Ann-e, a new app for the iPhone, is a program which, as an alternative to relapsing, allows individuals to connect with each other. Conceptually, it is slightly similar to BeatingAddiction.com in that it gives access to a network of people for help with an addiction however BeatingAddiction.com is a web-based program while Ann-e is an application that installs on the iPhone. So now you may ask yourself, what do those do during their defining moment if they are without an iPhone?
Technical features include:
- users are allowed to exchange contact information
- users are allowed to move chats/texts to a live voice call
- users can use their GPS to determine where a supporter is
- password-protected program access
- peferences of known and in-person support groups and information
- and more
The 12-step programs currently available are: Adult Children of Alcoholics, Al-Anon, Alateen, Alcoholics Anonymous, Anorexics and Bulimics Anonymous, Compulsive Eaters Anonymous CEA-HOW, Chemically Dependent Anonymous, Clutterers Anonymous, Co-Anon Family Groups, Cocaine Anonymous, Codependents Anonymous, Crystal Meth Anonymous, Deaf and Hard of Hearing Anonymous, Debt-Anon Family Groups, Debtors Anonymous, Depressed Anonymous, Dual Recovery Anonymous, Eating Disorders Anonymous, Emotions Anonymous, Families Anonymous, Food Addicts Anonymous, Gam-Anon, Gamblers Anonymous, HCV Anonymous, HIV-AIDS Anonymous, International Doctors in Alcoholics Anonymous, Love Addicts Anonymous, Marijuana Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, Nicotine Anonymous, On-Line Gamers Anonymous, Overeaters Anonymous, Parents Anonymous, Phobics Anonymous, Pills Anonymous, Recovering Couples Anonymous, Recovering Food Addicts, Self Mutilators Anonymous, Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous, Sexual Compulsives Anonymous, Sex Addicts Anonymous, Sexual Recovery Anonymous, Social Phobics Anonymous, Spenders Anonymous, Survivors of Incest Anonymous, and Workaholics Anonymous.
Nabi Biopharmaceuticals, with the aid of the University of Houston–Clear Lake and University of Minnesota, has created and is testing a nicotine vaccine which, most recently, has entered phase III trials.
Phase III trials, according to the National Institute of Health, is when a drug is given to large groups of people to confirm how well it works, its side effects, and everything else measurable, and to compare it with commonly used treatments before it is sent to the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) for review and approval.
How the vaccine is supposed to work is as follows:
According to Wikipedia - "NicVAX is administered via an injection into the arm; the 3'-aminomethylnicotine molecule found in the vaccine instigates an immune response in which 'nicotine' antibodies are created. The antibodies bind to nicotine molecules, causing the merged molecules to be too large to enter the brain; this prevents nicotine from being able to affect the body."
Or in layman's terms, it works by stimulating the immune system to generate antibodies that attach to nicotine in the body which prevent it from entering the brain.
The idea behind the drug is that since often even a single cigarette can deliver enough nicotine to the brain to reinstate the addiction, blocking the entry of nicotine into the brain might prevent the aforementioned dependence. And it is to work for nicotine addiction from any source!
And some statistics to mull over:
-reports show that nearly 500,000 people die every year in the USA alone from smoking addiction
-American Cancer Society reports show that of the 44 million people with smoking addiction in the USA, 70% say they want to quit but only about 40% do each year; and of that set of people only 4% to 7% kick the habit, without help, for good
-relapse rates are about 90% in the first year after a smoker "quits"
Nabi Biopharmaceuticals reported 30% to 35% of participants in the study that were given NicVAX were able to remain smoke-free over the long term, compared with only 10 percent of those receiving the placebo. Of the participants that continued to smoke but showed a high antibody response to NicVAX significantly reduced the number of cigarettes smoked over the full 12-month period from a baseline of 20 cigarettes per day to 10 cigarettes per day.
CNN has the article here and Wikipedia has more historical information here.
While there are some people who still argue about whether drug addiction is a disease or a condition that results from the moral failing of an individual, most of the scientific community has long agreed that there are at least some influences on it that are far beyond a person’s control.
I’ve mentioned the genetic influences that have been shown to be associated with a risk for addiction before (look here). However, most of the research I’ve been involved in myself recently has more to do with the way that trying drugs changes your brain in ways that make it more likely that you’ll try them again.
