Teknikmisbrugere søger trøst i 12 trin og genoptræning

De unge mænd sidder i stole i en cirkel i et lille mødelokale i forstaden Seattle og præsenterer sig selv, inden de taler. Det er meget som ethvert andet 12-trins møde-men med et twist.

"Hej, Mit navn er, "hver begynder. Så noget som, "og jeg er internet- og teknisk afhængig."

De otte, der har samlet sig her, er præget af et niveau af teknisk besættelse, der er anderledes end for os, der kan lide at sige, at vi er afhængige af vores telefoner eller en app eller et nyt show på en streamingvideotjeneste. For dem, tech kommer i vejen for daglig funktion og egenomsorg. Vi taler flunk-your-classes, kan ikke finde et job, leve-i-et-mørkt-huller slags problemer, med depression, angst og nogle gange selvmordstanker er en del af blandingen.

Der er Christian, en 20-årig universitetsstuderende fra Wyoming, der har en traumatisk hjerneskade. Hans mor opfordrede ham til at søge hjælp, fordi han "medicinerede" sin depression med videospil og marihuana.

Seth, en 28-årig fra Minnesota, brugte videospil og en række ting til at forsøge at dæmpe sin skam, efter at en bil, han kørte, styrtede ned, alvorligt skadet sin bror.

Wes, 21, en Eagle Scout og universitetsstuderende fra Michigan, spillede videospil 80 timer om ugen, stopper kun for at spise hver anden til tredje dag. Han tabte 25 pund og mislykkedes sine klasser.

På tværs af byen er der en anden ung mand, der deltog i dette møde, før hans arbejdsplan ændrede sig - og hans arbejde udsætter ham for risiko for fristelse.

Han udfører skyvedligeholdelse for et forstæder i Seattle tech -firma. For en selvskreven teknisk afhængig, det er som at arbejde i løvehulen, arbejder for selve branchen, der driver spil, videoer og andet onlineindhold, der længe har været hans last.

"Jeg er som en alkoholiker, der arbejder på en bar, "beklager den 27-årige.

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"Gamle stoffer er nu pakket om. Vi har en ny fjende, "Cosette Rae siger om spærringen af ​​teknologi. En tidligere udvikler i tech -verdenen, hun leder et rehab -center i Seattle -området kaldet reSTART Life, et af de få boligprogrammer i landet med speciale i teknisk afhængighed.

Brug af dette ord - afhængighed - når det kommer til enheder, online indhold og lignende, diskuteres stadig i mental sundhed verden. Men mange praktiserende læger er enige om, at teknologisk brug i stigende grad er sammenflettet med problemerne hos dem, der søger hjælp.

En American Academy of Pediatrics gennemgang af verdensomspændende forskning fandt ud af, at overdreven brug af videospil alene er et alvorligt problem for hele 9 procent af de unge. Den her sommer, Verdenssundhedsorganisationen tilføjede også "spilforstyrrelse" til sin liste over lidelser. En lignende diagnose overvejes i USA.

Det kan være et tabubelagt emne i en branche, der ofte udsættes for kritik for at bruge "overbevisende design, "bevidst at udnytte psykologiske begreber for at gøre teknologien endnu mere lokkende. Derfor talte den 27-årige, der arbejder i teknologivirksomheden, på betingelse af at hans identitet ikke blev afsløret. Han frygter, at det kan skade hans spæde karriere.

"Jeg bliver i techindustrien, fordi jeg virkelig tror på, at teknologi kan hjælpe andre mennesker, "siger den unge mand. Han vil gøre godt.

Men da hans kolleger klemmer sig i nærheden, taler begejstret om deres seneste videospiludnyttelser, han tager sine hovedtelefoner på, i håb om at blokere det hyppige samtaleemne i denne teknologicentriske del af verden.

Selv computerskærmen foran ham kunne føre ham på afveje. Men han graver ind, skriver bestemt på sit tastatur for at fokusere på opgaven ved hånden.

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Dæmonerne er ikke lette at kæmpe for denne unge mand, som blev født i 1991, samme år som World Wide Web blev offentliggjort.

Som et lille barn, han sad på sin fars skød, da de spillede enkle videospil på en Mac Classic II -computer. Sammen i deres hjem i Seattle -området, de gennemsøgte internettet på det, der dengang var en banebrydende ny service kaldet Prodigy. Lyden af ​​den hoppende, derefter er høje toner af opkaldsforbindelsen ætset i hans hukommelse.

Ved den tidlige folkeskole, han fik sit første Super Nintendo -system og blev forelsket i "Yoshi's Story, "et spil, hvor hovedpersonen søgte efter" heldig frugt ".

Da han voksede, det samme gjorde et af verdens største tech -hubs. Ledet af Microsoft, det steg fra det ubeskrivelige forstadslandskab og gårdsmarker her, kun en kort køretur fra hjemmet deler han stadig med sin mor, der skilte sig fra sin mand, da deres eneste barn var 11.

