Larry Hagman, known for his roles in the soap opera Dallas and show I Dream of Genie, says he lost his fear of death due to finding the white light after taking LSD.
British model Luke Worrall and Kelly Osbourne have called off their engagement after reports of Luke cheating.
The two were engaged in November of 2008 and Luke was known for sticking with Kelly through rehab treatment for an addiction to painkillers and for supporting her on the hit television show "Dancing with the stars".
Jeremy London, 37-year-old actor and former Party of Five member, was kidnapped by three armed men and forced to do drugs. Due to his incredible acting skills, he was able to escape unharmed. "I was acting my way through the whole thing, telling myself, 'Just play like you are one of them,' " he said.
The actor allegedly had a flat tire and had help replacing it when the man helping him pulled a gun on him, kidnapped him, and drove around for 12 hours while forcing him to take ecstasy and smoke methamphetamines.
After missing alcohol counseling sessions and being deemed that it was a violation of her parole, Lindsay Lohan was ordered to spend 90 days in jail (video of her tearful court appearance below). Subsequent to her incarceration, the judge ordered her to spend 90 days in a drug and alcohol rehab program.
After receiving the ruling, the actress tearfully adressed the court (video in link) and mentioned that she did everything she was told to do and did everything the best she could. Though a seemingly genuine rhetoric, the court didn't seemed swayed as evidence of missing nine court-ordered counseling sessions, sometimes calling ahead to do so, was too powerful and important to be dismissed. Additionally, her wearing profane manicure may have had a role in the court not taking her efforts to overcome her burdens seriously. Lohan's father was in court, too, and attempted to speak however was denied even though a letter was accepted.
CNN has the entire article (include many videos) here.
UPDATE: DailyMail has some updated pictures, video, and information here.
According to a recent study (available in article) published in the July issue of the Journal of Neurophysiology, heartbreak causes brain activity seen in cocaine addicts including, but not limited to, control of emotions, feelings of attachment, physical pain and distress.
During an interview with the Associated Press, New York Governor David Paterson said the reports about his use of drugs and women were "outrageous". Although he has admitted to extramarital affairs in the past, as his wife has too, he said he hasn't had sex with another woman in over 10 years; and, he hasn't used an illegal substance since his early 20's.
He claims the accusations brought against him by the New York Post are false and so far fetched that they are absurd. Additionally, the areas that he was "caught" in don't even exist!
CNN has the summarized article here while the New York Post has the entire article here.
With the recent legalization of marijuana use for medical purposes in Detroit, Michigan, Med Grow Cannibis College is offering an education in growing cannibis over a course of six weeks for about $500. The program is, reportedly, constantly sold out and is being viewed by many as a good alternative for making extra money.
In a seemingly new way to transfer marijuana, a recent drug bust found 743 pounds of marijuana in a septic truck; that stinks, literally. It was estimated to have a street value of $410,000.
A Department of Safety official reported that concealing drugs in items is not an uncommon form of trafficking but continued to say that finding drugs being transported in human waste is a first. The official also said that it goes to show how desperate the drug cartels are by using such methods of concealment.
A store in Oakland, California, is touting itself as being the state's biggest supplier of medical marijuana. It is a full-stop shop for everything from buying the drug, to education, to having a doctor on staff, and more. With revenues being estimated at about $50,000 every 4 months, it is big business.
The pendulum swings again. After years of decreases in use and in perceptions about use, a recent report (PDF) indicates that high-school kids are once again beginning to use, and consider less risky the use of, marijuana.
The movement is no doubt part of a semi-regular cycle. After lack of awareness about prescription drugs and a significant increase in their abuse among children, this most recent trend shouldn't be so surprising as the focus on marijuana has waned.
I think we need quite a bit of research to see if such increases do correlate with significant increases in individuals seeking help for marijuana-use-related problems. Yes marijuana advocates, those people exist whether you like it or not. For some proof, check out this link for a site put together by a recovering marijuana addict.
My quick, short, tips:
1. If you use weed, use a vaporizer to avoid the toxic fumes that can cause cancer in much the same way cigarette smoke does.
2. If your use becomes regular, whether daily or multiple times a week, consider talking to someone to help you figure out if you might be developing a problem use pattern. Those are much easier to stop early in their development.
3. Pay close attention to the interference between your marijuana use and other life-commitments. This is a tale-tale sign of problems.
One of the biggest problems with addiction is that we never know who is truly an addict. Yes, we have tests and notions, interviews and criteria, but all of those are simply tools we've used to get around the problem of not knowing. Well, a recent study by a couple of researchers at Florida State University may help us get a little closer (before you get too excited, read the limitations at the end). My take-home message from this post is familiar: Addiction is a disease, not a question of morality.
