It’s becoming increasingly apparent that there’s not much an iPhone (or Blackberry, I suppose) can’t do. Developers are working to, brace yourselves, turn the world’s Smartphones into addiction therapists. Granted my addictions end with shopping, gossiping and Coke Zero, but soon people with actual addictions like cigarettes, alcohol and drugs will be able to garner support from their trusty iPhone when they find themselves in danger of falling off the wagon.
In other words, when a guy who struggles with alcohol addiction stumbles near his favorite local watering hole, his iPhone (for all practical purposes, he’s a Mac guy) will start blowing up –not with text messages from his drinking buddies to meet them in the usual corner booth — but with messages suggesting coping strategies, and requests for support are also fired off to family, friends or sponsors, according to an article on businessinsider.com. A stylish anklet that is monitored will also help detect when the patient is craving his or her particular vice.
OK, I consider myself pretty open-minded (mostly, kind of), and while I can appreciate the “You can’t fight city hall” (if people love their cell phones so much, make their cell phone tell them what to do) approach to getting people to help themselves, this concept still seems slightly strange. Then again, if you had told me 10 years ago when I got my first Samsung flip phone that someday Apple would make the mother of all cell phones, I probably would’ve been a little skeptical as well. Technology has come a long way and continues to surprise me. Most technology can start off strange before we embrace it and it becomes a part of our lives.
Also, I don’t know about you, but I feel like my iPhone is already therapeutic. While it doesn’t help me kick a drug habit, it feeds our cravings for social interaction, and soon, with Tokii, our Smartphones will allow us to give into the craving to be loved in our own way. Stay tuned!
