When we think of the word addiction, we usually think of marijuana, alcohol, nicotine, or drugs. In the article “A global misfortune: Internet addiction looks like a fall. But it ruined my brother's life,” author Winston Ross (2009), writing as a web exclusive for Newsweek, gives us a glimpse into the world of Internet addiction. This article is about the rehabilitation center called ReStart Internet Addiction Recovery Program, which was new to the Fall City, Washington area. Many other comments on this article focus on the author's brother and his fascinating story. But actually, I think the author effectively uses a story about his brother to emphasize the points he is making about the rehab center and the fact that internet addiction is a very real illness. ReStart is an inpatient addiction treatment center. Psychologist David Greenfield, founder of the Center for Internet and Technology Addiction in West Hartford, Connecticut, conducted a survey in 1999 and found that 5.9 percent of 18,000 Internet users surveyed had symptoms of Internet addiction. (Ross, 2009, para 11) The Internet is addictive, says Greenfield (2009), because it operates on a “variable ratio schedule of reinforcement.” (paragraph 9) The variable ratio schedule, in operant conditioning, is one where a response is reinforced after an unpredictable number of responses. What makes this so addictive is the consistently high response rate. Gambling and lottery games are examples of rewards based on the variable ratio scale. “The web can be dangerous for some people because it can fuel or stimulate existing addictions, making gaming, shopping and sex easily accessible to those who have already developed the urge to binge on these things.” (Ross, 2009, p...... middle of article...... personally I am convinced of this and it also proves to be very difficult to treat. ReStart offers a 12-step program that can include therapy sessions and may require medical treatment for depression or anxiety. Part of therapeutic treatment involves reducing attachment to the virtual reality world and performing normal real-world tasks in its place, to. so to speak. So the question is what happens when ReStart patients leave recovery? How do we escape computer use when computers are available, and in most necessary tasks, for everyday use? As with any illness, it requires discipline, therapy and awareness of your limits? Finally, I find there is a certain irony in the fact that the author is writing this article as a web exclusive. At least he knows he's reaching his target audience..