Am I An addict? Testing for addiction
One of the major reasons for the push to find the 'alcoholic gene' was the hope that, once found, it would let us say, with certainty, who is (and who isn't) an addict. All those people who simply use drugs and other addictions as an excuse for their horrible behavior would be revealed and all those who truly need help could be identified. But it didn't quite work out that way.
There is no alcoholic gene. There are a whole bunch of genes that are associated with, and most likely contribute to, the risk of someone becoming an addict. But they vary for different drugs, require some pretty serious testing, and contribute very little (individually) to our ability to categorize people. The same genes that are linked to addiction are also linked to ADHD, anxiety disorders, depression, and on and on…
But wouldn't it be great if we had a conclusive test? Something that worked to really help us tell the difference between addicts and the rest?
Skin response testing
Electrodermal response modulation (ERM; a fancy name for measuring skin conductance) is a measure of how skin conductance changes in response to predictable versus unpredictable stress.
The connection between addiction and skin response might seem a stretch, but hey, dilated pupils are a sign for sexual attraction so… The idea is that the more prepared the overall system is to deal with predictable stress, the better equipped a person is to handle life stressors. Bad responsivity would mean that the person's system is not adjusting well to stressors that are predictable, producing too much arousal and discomfort to events they should be prepared for.
So for this study, high ERM good, low ERM bad, got it?
To make a long story short, this recent research shows that low ERM was more common among individuals with addiction than among controls (people with no major mental health issues) and even among individuals with personality disorders.
The good news is that this finding is promising in terms of possible future identification of people who are likely to develop addiction problems. But of course, there are some issues.
Limitations of the study
Since the study used people who were already addicted, it's impossible for us to know if low ERM exists before addiction develops. If it does, we may be able to identify potential addicts before they become addicted, but if not, it would still be useful to have a test to distinguish current addicts from non-addicts.
Of course, at the moment the test only works by comparing addicted to non-addicted groups - we don't have norms or cutoff points to tell us on an individual basis who is or isn't an addict. A lot more research will be required before that would be possible.
This is not the first test that has shown promise in terms of a quick identification test for addiction. There is quite a bit of research showing a relationship between a specific brain wave (called P300) and addiction. the problem is that P300 turned out to be pretty generally associated with what are known as externalizing disorders (like illegal activity, high risk sexual behavior, aggression, etc.). I personally believe that as behavioral addictions (like sex addiction that involves high risk sexual behavior) become more commonly understood, many of those externalizing disorders may be reclassified, making P300 possibly more popular as an addiction measure.
The Bottom Line: So can we tell?
It's too early to know if ERM will turn out to be a really good marker for addiction, but I'm sure people are hard at work trying to figure that out, so let's give them some time. Years ago I heard a presentation about people with low variability in heart rate which seemed to suggest something very similar, so I'm hopeful. But to me, there's a more important take home message:
Once again, this study shows that there are physiological factors to addiction that are far beyond anyone's actual control. I don't personally know anyone who can change their skin conductance, and so I'm pretty comfortable saying that addiction is an actual medical condition in so far as it has physical symptoms and some promising treatments.
Steven Tyler, currently 61 years of age, of Aerosmith is back in rehab -- this time for an addiction to prescription painkillers for "severe chronic pain" stemming from a decade of orthopedic injuries to his knees and feet of which requires more surgeries for recovery. He has, seemingly, acknowledged and taken responsibility for his addiction and with the help of "family and a team of medical professionals" is looking forward to a speedy recovery so he can start performing again. He checked himself in at a rehab facility that deals with pain management.
"Managing and controlling his pain has been challenging, and despite our use of alternative therapies and the creation of custom shoes built by a team of engineers from Timberland, Steven's pain has progressed. The balance between managing his pain and avoiding addiction is tenuous and difficult and his bravery in persevering through rigorous touring is admirable. As with many athletes, Steven put his performance first as he struggled with acute pain for years."
Not only has he been having chronic/severe issues with his knees and feet but he had to recover from breaking his shoulder after falling off stage in August while performing at a concert. Surely, one could suspect, he was dealing with pain issues and medicating them at that time as well.
Kramer, Aerosmith's drummer who also suffered addiction during the 70's and 80's, said "[he thought] that he [Steven Tyler] needs help and that attention needs to be put to his health".
A 51-year-old Canadian sports doctor, Dr. Anthony Galea, of Oakville Ontario "was charged with selling an unapproved drug, conspiracy to import the drug; conspiracy to export and smuggling goods into Canada."
The investigation began in September when his assistant was caught departing Canada with Actovegin of which the assistant subsequently reported saying he was going to be administering the drug to some of their patients outside of Canada.
Dr. Anthony Galea was also suspected of administering the drugs to his patients within his own medical facility which prompted Canadian officials search the facility which resulted in the seizure of unapproved drugs; one of which is believed to be Actovegin.
