100,000 websites offer illegal child pornography

As of 2003, there were 1.3 million pornographic websites; 260 million pages (N2H2, 2003).

The total porn industry revenue for 2006: $13.3 billion in the United States; $97 billion worldwide (Internet Filter Review).

U.S. adult DVD/video rentals in 2005: almost 1 billion (Adult Video News).
Hotel viewership for adult films: 55% (cbsnews.com).

Unique worldwide users visiting adult web sites monthly: 72 million (Internet Filter Review).

Number of hardcore pornography titles released in 2005 (U.S.): 13,588 (Internet Filter Review).

Adults admitting to Internet sexual addiction: 10%; 28% of those are women (internet-filter-review.com).

More than 70% of men from 18 to 34 visit a pornographic site in a typical month (comScore Media Metrix).

More than 20,000 images of child pornography posted online every week (National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, 10/8/03).

Approximately 20% of all Internet pornography involves children (National Center for Mission & Exploited Children).

100,000 websites offer illegal child pornography (U.S. Customs Service estimate).

As of December 2005, child pornography was a $3 billion annual industry (internet-filter-review.com).

"At a 2003 meeting of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, two thirds of the 350 divorce lawyers who attended said the Internet played a significant role in the divorces in the past year, with excessive interest in online porn contributing to more than half such cases. Pornography had an almost non-existent role in divorce just seven or eight years ago." (Divorcewizards.com)

Internet addiction is not widely recognized by the medical community.

The amount of time kids spend online is a source of frustration for many parents. Initially, parents welcomed the Internet into their homes, believing they were opening up an exciting new world of educational opportunities for their children. However, many parents soon realized that, instead of using the Internet for homework or research, their kids were spending hours instant messaging with friends, playing online games or talking to strangers in chat rooms.



Maintaining a healthy balance between entertainment media and other activities in their children's lives has always been a challenge for parents. The Internet has made this challenge even more difficult. The engaging nature of Internet communications and interactive games means many children and teens have trouble keeping track of time when they're online.



Unfortunately, parents and teachers are usually not aware that there is a problem until it becomes serious. This is because it is easy to hide what you are doing online and because Internet addiction is not widely recognized by the medical community. (Mental health practitioners continue to debate whether this behaviour is an "addiction," with some preferring to identify it as "compulsive behaviour.")



Children and young people can easily become 'hooked' on online activities such as multi-user games, instant messaging, pornography and chat rooms. The most vulnerable children, according to the Computer-Addiction Services at Harvard Medical School, are those who are "lonely and bored or from families where nobody is at home to relate to after school."

Symptoms of Internet Addiction

1. Using online services everyday without any skipping.

2. Losing track of time after making a connection.

3. Going out less and less.

4. Spending less and less time on meals at home or at work, and eating in front of the monitor.

5. Denying spending too much time on the Net.

6. Others complaining of your spending too much time in front of the monitor.

7. Checking on your mailbox too many times a day.

8. Thinking you have the greatest website in the world and dying to give people your URL.

9. Logging onto the Net while already busy at work.

10. Sneaking online when spouse or family members are not at home, with a sense of relief.

Content provided with permission from the Cenla Chemical Dependency Council

What is Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD)?

What "Internet addiction disorder" (IAD) is still difficult to define at this time. Much of the original research was based upon the weakest type of research methodology, namely exploratory surveys with no clear hypothesis or rationale backing them. Coming from an atheoretical approach has some benefits, but also is not typically recognized as being a strong way to approach a new disorder. More recent research has expanded upon the original surveys and anecdotal case study reports. However, as I will illustrate below later, even these studies don't support the conclusions the authors claim.
The original research into this disorder began with exploratory surveys, which cannot establish causal relationships between specific behaviors and their cause. While surveys can help establish descriptions of how people feel about themselves and their behaviors, they cannot draw conclusions about whether a specific technology, such as the Internet, has actually caused those behaviors. Those conclusions that are drawn are purely speculative and subjective made by the researchers themselves. Researchers have a name for this logical fallacy, ignoring a common cause. It's one of the oldest fallacies in science, and one still regularly perpetrated in psychological research today.

