Rehab created for Internet addicts

PEORIA, Ill., Aug. 7 (UPI) -- An Illinois hospital has created an in-patient facility to treat Internet addicts.

The Illinois Institute for Addiction Recovery in Peoria, Ill., said it is the only in-patient facility in the United States that offers treatment for Internet addiction, ABC News reported Thursday.

Therapist Tonya Camacho said someone who is addicted to the computer will get the same "high" as a drug addict headed to see a drug dealer.

"Both are escapes from the real world," she told ABC News.

Patients meet in group therapy sessions with other addicts and are told to get rid of their home computers. If they use a computer for work, they are told to ask their boss to block the machine from having access to the Internet.