Abstract This paper discusses a program of meditation introduced in Indian prisons, Vipassana, that enables inmates to overcome addiction and problems of mental health while gaining a new orientation of themselves and their situations. The paper examines the Vipassana experiment in New Delhi's Tihar Jail and discusses the benefits of implementing this program into Canadian prisons.
Outline:
Introduction
Addictions and Canadian Offenders
Recognizing Addiction in India
What is Vipassana?
Closing Gaps in Practice and Planning
Concluding Discussion
From the Paper "Terry explained that Canadian recidivism often revolves around an offender's ability to cope with addiction, the ex-offender a person having overcome addiction, and the repeat offender a person not having achieved this. (2002) Canadian officials and institutions need to look further afield for programming, bearing in mind how Third World settings are keenly hampered by fiscal concerns. In short, a program affordable and effective in India is apt to prove effective given the extra supports available in the West. Moreover, what has been offered to Canadian federal offenders has not always served addicted offenders well -- the addict is frequently the 'repeat offender' with whom Federal prisons often deal."
Abstract This paper discusses a study on crack cocaine addiction in five Canadian cities and the use of the harm reduction model with regard to situational factors. The paper presents a comparison with pro-active de-addiction interventions in other countries and considers the view that crack addiction is a 'hopeless' problem despite a growing success rate in treatment knowledge. The paper also discusses the role of better attitudes and approaches based on less disparaging views of the addict.
From the Paper "A study of crack cocaine in five Canadian cities imparted a sense of its relative permanence. (Fischer et al: 2005) As in the United States and Britain, Canadian crack cocaine addiction is linked directly to crime beyond the prostitution in which addicts commonly engage, and serious mental illness led by the personality disorders found in 24% of crack addicts. (Fischer et al: 2005: 260) 'Crackheads' present paranoid psychosis, depression and anxiety hard that can be difficult to distinguish from simple addictions. Doctors must discern if a person's main problem is addiction or mental illness, in thousands of vagrant persons who are psychotics-turned-addicts or addicts developing psychoses."
Abstract This paper takes a look at addictions such as drug usage and gambling. The author first defines the term addiction and takes a look at what makes a person an addict, be it to food, drugs or cigarettes. In particular, the paper looks at dependency on drugs and addiction to gambling and examines how these addictions prove to be a strong hindrance to people's chance of living a quality life.
Outline:
Abstract
Introduction
Definitions of Addiction DSM IV Substance Dependence
Drug Addiction Gambling Addiction Conclusion
References
From the Paper "Nature has a way of making people addicted to some extent. There is that thing in people that hooks them with anything that will give pleasure and remove pain. Millions of people have habits or cravings not only to drugs, alcohol, food and cigarettes; but also to sleeping pills, tranquilizers, amphetamines, coffee, sugar, gambling, exercise, sex, love and many others. But that does not necessarily qualify them as addicts. It is normal for people to want some things because of the good feeling they get out of it. For others, it is the feeling of relief in avoiding the pain caused by stopping the habit that makes them keep on the habit. Fewer others are simply drowned and powerless to stop. What then makes a real addict different from everybody else who craves for things that bring pleasure and avoids pain? The answer to this has long been debated by scientists and researchers for decades with many different versions published."
Abstract This paper explores the possibility of addiction to video games. Research articles are presented that look at the addictive qualities of the games and who is susceptible. The author also compares this addiction to drug and alcohol abuse and pathological gambling. This literature review combines information from various articles to take a closer look at this issue.
Outline:
Description of Video Games
Definition of Addiction The Players
Who is Susceptible to Addiction?
Measuring Levels of Addiction Areas for Further Research
From the Paper "Video games are designed with many levels, appealing characters, interesting storylines and state-of-the art graphics. Some games use characters and movies that are already familiar and known to potential players. All of these factors have been designed to provide the user with a form of appealing entertainment that they want to purchase and then repeatedly to play. Video games are heavily advertised to attract a player's interest and then influence users into trying them."
Abstract In this article, the writer discusses that addictive behavior is a process that is initiated by certain motivational factors and causative features. The writer maintains that the use of psychological theories to describe and analyze these motivational patterns of behavior is essential in order to understand and create preventative strategies to combat addiction. In this essay, various theories of motivation are used to explain the addictive syndrome. These include cognitive and behavioral theories as well as socio-psychological and other theoretical stances. The pleasure principle and motivation towards fulfillment and self-efficacy and the search for excitement are also dealt with in relation to disinhibition theories of motivation. These are discussed to provide a clear and integrated overview of the central motivational theories that lead to and maintain addictive behavior. The writer concludes that the various theories of motivation are important points of departure in the alleviation and the reduction of the negative outcomes of addictive behavior in society.
