she runs away desperately trying to find some form of technology so she can communicate to him- the nurses take over and prick her to knock her out.

Switch to Phillips Story:
Phillip is a volunteer in the rehab center, he lost his sister to social networking addiction and blames himself for not being able to save her so he is trying to make up for it.
Through Phillips experience with his younger sister he understands how important it is for people to live in the real world rather than the online one.

• Starts with his memory of when Aurora first arrives to the clinic (narration) 
• He was the one who was there constantly nursing and comforting her  
• Introducing the scene where Aurora first meets Phillip (in a conscious state) with him crying alone in his room- looking at a photo of his sister.  
• Her desperation to try find technology to communicate to him brings back strong (possibly blocked out) memories of his sister behaving in the same way- split screen??  
• Flashes back to a montage of his sisters deteriation and eventually her death- her symptoms and actions were that very similar to Auroras- he shows intense concern for her fate and also knows that he loves her but she can not love him in the same way because she can not connect with reality- yet

Auroras Story Continued: 

• Aurora wakes up and her only visions/thoughts are on Phillip (its as if she has awoken) and ways to contact him aka “online”- the only way she knows how 
• She is becoming more conscious of the real world but still heavily effected by the offline/withdrawal state. 

something cool will be inserted here

End scene- Aurora gets saved by Phillip somehow- he helps her connect and begin to live in the real/physical world- final shot and first human connection, Aurora reaches out to hold Phillips hand in sunset.

Art Direction idea:
colours and lighting slowly move from black, green, scarlet and sickly purples- heavily saturated deep and harsh to soft colours of oranges, blues, pinks, and yellows- sun and warmth. 

Annabelle

Thoughts from article & Sleeping Beauty themes

Students Suffering From Internet Addiction: Study

 

 CRACKERJACKS: Students hooked on cellphones, social media and the web can end up showing symptoms similar to drug and alcohol addictions.

Crackberry is no joke. 

American college students are hooked on cell phones, social media and the Internet and showing symptoms similar to drug and alcohol addictions, according to a new study.

Researchers at the University of Maryland who asked 200 students to give up all media for one full day found that after 24 hours many showed signs of withdrawal, craving and anxiety along with an inability to function well without their media and social links.

Susan Moeller, the study's project director and a journalism professor at the university, said many students wrote about how they hated losing their media connections, which some equated to going without friends and family. 

"I clearly am addicted and the dependency is sickening," said one student. "Between having a Blackberry, a laptop, a television, and an iPod, people have become unable to shed their media skin." 

Moeller said students complained most about their need to use text messages, instant messages, e-mail and Facebook. 

"Texting and IM-ing my friends gives me a constant feeling of comfort," wrote one of the students, who blogged about their reactions. "When I did not have those two luxuries, I felt quite alone and secluded from my life." 

Few students reported watching TV news or reading a newspaper.

The American Psychiatric Association does not recognize so-called Internet addiction as a disorder. 

But it seems to be an affliction of modern life. In one extreme example in South Korea reported by the media, a couple allegedly neglected their three-month-old daughter, who died of malnutrition, because they were on the computer for up to 12 hours a day raising a virtual child. 

In the United States a small private US centre called ReSTART, located near Redmond, Washington, opened last year in the shadow of computer giant Microsoft to treat excessive use of the Internet, video gaming and texting. 

The center's website cites various examples of students who ran up large debts or dropped out of college due to their obsession. 

Students in the Maryland study also showed no loyalty to news programs, a news personality or news platform. They maintained a casual relationship to news brands, and rarely distinguished between news and general information. 

"They care about what is going on among their friends and families and even in the world at large," said Ph.D. student Raymond McCaffrey who worked on the study. Loyalty "does not seemed tied to any single device or application or news outlet." 

for more: stuff.co.nz/technology/digital-living

Wanted: Fashion Designer

Poster advertising for a potential collaboration with a fashion student.

Story Planning

Need To:

• Get images of potential actors
• Costumes
• Experiments of visuals
• Photographs of sets/locations
• Art Direction

Idea One:

A group of friends - each struggling with issues ---> Handsome Prince metaphor for guy trying to help her (suffering abuse). Goes "offline" - withdrawal.

Idea Two:

Maybe she gets ill, confined to bedroom/hosptial. 

Idea Three:

She goes from place to place avoiding relationships etc and when she gets close to people she runs away - intimacy issues.

l

l

v

Possessive parents - run away. Handsome Prince to bring her out from herself. 

-Reference transition from childhood to woman (virginity?)

-Maybe she doesn't rebel as to protect her Mother - runs away/avoidance

-Accident - coma - life support - wakes up changed

-Run away to country ---> rest period  (cleaning, cooking etc)

-Reality/expectations - show dreams (surrealism)

 Idea Four:

Journal aspect - brings in narration and also reinforces book origin from fairy tales. 

I

I

V

Maybe a blog? (modern day context)

Idea Five:

Town falls asleep at he same time. Wakes up and everything is different except she is the only person who knows this. Dad doesn't recognise her, everything/ones changed. References transition from childhood - womanhood having to grow up and fend for herself.

Characters:

Sleeping Beauty:

-Innocent

-Polite

-Naive

-Curious

-Well mannered

-Stubborn

-Spoilt

Bad Fairy:

-Jealous

-Conniving

-Female

-Old

-Evil/bitter

-Excluded

-Vain

Good Fairy:

-Kind

-Generous

-Self Sacrificial

-Wise

-Loyal

-Good person

Prince:

-Curious

-Cynic

-Apprehensive

-Adventurous

-Brave

-Outgoing

-Popular

King and Queen:

-Worried

-Caring

-Protective

-Withholders

-Love

Some Issues:

• Oversexualization of girls
• Alcohol
• Sexual abuse
• Drugs
• Teen Pregnancy
• Social Networking
• Modern Technology - forms of communication

Idea of oversexualization - beauty pageants, modelling, overprotective parents. Mum = bad fairy, trying to live through her. 

*issue - go offline* KEY POINT!