Drengen drømte om at være en del af dette teknologiske boom og, i ottende klasse, skrev en note til sig selv. "Jeg vil være computeringeniør, "læste den.

Meget lyst og med et hoved fuld af fakta og tal, han klarede sig normalt godt i skolen. Han interesserede sig også for musik og skuespil, men husker, hvordan spil i stigende grad blev en måde at undslippe livet - den smerte, han følte, for eksempel, da hans forældre blev skilt, eller da hans første seriøse kæreste knuste hans hjerte i en alder af 14. Det forhold er stadig hans længste.

"Hey, do you wanna go out?" friends would ask.

"Ingen, man, I got plans. I can't do it this weekend. Sorry, " was his typical response, if he answered at all.

"And then I'd just go play video games, " he says of his adolescent "dark days, " exacerbated by attention deficit disorder, depression and major social anxiety.

Even now, if he thinks he's said something stupid to someone, his words are replaced with a verbal tick - "Tsst, tsst"—as he replays the conversation in his head.

"There's always a catalyst and then it usually bubbles up these feelings of avoidance, " he says. "I go online instead of dealing with my feelings."

He'd been seeing a therapist since his parents' divorce. But attending college out of state allowed more freedom and less structure, so he spent even more time online. His grades plummeted, forcing him to change majors, from engineering to business.

Til sidst, he graduated in 2016 and moved home. Hver dag, he'd go to a nearby restaurant or the library to use the Wi-Fi, claiming he was looking for a job but having no luck.

I stedet, he was spending hours on Reddit, an online forum where people share news and comments, or viewing YouTube videos. Sommetider, he watched online porn.

Even now, his mom doesn't know that he lied. "I still need to apologize for that, " han siger, quietly.

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The apologies will come later, in Step 9 of his 12-step program, which he found with the help of a therapist who specializes in tech addiction. He began attending meetings of the local group called Internet &Tech Addiction Anonymous in the fall of 2016 and landed his current job a couple months later.

For a while now, he's been stuck on Step 4—the personal inventory—a challenge to take a deep look at himself and the source of his problems. "It can be overwhelming, " han siger.

The young men at the recent 12-step meeting understand the struggle.

"I had to be convinced that this was a 'thing, '" says Walker, a 19-year-old from Washington whose parents insisted he get help after video gaming trashed his first semester of college. He and others from the meeting agreed to speak only if identified by first name, as required by the 12-step tenets.

That's where facilities like reSTART come in. They share a group home after spending several weeks in therapy and "detoxing" at a secluded ranch. One recent early morning at the ranch outside Carnation, Washington, an 18-year-old from California named Robel was up early to feed horses, goats and a couple of farm cats—a much different routine than staying up late to play video games. He and other young men in the house also cook meals for one another and take on other chores.

Til sidst, they write "life balance plans, " committing to eating well and regular sleep and exercise. They find jobs and new ways to socialize, and many eventually return to college once they show they can maintain "sobriety" in the real world. They make "bottom line" promises to give up video games or any other problem content, as well as drugs and alcohol, if those are issues. They're also given monitored smartphones with limited function—calls, texts and emails and access to maps.

"It's more like an eating disorder because they have to learn to use tech, " just as anorexics need to eat, says Hilarie Cash, chief clinical officer and another co-founder at reSTART, which opened nearly a decade ago. They've since added an adolescent program and will soon offer outpatient services because of growing demand.

The young tech worker, who grew up just down the road, didn't have the funds to go to such a program—it's not covered by insurance, because tech addiction is not yet an official diagnosis.

But he, også, has apps on his phone that send reports about what he's viewing to his 12-step sponsor, a fellow tech addict named Charlie, a 30-year-old reSTART graduate.

At home, the young man also persuaded his mom to get rid of Wi-Fi to lessen the temptation. Mom struggles with her own addiction—over-eating—so she's tried to be as supportive as she can.

It hasn't been easy for her son, who still relapses every month or two with an extended online binge. He's managed to keep his job. But sometimes, he wishes he could be more like his co-workers, who spend a lot of their leisure time playing video games and seem to function just fine.

"Deep down, I think there's a longing to be one of those people, " Charlie says.

That's true, the young man concedes. He still has those days when he's tired, upset or extremely bored—and he tests the limits.

He tells himself he's not as bad as other addicts. Charlie knows something's up when his calls or texts aren't returned for several days, or even weeks.

"Derefter, " the young man says, "I discover very quickly that I am actually an addict, and I do need to do this."

Having Charlie to lean on helps. "He's a role model, " han siger.

"He has a place of his own. He has a dog. He has friends."

That's what he wants for himself.

© 2018 Associated Press. Alle rettigheder forbeholdes.