Videogames can be addicting. You pop into a MMORPG to spend a few hours and the next thing you know a day has gone by, all because that world is more enticing than the one you really live in. A new game is released and all you want to do is play it and ignore everything else there is in the world. With that information in mind, Europe is set to open their first detox house for videogame addicts.

From the article:

An addiction center is opening Europe’s first detox clinic for game addicts, offering in-house treatment for people who can’t leave their joysticks alone.

Video games may look innocent, but they can be as addictive as gambling or drugs — and just as hard to kick, says Keith Bakker, director of Amsterdam-based Smith & Jones Addiction Consultants.

Bakker already has treated 20 video game addicts, aged 13 to 30, since January. Some show withdrawal symptoms, such as shaking and sweating, when they look at a computer.

His detox program begins in July. It will run four to eight weeks, including discussions with therapists and efforts to build patients’ interests in alternative activities.

Read the full article over at MSNBC.com