Ben Affleck, Courtney Love, Charlie Sheen, Winona Ryder, Matthew Perry, Brett Farve, and Darryl Strawberry

16:21 Rehab 0 Comments

In recent years, Ben Affleck, Courtney Love, Charlie Sheen, Winona Ryder, Matthew Perry, Brett Farve, and Darryl Strawberry each sought help for their addictions major rehab facilities’ admissions increased within the past two months out of high-celebrities seeking professional help. Patients who have abused drugs or alcohol in the past are now more inclined to admit to their problems and self-destructive vices

Gary Collins, who checked into a 60-day treatment facility

16:09 Rehab 0 Comments

Gary Collins, who checked into a 60-day treatment facility two days after his arrest, was also sentenced to 100 hours of community service; ordered to attend 26 Alcoholics Anonymous meetings (at least two per week); complete an 18-month alcohol-education program; and fined $500. He was also ordered to pay for the damage caused to the parked cars he hit.
He must surrender to authorities by Jan. 10 to start serving his time.

Mel Gibson

15:36 DUI 0 Comments

Mel Gibson has to appear at a DUI progress report in February.

Britney Spears "so lost" entering rehab

15:31 Rehab 0 Comments

Britney Spears insists she entered rehab Eric Clapton's Crossroads Centre in Antigua because she had "hit rock bottom" and was "so lost," and not as a result of depression or alcohol abuse.
The 25-year-old mother-of-two, who recently divorced husband Kevin Federline, admits she was behaving like a child with Attention Deficit Disorder before spending a month at the Promises clinic in Malibu, Calif., earlier this year.
Writing on her Web site, Spears says, "Recently, I was sent to a very humbling place called rehab. I truly hit rock bottom. 'Til this day I don't think that it was alcohol or depression. But the rehab didn't stick. Spears checked out of the facility less than 24 hours after arrival.

Tara Conner

15:24 Rehab 0 Comments

Tara Conner has announced she'll be writing a memoir about her time in rehab.
She spent 31 days at the Caron Foundation rehab facility in Pennsylvania beginning in December 2006, following allegations of wild partying and wide speculation that she would be stripped of her title.

DUI Arrests among the glitterati

14:34 glitterati 0 Comments

DUI Arrests among the glitterati . Busted celebs 2007 include Brit (natch) and Nicole Richie Rebecca De Mornay, Gus Van Sant, Mischa Barton, Michelle Rodriguez, rappers Busta Rhymes and Eve, country singer Mark Collie, and 24 star Kiefer Sutherland, who, like Paris, must serve time behind bars, for what turns out to be his third DUI conviction.

Mickey Rourke managed to get cited for driving drunk on his Vespa scooter. But no one outdid the Ironic Buddha himself, Bill Murray. The Caddyshack and Lost in Translation star was arrested in September in Stockholm on suspicion of driving a golf cart through street traffic while intoxicated.

Rehabs revolving door

14:31 Lilo 0 Comments

Lindsay's DUIs
LiLo bouncing in and out of rehab - that is, when she wasn't busy racking up DUI arrests. (Two big ones this year.) LiLo, who finally did time in a luxurious Utah rehab, the Cirque Lodge Rehab Facilities for two months. landed an onerous sentence for both busts: one day in jail and 10 days community service.Wonderland, one of the facilities Lohan attended, costs $40,000 a month and offers special services for clients in the entertainment industry, such as a sober escort to a film set.
Lohan,was arrested less than two days after checking out of Promises Treatment Center in Malibu, Calif.,

Brenda Faye Hawkins Valley drug rehab founder

22:23 Lauderdale 0 Comments

Brenda Faye Hawkins charges have been dropped because the alleged crime did not happen in Lauderdale County.
Connolly said, "We looked at it and determined that our county didn't have jurisdiction on the allegations of doctor shopping."
Connolly says there was not a misstep in the investigation.
"In this situation, there was an investigation, there's still an investigation. Its my understanding our drug task force got information a data base that lead them to believe they had probable cause to charge her," said Connolly.
Even though the charges have been dropped, it has still left a question about Hawkins' innocence or guilt.