IAD

So far addictions have mainly focused on highs that are produced from the use of drugs or other external forces that affect the brain’s chemical responses. However it has recently been brought to the public’s attention that an individual can receive a similar kind of “high” from using the Internet. This malady has been termed Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD). The research for this disorder is fairly new and scarce, but the results leave something to mull over. It affects everyone involved with the “user,” and moreover there are a few psychologists who know how to treat it.

Internet addiction disorder

Internet addiction disorder refers to the problematic use of the Internet, including the various aspects of its technology, such as electronic mail (e-mail) and the World Wide Web. The reader should note that Internet addiction disorder is not listed in the mental health professional's handbook, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition, text revision (2000), which is also called the DSM. Internet addiction has, however, been formally recognized as a disorder by the American Psychological Association.

Normal people do not stay up for 228 hours at a time

Normal people do not constantly look out the window to see if the cops are there every two minutes. Normal people, do not see people sitting in their cars, when really no one is there. Normal people do not stay up for 228 hours at a time,
Brittany, now healthy and speaking out about her story.
and wish they had money to pay their bills, wish they could get back custody of their son, and wish they could eat and sleep,. But no they are hooked on this evil thing called crystal methamphetamine. Normal people take care of their children, and do not take them to meth labs.

I began smoking pot in the 10th grade which led to many other things. I first used meth with I was 17 years old. If I wasn't pregnant or in rehab I was using this drug. I wish I never had.

My early days in using meth were not as heavy as what they were right before I quit. I still lived at home with my mom and dad, and I had to be careful. I would go out and smoke some meth and then come home and couldn't fall asleep all night, and then sleep the next day to make up for it. Then I would do it a couple days later. I also had a job when I was nineteen and I didn't get off until 12:00AM and I would do it right before I went home. I was always partying Normal people take care of their children, and do not take them to meth labs.
and stuff -- I liked the feeling it gave me, and the sense of power; I thought I was somebody. I'm a very outgoing person who is always on the go, and meth made me GO. In a sense I think some of it was done out of rebellion to my parents. I got kicked out of my house -- or really I got asked to leave if I couldn't abide by their rules, so I did. And I got really wild, and ended up living with whoever would let me live with them. During this time I got pregnant.

increasingly understood to be a medical disorder

Advances in science are revolutionizing understanding of drug abuse and addiction. Addiction is increasingly understood to be a medical disorder with a critical central role for psychiatrists in its treatment. Consequently, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) has teamed up with the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), National Institutes of Health, for its first-ever special track on drug addiction and the brain during the APA annual meeting

Chief Executive of Action on Addiction

Lesley King-Lewis, Chief Executive of Action on Addiction, says:

"These findings are very worrying. As a nation, we need to be far more aware of the harmful effects that excess drinking can have on our health.

"Our concern is that many people don't realise that drinking too much alcohol simply exacerbates problems like stress and disturbed sleeping patterns - issues that survey participants said they were very worried about.

"These results further prove that Britain has a culture of binge drinking. Alcohol consumption in the UK is increasing, and we are sitting on a time-bomb that could threaten the health of the nation for generations to come if we do not act quickly."

There are up to 100 health conditions associated with drinking too much alcohol, and in particular 65% of suicide attempts are associated with alcohol. The Action on Addiction Alcohol Campaigning Group is calling for the Government to pursue effective policies that will have a real impact on the nation's mental and physical health.

We want the Government to consider implementing the three key points put forward by the Action on Addiction Alcohol Campaigning Group, which consists of over 30 leading alcohol experts from across the country.

To provide an alcohol worker in every hospital.
To tax drinks according to the amount of alcohol.
To put health warnings on alcohol bottles and at point of sale.

