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Addictions you may not be aware of!
Since one of our brethern is in rehab- Chato- I have also willed away my desire to gamble for the time being. I have won some dramatic games over the last few evenings and am now more aware than ever about how addicted we are to not only gambling but to the internet. (try watching a basketball game point by point and minute by minute on espn.com)
I always say- this is nearing the playoffs and this is happening and this good pitcher is on the mound- I can't stop now!
I asked Chato to give up calling plays so that he could concentrate on his addiction to Coke. I so honor that request myself.
In reality- I been wanting to quit gambling as well. Two Ton Tony, Love Doc and others have done it - why not me!
Well, its not just gambling that I am addicted to. See, I love to write- never knew how much till I came to BC. Oh, no- there is a much bigger psychojogical dependence--- the internet.
Lets check on what this is-----and then I will return!
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Aboujaoude, clinical assistant professor in psychiatry and behavioral sciences and director of Stanford’s Impulse Control Disorders Clinic, said that a growing number of Internet users are starting to visit their doctors for help with unhealthy attachments to cyberspace. He said these patients’ strong drive to compulsively use the Internet to check e-mail, make blog entries or visit Web sites or chat rooms, is not unlike what sufferers of substance abuse or impulse-control disorders experience: a repetitive, intrusive and irresistible urge to perform an act that may be pleasurable in the moment but that can lead to significant problems on the personal and professional levels.
According to preliminary research, the typical affected individual is a single, college-educated, white male in his 30s, who spends approximately 30 hours a week on non-essential computer use. While some may hear this profile and assume that a person’s Internet “addiction” might actually be an extreme fondness for pornography, Aboujaoude stressed that pornography sites are just one part of the problem.
“Not surprisingly, online pornography and online gambling, have received the most attention—but users are as likely to use other sites, including chat rooms, shopping venues and special-interest Web sites,” he said.
Although studies show that more than 160 million Americans are regular Internet users, little research has been conducted on problematic Internet use. A 1999 Center for Internet Studies survey of 18,000 Internet users, however, did find that 5.7 percent of the sample met suggested criteria for “compulsive” Internet use. And a 2002 study in the journal CyberPsychology & Behavior found that 60 percent of companies surveyed had disciplined, and more than 30 percent had terminated, employees for inappropriate Internet use.
“The issue is starting to be recognized as a legitimate object of clinical attention, as well as an economic problem, given that a great deal of non-essential Internet use takes place at work,” said Aboujaoude. But he added Internet use is a distinct disorder or merely an expression of other psychopathologies, such as depression or obsessive-compulsive disorder.
In the Stanford study—which Aboujaoude said is the first large-scale, random-sample epidemiological one ever done—the researchers conducted a nationwide household survey and interviewed 2,513 adults. Because no generally accepted screening instrument exists for problematic Internet use, the researchers developed their questions by extrapolating from other compulsive and addictive conditions.
The researchers found that 68.9 percent were regular Internet users, which is consistent with previous studies, and that:
13.7 percent (more than one out of eight respondents) found it hard to stay away from the Internet for several days at a time
12.4 percent stayed online longer than intended very often or often
12.3 percent had seen a need to cut back on Internet use at some point
8.7 percent attempted to conceal non-essential Internet use from family, friends and employers
8.2 percent used the Internet as a way to escape problems or relieve negative mood
5.9 percent felt their relationships suffered as a result of excessive Internet use
Aboujaoude said he found most concerning the numbers of people who hid their nonessential Internet use or used the Internet to escape a negative mood, much in the same way that alcoholics, sexual and drug users might. “In a sense, they’re using the Internet to ‘self-medicate,’” he said.
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Alrighty, now I am fine and enjoy capping
but structuring bets have always been my downfall. I grew up at the dog track as my father and uncle were Vets and I love to see the puppies run. My Uncle would be the one to check the dogs out. Nice inside info if I was into it that sort of thing.
Anyway this gambling nature would turn back up again about 4 years ago, on the golf course and I totally was hooked.
I would lose 10,000 twice in one month and almost lost a good friend over a debate of what I played. I was wrong and everything is cool now.
As a physician who is semi-retired from the government- I have the resources and the time to make plays and gamble.
Where my bets were 1500 at max- they were parlayed to get the money back as quick as I could. Lately, I try to make it fun and keep my bets in the 10-200 range. But the life I am leading is in an unrealistic world and I have a commitment to reality with my patients.