Along these lines, a recently published study has shown that very specific molecular targets can have a huge impact on the probability that addicts will keep going after drugs. The molecules studies were common targets of cocaine that are altered long-term when a person uses coke.
The interesting thing is that the research found that deactivating each of these targets produced completely different effects:
Animals that had the GluR1 receptor subunit turned off were unable to stop themselves from searching for cocaine in a spot where it used to be long after normal mice gave up. I don’t know about you, but that sounds more than a little relevant for addiction given what I know, and have experienced. We’ve been studying this sort of stuff for a while, but the fact that a single molecule can make an animal pursue drugs in a way that is completely irrational is amazing!
Animals that had the NR1 receptor subunit turned off experienced a different effect. While normal mice relapse to drug use when they experience a drug after a long break, the NR1 deficient mice just wouldn’t go back to their addictive behavior when they got a little sample. Again, the implications for relapse preventions are promising to say the least.
In short, while some people may think there’s still a reason to argue whether people with addiction should simply be left to god’s mercy, ongoing work is showing us that we can uncover specific molecular mechanisms that may one day allow us to combat addiction with much more success. I for one welcome that.
One of six men to win titles at all four majors, 39-year-old Andre Agassi admits in his autobiography (Open: An Autobiography) to using crystal meth in 1997 because of poor form and to help him forget his worries about the upcoming marriage to Brooke Shields.
From the book:
"Slim [his assistant] is stressed too. He says, 'You want to get high with me?'
'Because that's the sound you make when you're high. Makes you feel like Superman, dude.'
"As if they're coming out of someone else's mouth, I hear these words: 'You know what? F*** it. Yeah. Let's get high," Agassi recalled in his autobiography, Open.
"Slim dumps a small pile of powder on the coffee table. He cuts it, snorts it. He cuts it again. I snort some. I ease back on the couch and consider the Rubicon I've just crossed," Agassi wrote.
"There is a moment of regret, followed by vast sadness. Then comes a tidal wave of euphoria that sweeps away every negative thought in my head. I've never felt so alive, so hopeful - and I've never felt such energy. I'm seized by a desperate desire to clean. I go tearing around my house, cleaning it from top to bottom. I dust the furniture. I scour the tub. I make the beds."
"[After receiving a call from a doctor with the ATP] There is doom in his voice, as if he's going to tell me I'm dying. And that's exactly what he tells me. He reminds me that tennis has three classes of drug violation. Performance-enhancing drugs would constitute a Class 1, he says, which would carry a suspension of two years. However, he adds, crystal meth would seem to be a clear case of Class 2. Recreational drugs. My name, my career, everything is now on the line. Whatever I've achieved, whatever I've worked for, might soon mean nothing. Days later I sit in a hard-backed chair, a legal pad in my lap, and write a letter to the ATP. It's filled with lies interwoven with bits of truth.
"I say Slim, whom I've since fired, is a known drug user, and that he often spikes his sodas with meth - which is true. Then I come to the central lie of the letter. I say that recently I drank accidentally from one of Slim's spiked sodas, unwittingly ingesting his drugs. I ask for understanding and leniency and hastily sign it: Sincerely. I feel ashamed, of course. I promise myself that this lie is the end of it."
Sam Jones III was arrested in Canoga Park (Los Angeles, California) on charges of possessing with intent to sell more than 10K tablets of oxycodone (also known as oxycontin). DEA agents say the actor was a co-conspirator in a series of drug deals and acted as the "Hollywood connection" in an illegal drug ring.
Jones, along with a partner, would bargain a price with a supplier and then meet at a certain time and place to make the exchange. Subsequently, the duo would distribute them through the community.
This is all, apparently, verifiable due to a sting operation where a federal agent posed as a supplier, met and bargained for a fix price at a Burbank, California coffee shop, and then made the exchange of $75,000 for the drugs in a Glendale video store parking lot.
It seems the family (children) of the deceased 45-year-old Carol Anne Gotbaum, the woman that reportedly:
- yelled "I am not a terrorist" after being denied entry upon an aircraft due to an invalid boarding ticket
- drank alcohol before her death
- and was on her way to a rehab center in Tucson, Arizona
that died while in police custody due to accidental strangulation, will receive an insurance-settlement payout of about $250,000 on behalf of Phoenix, Arizona.