European online gaming companies

10:12 Gambling 0 Comments

"The European Commission dealt a blow to European online gaming companies on Monday when it accepted a U.S. offer of openings in other sectors to compensate for closing the U.S. gambling market to foreign firms.
"European companies such as PartyGaming and bwin Interactive Entertainment had hoped the European Union executive might shun a settlement and fight on instead to restore their ability to operate in the world's biggest market...
"A bilateral agreement was signed in Geneva, which provides EU service suppliers with new trade opportunities in the U.S. postal and courier, research and development, storage and warehouse sectors," the Commission said in a statement.
"The U.S. also made concessions in the testing and analysis services sector," the Commission said, adding it would still try to dissuade the United States from discriminating against foreign operators.
A representative of Europe's online gaming sector -- which saw billions of euros of market value wiped out by the U.S. restrictions -- said the announcement was a disappointment.

addicted to Internet gambling

10:03 Gambling 0 Comments

I am addicted to Internet gambling. I work from home so am on the computer all day and in between my work I log onto the Internet and gamble. I have maxed out my credit cards, home loan etc. I am in such serious debt now but I keep on gambling on the Internet in the hope that I will win a huge jackpot and pay back my debt. I desperately need help. I don't know how I will ever get out of my debt.the passage of legislation prohibiting wire transfers to known Internet gambling sites, or the banks who represent them," the report says. "Furthermore, the Commission recommends the passage of legislation stating that any credit card debts incurred while gambling on the Internet are unrecoverable."

scourge of the 21st century

09:59 Gambling 0 Comments

Sheriff Kevin Veal said: “If £150,000 can be lost in 50 minutes under clandestine conditions in the early hours of the morning, it is an issue so great that it needs to be addressed by the wider community. It is a social issue.” Internet gambling, along with alcohol and heroin, is the scourge of the 21st century because it is unregulated,” said. “It also raises questions about the wisdom of credit card companies allowing borrowing levels to be raised without any real checks. “My own firm is seeing more and more cases of bankruptcies every week arising from addiction to online gambling.”

vulnerable women are turning to online gambling in increasing numbers

09:56 Gambling 0 Comments

vulnerable women are turning to online gambling in increasing numbers. And she warns it is leading to major problems that can have an impact on relationships and result in large debts.
“The Internet adds to the risk of problem gambling because it is highly accessible and therefore easy to gamble in secret. You don’t have to leave the house to do it and you can place bets day and night. There aren’t the restrictions that exist if you have to go out to a casino or betting shop,”
While James Bond often encountered glamorous women in casinos during his films, Professor Corney says women have traditionally shied away from such male-orientated environments. Their most common public exposure to gambling was and for now, remains, the bingo hall.

1,700 gambling websites

09:51 Gambling 0 Comments

, in addition to interactive television channels and mobile phones offering gambling services.average online gambling debt in 2006 was £25,676 - a rise of £5,000 from the year before, and a figure that it expects to increase further this year. The Debt Advisor says it is already seeing victims of the new trend, and believes that the rise in online betting will add to the UK's growing debt problem. It cites one client who ran up debts of £100,000 playing online poker in internet casinos.

promoted illegal Internet gambling

09:45 Gambling 0 Comments

High-profile Internet giants Microsoft, Yahoo and Google have forked over a combined $31.5 million in a settlement with the U.S. Justice Department over allegations the three promoted illegal Internet gambling."Prosecutions from this office (Eastern District of Missouri) have had a chilling effect on Internet gambling," Hanaway told reporters. "This settlement has made a major impact on Internet gambling in the United States, as these are three of the largest Internet businesses in the world."