Statement from Action on Addiction

Victoria Manning Action on Addiction Research Fellow, says:

"These findings are extremely worrying. The UK is singled out as one of the worst offenders for cocaine use, with over 6% of the population having tried the drug at least once.

"We are very concerned about the continuing high levels of cocaine use, particularly among young adults.

"Taking cocaine can cause people to become anxious and agitated, and in high doses it can cause paranoia and panic attacks. As a stimulant drug it boosts energy levels, keeps people awake longer and often interferes with sleep patterns. It is also an appetite suppressant and if taken regularly can lead to a poor diet.

"Furthermore, there is evidence to suggest that people under the age of 30 are likely to drink more alcohol when using cocaine as alcohol softens the crash from the cocaine high, whilst cocaine offsets the sedating effect of alcohol. For this reason cocaine use sometimes accompanies binge drinking episodes in young adults, which can lead to the myriad of other problems that we have heard so much about recently."

University of Birmingham

The aim of the Alcohol, Drugs, Gambling and Addiction Research Group is to carry out, and disseminate the results of, research into the consumption of alcohol and other drugs, and involvement in other potentially addictive behaviours such as gambling. Research undertaken by the Group may focus on consumption or activity which is unexceptional, or on behaviour which is excessive. To be undertaken by the Group, research must have clear relevance for either the prevention or treatment of alcohol or drug-related harm, or other similar forms of difficulty. The group pursues this aim by carrying out research situated both in the clinic and in the community, drawing upon both clinical psychology and applied social/community psychology traditions. The Group has particular experience of research into the family aspects of alcohol and drug use and intends to preserve this as one emphasis.

Methods

Work carried out by the Group has a number of distinctive features, as follows:

1. Wherever possible the Group’s work combines quantitative and qualitative research approaches. An aim of the Group is to keep abreast of latest developments in both types of methodology.

2. The Group has a tradition of carrying out research collaboratively with colleagues outside the School of Psychology – locally, nationally and internationally – and aims to continue such a tradition.

3. The Group will continue to seek, and hopefully obtain, research contracts with Research Councils, Government Departments, charitable organisations, and others.

The American Medical Association called for more research into the public health risks of video and Internet games

Wednesday but stopped short of declaring them addictive.

The AMA, which recommended a review of the current video game rating system, also said it would leave it up to the American Psychiatric Association and other experts to decide whether video game addiction should be designated a mental illness.

"While more study is needed on the addictive potential of video games, the AMA remains concerned about the behavioral, health, and societal effects of video game and Internet overuse," said AMA president Dr. Ronald Davis.

The AMA also wants more study on the effectiveness of the video game ratings system, which has not been updated since 1994. Davis said research has linked exposure to media violence with increased aggressive behavior.

The AMA's debate over video game addiction at the group's annual meeting touched a nerve among doctors, who are not sure what to tell patients and worried parents.

"To the extent that a game is controlling someone's behaviors and taking over their daily life, then you are talking about a compulsive use, whether you categorize it in a psychiatric manual or not," Davis told reporters at a news briefing.

Dr. Timothy Fong, a psychiatrist at the University of California at Los Angeles who specializes in addiction, said video games could be a problem for some. "Anything in the world can be addictive if you have that biological vulnerability to develop an addiction," he said in a telephone interview. "This is a brain disease for a very small percentage of kids, but not all kids can become addicted to video games."

Fong said there needs to be more empirical research into the effects of video games, especially on children. "Otherwise, we are just spouting out myths and stereotypes," he said.