The settlement seems to be the cheapest exit strategy for the insurance carrier who had already spent an estimated $500,000 on the case and $750,000 more on litigation. And, although, the local police department say there were no rules broken, Noah (her husband) continues to claim negligence on behalf of city.
Gotbaum's family had originally tried to sue for about $8 million in damages, then reduced the amount to $5.5 million, for leaving her chained and unattended (negligence) in an airport police holding cell. If the settlement is approved by the New York surrogate court then her three children, all under 10 years of age, will be the primary beneficiaries.
41-year-old criminal court judge Matthew A. Sciarrino Jr. of Staten Island, New York, has been transferred to Manhattan due to his facebook addiction and usage of other social-networking services.
The article mentions that for several months the judge bared all on his Facebook account; including pictures of his children and crowded courtoom, verbatim details of location and schedule, and judicial proceedings.
A new study of about 1,600 drivers between the ages of 18 and 65 who ended up, and were released from, the emergency room show that, on average, they received about 3 hours more worth of treatment and incurred costs of $4,500 more than those without alcohol in their system.
"Bags and bags of clothes that [she] never wears; it showcases her addiction". Being over $10,000 in debt (for the 4th time) seemed to be an eye opener (as if closets full of items never used wasn't one) for a woman to confess to her husband and to get help for her shopping addiction.
Psychologists say compulsive shopping affects 18 million people nationwide! And since we (Americans) are in a consumer driven society shopping is and has become a popular pastime for people. Additionally, the common addiction signs (according to the report) of shopping addiction, like uplifting spirits and forgetting about bills to pay, become harder to detect.
One of the doctors in the report says people with shopping addiction are like people with any other addiction and that they share a common reason for doing such things: "to fill a hole in the soul".
Some analysts and professionals say the recession is hurting and, some others say, helping people with shopping addiction. The recession hurts the addicts because deals are too good to pass up while it also helps them because people getting paid less have less to spend on their addiction.
Any of you have tons of clothes (shoes, shirts, bags), or other items/objects, that you purchased and never use(d)? If so, are you addicted to shopping (or are you in denial)?
A new study concluded that Internet addiction is more likely to occur to within adolescents if they are depressed, hostile, or have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or social phobia.
During the study, researchers found a sign of Internet addiction to be: "using the Internet so much for game playing or other purposes that it interferes with everyday life and decision-making ability" and that between 1% and 18% of adolescents.
Another study of about 2,300 Taiwanese seventh-grade students revealed that about 11% developed an Internet addiction which consisted of: spending more time than intended on the Internet; an inability to cut back on usage; a preoccupation with online activities; and symptoms of withdrawal like anxiety, boredom, and/or irritability. They also found that boys, and those who spent more than 20 hours a week online (or used it everyday or played online games) were at higher risk of becoming addicted.
And even another study showed that Internet addiction is much more widespread in Asian countries than in the United States; a Chinese survey revealed more than four million teenagers spend more than six hours a day online!
An academic scholar wasn't surprised by the findings because, according to him, those with ADHD crave constant stimulation (such at that found in video games and interactive social networking services).
Many agree that there is no standard consensus on what classifies Internet addiction and many professionals within the therapeutic community are clueless.
Campbell Brown of CNN recently reported a new trend in college campuses nationwide.
Marijuana has been around the college campus for quite some time (obviously as well as alcohol) and is already a popular pastime however a somewhat new drug/problem seems to be sweeping through universities and causing problems; adderall addiction.
The alleged reason for such an increase in adderall seems to be the pressure to succeed. Access to it is relatively easy too, it is a legal prescription drug. In a survey, 7% of questioned college students admitted to using it illegally. And a Dr. from the video quotes many students saying "take vitamin A to get an A". The student who testified under concealment said he doesn't think much of adderall addiction, he thinks they are like candy and takes them as jolly ranchers.
The next article says that the student who testified thinks taking 10 adderall a day is safe yet is against doing cocaine and/or heroin. So that goes back to (and the second article/interview with Dr. Drew Pinsky mentions this) the perception of the actual drug. Since students and avid takers haven't seen of or heard of any negative things with heavy, or even mild use, the choice of taking it when they deem necessary becomes easy.
