There are many factors that can contribute to a gambling addiction, but these are some pretty big ones... 

- Gamblers are 18 times more likely to have severe psychological distress
- 4.3 times more likely to show alcohol abuse
- 2.4 times more likely to be depressed
- 11 times less likely to be able to call on friends, family, or neighbors when they need help, versus nongamblers
- 5.6 times more likely to be divorced than nongamblers
- 9 times more likely to be living with a community

How come celebrities think they can just get away with everything?  I mean, it's not helping their situation, her saying that just makes it obvious that she does't want to get any help at all.  I hope she does get help though, I feel sympathy for her too because I'm sure she just made a bad decision.  People think when they're big movie stars, that everything is going to be amazing, but they still have to deal with stress/life/bad media, they still have all of life's everyday problems.

My dad told my brother and I that he finally made the decision to do something about his drinking.  He's going to start an alcohol treatment program through the Veterans Hospital.  I'm so happy to hear this, because he's had alcoholism for so long.  He's 50 now and feels like he can't control it on his own, and wants to finally get help with it.  I was beginning to wonder if he would ever stop drinking, but I feel a lot better now.  I asked him if there was anything we could do to help, but he just said Please don't make the same decisions I did.  But I still feel like there's things I can do to help, any suggestions?? Tnks :)

Until now, it's been considered unorthodox for a teacher to search their students for weapons and drugs.  Teachers are getting suposedly 'new powers' that allow them to search their students even based on suspicious behavior.  Personal metal detectors are being recommended becase it's so easy for a student to bring knives/guns, and with all of the incidences with fighting in school, that's probably the smartest prevention.  I think this is sending a positive message to students, but its sort of an unfair position for teachers.  When I was in school they would bring drug dogs to search on occasion, and if any student was acting suspicious then they were immediately sent to their counselor.

It seems like escort services are becoming more popular these days.  In some cities they are actually legal, and it's really easy for owners to hide whats really going on.  They advertise nude body massages, dancing, and companionship, but really they're just whore houses. 
One man in the news spent over $280,000 in one year on escort services.  Now, he regrets it of course and realizes how stupid he was, now that he's flat broke.  Many people seek these places because they are lonely or going through something really hard like a divorce and they end up getting addicted. 
The girls invovled are only in it for the money and will basically do anything to get paid.  Clients are vulnerable and willing to fork out thousands just to have someone listen to them.  It's a sad situation really, people need to realize what they're getting themselves into because this problem will probably only get worse.

Are you talking about like extreme dieting..?  Some of my friends are obsessed with dieting because they feel like they could lose 5-10 pounds, but starving yourself and cutting out whole food groups is actually really bad for your health. 

Rich and poor drug addicts have equally likely chances of relapsing.... but the consequences of each are different.  A wealthy drug addict has a long way to fall down to the streets and homelessness.  They can have better rehabilitation care when they relapse compared to free treatment a poor person would get. 

It's nice to see new faces in these forums... Welcome :)

Whenever I start getting too obsessed with shopping, I'll start catching myself with certain indicators.  Like when I get a paycheck, I automatically think of the amount in terms of clothes I can buy.  I've never spent a whole paycheck on clothes, but it's got pretty close.  This is very bad because I have my own apartment and bills to pay so I can't be thinking about clothes all of the time.  Also when I'm at the mall, I always have to go 'browse' what's new and in season.  This is a trick because I'm the type of person that can't just look around, I'm not the best at controlling my impulses.  Just wanted to share with everyone, so you can learn your own indicators that you may be too obsessed with shopping.

I wonder if nicotine smoke in casinos contributes to why gamblers can become so addicted.  It may be the only place where some gamblers are around cigarette smoke, so it may contribute to their addiction to the gambling atmospehre and casinos....?

My dad was always the Food Marshall.  He commented about everything I ate.  It took me a long time to get over my insecurities about food.  If I did so much as eat a cookie, he'd yell "Whose opening the cookie jar!? "  And it'd be me of course. I can't help if I had a big appetite growing up, and yelling didn't help my situation.  I never felt beautiful or 'skinny enough.' 

Milk is really important for infants and young children, but as we grow older, we don't need milk as much.  As long as we're still getting the important vitamins found in milk it's fine.  I'm pretty sure that we're the only country that still drinks milk in adulthood.

Xanax is a Benzodiazepine, so it's basically a depressant and acts on the CNS as a depressant.  It produces a drowsy or calming affect on the brain.  A person can definately overdose on this and it's also dangerous to quit after prolonged use.

     Do you speed over to  your child's school, or even college whenever something goes wrong?  Many parents today insert themselves into every detail of their children's lives, a phenomenon that's become known as 'helicopter parenting.'  In reality, this isn't actually helping kids grow up to be healthy and successful.  Parenting should be increasingly in the background as the child gets older.  If you do for your child for too long, then your child never learns to do for themselves.  And it's important to show children that you believe they are capable of handling situations themselves, but always put safety first. 
    It's natural for parents to want to safeguard their children.  I can imagine how hard it is to watch your kid fall down, but they need to fall down once in a while so that they can learn to pick themselves up.  We've always seen that kid who hurts themselves and expects their parent to rush to their aid, even when they're not even hurt.  When parents are constantly rushing to aid their kids, then they never have the learning experience of coping and recovering from a bad experience.  They end up floundered, not knowing what to do with their negative feelings.

That wouldn't even work..!  The diploma would be in her daughters name anyway, that's probably just an excuse...  I wonder why she still felt that strong of a desire to be a cheerleader, even years later after she had kids..  This woman must have some type of issues to pull something like that.  And now that she's caught, she must feel so embarrassed! 

    Drug addicts in some states have been given shopping vouchers to stay clean and take health tests.. so far it's proven to be effective.  It explains why providing rewards to those trying to break their dependance need to be addressed by trying to break the habit, so the behaviors need to be changed.  Its' not called a drug habit for nothing.  People who use drugs like heroin or crack can quickly become addicted, not only physically but also psychologically.  And while the physical dependence can often be overcome rapidly, in many cases the psychological dependence becomes ingrained.  The reasons why someone started taking the drugs- and keeps on taking them- are still there.  
    Some users in the program are addicts who are addicted to hard core drugs, so they are extremely dependant to the point of withdrawal.  With the extra incentives that are promised once they show improvement, they are twice as likely to stay off drugs compared to other treatment programs.  One member of the program used his credits to buy a new suit to wear to his job interviews, another used his credits to buy video games for his kids in hopes of rebuilding his family life.  
    A lot of people claim that incentive programs simly reward drug use, but in fact, they do the opposite.  people are being encouraged to turn their back on addiction, to begin the slow and often painful process of recovery.  This could be the key to breaking the habit..