Communication of accurate, objective, and timely scientific information to treatment professionals is important

- especially in the "drug abuse" and addiction field where misinformation and a lack of exposure to new information are common. The purpose of this study was to assess knowledge and belief changes that accompanied educational workshops (3 or 6 hr-long) on addiction science targeted to treatment professionals (N = 1403) given in the United States and Puerto Rico between July 2000 and August 2001. Each workshop covered three main concepts: (1) terms and definitions; (2) basic neurochemistry of addiction; and (3) how new neurobiological knowledge will affect the treatment of addictions in the future. Analysis of variance was used to compare mean pretest to posttest change scores among levels of four independent variables: gender, age, occupation/position, and race/ethnicity. Workshop participants achieved a significant improvement in knowledge about addiction with younger groups achieving greater gains. Participants' beliefs shifted in the desired direction. Significant differences in belief shifts occurred among occupational and gender groups, but not among race/ethnicity or age groups. There was also a consistent change in the policy belief subscale that related to how strongly the audience members believed research on addiction was important. We conclude that addiction science education provided to treatment professionals can increase their knowledge and change their beliefs about the causes of addictions. In addition, the workshop participants form a base of constituents who are likely to support greater addiction research funding

Obsessive role play gaming

Since online gaming has become so interactive, some people do not realize the negative effects of extended game use. Obsessive role play gaming effects a large number of teenage and young adult males. Extended game play is defined as playing for more than four hours at a time.Warning signs include: ¡Becoming agitated when unable to play ¡Preoccupation with online games ¡Risking personal relationships to play online games ¡Playing online games to stop depressing thoughts

Top Stories

Addiction Research has opened a centre for social comment

Addiction Research has opened a centre for social comment and research into the everyday contacts people have with addictions in society. Whilst global warming is the buzz word in society today, we may be having an equal threat by social warming with societys inability to deal with pressure sometimes described as stress in society. This inability to function in a pressurized overcrowded state may be manifesting itself by addictions or coping strategies to relieve this never ending pressure. The media constantly fans the flames with comments on terror, bombings, murder and mayhem. Coupled to the added shock and responsibility of the carbon emmissions and the imminent threat of annihilaton of the human species we live in a traumatised society .Please feel free to comment on your personal experiences anonymously on this site. Back tracking is switched off.

Alan Davies from Middlesbrough was a heroin addict until his son started using and overdosed in front of him - find out how his life has now changed.

Alan Davies from Teesside a year ago he'd been clean from drugs for over a year, and his motto was 'one day at a time' - find out how he's doing now.

When we first met Alan Davies from Teesside a year ago he'd been clean from drugs for over a year, and his motto was 'one day at a time' - find out how he's doing now.

It hadn't just been the heroin, the amphetamines, the wobbly eggs, it had been anything he could lay his hands on, and anything he could lay his hands on extended to the means of paying for his habit.

He was a serial petty crook, even his closest acquaintances did not trust him.


Alan's received many letters of support
His partner in crime was his own son Stephen, encouraged as a teenager by Alan to join him in his lost world of drugs and crime.

Then one day Alan woke up in the street surrounded by strangers faces.

He thought he had died He wished he had. Instead, it changed his life.

A year on, those dark days are fading, but the depths Alan plumbed during his addiction, and the long battle to get clean are not things he wants to forget.

Instead he wants to share his experiences and use his example to help others to follow his path.

Now his proudest possession is his badge which marks him as an addiction mentor for a Teesside Health Trust.

He helps to plan treatment courses, and meets addicts in groups to talk to them about his story.

"Working with people with addictions is the greatest thing I have done in my life. "
Alan DaviesHe said: " When I appeared on Look North last year a lot of things happened to me. People wrote to me, not just addicts, but ordinary people who wanted to wish me well.

"Some of the letters from addicts were very moving, people going through the same things as I had and asking me to tell them they could get clean.

"That was a big responsibility for me. Every week people write to my website saying I have been an inspiration and have given them the courage to take on their addiction.

"Working with people with addictions is the greatest thing I have done in my life.

"When I was stealing to take drugs I put all of my effort into making sure I was successful at it.


Alan takes one day at a time
"Now I have something positive to put that energy into, and I'm just as determined to succeed this time round."

Not all of his efforts have been successful.

His attempt to persuade his son Stephen to kick the habit failed and months after leaving prison he was back inside, serving six years for drug-related violence, but Alan realises he still has work to do.