One of his patients was Tiger Woods who he administered treatment to after Tiger's knee surgery last year. Tiger's faster-than-anticipated recovery has been attributed to Dr. Anthony Galea and his use of widely-accepted therapy and possible administration of human growth hormone.
In Chennai, India, after a 26-year-old addict was taken by his brother to a rehab center his brother returned home and received a call from the rehab center saying that his addict brother was being rushed to a government hospital due to being in critical condition. Usually, that's the end of the story because families believe death is due to the drugs but this was an altogether different story.
A friend of the deceased individual's family said he had gone through treatment at the same center and mentioned that "inmates there were stripped naked when they experienced withdrawal symptoms and beaten when they grew violent." This was news to the family of the recently deceased but, for three years, to others it was well known that questionable methods were used to cure patients. "They are stripped naked, beaten if they turn violent due to withdrawal symptoms, and finally administered a paracetamol-caffeine combination regimen before being made to sleep on a bare floor in a 8x8 room with an attached toilet but no doors."
Recently, new centers have been opening up all over town and the rest of India to help cure the increased number of individuals addicted to drugs and alcohol but are allegedly being ran by under-qualified staff or individuals that have recovered but are looking to help others.
"The issue is not as much about intent as the lack of regulation. A drug or alcohol rehab centre needs to have qualified doctors, psychiatrists and psychologists besides other paramedical staff, which these independently-run outfits sorely lack. Most of them, according to Shanti Ranganathan who spearheads one of the state's largest professionally-run de-addiction centres, TT Ranganathan Clinical Research Foundation, are in dire need of oversight. "It's sad but I have heard that some of our patients have also started such clinics. What's even worse is you can't call these centres illegal as there is no mandatory requirement for them to even register," she said."
Mark Anthony Marie, also known as the grammy nominated Jamaican reggae star Buju Banton with hit records Rasta Got Soul, Too Bad, Inna Heights, and more, has been arrested on charges of drug trafficking -- conspiracy to posses with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine -- and is being held in Miami, Florida, USA.
The report states that on December 8th, the reggae artist and an unidentified woman were taped at La Tropicana de Havana restaurant to meet with a secret informant and Ian Thomas (another individual charged and arrested). "Later at a police-controlled warehouse, Banton was handed a knife and instantly wiped the blade of the knife with his finger and placed that finger into his mouth in what appeared to be an attempt to taste the cocaine. After viewing the cocaine, Myrie and Thomas continue to negotiate with the [confidential source] for them to obtain multiple kilograms of cocaine."
Two days later, on December 10th, Ian Thomas and another individual were arrested at the same warehouse upon arriving with money to purchase about seven kilograms of cocaine. The reggae star was then subsequently arrested at his house in Tamarac, Florida.
What do you think of when you hear the words "sex addict"? Do you imagine someone who has sex dozens of times a day? Someone who owns a lot of sex toys? Someone who spends all their time immersed in pornography?
While all of these scenarios, and others, can identify someone with a sexual addiction, the crucial part of identifying an addict has to do with the consequences of the behavior and the person's inability to control them. That being said, sex addiction is a relatively recent idea. In fact, it's sometimes called love addiction instead.
So what is sex addiction?
A sexual addict experiences the same type of uncontrollable compulsions that others feel in different forms of addiction (like substance, alcohol, gambling, shopping, etc). In his book (Out of the Shadow: Understanding Sexual Addiction) Carnes talks about the compulsive sexual behavior as guiding a misperception of the self.
In simple words: Sex addicts' view of themselves depends on their relationship with sexual behavior. Since they often find themselves unable to control the behavior, they often have trouble with their self-image.
What is sex addiction NOT?
Let us look at some of the NOTS of sexual addiction. Sex addicts are not people who are just hypersexual and get satisfied with their sexual behaviors; rather, they are often not satisfied with the sexual activities that they engage in. Sex addicts are not necessarily Casanovas, but are often normal functioning people who find themselves having to hide their compulsive sexual urges.
While some sex addicts do pay for sex, others are compulsive about watching porn and others simply struggle with monogamy. The point is, the stigma of sex addicts as predatory child molesters needs to be put to rest.
How common is sex addiction?
Sex addiction is a major problem in our society. Some estimate that as many as 15 million people in the U.S. are sexual addicts (roughly 8% of all men and 3% of women). Easy access to porn offered by the internet has most likely increased the prevalence of sexual addiction in the past decade. In fact, for most people getting porn addiction help specifically is the problem.
The costs for those suffering from sex addiction are also numerous: Relationships and families are disrupted and destroyed, the addict's self-esteem diminishes as they are unable to be productive in other areas of their life; illegal activity (like prostitution) ends up causing arrests, and health is often affected through the contraction of diseases.
Am I a sex addict?
Now, don't immediately assume that you are a sex addict because you fantasize about sex a lot. But how does one know if they are addicted to sex?
The simple rule is: no impairment, no addiction.
