"It's a compulsive disorder, something that you're not able to control"

She sees it all the time at the center, a 10-day program that costs people $14,000 out of pocket. Insurance companies aren’t covering “internet addiction” treatment yet.

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Young said the people she treats at the center aren’t folks like Cole. It goes way beyond just being plugged in throughout the day.

The majority of patients she sees are gamers, the 20-somethings who spend up to 12 hours a day playing games like World of Warcraft and Call of Duty. She also sees patients with diagnosed addictions to cyber dating and online gambling.

These are people, Young says, whose lives are literally spinning out of control because they are obsessed with the Internet.

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