He said: "I will never say I have kicked drugs…I just take it one day at a time, even now, but now I have people who look up to me, and I know if I go back to my old ways, I am not just being a fool to myself, I am making myself a hypocrite to all these other people too."

Your comments:
Paul Brookes (National Treatment Agency for Substa
Alan kindly gave up his time to help me with the agency's 2004/05 annual report, where we featured him as a case study. Alan — from meeting you in person and hearing you on the radio, your life story and the work you now do are an encouragement and an example to everyone. Keep up the good work.

Karl Sheldon - Crack/cocaine Service - Addaction
When I met Alan, the first things that hit me were his positive outlook and his determination to go forward. I thought "this guy will do for me, he's got the attitude and experiences to make changes" I have really enjoyed working with you bud.Your imput on the Crack training we provide has been exceptional and thought provoking. You have shown, there is a way out of the all consuming darkness to a life in the light and your journey, without doubt, has given strength to others.You are an example of the incredible diversity of skills,knowledge that the people of the N/East possess. Top man.

Wayne Dobson
Alan what can i say old friend. So good to see you come out of the darkness and make a diffrence to people like us. I pinch myself everyday to make sure this aint a dream as ia m sure you do. Alan you are a real inspiration and we do have a voice people WANT to hear.

Eileen at St Mary's Centre
Alan, you are brilliant, you are a true inspiration for drug users - I hope you continue to succeed in everything you set out to do, especially the driving test!!! Keep up the good work. Luv from Eileen

lisa armes ov t boro
jst want to tell you how proud of you i am and how much youve helped me alan as a friend and ex user. i love chatting to you and you have always given me good advice and looked out for me. i wish you every success and happiness because you deserve it and have worked so hard to get were you are and "normal" people sometimes understand that. and if that makes us not normal or slightly different im proud of all our achievements because what others take for granted we know the true beauty of life itself! keep it up al and keep me laughing and get me on a computer i didnt even know how to switch the thing on 6 mnths ago lol now thats progress mate. love you always and thanx for ure example lisa xxx

Daren Garratt
My name is Daren Garratt and I am the Development Manager for a national charity called the Alliance (formerly Methadone Alliance); a peer-led organisation that provides advocacy and support for drug users. I had the pleasure and honour of meeting Alan at the national Criminal Justice Worker's forum in York last week, and was enthralled by his enthusiasm, commitment and desire to learn and support other people. In fact, I was that impressed that I'm hoping to do a lot more work with him as soon as possible. We've already discussed getting him some advocacy training, and I've offered to attend his group in Middlesbrough and do some work around harm reduction and effective user involvement. We're also looking to hook up and support another peer-led scheme in Liverpoool, and I've encouraged him to try and get funding to attend the National Injecting Conference in London next month. When you have the privelige of meeting front-line activists like Alan who work tirelessly without fanfare, then you have to hold onto them and give them all the encouragement and support you can. Middlesbrough DAT and the NTE North East Region are lucky to have such a dedicated asset as Alan, because as the Alliance looks to progress its Department of Health funded national Model of Advocacy, it's unsung heroes like Alan that are going to turn our goals into a reality.

Matthew Davies (BBC Radio Cleveland)
I interviewed Alan for my Radio Show and was captivated by his story but it was his recovery that really impressed me. Alan's new life shows the truth in this pearl of wisdom. Face the sun, the shadows will fall behind you.

nicnac
keep up the good work son! best of luck for the future and keep the fight up! well done for the work you have done, it shows alot to alot of people. anyone can do anything, no matter what situation your in. good on ya!! x

Tony Goldfinkle
keep up your good work mate you can do it, i have been reading and following you all the way from first reading about you in the gazette stay solid best of luck Tony Goldfinkle

Andy
Alan's story had a significance for me because I know someone on crack who let me down recently. She was from Middlesbrough. I understand her better now and I am not so judgemental. She thinks only of herself but perhaps she can one day be like Alan is now.

