Algerians addicted to ‘magic blue’
The North African country is only now encountering the downside of the internet. A clinic aims to rehabilitate those dependent on the web
‘When talking about addiction, people usually think about tobacco, drugs or alcohol dependency,” said Dr Hakima Boualem, head of staff at Bachir Mentouri clinic’s addiction treatment centre in Constantine, northeastern Algeria.
“But, for some, the fight is with the internet — especially the ‘magic blue’ of Facebook.”
Last May, addiction specialists and psychologists at the clinic rolled out a rehab programme designed for compulsive users of technology, particularly social networks. This is the first clinic in Algeria that aim to cure internet fanatics.
Algeria has joined a growing list of countries to open rehab centres to help those who suffer from a web obsession. In South Korea, home of the world’s most connected population, digital detox camps have already treated thousands of children. According to South Korea’s ministry of family, 14% of teenagers are addicted to the internet.
Unlike South Korea, Algeria has been much slower to embrace the internet, launching a long-awaited 3G service only three years ago. Algeria’s internet penetration rate remains relatively low, standing at 32.8% in a country of 40-million people, according to this year’s State of Broadband report.
The North African country counts more than nine million Facebook users, according to Algerian digital marketing analysts. This increasing use of the internet has not come without a price.
“Algeria is experiencing what developing countries have been facing for a few years: the flip side of the internet,” said Dr Raouf Bougouffa, director of the rehab department. “An increasing number of internet users are losing control.”
There is not yet a formal definition of what an internet-related addiction entails, but staff at the clinic agree that internet overuse has emerged as a national issue.
“Their addiction is real and sometimes troubling,” said Sihem Hemadna, a psychologist at the rehab centre.
Speaking as she was wrapping up a psychotherapy session with a man in his 20s who did not wish to be interviewed, Hemadna said: “Don’t bother to try to reach him, he won’t talk. Addiction remains a bright-line taboo in Algeria.”
Since May, she has met about 100 patients who say they can spend the entire day online, getting into discus- sions on forums and social media — sometimes without taking a break to eat or even use the bathroom.
As a consequence, their physical health declines. “Most of them suffer from back pain, red eyes and headaches,” Hemadna explained. “Actually, they share many symptoms with hardcore drug addicts. When not able to go online, web fanatics feel fidgety and can show aggressiveness or anxiety.”
The patients are between 15 and 40 years old.
“It could be anyone. Like any addiction, web obsession affects all of us, mostly teenagers and young adults,” Boualem said.
“One teenager, who went into the clinic because of his drug abuse, found out about web obsession and asked for help, explaining that his family could not take their eyes off the screen, including his parents.
“They were no l onger talking to each other, or having dinner together. He said he could not stand this family’s toxic life. His parents and three brothers agreed to enrol in our internet rehab programme four months ago,” Hemadna said.
Posters warning against the danger of internet overuse are on display everywhere in the rehab centre to alert visitors to this new ailment. The reception hall features an antiinternet addiction painting designed by an artist who was treated at the rehab centre.
“Nobody has spontaneously visited us to be cured of internet dependency, only because no one knows about digital addiction,” said Hemadna. “It is a new thing in Algeria. That is why we distributed those images. Awareness campaigns should also be set.”
Most of the patients go to the rehab centre because they want to overcome a drug addiction. “But the more we talk to them, the more we notice that they suffer from another addiction: web obsession,” she added.
Heavy use of the internet is not necessarily pathological.
“People can spend hours each day in front of a screen without being addicted,” Hemadna said. “The critical distinction between an addiction and a bad habit is that addiction implies a pattern of use that you cannot stop.”
For some users, going online is as important in their life as breathing, eating or sleeping. Djamel Berkat, an addiction specialist at the rehab centre, said: “We are literally talking about people who put their life at risk.”
Last June, when the Algerian government decided to block social networks nationwide for a week in an attempt to stop people cheating on high school exams, some web addicts reached a crisis point.
“We received dozens of patients who were very nervous because of the internet shutdown during the baccalaureate exams. Some said that they could not handle it, comparing the internet to oxygen,” Hemadna recalled.
The internet rehab programme is paid for by the Algerian government.
Boualem said: “At Bachir Mentouri, we consider i nternet addiction the same as other types of addiction. The cure starts with a full psychological evaluation. During the first session, we get to know the patient, while during the second meeting, we try to find the real reasons of their addiction.
“Web obsession, like any other addiction, is only the tip of an iceberg. We often find underlying mental or psychological issues,” Boualem added.
The treatment package includes individual and group therapy as well as relaxation and meditation training.
The rehab centre has a room equipped with treadmills and yoga balls. Berkat said that physical exercises and music therapy help to wean people off their dependency.
Going cold turkey is not easy in a country where there are few distractions but millions of unemployed young people.
Nearly a quarter of the population under the age of 24 is unemployed, according to the National Office of Statistics.
“Many Algerians spend whole nights at cyber cafés to connect on social networks because they do not have many places to hang out. The situation is worst outside Algiers,” Berkat explained.
“The internet offers them what they cannot find anywhere else in Algeria: a euphoric escape from reality. But they end up sucked into a digital world.”
Boualem pointed out that parents may share some responsibility. “They often encourage their children to use technology without being aware of the harm it could do to them.
“One mother, who accompanied her son to the clinic and had no clue about internet addiction, said that she would rather keep her children at home, either connecting or gaming, than allow them to participate in outdoor activities because she thinks that it is much safer.”
Bougouffa believed it was time to launch an national debate about internet use in Algeria. “We have seen the good and the bad side of the internet. It is now time to launch a national debate about internet use in Algeria.”
Berkat said it was too early to say whether the rehab centre can cure internet addicts. More studies needs to be done. “We are flying blind because we have done little research about this new ailment. — Al Jazeera/News24 wire