CNN has the video here and a slightly separate article with video (but a continuation of the television segment) here.
Amy Winehouse (known for her music, her alcohol addiction, and crack cocaine addiction) has decided to fly a "healer", Peter Hippolyte, from St. Lucia to the United Kingdom in an effort to rid herself of addiction once and for all.
"When I come to UK, I will use my hands to help heal her and use my psychological healing to organize her mind. We will say prayers together and she will drink bush tea with antioxidants..."
A new episode of House (show description here, episodes available for purchase here, and full episodes available to watch online here) aired today on FOX and it had House quit his doctoral duties in an effort to become happy. Upon complaining to his psychiatrist about being bored, unsure what to do, and looking for guidance, the psychiatrist recommended finding a hobby to fill the void of empty time as to reduce the possibility of him returning to his vicodin addiction.
House proceeded to take up cooking and, shortly after, got bored of it and then tried folding laundry and a few other small things before finding his knack to reduce the pain in his leg: answering and solving a medical mystery! By speaking with his psychiatrist, he recommended that, although it could be a double-edged sword, going back to medicine might be the answer to his pain problem.
Excitement ensues as the next episode continuing the House saga continues next week!
"If I were to quit, I might last ... not over six months" says a man who has been practicing law for about 70 years and still manages to work a 40-hour work week.
He's not the only one with a work addiction; another person joined the police force at the age of 51 and, as of being 70-years-old now, still serves! His wife of 53 years has a pension and, additionally, he doesn't need to work due to prior earnings but still, reportedly, gets much excitement.
The article continues to mention that other older individuals work but due to necessity.
Tawny Kitaen was arrested in California for driving her Range Rover under the influence (DUI) of drugs or alcohol.
Some of you may have seen the 48-year-old actress appear on the VH1 reality show "Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew". Some of you may know of Dr. Drew from the radio show Loveline or from numerous different television appearances and shows but he is also the author and co-author of a few different books. Two books that you might want to look at are:
Recent studies and research show that the brain may be protected from a life-threatening injury and the risk of dieing due to injuries is lower when an accident happens if you have excessive amounts of alcohol in your system.
Some reasons as to why you may have less injuries are:
- the dampening of catecholamines — hormones like adrenaline and dopamine that are released by the body after a traumatic injury
- a lower core body temperature due — lower body temperatures are known to slow cell death and swelling caused by severe brain injuries
With the recent research, what are your thoughts on drunk driving? (answer in comments below)
During the hour-long interview, Mackenzie Phillips mentions how she had sex with her father (John Phillips of The Mamas & the Papas) in 1971 the night before she was to marry The Rolling Stones Jeff Sessler. She continues to say that it went on for a period of years and at all times it was consensual (in the second article linked below, however, she mentions she was raped and years later it became consensual)
She also talks about her battle with drug addiction, recovery, going to rehab centers, her 2008 arrest at an airport on suspicion of cocaine (later pleading guilty to this charge) and heroin possession.
CNN has the articles (text and video) here and here
It seems that Anna Nicole Smith wasn't taking a heavy amount of drugs only during the time she died; an investigator said she was a "drug seeker" starting three years prior. Before dieing of acute combined drug intoxication, she was being prescribed a long list of dangerous drugs by doctors.
She "was given drugs in excess amounts" by doctors of which she had personal relationships with that "crossed the line of professionalism". She was prescribed 10 pills a day of methadone which raises the question of the doctors inducing a methadone addiction.
Mackenzie Phillips, daughter of a rock legend, former childhood star of the 1975 show One Day at a Time, and author of High On Arrival, will be appearing on The Oprah Winfrey Show to, among other things, reveal the most shocking part of her troubled past! Oprah's website has details (text and video) here.
