Connect with Life

If digital media use is interfering with school or work, one program wants to help people “connect with life, not your device.”

Founded in 2009 by Cosette Rae, MSW, and Hilarie Cash, PhD., reSTART began as a 45-day program designed to specifically help Internet and video game addicts overcome their dependence on gaming, gambling, chatting, texting and other aspects of Internet addiction. It provides a family-style retreat where participants can have an Internet- and video game-free experience.

The mission of this innovative program is to help people addicted to video games and the Internet, detach from their high-tech distractions, find balance and reconnect to the real world. ReSTART is structured to include individual and group therapy, life-skills coaching, cooperative living, physical and nutritional education, mindfulness training, work and home-maintenance skill-building, 12-step meetings, and weekly, off-site, high-adventure expeditions.

The program initially focused on adults with digital addiction. But in 2016, it launched services designed for 13- to 18-year-olds with problematic Internet and video game use.

“This is a much-needed resource for families,” said Cosette, adding that the need is great and availability is scarce, but hope and understanding are in no short supply. “Our office has received thousands of calls from parents over the years and the ages of children who need help are continually getting younger. These children are choosing to step out of life and into their device.”

According to a Pew Research Center, 73 percent of American teens have access to a smartphone, 87 percent have access to a computer, and as many as 91 percent of teenage boys have access to a gaming console. With increasing access to digital media, problematic use is a growing concern. Some studies have shown that rates of addiction may be approaching 10 percent in certain populations.

Programs that assist in helping clients “restart” their life include a state-of-the-art adolescent campus on 32 acres called Serenity Mountain. According to the website, “nature, along with our professionally trained clinicians, assist young people in better understanding technology-related behavioral distractions, and the impact use has on them and their entire family.” This whole-person, whole-family natural approach fosters hope for families struggling to manage a child’s use on their own.

Other programs range from in-home assessments to a Parent Summit Intensive, offering family members techniques to identify, strategize, and implement skills to prevent or break the cycle of dependence and find sustainable use solutions.

In addition, reSTART is planning an outpatient campus for gaming disorders at the Bellevue Technology Center, just blocks from Microsoft’s headquarters. The new center features a rec room, counseling and coaching rooms, music and drama room, hammock room and library.

“We are excited to offer a space uniquely designed for people seeking a healthier relationship with digital technology,” says Rae. “Swimming against the flow of digital advancement can be difficult. However, free-range digital use isn’t always the best choice for a healthy lifestyle. Our new space hopes to bridge the gap in services for those seeking what matters most: life.”

By // Julia De Simone

Concerned about your own or a loved one’s level of use? Take a brief survey at netaddictionrecovery.com/the-problem/list-of-surveys. For more information on reSTART, visit netaddictionrecovery.com.

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