Wow I think that Dr. Drew kind of ripped Tom a new one.. read this:

"A lot of people in the public eye who behave strangely have mental illness we can learn from, and much of it is based on childhood trauma, without a doubt. Take a guy like Tom Cruise. Why would somebody be drawn into a cultish kind of environment like Scientology? To me, that's a function of a very deep emptiness and suggests serious neglect in childhood - maybe some abuse, but mostly neglect.

Now I could argue a lot of different points here. I'll stick to two since I got carried away in my first post. First, yes, neglect causes mental illness. But folks, hello, let's not forget that there exists evidence (through twin studies) for a genetic susceptibility for bipolar disorder and other mood disorders. Scientists like James Potash of Johns Hopkins Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science are close to using the susceptibility genes to point to biochemical pathways of disease that could lead to development of new medications to alter those pathways. Let's not lose sight that mood disorders are organic illnesses -not make-believe conditions that happen to those who crack under stress.

Second, while I, for one, am not a huge Tom Cruise fan (Gee, I wonder why?), I don't think the fact that he is a Scientologist makes him mentally ill. Does this mean because I'm a fish-frying Catholic, I'm a nut? Some would say yes. (And, okay, I did say that Catholicism was the best religion for the mentally ill because of all the visions and stuff.) I'm uncomfortable with anyone saying that because a person follows a set of beliefs that, in effect, makes him a member of my very elite camp. To tell you the truth, I hope Tom Cruise isn't mentally ill ... because I don't really want to run into him at one of my "retreats." Especially if he's off meds. Yikes."

I just heard that Cindy McCain use to be addiction to drugs like Vicodin and Percocet. Has anyone heard about this or am I living under a rock :). They said she stole the medicine from her nonprofit medical relief foundation. They are just bringing this up because of the election, but hey at least it was her organization she was stealing from! jk ;)

A new study has found that marijuana is more potent than it has been in 30 years. The University of Mississippi got funding from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. They collected and analyzed samples of seized weed from 48 different states and determined that THC levels are almost double what they used to be in 1983. So doesnt't that mean like in the 70s when drugs were huge that they still weren't as bad as they are now? Kind of weird to think about..

Howard Weyers is the owner of a health care benefits admin in Michigan gave his employees an incentive and encouragement to quit smoking. When this didn’t work he gave them an ultimatum: quit smoking in 15 mo or lose your job. He even extended this ban to the employee’ spouses and is monitoring it through mandatory random blood tests. This may work in Michigan, but in other states like California it would be a no go. They have laws that make it illegal for employers to hire someone or fire someone who participate in a legal activity. That may have been a harsh thing for Weyers to do, but he runs the company and he wanted it smoke free, which in the long run could be a good thing for the business.

Three men from SC were pulled over after having the cops called on them for waving a machete out of the passenger window. Officers also found open bottles of alcohol in the car. Seriously, where do people get these ideas?

toomuchshopping said: i have always loved to shop but this last year i have been unable to stop. i find myself buying things that i do not need and that i would have never purchased a year ago. i don't know what to do and i am afraid that my friends and family will be angry with me if they knew. help me.

I don't see how they could be angry with you :(. People have problems and need those special close people there for support. Try those things listed above for help. Good luck and with time maybe you can tell them..

I always knew she was an addict, but I was never sure what it was all about or what substance. She recently spoke out for the first time about her struggles and addiction and it's a pretty interesting story. Apparently it all started when she got cosmetic surgery on her nose. They prescribed her a pain killer and she got hooked. “I attempted various types of plastic surgery, minutely but enough to stave off this encroaching middle-aged body,” she said, which she tried after a cameraman told her she was developing bags under her eyes.  She even admits to taking some of her sisters pain medicine when she was recovering from a broken bone. I bet this kind of things happens a lot and I think it’s good when celebrities like herself come out about it and share it with people to try and help them and let people know they have been there before.

There is a section on here for free topics or something where you can write about any addiction. There are too many to make a section for each one :)

I haven't had to cut one up, but just this weekend I wanted to order something online and I really had to stop and think if it was worth my money because I'm really broke right now because I'm living on my own and trying to pay for school. I even filled in my credit card info but there was an error on the page so I figured that was a hint not to buy. I feel good about my decision.

Did you know that in 2006 6% of people had a shopping addiction? That was 2 years ago and I think that since then it has increased. It seems like there are 5 different forms of a shopping addiction though, the first one is compulsive, the second trophy, image, bargain and the last one codependent. Do you see yourself fitting into any of these areas. I know some people who buy buy buy just because it's on sale or at a discount store but me personally I think I am more of the image and compulsive buyer. I want expensive things and I can't help myself when I see something I want even if I can't afford it.