Outline:
Abstract
Introduction
Overview of the Motivational Theories and Addiction Sensation and Experience Seeking
Opponent Processes
Developmental Theories
Summation and Conclusion
From the Paper "Motivation is one of the complex aspects of our psychological makeup. The reason why we do certain things and the causative factors that influence human behavior and actions are often seemingly mysterious and even irrational. Various theories of motivation can be applied to views of addictive behavior, and especially to harmful and potentially deadly addictions such as some forms of drug abuse.
"Drug addiction and abuse has a long and complex history in human society with regard to individual and social developments and actions. Drugs and their effects on the mind and consciousness states of experience can be traced back to the origins of human history."
Abstract This paper discusses the concept of internet addiction, where by people become addicted to surfing the internet for hours on end, affecting the way in which they relate and interact with their family, colleagues, friends and society in general. According to this paper, internet addiction should be treated in a similar manner to other types of addiction.
From the Paper "Addiction may take on a variety of forms. People might become addicted to alcohol, illegal drugs, or prescription medications. Addictions, in fact, have become almost expected. However, the continued rise in the advancements of technology has brought about concerns relating to video games, pornography, and the Internet. As with addictions related to substances, many people become addicted to computers. The Internet provides a lure for them that they cannot ignore. Furthermore, as in all other addictions, Internet addiction affects the ways in which people interact in society, how they function within their families, and how they conduct their lives. It is evident that Internet addicts share many of the same traits correlated with other addictions, and therefore, the problem is one that needs to be addressed."
Abstract This paper provides a thorough examination into the profession of an addiction counselor. It explains that the profession lacks cohesion because it is quite new and only basic norms have been set. It looks at the hurdles in training to be an addiction counselor and what qualifications are needed. It then examines the type of personality one should possess in order to be a successful addiction counselor. Different methods of counseling are discussed as well as developments in the field, in research and practice. The paper concludes with examining the future of the addiction counseling field.
From the Paper "Addiction counseling is a profession with a low level of cohesion due to very significant state-to-state differences in certification and licensure requirements, the variety of levels of qualifications among practicing counselors, and the emergence of new demands--in terms of knowledge and coverage--for addiction counselors at a time when fiscal support and insurance reimbursements for drug intervention programs are shrinking and demand is increasing. As the profession struggles to organize itself by adding to its arsenal of competencies, however, the National Curriculum Committee (NCC) of the Addiction Technology Transfer Center (ATTC) seeks to define the broadest range of knowledge, skills, and attitudes for all addiction professionals while also producing a defining list of attributes that all addiction counselors share. As the field expands and contracts on various fronts new opportunities arise as counselors add to the knowledge and skills they use in practice. But the basic attitudes and other personal characteristics of counselors remain constant and this allows for the creation of a profile of the addiction counselor in terms of attributes that facilitate the connection with clients, negotiate the difficult problems of empathy and distance, and are productive of the kind of sustained attention and efficiency of execution without which no addiction counselor can serve her/his clients adequately. The addiction counselor must, in short, become a combination of an efficient bureaucrat, an empathetic supporter, a model of constancy and consistency, and the possessor of a variety of knowledge and skills that will facilitate clients' recovery."
Abstract This paper examines addiction and addictive behaviors as a social issue in Canada. The paper discusses the scope and nature of the problem, possible solutions, and policy responses. It further discusses whether addictions are a cause or consequence of the social conditions associated with them.
From the Paper "Addictions are a serious social problem in Canada as in other Western industrial countries and indeed in most, if not all, societies around the world. The prohibition of alcohol and other addictive substances and behaviors by several world religions attest that the problem of addiction is an ancient one. Addictions and the patterns of behavior associated with addiction cause enormous misery to addicts and those around them and on society as a whole."
Abstract The paper states that video gaming addiction has been recognized as a new form of addiction requiring treatment, as today's video games are extremely graphic and realistic. The paper discusses the fact that youth who escape into the world of video gaming, spending excessive time in this particular pursuit are at a high risk of developing video gaming addiction, which in turn is linked to violence among youth. The paper concludes that future research should concentrate on identification of individual characteristics that, when combined with excessive time spent video gaming, is likely to lead to the individual developing an addiction to video gaming.