Profound implications for the future of online gambling

09:40 Gambling 0 Comments

Profound implications for the future of online gambling. Haines, who lives in Marin County, north of San Francisco, is suing to get her money back, taking on not the casinos, but Visa International, MasterCard International, and one of the banks that issued her a credit card.
In her suit, Haines says the casinos duped her into thinking the online gambling was legal and then unfairly stacked the odds of winning against her. She further contends that Visa and MasterCard were indirect participants by permitting their cards to be used by the casinos and then profiting from the transactions.
Her suit seeks to go a step further. She is asking the court to prevent Visa and MasterCard from permitting their cards to be used by Internet casinos that provide service to any person located in the State of California.
"When people see their logo on a site, they think the casino is legitimate," said Ira Rothken, Haines's lawyer. "Visa and MasterCard are involved in aiding and abetting these online gaming operators."
Rothken described his client as "an absolute victim," who was "caught up in the hypnotic effect of online gambling."
Several online casinos, along with industry observers, counter that Haines was not victim, but a willing and eager participant who now is trying to get out of paying for her losses.

urge surfing

09:30 Compulsive 0 Comments

A technique known as "urge surfing" which harnesses mindfulness can be helpful for people who are experiencing cravings. Originally developed as a tool to help people struggling to battle alcohol and drug addiction, urge surfing is now being used to help people with overeating, gambling, compulsive shopping, smoking and other compulsive urges.Urge surfing can also be adapted to help people with panic attacks or any form of obsessive thoughts. When you have compulsions or cravings, you need a way to interrupt your thoughts before you take action. Mindfulness, or urge surfing, can achieve exactly that.

3,980 drug-related deaths

09:26 Death 0 Comments

The Office of Vital Statistics has recorded that approximately 87,500 deaths occurred in Florida during January through June 2007. Of these, the medical examiners reported on 3,980 drug-related deaths

Drinking often at home

09:20 Alcohol 0 Comments

NHS admissions for 35 to 49-year-olds with alcohol-related conditions have risen from around 50,000 in 2002/03 to 75,000 in 2005/06.
The government is warning people that drinking often at home could cause problems within 10 years of starting.
One in three of the 30 to 50-year-olds surveyed said that drinking too much had wrecked a night out for them at least once in the past year, and 44% said they hadn't learned to stick to the recommended number of drinks.

close down the drug addiction clinics

09:18 Heroin 0 Comments

radical solution to heroin addiction is to close down the drug addiction clinics and restrict medical intervention to such physical complications as abscesses, hepatitis and Aids: 'Addicts would then have to face the truth, that they are as responsible for their actions as anyone else.'

Many have no difficulty in taking heroin intermittently

09:12 Heroin 0 Comments

Large numbers of Vietnam veterans addicted to heroin promptly packed in their habit when they returned home with little or no support from the relevant agencies.Every premise of current policy turns out to be deeply flawed. To start with, the overwhelming craving for heroin, reputedly the defining feature of addiction, is much overplayed. Many have no difficulty in taking heroin intermittently as a recreational drug once or twice a week for years on end: 'You don't just wake up in the morning and decide to become an addict,' William Burroughs claims in his autobiography. 'It takes at least three months shooting up several times a day to get any habit at all.'

Strawberry meth has been reported in several states including Missouri, Washington State, Wisconsin, and Texas, Nevada, and California.

16:31 Meth 0 Comments

An Associated Press story published in newspapers across the U.S. on May 1, 2007 focused on discoveries of what appeared to be a strawberry-flavored children's drink at the scene of an illegal meth lab. It has come to be known as "Strawberry Quick." It has no connection with the popular Nestle QUIK flavored milk products now renamed Nestle Nesquik. Chris Harrison, a chemist at the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory, says that meth is bitter to the makers try to take that edge off any way they can and have used lollipops, sodas, candy, and anything else they can to make it easier for first-time users. The article said that the "Strawberry Quick" angle came to light in January when the Nevada Department of Public Safety issued a warning about it.

The Strawberry meth has been reported in several states including Missouri, Washington State, Wisconsin, and Texas, Nevada, and California.

Because of the sweet taste and candy-like appearance there is concern about children coming into contact with it but experts say its not been made that way just for the purpose of introducing it to children. Giving it a sweet taste and a harmless-sounding name is a marketing technique to ease it into the hands of any potential victim.

