--- title: "People Are Flooding to Cryptocurrency Rehab Clinics" description: "Trading cryptocurrencies can be just as addicting as drugs, a fact that is especially evident to therapist Tony Marini, who works at Castle Craig in Scotland, the world’s first rehabilitation clinic to treat cryptocurrency addiction, Decrypt reports. The trend has been getting worse, with inquiries increasing tenfold over the last year, Marini told Decrypt. It’s […]" date: "2021-10-05" modified: "2021-10-05" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/people-are-flooding-to-cryptocurrency-rehab-clinics" categories: - "Blockchain" - "Cryptocurrency" - "Future Society" tags: - "bitcoin" - "cryptocurrencies" - "drug addiction" --- # People Are Flooding to Cryptocurrency Rehab Clinics ![More people than ever before are asking to get counseling at Castle Craig, the world's first rehabilitation clinic to treat cryptocurrency addiction.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* Trading cryptocurrencies can be just as addicting as drugs. a fact that is especially evident to therapist Tony Marini, who works at Castle Craig in Scotland, the world's first rehabilitation clinic to treat cryptocurrency addiction. The trend has been getting worse, with inquiries increasing tenfold over the last year, [Marini told *Decrypt*](). There are also those who lost out big by losing passwords to their crypto wallets, permanently cutting them off from sometimes [millions of dollars worth of crypto](), a reality that can lead to suicidal thoughts, according to Marini. "We’re not hearing about the people that have lost lots of money," he told *Decrypt*. "People are so ashamed. They feel so guilty. They don't want to be talking about it." Castle Craig has been [treating cryptocurrency addictions since 2018](). Many cases are interwoven with drug and alcohol addictions, he said, which can even lead to an addiction to crypto. "Commonly, people start because they want to buy stuff off the dark web," Marini told *Decrypt*. "And the only way to do that is with cryptocurrency. The biggest problem is this cross addiction \[with crypto\] starting—through drugs and alcohol." While staying at Castle Craig, residents are only allowed to use their phones for two hours a week. The only drugs available are nicotine and caffeine. "I firmly believe that a 12-step program should absolutely exist for cryptocurrency addiction," Steven Elphinstone, who has been at the clinic for just shy of two months, told the outlet. ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()