"It was hell in the house. The dishes everywhere, the emptying, even my personal hygiene, it was the least possible. All for not getting up. Guillaume has been an internet addict for more than 15 years.
Thanks to a therapy, he managed to get by. The team of the show "J.E." wanted to know how cyberdependence, now recognized as a real pathology, is treated.
In Quebec, nearly one in five teenagers admits to losing control of their internet consumption.
The team of "J.E." has had privileged access to a rehab of the virtual with young people between 12 and 17 years.
The Grand Chemin Center offers an eight-week closed therapy to help teens who can no longer get off their screens.
"J.E." was able to accompany two young people in their journey. Maryann and Alexis indulge without filter and with a great lucidity on their problem of cyberdependence.
"My cell was all my life! It was my best friend, an extension of me. I was never alone if I was on social networks, "says Maryann.
Marianne collected clicks. She was trying to provoke her virtual audience by posting all kinds of pictures of her.
"It could be explicit photos, in order to attract attention to feel less alone and fill the feeling of loneliness. I thought it was the world that I liked, but in fact I do not know them and I will never see them in my life, "adds the teenager.
Maryann's mother felt completely helpless in the face of her daughter's behavior. "When we see our children's eyes on their screens, all day we do not know what to do," says Maryann's mom.
The therapy offered by the Center le Grand Chemin focuses on the return of healthy lifestyle habits. "Young people must find a routine, a social life, set goals," says Annie Marcotte, coordinator center Le Grand Chemin.
"Going back to school, too, is important. Sharing life experiences among young people is also important, "says Marcotte.
Alexis has experienced bullying at the elementary level. Video games allowed him to escape and even feel stronger.
"It's like you're forgetting all around you. I did not spend more time with my family. My brother ended up telling me that it's as if I was dead for him, "says Alexis.
"When you're dependent on something, it's so hard to let go of it. It's like being told, "I'm going to cut off your arm and you have to live with it!" It's like cutting off a part of me. Even if it's just electronic, it does not matter. For me it's still an illness, it's like alcoholism or drug addiction, but it's more recent, "adds Alexis.
Teenagers with cyber addiction can spend 40 to 60 hours a week there.
"It must involve an obsession, a compulsion and consequences also on the rest of life, school, friends, less contact with the real world," says Magali Dufour, first researcher in Quebec to have painted a portrait of the situation among young people in Quebec.
"The use of digital technology stimulates the production of dopamine, a euphoric hormone, and that is what Internet addicts are looking for more and more," she says.
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