On the other hand, if day to day functioning is effected by the behavior (in this case, something sexual), this may be an indication of a problem. So, whether it be having sex often, thinking of sex, or even just being extremely horny, if it's making a person's daily activities or relationships dysfunctional and if they are unable to control their behavior they may be defined as a sex addict.
In future posts we will look more into the symptoms, forms, theories, and treatments related to sex addiction. In the mean-time, keep reading, and if you feel brave enough, share your story; who knows, you may be able to help someone else who is love addicted!!!
Question of the day:
Do you have any personal experiences with sexual addiction (your own or of someone close to you)?
In what ways has it affected your own life?
Recently, The World Health Organization (WHO) released a report that said that tobacco use kills at least 5 million people a year and it could rise if more countries don't start doing something about it.
As it is now, about 5.4% (154 million people) of the world's population are living in a safer environment due to the smoke-free laws which limit exposure to the harms of tobacco smoke. Places such as the workplace, restaurants, bars, and other indoor public places have cleaner air. In 2008, seven more countries have implemented a much more comprehensive smoke-free system -- Colombia, Djibouti, Guatemala, Mauritius, Panama, Turkey and Zambia -- bringing the total to 17.
Not only does smoking cause an obviously substantial increase in getting lung cancer, it causes about 600,000 premature deaths a year, crippling and disfiguring illnesses, tens of billions of dollars of economic losses, and much more. As such, in 2008, a tobacco control package named MPOWER was devised by the WHO to help countries understand the steps that should be taken to reduce tobacco use. The steps are:
* monitor tobacco use and the policies to prevent it;
* protect people from tobacco smoke;
* offer people help to quit tobacco use;
* warn about the dangers of tobacco;
* enforce bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship; and
* raise taxes on tobacco.
The report continued to say that about 10% of the world's population is covered by any one measure. Not only that but it continue to be the leading preventable cause of death! A few last things to note of the report:
* Djibouti, Egypt, Islamic Republic of Iran, Malaysia, and Mauritius met the best practices for health warnings on cigarette packages;
* Israel, Romania, and the United Arab Emirates offered comprehensive help to quit;
* Panama joined the small group of countries that bans all forms of tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship. More than 90% of people lack protection from tobacco industry marketing;
* Czech Republic, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, the Netherlands, and Seychelles levied tobacco taxes higher than 75% of retail price; and
* of the world's 100 most populous cities, 22 are smoke-free.
With the not-so-recent boom in Internet and the online world, mobile devices, and computers in general, a wide array of programs have been created for many aspects of life.
Drinks Tracker for iPhone and Alcohol Tracker are two relatively new programs that have been released to help people track how much they drink. The first program is for the iPhone and the second is for a desktop computer which has Windows and Mac versions.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is accepting applications for up to $26 million in grants to expand Substance Abuse Treatment Capacity in Juvenile Treatment Drug Courts.
The purpose of this program is to expand and enhance substance abuse treatment services in “problem solving” courts which use the juvenile drug court model in order to provide alcohol and drug treatment, recovery support services and program coordination to juvenile defendants/defenders. Problem-solving courts are used as an alternative to incarceration; they quickly identify substance-abusing offenders and place them under strict court monitoring and community supervision as well as provide the participant with effective treatment services.
It is expected that up to 27 grants will be awarded for up to three years. The average annual award amount for each grantee is expected to be up to $325,000. The actual award amounts may vary, depending on the availability of funds and the progress made by the grantees. This grant will be awarded by SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Treatment.
WHO CAN APPLY : Eligibility is restricted to existing individual juvenile drug courts that have demonstrated relationships and agreements with existing domestic public and private nonprofit entities and community-based treatment providers and units of tribal, state and local governments that submit applications on behalf of an individual juvenile treatment drug court. .
HOW TO APPLY: Applications for No TI-10-004 are available by calling SAMHSA’s Health Information Network at 1-877-SAMHSA7, or by downloading from: http://www.samhsa.gov/Grants/2010/TI-10-004.aspx. Applications are encouraged to apply online using http://www.grants.gov/.
APPLICATION DUE DATE: Must be received by February 23, 2010
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION : Applicants with questions on program issues should contact Robert M. Vincent at 240-276-1582 or e-mail mailto:RoRobert.vincent@samhsa.hhs.gov . For questions on grants management issues, contact William Reyes at 240 276-1406 or e-mail william.reyes@samhsa.hhs.gov.
A few days ago, Rush Limbaugh was a guest of William Shatner's Raw Nerve talk show where they talked about many things; Rush spoke about, among other things, his grandfather's legacy, how he became a radio host (and against his parent's will), about being completely deaf, and his oxycontin addiction and how he overcame his addiction by visiting an Arizona rehab center.
The transcript of the conversation can be found here and the videos are below.