About to relapse? There's an app for that
Technical features include:
- users are allowed to exchange contact information
- users are allowed to move chats/texts to a live voice call
- users can use their GPS to determine where a supporter is
- password-protected program access
- peferences of known and in-person support groups and information
- and more
The 12-step programs currently available are: Adult Children of Alcoholics, Al-Anon, Alateen, Alcoholics Anonymous, Anorexics and Bulimics Anonymous, Compulsive Eaters Anonymous CEA-HOW, Chemically Dependent Anonymous, Clutterers Anonymous, Co-Anon Family Groups, Cocaine Anonymous, Codependents Anonymous, Crystal Meth Anonymous, Deaf and Hard of Hearing Anonymous, Debt-Anon Family Groups, Debtors Anonymous, Depressed Anonymous, Dual Recovery Anonymous, Eating Disorders Anonymous, Emotions Anonymous, Families Anonymous, Food Addicts Anonymous, Gam-Anon, Gamblers Anonymous, HCV Anonymous, HIV-AIDS Anonymous, International Doctors in Alcoholics Anonymous, Love Addicts Anonymous, Marijuana Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, Nicotine Anonymous, On-Line Gamers Anonymous, Overeaters Anonymous, Parents Anonymous, Phobics Anonymous, Pills Anonymous, Recovering Couples Anonymous, Recovering Food Addicts, Self Mutilators Anonymous, Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous, Sexual Compulsives Anonymous, Sex Addicts Anonymous, Sexual Recovery Anonymous, Social Phobics Anonymous, Spenders Anonymous, Survivors of Incest Anonymous, and Workaholics Anonymous.
Ann-e's - website here - demo movie:
PS. Beating Addiction is available from any phone with a web browser and it is free; no $4.99 fee, and not iPhone-only accessible!
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November 12, 2009 @ 2:46 PMNicVAX, a nicotine vaccine to eliminate nicotine addiction, enters phase III trials
Phase III trials, according to the National Institute of Health, is when a drug is given to large groups of people to confirm how well it works, its side effects, and everything else measurable, and to compare it with commonly used treatments before it is sent to the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) for review and approval.
How the vaccine is supposed to work is as follows:
According to Wikipedia - "NicVAX is administered via an injection into the arm; the 3'-aminomethylnicotine molecule found in the vaccine instigates an immune response in which 'nicotine' antibodies are created. The antibodies bind to nicotine molecules, causing the merged molecules to be too large to enter the brain; this prevents nicotine from being able to affect the body."
Or in layman's terms, it works by stimulating the immune system to generate antibodies that attach to nicotine in the body which prevent it from entering the brain.
The idea behind the drug is that since often even a single cigarette can deliver enough nicotine to the brain to reinstate the addiction, blocking the entry of nicotine into the brain might prevent the aforementioned dependence. And it is to work for nicotine addiction from any source!
And some statistics to mull over:
-reports show that nearly 500,000 people die every year in the USA alone from smoking addiction
-American Cancer Society reports show that of the 44 million people with smoking addiction in the USA, 70% say they want to quit but only about 40% do each year; and of that set of people only 4% to 7% kick the habit, without help, for good
-relapse rates are about 90% in the first year after a smoker "quits"
Nabi Biopharmaceuticals reported 30% to 35% of participants in the study that were given NicVAX were able to remain smoke-free over the long term, compared with only 10 percent of those receiving the placebo. Of the participants that continued to smoke but showed a high antibody response to NicVAX significantly reduced the number of cigarettes smoked over the full 12-month period from a baseline of 20 cigarettes per day to 10 cigarettes per day.
CNN has the article here and Wikipedia has more historical information here.
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November 9, 2009 @ 6:28 PMProteins and cocaine: addiction is a disease, not a question of morality
While there are some people who still argue about whether drug addiction is a disease or a condition that results from the moral failing of an individual, most of the scientific community has long agreed that there are at least some influences on it that are far beyond a person’s control.
I’ve mentioned the genetic influences that have been shown to be associated with a risk for addiction before (look here). However, most of the research I’ve been involved in myself recently has more to do with the way that trying drugs changes your brain in ways that make it more likely that you’ll try them again.
Along these lines, a recently published study has shown that very specific molecular targets can have a huge impact on the probability that addicts will keep going after drugs. The molecules studies were common targets of cocaine that are altered long-term when a person uses coke.
The interesting thing is that the research found that deactivating each of these targets produced completely different effects:
Animals that had the GluR1 receptor subunit turned off were unable to stop themselves from searching for cocaine in a spot where it used to be long after normal mice gave up. I don’t know about you, but that sounds more than a little relevant for addiction given what I know, and have experienced. We’ve been studying this sort of stuff for a while, but the fact that a single molecule can make an animal pursue drugs in a way that is completely irrational is amazing!
