It was somewhat shocking to come across news that there are anti-net addiction boot camps out there. Is there some addictive substance in the Internet like caffeine or cocaine? Isn’t it all virtual sights and sounds? The truth is, it is possible to be addicted even to the virtual. Addiction always starts in the mind – and that is in essence virtual.
Even wanting a nicotine fix starts in the mind, before one reaches for a cigarette. As such, addiction has to be uprooted at the mind level. Boot camps help I guess… to ground oneself in ‘real’ life, to take one’s mind off craving for virtual experiences, not that they are not real at all. All net users know what I mean! It’s the ‘Matrix’ syndrome of being plugged in.