Larry Hagman says all politicians should try LSD
Larry Hagman, known for his roles in the soap opera Dallas and show I Dream of Genie, says he lost his fear of death due to finding the white light after taking LSD.
CNN has the video here.
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July 20, 2010 @ 11:30 AMKelly Osbourne and fiance Luke Worrall split
The two were engaged in November of 2008 and Luke was known for sticking with Kelly through rehab treatment for an addiction to painkillers and for supporting her on the hit television show "Dancing with the stars".
CNN has the entire article here.
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July 15, 2010 @ 8:30 PMJeremy London kidnapped and forced to smoke meth and take ecstasy
The actor allegedly had a flat tire and had help replacing it when the man helping him pulled a gun on him, kidnapped him, and drove around for 12 hours while forcing him to take ecstasy and smoke methamphetamines.
CNN has the entire article here.
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July 15, 2010 @ 8:20 PMLindsay Lohan sentenced to 90 days in jail (with in-court video and pictures)
After receiving the ruling, the actress tearfully adressed the court (video in link) and mentioned that she did everything she was told to do and did everything the best she could. Though a seemingly genuine rhetoric, the court didn't seemed swayed as evidence of missing nine court-ordered counseling sessions, sometimes calling ahead to do so, was too powerful and important to be dismissed. Additionally, her wearing profane manicure may have had a role in the court not taking her efforts to overcome her burdens seriously. Lohan's father was in court, too, and attempted to speak however was denied even though a letter was accepted.
CNN has the entire article (include many videos) here.
UPDATE: DailyMail has some updated pictures, video, and information here.
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July 7, 2010 @ 5:12 PMRecent study finds love is addictive
Conclusion? Love is a drug and addicting. Maybe that's why married people live longer.
NYDailyNews has the entire article here.
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July 6, 2010 @ 11:35 PMNew York Governor David Paterson denies drug and sex rumors
He claims the accusations brought against him by the New York Post are false and so far fetched that they are absurd. Additionally, the areas that he was "caught" in don't even exist!
CNN has the summarized article here while the New York Post has the entire article here.
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February 9, 2010 @ 10:33 PMNeed an education? New program offers a degree in growing marijuana
With the recent legalization of marijuana use for medical purposes in Detroit, Michigan, Med Grow Cannibis College is offering an education in growing cannibis over a course of six weeks for about $500. The program is, reportedly, constantly sold out and is being viewed by many as a good alternative for making extra money.
CNN has the video here.
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February 5, 2010 @ 1:35 PM743 pounds of marijuana found in truck
A Department of Safety official reported that concealing drugs in items is not an uncommon form of trafficking but continued to say that finding drugs being transported in human waste is a first. The official also said that it goes to show how desperate the drug cartels are by using such methods of concealment.
CNN has the entire article here.
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February 5, 2010 @ 1:24 PMMarijuana store in Oakland California may be state's biggest
A store in Oakland, California, is touting itself as being the state's biggest supplier of medical marijuana. It is a full-stop shop for everything from buying the drug, to education, to having a doctor on staff, and more. With revenues being estimated at about $50,000 every 4 months, it is big business.
CNN has the video here.
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February 5, 2010 @ 1:11 PMKids perceive regular marijuana use less risky – Some tips
The movement is no doubt part of a semi-regular cycle. After lack of awareness about prescription drugs and a significant increase in their abuse among children, this most recent trend shouldn't be so surprising as the focus on marijuana has waned.
I think we need quite a bit of research to see if such increases do correlate with significant increases in individuals seeking help for marijuana-use-related problems. Yes marijuana advocates, those people exist whether you like it or not. For some proof, check out this link for a site put together by a recovering marijuana addict.
My quick, short, tips:
1. If you use weed, use a vaporizer to avoid the toxic fumes that can cause cancer in much the same way cigarette smoke does.
2. If your use becomes regular, whether daily or multiple times a week, consider talking to someone to help you figure out if you might be developing a problem use pattern. Those are much easier to stop early in their development.
3. Pay close attention to the interference between your marijuana use and other life-commitments. This is a tale-tale sign of problems.
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February 5, 2010 @ 12:56 PMAm I an addict? A simple new test may help us get the answer!
One of the biggest problems with addiction is that we never know who is truly an addict. Yes, we have tests and notions, interviews and criteria, but all of those are simply tools we've used to get around the problem of not knowing. Well, a recent study by a couple of researchers at Florida State University may help us get a little closer (before you get too excited, read the limitations at the end). My take-home message from this post is familiar: Addiction is a disease, not a question of morality.
Am I An addict? Testing for addiction
One of the major reasons for the push to find the 'alcoholic gene' was the hope that, once found, it would let us say, with certainty, who is (and who isn't) an addict. All those people who simply use drugs and other addictions as an excuse for their horrible behavior would be revealed and all those who truly need help could be identified. But it didn't quite work out that way.