Animals that had the NR1 receptor subunit turned off experienced a different effect. While normal mice relapse to drug use when they experience a drug after a long break, the NR1 deficient mice just wouldn’t go back to their addictive behavior when they got a little sample. Again, the implications for relapse preventions are promising to say the least.
In short, while some people may think there’s still a reason to argue whether people with addiction should simply be left to god’s mercy, ongoing work is showing us that we can uncover specific molecular mechanisms that may one day allow us to combat addiction with much more success. I for one welcome that.
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November 1, 2009 @ 9:56 PMAndre Agassi admits to lying and using crystal meth
From the book:
"Slim [his assistant] is stressed too. He says, 'You want to get high with me?'
'On what?'
'Gack.'
'What the hell's gack?'
'Crystal meth."
'Why do they call it gack?'
'Because that's the sound you make when you're high. Makes you feel like Superman, dude.'
"As if they're coming out of someone else's mouth, I hear these words: 'You know what? F*** it. Yeah. Let's get high," Agassi recalled in his autobiography, Open.
"Slim dumps a small pile of powder on the coffee table. He cuts it, snorts it. He cuts it again. I snort some. I ease back on the couch and consider the Rubicon I've just crossed," Agassi wrote.
"There is a moment of regret, followed by vast sadness. Then comes a tidal wave of euphoria that sweeps away every negative thought in my head. I've never felt so alive, so hopeful - and I've never felt such energy. I'm seized by a desperate desire to clean. I go tearing around my house, cleaning it from top to bottom. I dust the furniture. I scour the tub. I make the beds."
"[After receiving a call from a doctor with the ATP] There is doom in his voice, as if he's going to tell me I'm dying. And that's exactly what he tells me. He reminds me that tennis has three classes of drug violation. Performance-enhancing drugs would constitute a Class 1, he says, which would carry a suspension of two years. However, he adds, crystal meth would seem to be a clear case of Class 2. Recreational drugs. My name, my career, everything is now on the line. Whatever I've achieved, whatever I've worked for, might soon mean nothing. Days later I sit in a hard-backed chair, a legal pad in my lap, and write a letter to the ATP. It's filled with lies interwoven with bits of truth.
"I say Slim, whom I've since fired, is a known drug user, and that he often spikes his sodas with meth - which is true. Then I come to the central lie of the letter. I say that recently I drank accidentally from one of Slim's spiked sodas, unwittingly ingesting his drugs. I ask for understanding and leniency and hastily sign it: Sincerely. I feel ashamed, of course. I promise myself that this lie is the end of it."
Image is everything, right?
Telegraph.co.uk has articles here and here.
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October 28, 2009 @ 9:37 AMER actor, Sam Jones III, arrested on drug charges
Sam Jones III was arrested in Canoga Park (Los Angeles, California) on charges of possessing with intent to sell more than 10K tablets of oxycodone (also known as oxycontin). DEA agents say the actor was a co-conspirator in a series of drug deals and acted as the "Hollywood connection" in an illegal drug ring.
Jones, along with a partner, would bargain a price with a supplier and then meet at a certain time and place to make the exchange. Subsequently, the duo would distribute them through the community.
This is all, apparently, verifiable due to a sting operation where a federal agent posed as a supplier, met and bargained for a fix price at a Burbank, California coffee shop, and then made the exchange of $75,000 for the drugs in a Glendale video store parking lot.
KTLA has the article here.
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October 22, 2009 @ 9:34 AMCase of alcoholic on way to rehab who strangled self in police custody receives settlement
- yelled "I am not a terrorist" after being denied entry upon an aircraft due to an invalid boarding ticket
- drank alcohol before her death
- and was on her way to a rehab center in Tucson, Arizona
that died while in police custody due to accidental strangulation, will receive an insurance-settlement payout of about $250,000 on behalf of Phoenix, Arizona.
The settlement seems to be the cheapest exit strategy for the insurance carrier who had already spent an estimated $500,000 on the case and $750,000 more on litigation. And, although, the local police department say there were no rules broken, Noah (her husband) continues to claim negligence on behalf of city.
