| Korea Leading the World Internet Obsession Treatments
The New York Times reported on November 10 that Korea, the world�s most wired nation, leads the world in treating internet addiction. In an article on the Internet Rescue camp built in the city of Cheonan located in South Chungcheong province, the paper said, �Korea has a boot camp, identical to a hospital for alcoholics, to cure the overuse of the Internet or computers in general.� The newspaper added, �Korea is probably the first nation to operate a boot camp for obsessive computer use.� Korea is on the leading edge with a 90 percent high-speed broadband penetration rate, and online gaming has a popularity outstripping professional sports, and PC cafes that have spread to every corner in the nation. This internet-intensive environment has created side effects like internet obsession.
Can a problem drinker learn moderation
For years, Phil was a normal social drinker. �It�s a nice, simple pleasure,� he said. But a few years ago, Phil�s casual drinking took an ominous turn. Instead of stopping after two or three beers or glasses of wine, Phil would have four, five or six drinks. He would wake up exhausted. He�d be too tired to jog. He had to drag himself to his carpentry job. �It was really starting to drain me,� he said. If Phil had entered a conventional treatment program, he almost certainly would have been counseled to quit altogether. Complete abstinence is the prevailing philosophy of most programs, and the bedrock of Alcoholics Anonymous. Moderation �is a good idea, but it�s never worked,� said Mercy Hospital alcohol counselor Peter Chapman.
Rollover on I-15 ramp claims young West Vally man
A 19-year-old West Valley man was killed in a rollover accident on the freeway early Saturday. About 2:45 a.m., the driver and a passenger, also 19, were taking the ramp to go from northbound I-15 to westbound I-215. The driver lost control of the vehicle and hit a concrete barrier on the left side of the road, said Utah Highway Patrol trooper Cameron Roden. The vehicle rolled several times, ejecting the driver who was not wearing a seat belt, he said. Toeuth Loeuth was transported to a local hospital where he later died, Roden said. The passenger was taken to the hospital in fair condition. Although it was cloudy, the roads were dry at the time of the accident. Speed and alcohol were being investigated as possible factors in the crash, Roden said. .
Former patient sues Sacred Heart
SPOKANE -- A former patient at Sacred Heart Medical Center filed a lawsuit against the hospital and one of its psychiatrists on Monday. In a complaint for damages, the woman says that, while acting as her health care provider, Dr. John Moulton acted inappropriately in pursuing a sexual relationship. According to the court documents, the victim claims that Moulton, �during the time he provided psychiatric treatment and medical care to the plaintiff, engaged in multiple acts of medical and psychiatric malpractice and negligence including, but not limited to, committing multiple boundary violations, seeing the plaintiff outside of treatment sessions,� and numerous other violations of both a sexual and non-sexual nature. The complaint also alleges �multiple acts of kissing, fondling and other sexually explicit conduct� and �providing the plaintiff with alcohol while she was on medication that was not to be combined with alcohol.
Substance abuse costs state at least $470 million a year
People who abuse drugs and alcohol cost West Virginia roughly $470 million a year, while the state devotes less than $8 million to annual prevention efforts. The result, according to Wayne Coombs, is that the state is devoting most of its resources to treating the symptoms -- ranging from drug arrests to long-term health problems -- rather than the cause. Coombs, director of the West Virginia Prevention Resource Center, presented the data Wednesday at a conference the center organized in Charleston. Drawing on state and federal reports compiled over the past five years, Coombs said $470 million is the direct cost, including factors like hospitalization, treatment and incarceration. In indirect costs, which include speculative measures like lost productivity, the number could be closer to $1.8 billion, he said.
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