There is no alcoholic gene. There are a whole bunch of genes that are associated with, and most likely contribute to, the risk of someone becoming an addict. But they vary for different drugs, require some pretty serious testing, and contribute very little (individually) to our ability to categorize people. The same genes that are linked to addiction are also linked to ADHD, anxiety disorders, depression, and on and on…
But wouldn't it be great if we had a conclusive test? Something that worked to really help us tell the difference between addicts and the rest?
Skin response testing
Electrodermal response modulation (ERM; a fancy name for measuring skin conductance) is a measure of how skin conductance changes in response to predictable versus unpredictable stress.
The connection between addiction and skin response might seem a stretch, but hey, dilated pupils are a sign for sexual attraction so… The idea is that the more prepared the overall system is to deal with predictable stress, the better equipped a person is to handle life stressors. Bad responsivity would mean that the person's system is not adjusting well to stressors that are predictable, producing too much arousal and discomfort to events they should be prepared for.
So for this study, high ERM good, low ERM bad, got it?
To make a long story short, this recent research shows that low ERM was more common among individuals with addiction than among controls (people with no major mental health issues) and even among individuals with personality disorders.
The good news is that this finding is promising in terms of possible future identification of people who are likely to develop addiction problems. But of course, there are some issues.
Limitations of the study
Since the study used people who were already addicted, it's impossible for us to know if low ERM exists before addiction develops. If it does, we may be able to identify potential addicts before they become addicted, but if not, it would still be useful to have a test to distinguish current addicts from non-addicts.
Of course, at the moment the test only works by comparing addicted to non-addicted groups - we don't have norms or cutoff points to tell us on an individual basis who is or isn't an addict. A lot more research will be required before that would be possible.
This is not the first test that has shown promise in terms of a quick identification test for addiction. There is quite a bit of research showing a relationship between a specific brain wave (called P300) and addiction. the problem is that P300 turned out to be pretty generally associated with what are known as externalizing disorders (like illegal activity, high risk sexual behavior, aggression, etc.). I personally believe that as behavioral addictions (like sex addiction that involves high risk sexual behavior) become more commonly understood, many of those externalizing disorders may be reclassified, making P300 possibly more popular as an addiction measure.
The Bottom Line: So can we tell?
It's too early to know if ERM will turn out to be a really good marker for addiction, but I'm sure people are hard at work trying to figure that out, so let's give them some time. Years ago I heard a presentation about people with low variability in heart rate which seemed to suggest something very similar, so I'm hopeful. But to me, there's a more important take home message:
Once again, this study shows that there are physiological factors to addiction that are far beyond anyone's actual control. I don't personally know anyone who can change their skin conductance, and so I'm pretty comfortable saying that addiction is an actual medical condition in so far as it has physical symptoms and some promising treatments.
But then again, I am a scientist...
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February 5, 2010 @ 12:42 PMSteven Tyler of Aerosmith enters rehab for addiction to prescription painkillers
The team doctor for the Boston Celtics
"Managing and controlling his pain has been challenging, and despite our use of alternative therapies and the creation of custom shoes built by a team of engineers from Timberland, Steven's pain has progressed. The balance between managing his pain and avoiding addiction is tenuous and difficult and his bravery in persevering through rigorous touring is admirable. As with many athletes, Steven put his performance first as he struggled with acute pain for years."
Not only has he been having chronic/severe issues with his knees and feet but he had to recover from breaking his shoulder after falling off stage in August while performing at a concert. Surely, one could suspect, he was dealing with pain issues and medicating them at that time as well.
Kramer, Aerosmith's drummer who also suffered addiction during the 70's and 80's, said "[he thought] that he [Steven Tyler] needs help and that attention needs to be put to his health".
For those that may not know, some of Aerosmith's hit albums include Rocks
CNN on behalf of People has the entire article here.
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December 23, 2009 @ 6:02 PMDr Anthony Galea, a Canadian doctor, charged with selling, importing, exporting, and smuggling PEDs
The investigation began in September when his assistant was caught departing Canada with Actovegin of which the assistant subsequently reported saying he was going to be administering the drug to some of their patients outside of Canada.
Dr. Anthony Galea was also suspected of administering the drugs to his patients within his own medical facility which prompted Canadian officials search the facility which resulted in the seizure of unapproved drugs; one of which is believed to be Actovegin.
One of his patients was Tiger Woods who he administered treatment to after Tiger's knee surgery last year. Tiger's faster-than-anticipated recovery has been attributed to Dr. Anthony Galea and his use of widely-accepted therapy and possible administration of human growth hormone.
CNN has the entire article here.
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December 17, 2009 @ 5:27 PMRehab center strips and beats patients to cure withdrawal and addiction
In Chennai, India, after a 26-year-old addict was taken by his brother to a rehab center his brother returned home and received a call from the rehab center saying that his addict brother was being rushed to a government hospital due to being in critical condition. Usually, that's the end of the story because families believe death is due to the drugs but this was an altogether different story.