Fake or Real Urban Myth or the new marketplace

16:28 Meth 0 Comments

I have been alerted by one of our EMT's for our volunteer fire department that they have received emails from emergency responder organizations to be on the lookout for a new form of crystalized methamphetamine that is targeted at children and to be aware of this new form if called to an emergency involving a child that may have symptoms of drug induction or overdose.

They are calling this new form of meth "Strawberry Quick" and it looks like the "Pop Rocks" candy that sizzle in your mouth. In its current form, it is dark pink in color and has a strawberry scent to it.

Please advise your children and their friends and other students not to accept candy from strangers as this is obviously an attempt to seduce children into drug use. They also need to be cautious in accepting candy from even friends that may have received it from someone else, thinking it is just candy.

Strawberry Quick is popular among new users who snort it because the flavoring can cut down on the taste

16:24 Meth 0 Comments

To combat the bitter taste of methamphetamines, police say some cooks are adding flavoring that gives the drug a strawberry flavor and turns its trademark crystals bright pink.

"To entice children around Valentine’s Day, manufacturers and dealers compressed the flavored form of the drug into heart shapes, colored it bright pink and wrapped it in shiny paper," the Idaho Press-Tribune reported earlier this month. "Just like regular meth, the 'quick' versions can be broken up into a powder and snorted with a drinking straw, can be smoked or can be reliquified and injected intravenously."

Here's what a recent law-enforcement bulletin said: "Strawberry Quick is popular among new users who snort it because the flavoring can cut down on the taste. Teenagers who have been taught meth is bad may see this flavored version as less harmful. 'Strawberry Quick' is designed for the younger crowd."

Gamblers Anonymous

15:45 Gambling 0 Comments

Gamblers Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women who have joined together to do something about their own gambling problem and to help other compulsive gamblers do the same.

touch-screen roulette

15:44 Gambling 0 Comments

one in three pounds lost by his punters is touch-screen roulette. Just over half of all terminals belong to Ladbrokes and William Hill; together they take £420m a year.

losses will exceed £10bn for 2008

15:43 Gambling 0 Comments

British punters lose £9.5bn a year across all gambling- a 36% rise on £7bn lost in 1999, the year online gambling emerged. Excluding the lottery - the "softest" form of gambling - the annual loss from hard gambling widened by 56% in eight years to £7bn.

An adviser to both the culture department and to Revenue & Customs, Professor Vaughan Williams, said deregulation and online innovation will fuel the boom next year. He conservatively predicts the losses will exceed £10bn for 2008.

betting shop roulette

15:42 Gambling 0 Comments

One in four calls to a helpline charity, Gamcare, are over betting shop roulette. Anthony Jennens, its chairman, said: "They're easily accessible, rapid-play, and you win or lose rapid rewards - hallmarks of games which tend to addiction."

"crack cocaine of gambling".

15:41 Gambling 0 Comments

Estimates produced by a leading government adviser show £650m a year is taken from punters by the terminals - a sum almost matching the conventional casino industry's entire takings.
The Gambling Commission, the industry's new regulator, this month said in a report that one in nine people who played touch-screen roulette were classified as addictive or problem gamblers - the strongest link in any form of gambling.

exceed £10bn annually

15:40 Gambling 0 Comments

The money lost by British gamblers will exceed £10bn annually next year - a rise of 50% in nine years, and the biggest jump since the 1960s.

7,000 online gamers showed

15:33 Gambling 0 Comments

Massively multiplayer online games such as World of Warcraft, Guild Wars, and Second Life are becoming increasingly popular. All have celebrated milestones in their user numbers recently, with WOW announcing it has 7.5 million subscribers, Guild Wars selling 2 million copies (including expansions), and Second Life hitting 1 million users--many of whom spend real money in the game.

But games like World of Warcraft are hard to switch off and walk away from, says Professor Mark Griffiths, director of the International Gaming Research Unit at Nottingham Trent University in the UK. That's because they have no end, and there's always someone online somewhere in the world.

A Nottingham Trent research study of 7,000 online gamers showed that 12 percent exhibit at least three of the diagnostic criteria of addiction as outlined by the World Health Organisation. These include: craving, withdrawal symptoms, loss of control, and neglect of other activities.