Gotbaum's family had originally tried to sue for about $8 million in damages, then reduced the amount to $5.5 million, for leaving her chained and unattended (negligence) in an airport police holding cell. If the settlement is approved by the New York surrogate court then her three children, all under 10 years of age, will be the primary beneficiaries.
CNN has the entire story here.
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October 20, 2009 @ 2:31 PMStaten Island, New York, judge loses job over Facebook addiction
The article mentions that for several months the judge bared all on his Facebook account; including pictures of his children and crowded courtoom, verbatim details of location and schedule, and judicial proceedings.
SILive (Staten Island Live) has the article here.
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October 19, 2009 @ 10:55 PMDrinking can cost you more than you think
Join Together has the entire article here.
What's even more, 41 percent of all motor crash fatalities in 2006 involved alcohol.
Science Daily has more, too, here.
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October 18, 2009 @ 6:52 PMShopping fills a hole in the soul
Psychologists say compulsive shopping affects 18 million people nationwide! And since we (Americans) are in a consumer driven society shopping is and has become a popular pastime for people. Additionally, the common addiction signs (according to the report) of shopping addiction, like uplifting spirits and forgetting about bills to pay, become harder to detect.
One of the doctors in the report says people with shopping addiction are like people with any other addiction and that they share a common reason for doing such things: "to fill a hole in the soul".
Some analysts and professionals say the recession is hurting and, some others say, helping people with shopping addiction. The recession hurts the addicts because deals are too good to pass up while it also helps them because people getting paid less have less to spend on their addiction.
CNN has the video here.
Any of you have tons of clothes (shoes, shirts, bags), or other items/objects, that you purchased and never use(d)? If so, are you addicted to shopping (or are you in denial)?
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October 8, 2009 @ 5:27 PMADHD and depression linked to Internet addiction
During the study, researchers found a sign of Internet addiction to be: "using the Internet so much for game playing or other purposes that it interferes with everyday life and decision-making ability" and that between 1% and 18% of adolescents.
Another study of about 2,300 Taiwanese seventh-grade students revealed that about 11% developed an Internet addiction which consisted of: spending more time than intended on the Internet; an inability to cut back on usage; a preoccupation with online activities; and symptoms of withdrawal like anxiety, boredom, and/or irritability. They also found that boys, and those who spent more than 20 hours a week online (or used it everyday or played online games) were at higher risk of becoming addicted.
And even another study showed that Internet addiction is much more widespread in Asian countries than in the United States; a Chinese survey revealed more than four million teenagers spend more than six hours a day online!
An academic scholar wasn't surprised by the findings because, according to him, those with ADHD crave constant stimulation (such at that found in video games and interactive social networking services).
Many agree that there is no standard consensus on what classifies Internet addiction and many professionals within the therapeutic community are clueless.
CNN has the entire article here.
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October 5, 2009 @ 11:21 PMAdderall is the new drug of choice amongst nationwide colleges
Marijuana has been around the college campus for quite some time (obviously as well as alcohol) and is already a popular pastime however a somewhat new drug/problem seems to be sweeping through universities and causing problems; adderall addiction.
The alleged reason for such an increase in adderall seems to be the pressure to succeed. Access to it is relatively easy too, it is a legal prescription drug. In a survey, 7% of questioned college students admitted to using it illegally. And a Dr. from the video quotes many students saying "take vitamin A to get an A". The student who testified under concealment said he doesn't think much of adderall addiction, he thinks they are like candy and takes them as jolly ranchers.
The next article says that the student who testified thinks taking 10 adderall a day is safe yet is against doing cocaine and/or heroin. So that goes back to (and the second article/interview with Dr. Drew Pinsky mentions this) the perception of the actual drug. Since students and avid takers haven't seen of or heard of any negative things with heavy, or even mild use, the choice of taking it when they deem necessary becomes easy.
CNN has the video here and a slightly separate article with video (but a continuation of the television segment) here.
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October 3, 2009 @ 12:00 PMAmy Winehouse thinks caribbean shaman is cure to addiction
Amy Winehouse (known for her music
"When I come to UK, I will use my hands to help heal her and use my psychological healing to organize her mind. We will say prayers together and she will drink bush tea with antioxidants..."
SifyMovies has the article here.
