What would you do if you were forced to miss the latest episode of Grey's Anatomy? Or Project Runway? How about Lost or SportsCenter?

Whatever your addiction, an international program beginning on Monday and lasting until April 29 encourages TV viewers to go without the tube for one week. TV-Turnoff Week seeks "to put some perspective and balance back in our lives and [remind us] that there's a whole world out there," said Robert Kesten, executive director for the TV-Turnoff Network, the program's main sponsor.

The process behind TV-Turnoff Week is simple -- people from all walks of life are encouraged stop watching television for one week and experience what life without TV is like, said Troy Rampy, president of Well being Lifestyles, a sponsor of TV- Turnoff Week.

"Our culture tends to be addicted to TV," Rampy said.

He said the program seeks to have people experience a week without depending on TV, with the hope that people will then re-evaluate the role that TV plays in their lives.

The TV-Turnoff Network estimates that the average American watches more than four hours of TV every day. Watching TV is the most common activity after eating and sleep.

Kevin Hagopian, senior lecturer in communications, said TV often plays a central role in peoples' lives. TV-Turnoff Week is an opportunity to question its impact, he said.

"Ask yourself, 'Does television truly speak to me? Does it speak for me? How much of what I know about myself and the world comes from television representation, instead of experience?' The answers to those questions are important, and will help you to see the way in which television typically positions you as a consumer, not as a citizen," Hagopian said.

However, not everyone is convinced of the importance of turning off the TV.

"I think the idea of shutting off the TV to appreciate the 'important' things in life is a naïve belief," Andraya Tubman (freshman-forensic science) said. "Yes, it's important that people make an effort to strengthen relationships with the people around them, get out and experience new things...but I think this focuses on younger generations, and it is the responsibility of the guardians to regulate media limits for their children."

Kesten said the media has power over its audience at any age.

"Gaining control of the electronic media in your life and not allowing it to control you is something that knows no age limit. If we cut others out, we make ourselves more solitary and more sedentary, [which is] terribly unhealthy," he said.

Turning off the TV also has the practical result of freeing up people's time for other activities, Jessica Lopez, coordinator for the New Mexico Media Literacy Project, said.

"Family and friends can spend more time together doing a variety of activities that are healthier for the body and/or mind," she said. "Being that [TV-Turnoff Week] falls at the end of April, it also frees up more time for students to study for finals, write papers and finish final projects," Lopez said.

This year marks the 13th anniversary of the program, Kesten said.

Millions of people from 40 countries around the world currently recognize the program, and its visibility grows each year, he said. TV-Turnoff Week is especially popular among educators and is endorsed by more than 70 organizations, including the American Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Association and the National Education Association, according to the TV- Turnoff Network.

Kesten said the program is of increasing importance in the face of a globalizing world.0

He said it is especially important for college students to re-learn that there are more important things in life than TV because younger generations are the future of America and the world.

"We have to learn how to deal better with others, not find ways to isolate ourselves more and more," Kesten said.