| State to end smoking in all addiction programs
In July, New York will become the first state in the nation to ban smoking at all its chemical dependence prevention and treatment programs, including those that treat gambling addiction. The 1,400 providers treat some 110,000 people on any given day. About 10,000 of them are in 13 state-operated addiction-treatment centers, which already are smoke-free. The policy also applies to employees, visitors and volunteers. "If we truly care about people's health and wellness, we have to care about their addiction to tobacco," the commissioner said last week.
In New York, up to 92 percent of the chemically dependent population smokes, compared with 18.2 percent of smokers in the general population, Carpenter-Palumbo said. An estimated 25,000 deaths each year in New York are tobacco-related, according to the agency.
They ditched hooch for health
Many stories on rehabilitation focus on an alcoholic's downward spiral before finding new life in sobriety. But with that new life comes a quandary — how to fill time once occupied with a bottle with time dedicated to health.
"You have to have something to replace that time, said Lawrence Houston, 48, who once abused alcohol and drugs but today lives clean and sober in suburban Lancaster. "Idle time is the devil's workshop!"
"Go for a walk," agreed Dr. David Hill, a Millersville University professor of psychology, who has also served as an addictions consultant for area treatment centers. "Go to the gym; go to something self-enhancing."
Like Houston, others who have battled addiction have taken up that mantra. They work out, golf, swim, coach, take up yoga, read, meditate and/or pray.
Are Internet Boot Camps in Our Future?
Is this a fate that awaits us? Boot camp to break cyberspace addiction. In South Korea, where 90 percent of homes are connected to the Internet, camps that are part rehab, part extreme games, are growing in number, alongside a network of 140 Internet-addiction counseling centers, in addition to treatment programs within hospitals. The "Jump Up Internet Rescue Camps" started this summer in a country where online gaming is a professional sport and young people hang out at Internet parlors called "PC Bangs," the New York Times reports. The camps get four to five applications for each spot. Once there, participants are denied computer access and can only use their cell phones one hour a day to make sure they are not playing online games via phones. What they do is exercise, ride horses, do outdoor activities to connect with the natural, real world.
Rehab Centers Take Issue with Media's Portrayal of Revolving Door Celebrities
Celebrities are doing it -- some successful, some not. Rehab success is due to attitude, programs offered and patience. The media make drug rehab appear to be unsuccessful as it relates to popular entertainment icons. This negatively effects the likelihood of potential patients entering into programs. North Palm Beach, Florida (PRWEB) October 22, 2007 -- The recent mischaracterization of Drug Rehab Centers as revolving door facilities prompts Florida treatment center CARE FLORIDA to distance itself from the rock-star agenda. Many recovery centers, when attended devotedly and vigilantly, can help with every kind of addiction problem out there. From drug and alcohol detox to help with gambling and eating disorders, these centers have programs to help with any addiction. However, the media make drug rehab appear to be unsuccessful as it relates to popular entertainment icons.
Personal Health | News and Notes
Breast-feeding is linked to higher IQ, but with a catch Breast-feeding has been linked to slightly higher IQ in children. But new research suggests the connection is not that simple: the IQ edge occurs only in breast-fed babies who have a particular version of a gene that produces an enzyme that helps convert dietary fatty acids into fatty acids that accumulate in the brain during the first months after birth. Got that? This discovery, made by a team of U.S. and British scientists, involved studies of more than 3,000 children in Britain and New Zealand. Kids without the brain-boosting version of the crucial gene, called FADS2, showed no IQ advantage or disadvantage from breast-feeding. The study appeared online Nov. 5 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. - Marie McCulloughToo little sleep for children can add up to too much weight As if you needed a reason to put your kids to bed, the latest research suggests they'll get fat if they don't get enough sleep.
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