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October 1, 2009 @ 9:22 AMHouse (season 6, episode 2, Epic Fail) prescribed hobbies to cope with vicodin addiction
A new episode of House (show description here, episodes available for purchase here
House proceeded to take up cooking and, shortly after, got bored of it and then tried folding laundry and a few other small things before finding his knack to reduce the pain in his leg: answering and solving a medical mystery! By speaking with his psychiatrist, he recommended that, although it could be a double-edged sword, going back to medicine might be the answer to his pain problem.
Excitement ensues as the next episode continuing the House saga continues next week!
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September 28, 2009 @ 10:20 PMFear of death gives man, 101, a 40-hour a week work addiction
"If I were to quit, I might last ... not over six months" says a man who has been practicing law for about 70 years and still manages to work a 40-hour work week.
He's not the only one with a work addiction; another person joined the police force at the age of 51 and, as of being 70-years-old now, still serves! His wife of 53 years has a pension and, additionally, he doesn't need to work due to prior earnings but still, reportedly, gets much excitement.
The article continues to mention that other older individuals work but due to necessity.
CNN has the entire article here.
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September 28, 2009 @ 5:51 PMActress Tawny Kitaen arrested in California for DUI
Tawny Kitaen was arrested in California for driving her Range Rover under the influence (DUI) of drugs or alcohol.
Some of you may have seen the 48-year-old actress appear on the VH1 reality show "Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew". Some of you may know of Dr. Drew from the radio show Loveline or from numerous different television appearances and shows but he is also the author and co-author of a few different books. Two books that you might want to look at are:
Cracked: Life on the Edge in a Rehab Clinic
and
When Painkillers Become Dangerous: What Everyone Needs to Know About OxyContin and Other Prescription Drugs
Google News, on behalf of The Associated Press, has the full article here.
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September 27, 2009 @ 10:35 PMDriving drunk can save your life
...if you were to get into an accident.
, has the article here.
Recent studies and research show that the brain may be protected from a life-threatening injury and the risk of dieing due to injuries is lower when an accident happens if you have excessive amounts of alcohol in your system.
Some reasons as to why you may have less injuries are:
- the dampening of catecholamines — hormones like adrenaline and dopamine that are released by the body after a traumatic injury
- a lower core body temperature due — lower body temperatures are known to slow cell death and swelling caused by severe brain injuries
With the recent research, what are your thoughts on drunk driving? (answer in comments below)
CNN, in conjunction with Health Magazine
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September 27, 2009 @ 11:13 AMMackenzie Phillips had sex with dad John Phillips while both high on drugs
During the hour-long interview, Mackenzie Phillips mentions how she had sex with her father (John Phillips of The Mamas & the Papas
She also talks about her battle with drug addiction, recovery, going to rehab centers, her 2008 arrest at an airport on suspicion of cocaine (later pleading guilty to this charge) and heroin possession.
CNN has the articles (text and video) here and here
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September 23, 2009 @ 10:00 PMAnna Nicole Smith, drug seeker, received many dangerous drugs
It seems that Anna Nicole Smith wasn't taking a heavy amount of drugs only during the time she died; an investigator said she was a "drug seeker" starting three years prior. Before dieing of acute combined drug intoxication, she was being prescribed a long list of dangerous drugs by doctors.
She "was given drugs in excess amounts" by doctors of which she had personal relationships with that "crossed the line of professionalism". She was prescribed 10 pills a day of methadone which raises the question of the doctors inducing a methadone addiction.
CNN has the entire article here.
Make me heal has an article, too, that questions if she battled and died from a plastic surgery addiction.
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September 23, 2009 @ 8:27 AMMackenzie Phillips and her 2008 heroin and cocaine bust on Oprah Winfrey Show
For those that are unaware of her drug history, she has battled cocaine addiction and heroin addiction.
CNN, too, has more information (text and video) on the upcoming, and previous, events and shows here.
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September 22, 2009 @ 6:09 PMSon of heroin addict, Lamar Odom, and Khloe Kardashian plan to marry
US Magazine has confirmed that NBA player Lamar Odom and TV star Khloe Kardashian plan to get married after only about a month of dating.
According to Sports Illustrated
The entire article can be found here.
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September 19, 2009 @ 9:56 AM