Outline:
Introduction
Literature Review
Summary & Recommendations for Future Research
From the Paper "The work of Taylor (2006) entitled: "Video Game Addiction A Treatable Mental Condition" states that according to Maressa Orzack, McLean Hospital Computer Addiction Study Center Director and an assistant clinical psychology professor at Harvard University states that: "Computer addiction is an activity in which the person spends too much time, risking everything from relationships to finances." (2006) A separate report entitled: "Game Away the Day" states that researchers states that the Society for Neurosciences has stated indications that the individual who spends an excessive amount of time video gaming has "the same physiological responses that trigger a smoker's craving" and that this research was established through use of electroencephalography (EEG) measurement of brain activity in those addicted to video gaming."
Abstract The following paper further discusses the criteria for determining if an individual has a sexual addiction and offers physiological, social and psychological reasons for this disorder. Freud, a recovering sex addict - Michael Ryan and Toby Jackson's ?Medicalizing Temptation" are made reference to.
From the Paper "?The fastest-growing group is successful professionals. Society is becoming increasingly sexualized. Hard to imagine, but it is. Everyday, there are constantly sexual references and stories involving sex in the paper, more sexual programs in prime time, more advertising. It gives people the impression that sex is the answer.
Some might joke that if you have to be addicted to something, sex isn't bad. But the uncontrollable compulsion to seduce and conquer is definitely not enjoyable, and if untreated, it can destroy careers, marriages, and lives. What's missing from a sexual addict's life can't be found in repeating the same old patterns. But it can be discovered in the lives of the people we care about ?the ones we really care about."
Abstract This paper discusses the issue of drug addiction and crime, with particular reference to crack cocaine addiction and property theft. It discusses these issues with reference to previously published literature in the form of reviews of the research conducted on this issue. The paper finds that there is a complicated link between drug use and crime, with no directly discernible causative link between the two, i.e., drug use does not necessarily lead to crime, just as crime does not necessarily lead to drug use. The paper ends by looking at various recommendations.
Outline
Abstract
Introduction
Literature Review
Methodology
Findings/Results
Conclusions
Recommendations
Bibliography
From the Paper "Illicit drug use is widespread in the young adult population; there are, for example, around four million regular illicit drug users in Great Britain (Hough et al., 2000). The most commonly used illicit drugs are cannabis and ecstasy; large minorities of the teenage and young adult population also admit to other forms of offending, though only a very small proportion are persistent or serious offenders (Hough et al., 2000). Those who use illicit drugs are more likely than others to be involved to some degree in crime, and vice versa, however, in general there is no significant causal link between use of either cannabis or ecstasy and property crime (Hough et al., 2000)."
Abstract This paper discusses the phenomenon of the increasing incidence of substance abuse and addiction in the United States. The paper discusses the effects of substance abuse on the addicted individual, as well as everyone who is associated with that person, such as family members, neighbors and co-workers.
From the Paper "Introduction Substance abuse addiction in the United States is an issue that has continued to grow each year of the last several decades. In some portions of society the addictions to substances are so prevalent that people think of addiction as a common element of society, without concern for what is happening to the people that are affected by the addiction. Those that are affected are not merely the addicts, but the families, co-workers, and neighbors of substance abuse addicts. Furthermore, the affects of substance abuse will ultimately exist throughout the social order to the extent that society becomes nonchalant about substance abuse addiction, with condemnation for those that do the abusing. "
Abstract This paper reviews the effect that the internet has had on the world. Not all these changes are positive. According to the paper, due to the internet it is easier for youth to get drugs and pornography. The internet has also created a new form of addiction, internet addiction.
Abstract On 13 September 1923, General Miguel Primo de Rivera launched a successful and bloodless coup d'etat, beginning seven years of dictatorship in Spain. Primo de Rivera was a maladroit politician filled with the fervor of Spanish patriotism thought sufficient to navigate his dictatorship through the murky waters of politics. This paper will argue that the regime was more of a developmental dictatorship than one based in the usual fundamentals of autocracy. It concerns itself instead with describing the political realities in which the Primo de Rivera dictatorship was based, before moving on to discuss the objectives and achievements of the regime. The paper concludes by suggesting ways in which the dictatorship may have influenced the cataclysmic developments that drew the nation into Civil War less than a decade after the collapse of the Primo de Rivera regime.
Abstract This essay considers the life and philosophy of Simone de Beauvoir. A brief overview of de Beauvoir's life is offered here, followed by a critical consideration of de Beauvoir's relations to existentialism.