A friend of the deceased individual's family said he had gone through treatment at the same center and mentioned that "inmates there were stripped naked when they experienced withdrawal symptoms and beaten when they grew violent." This was news to the family of the recently deceased but, for three years, to others it was well known that questionable methods were used to cure patients. "They are stripped naked, beaten if they turn violent due to withdrawal symptoms, and finally administered a paracetamol-caffeine combination regimen before being made to sleep on a bare floor in a 8x8 room with an attached toilet but no doors."
Recently, new centers have been opening up all over town and the rest of India to help cure the increased number of individuals addicted to drugs and alcohol but are allegedly being ran by under-qualified staff or individuals that have recovered but are looking to help others.
"The issue is not as much about intent as the lack of regulation. A drug or alcohol rehab centre needs to have qualified doctors, psychiatrists and psychologists besides other paramedical staff, which these independently-run outfits sorely lack. Most of them, according to Shanti Ranganathan who spearheads one of the state's largest professionally-run de-addiction centres, TT Ranganathan Clinical Research Foundation, are in dire need of oversight. "It's sad but I have heard that some of our patients have also started such clinics. What's even worse is you can't call these centres illegal as there is no mandatory requirement for them to even register," she said."
The Times of India has the entire article here.
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December 16, 2009 @ 3:02 PMBuju Banton in prison on drug, cocaine, trafficking charges
The report states that on December 8th, the reggae artist and an unidentified woman were taped at La Tropicana de Havana restaurant to meet with a secret informant and Ian Thomas (another individual charged and arrested). "Later at a police-controlled warehouse, Banton was handed a knife and instantly wiped the blade of the knife with his finger and placed that finger into his mouth in what appeared to be an attempt to taste the cocaine. After viewing the cocaine, Myrie and Thomas continue to negotiate with the [confidential source] for them to obtain multiple kilograms of cocaine."
Two days later, on December 10th, Ian Thomas and another individual were arrested at the same warehouse upon arriving with money to purchase about seven kilograms of cocaine. The reggae star was then subsequently arrested at his house in Tamarac, Florida.
The Miami Herald has the entire article here.
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December 15, 2009 @ 4:07 PMWhat does it mean to be love addicted? Sex addiction explained
While all of these scenarios, and others, can identify someone with a sexual addiction, the crucial part of identifying an addict has to do with the consequences of the behavior and the person's inability to control them. That being said, sex addiction is a relatively recent idea. In fact, it's sometimes called love addiction instead.
So what is sex addiction?
A sexual addict experiences the same type of uncontrollable compulsions that others feel in different forms of addiction (like substance, alcohol, gambling, shopping, etc). In his book (Out of the Shadow: Understanding Sexual Addiction) Carnes talks about the compulsive sexual behavior as guiding a misperception of the self.
In simple words: Sex addicts' view of themselves depends on their relationship with sexual behavior. Since they often find themselves unable to control the behavior, they often have trouble with their self-image.
What is sex addiction NOT?
Let us look at some of the NOTS of sexual addiction. Sex addicts are not people who are just hypersexual and get satisfied with their sexual behaviors; rather, they are often not satisfied with the sexual activities that they engage in. Sex addicts are not necessarily Casanovas, but are often normal functioning people who find themselves having to hide their compulsive sexual urges.
While some sex addicts do pay for sex, others are compulsive about watching porn and others simply struggle with monogamy. The point is, the stigma of sex addicts as predatory child molesters needs to be put to rest.
How common is sex addiction?
Sex addiction is a major problem in our society. Some estimate that as many as 15 million people in the U.S. are sexual addicts (roughly 8% of all men and 3% of women). Easy access to porn offered by the internet has most likely increased the prevalence of sexual addiction in the past decade. In fact, for most people getting porn addiction help specifically is the problem.
The costs for those suffering from sex addiction are also numerous: Relationships and families are disrupted and destroyed, the addict's self-esteem diminishes as they are unable to be productive in other areas of their life; illegal activity (like prostitution) ends up causing arrests, and health is often affected through the contraction of diseases.
Am I a sex addict?
Now, don't immediately assume that you are a sex addict because you fantasize about sex a lot. But how does one know if they are addicted to sex?
The simple rule is: no impairment, no addiction.
On the other hand, if day to day functioning is effected by the behavior (in this case, something sexual), this may be an indication of a problem. So, whether it be having sex often, thinking of sex, or even just being extremely horny, if it's making a person's daily activities or relationships dysfunctional and if they are unable to control their behavior they may be defined as a sex addict.
In future posts we will look more into the symptoms, forms, theories, and treatments related to sex addiction. In the mean-time, keep reading, and if you feel brave enough, share your story; who knows, you may be able to help someone else who is love addicted!!!