Since we all have our addictions- I truly hope noone is in denial- because the pain and suffering such as what Chato and others on the site have had to go through was Hell and the only redemption is to balance your life with physical, emotional, mental, social and spiritual expression. Best Bet! Good Luck All- Spear
I always say- this is nearing the playoffs and this is happening and this good pitcher is on the mound- I can't stop now!
I asked Chato to give up calling plays so that he could concentrate on his addiction to Coke. I so honor that request myself.
In reality- I been wanting to quit gambling as well. Two Ton Tony, Love Doc and others have done it - why not me!
Well, its not just gambling that I am addicted to. See, I love to write- never knew how much till I came to BC. Oh, no- there is a much bigger psychojogical dependence--- the internet.
Lets check on what this is-----and then I will return!
---------------------------------------------
Aboujaoude, clinical assistant professor in psychiatry and behavioral sciences and director of Stanford’s Impulse Control Disorders Clinic, said that a growing number of Internet users are starting to visit their doctors for help with unhealthy attachments to cyberspace. He said these patients’ strong drive to compulsively use the Internet to check e-mail, make blog entries or visit Web sites or chat rooms, is not unlike what sufferers of substance abuse or impulse-control disorders experience: a repetitive, intrusive and irresistible urge to perform an act that may be pleasurable in the moment but that can lead to significant problems on the personal and professional levels.
According to preliminary research, the typical affected individual is a single, college-educated, white male in his 30s, who spends approximately 30 hours a week on non-essential computer use. While some may hear this profile and assume that a person’s Internet “addiction” might actually be an extreme fondness for pornography, Aboujaoude stressed that pornography sites are just one part of the problem.
“Not surprisingly, online pornography and online gambling, have received the most attention—but users are as likely to use other sites, including chat rooms, shopping venues and special-interest Web sites,” he said.
Although studies show that more than 160 million Americans are regular Internet users, little research has been conducted on problematic Internet use. A 1999 Center for Internet Studies survey of 18,000 Internet users, however, did find that 5.7 percent of the sample met suggested criteria for “compulsive” Internet use. And a 2002 study in the journal CyberPsychology & Behavior found that 60 percent of companies surveyed had disciplined, and more than 30 percent had terminated, employees for inappropriate Internet use.
“The issue is starting to be recognized as a legitimate object of clinical attention, as well as an economic problem, given that a great deal of non-essential Internet use takes place at work,” said Aboujaoude. But he added Internet use is a distinct disorder or merely an expression of other psychopathologies, such as depression or obsessive-compulsive disorder.
In the Stanford study—which Aboujaoude said is the first large-scale, random-sample epidemiological one ever done—the researchers conducted a nationwide household survey and interviewed 2,513 adults. Because no generally accepted screening instrument exists for problematic Internet use, the researchers developed their questions by extrapolating from other compulsive and addictive conditions.
The researchers found that 68.9 percent were regular Internet users, which is consistent with previous studies, and that:
13.7 percent (more than one out of eight respondents) found it hard to stay away from the Internet for several days at a time
12.4 percent stayed online longer than intended very often or often
12.3 percent had seen a need to cut back on Internet use at some point
8.7 percent attempted to conceal non-essential Internet use from family, friends and employers
8.2 percent used the Internet as a way to escape problems or relieve negative mood
5.9 percent felt their relationships suffered as a result of excessive Internet use
Aboujaoude said he found most concerning the numbers of people who hid their nonessential Internet use or used the Internet to escape a negative mood, much in the same way that alcoholics, sexual and drug users might. “In a sense, they’re using the Internet to ‘self-medicate,’” he said.
------------------------------------------
Alrighty, now I am fine and enjoy capping
but structuring bets have always been my downfall. I grew up at the dog track as my father and uncle were Vets and I love to see the puppies run. My Uncle would be the one to check the dogs out. Nice inside info if I was into it that sort of thing.
Anyway this gambling nature would turn back up again about 4 years ago, on the golf course and I totally was hooked.
I would lose 10,000 twice in one month and almost lost a good friend over a debate of what I played. I was wrong and everything is cool now.
As a physician who is semi-retired from the government- I have the resources and the time to make plays and gamble.
Where my bets were 1500 at max- they were parlayed to get the money back as quick as I could. Lately, I try to make it fun and keep my bets in the 10-200 range. But the life I am leading is in an unrealistic world and I have a commitment to reality with my patients.
Since we all have our addictions- I truly hope noone is in denial- because the pain and suffering such as what Chato and others on the site have had to go through was Hell and the only redemption is to balance your life with physical, emotional, mental, social and spiritual expression. Best Bet! Good Luck All- Spear
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