A reporter was allowed to talk to patients at the clinic on condition they not be identified by name.
"I wasn't normal," said a 20-year-old man from Beijing who used to spend at least 10 hours a day in front of the screen playing hack-and-slash games such as Diablo.
"In school I didn't pay attention when teachers were talking," he said. "All I could do was think about playing the next game. Playing made me happy, I forgot my problems."
The 12-year-old, a new arrival, spent four days in an Internet cafe, barely eating or sleeping.
A soft-spoken 21-year-old man from Heilongjiang Province who had been in the clinic for 10 days said his addiction had helped him escape from family pressures about his studies.
"I would stay up for 24 hours. I would eat only in front of the computer," he said.
Tao's team has put together a standard diagnostic test to determine whether someone is addicted, then uses a combination of therapy sessions, medication, acupuncture and sports to ease patients back into normal lives. They usually stay 10 to 15 days, at US$48 a day.
The routine begins around 6am and includes sessions on a machine that stimulates nerve impulses with 30-volt charges to pressure points.
Some patients receive a clear fluid through intravenous drips said to "adjust the unbalanced status of brain secretions," according to one nurse. Officials would not give any other details about the medication.
Patients also nap, write diary entries or play cards.
Tao says the long-term effects of treatment are generally successful, but it's not easy to keep patients from again giving themselves over to Internet temptation.
"It would be hard to give it up completely," said the 20-year-old from Beijing. "I'll take it step-by-step."
RSS