Question of the day:
Do you have any personal experiences with sexual addiction (your own or of someone close to you)?
In what ways has it affected your own life?
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December 15, 2009 @ 11:13 AMSmoking kills 5 million a year and smoke-free laws aren't as widespread as they should be
As it is now, about 5.4% (154 million people) of the world's population are living in a safer environment due to the smoke-free laws which limit exposure to the harms of tobacco smoke. Places such as the workplace, restaurants, bars, and other indoor public places have cleaner air. In 2008, seven more countries have implemented a much more comprehensive smoke-free system -- Colombia, Djibouti, Guatemala, Mauritius, Panama, Turkey and Zambia -- bringing the total to 17.
Not only does smoking cause an obviously substantial increase in getting lung cancer, it causes about 600,000 premature deaths a year, crippling and disfiguring illnesses, tens of billions of dollars of economic losses, and much more. As such, in 2008, a tobacco control package named MPOWER was devised by the WHO to help countries understand the steps that should be taken to reduce tobacco use. The steps are:
* monitor tobacco use and the policies to prevent it;
* protect people from tobacco smoke;
* offer people help to quit tobacco use;
* warn about the dangers of tobacco;
* enforce bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship; and
* raise taxes on tobacco.
The report continued to say that about 10% of the world's population is covered by any one measure. Not only that but it continue to be the leading preventable cause of death! A few last things to note of the report:
* Djibouti, Egypt, Islamic Republic of Iran, Malaysia, and Mauritius met the best practices for health warnings on cigarette packages;
* Israel, Romania, and the United Arab Emirates offered comprehensive help to quit;
* Panama joined the small group of countries that bans all forms of tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship. More than 90% of people lack protection from tobacco industry marketing;
* Czech Republic, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, the Netherlands, and Seychelles levied tobacco taxes higher than 75% of retail price; and
* of the world's 100 most populous cities, 22 are smoke-free.
The entire article can be found here.
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December 13, 2009 @ 3:17 PMElectronic programs for addiction
With the not-so-recent boom in Internet and the online world, mobile devices, and computers in general, a wide array of programs have been created for many aspects of life.
Drinks Tracker for iPhone and Alcohol Tracker are two relatively new programs that have been released to help people track how much they drink. The first program is for the iPhone and the second is for a desktop computer which has Windows and Mac versions.
More programs can be found here.
PS. Don't forget about About to relapse? There's an app for that.
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December 13, 2009 @ 1:23 PMSAMHSA Accepting Applications for Grants to Expand Substance Abuse Treatment for Juvenile Courts
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is accepting applications for up to $26 million in grants to expand Substance Abuse Treatment Capacity in Juvenile Treatment Drug Courts.
The purpose of this program is to expand and enhance substance abuse treatment services in “problem solving” courts which use the juvenile drug court model in order to provide alcohol and drug treatment, recovery support services and program coordination to juvenile defendants/defenders. Problem-solving courts are used as an alternative to incarceration; they quickly identify substance-abusing offenders and place them under strict court monitoring and community supervision as well as provide the participant with effective treatment services.
It is expected that up to 27 grants will be awarded for up to three years. The average annual award amount for each grantee is expected to be up to $325,000. The actual award amounts may vary, depending on the availability of funds and the progress made by the grantees. This grant will be awarded by SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Treatment.
WHO CAN APPLY : Eligibility is restricted to existing individual juvenile drug courts that have demonstrated relationships and agreements with existing domestic public and private nonprofit entities and community-based treatment providers and units of tribal, state and local governments that submit applications on behalf of an individual juvenile treatment drug court. .
HOW TO APPLY: Applications for No TI-10-004 are available by calling SAMHSA’s Health Information Network at 1-877-SAMHSA7, or by downloading from: http://www.samhsa.gov/Grants/2010/TI-10-004.aspx. Applications are encouraged to apply online using http://www.grants.gov/.
APPLICATION DUE DATE: Must be received by February 23, 2010
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION : Applicants with questions on program issues should contact Robert M. Vincent at 240-276-1582 or e-mail mailto:RoRobert.vincent@samhsa.hhs.gov . For questions on grants management issues, contact William Reyes at 240 276-1406 or e-mail william.reyes@samhsa.hhs.gov.
The article can be found here.
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December 13, 2009 @ 12:49 PMRush Limbaugh talks about his opiate addiction with William Shatner on Raw Nerve
A few days ago, Rush Limbaugh was a guest of William Shatner's Raw Nerve talk show where they talked about many things; Rush spoke about, among other things, his grandfather's legacy, how he became a radio host (and against his parent's will), about being completely deaf, and his oxycontin addiction and how he overcame his addiction by visiting an Arizona rehab center.
The transcript of the conversation can be found here and the videos are below.
Video 1:
Video 2:
Video 3:
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December 11, 2009 @ 9:03 PM