mark tunney
alan you are a wonderfull person who i am honoured to have as a friend. thank you for giving me hope and support my helping me stay clean and serine one day at a time.i hope you will stay part of my life for a long time to come. your pal mark

kim walker
hi alan wee mans sister here just read all about you and a big pat on the back to you all good things will come 2 you as long as you stay clean this is when live begins god bless kim x

Katie(Girlfriend)Glasgow
I Just want to say how proud I am of you Alan for being here today, I am so proud that you are able to tell your story and encourage others to fight this battle as well. You are an insperation to all who read your story, you touch so many peoples hearts, I want to say that what Alan says is only part of the horendus past that Alan lived, but he is determind and strong enough to see it through. I am so proud of you taking your driving Alan and Studying for you N.V.Q. when you have this qualification you will be able to do a job that you love Helping others. If you look up Hope in the dictionary you will see Alan Davies next to it, as this is what you are Hope to all the other addicts out there. Alan has came a long way in the past 3 years and has had his ups and down like everybody else, but mostley they have been ups. He has a talant that he shares with others and that is understandment. he never takes credit for the love and warmth that he shows to so many people, so I am here to say, Well done sweetheart we are all so proud of you, keep up the good work and keep smiling and touching hearts... love you loads. your Katie xxxx

stevie walker
well done mate!!!you inspire me every day to stay clean!! this is something all the agences in the world could never achieve with me!! all the methadone programs up and down the countrycould never do what you have done to help me stay clean!!! thanks mate!! big love in recovery stevie

Steve
As a chronic alcoholic who has been sober for a year, I just want to support everything Alan is doing - I know how difficult it is when you have been dependent on a substance for so long. Good on you mate!

Long Term Drug Rehab

Long-term treatment is something that not everyone can do. With a family, with work, with life, it is hard to remain in treatment for so long. However, there are significant benefits associated with an extended stay in rehab and whoever can afford to take the time out for recovery should consider it.
I feel that a 28-day program is only long enough to change your way of thinking. It is not long enough to teach you how to interact with society living a drug free life. Long-term drug treatment, or extended care, provides all of the valuable tools needed to be able to interact with life while staying clean and sober. Many facilities allow you to have your car. Many of them allow you to go back to work while sleeping at the facility. Some facilities keep the standard care patients and the aftercare patients separate, some let them interact.

Once in long-term care you can expect to see the group therapy classes a little less. The therapy you get is focused more on how you’re handling life and getting back to work, and how you are staying sober in the process. When in aftercare you can expect to be pushed to get a sponsor in AA and NA. He/She can pick you up and take you to meetings. That is generally allowed in long-term care. All drug treatment facilities have long-term care. Most of the time it is cheaper then the standard care. All facilities have contacts with sober living homes that they can refer you

I have found that the best way to find a high quality sober living home is to contact any major drug treatment center. I strongly encourage anyone who needs a 3/4 way house or halfway house to contact a major facility. They have close contacts and refer many of their customers to them for aftercare.
Against Long Term treatment (post 28 day program) Posted by Larry
The program of AA/NA is free. People go to rehab for a month and then they should be ready to go back to life with the additon of daily meetings. I think the sober living homes are a safe haven - yes - but they get you in the mental habit of being "institutionalized" in my opinion. You have to deal with life eventually, why not get right to it when you leave treatment. It is not supposed to be fun or easy, it is recovery. Meetings work great if you surround yourself with the right people.

quick methadone fix

Recent editorial comments and news articles reflect a new wave of attacks in Scotland on what’s described as the “quick methadone fix” (editorial, The Scotsman, 22 July), and the “’Black cloud’ of methadone use” (Scotsman 24 July). The current vitriol is occasioned by the tragic death of a two-year old who ingested her mother’s methadone, at a time when revised estimates suggest there are 21,000 opiate-dependent individuals who receive methadone maintenance, 7,000 of whom live in households with children under age 16. This has occasioned the leader of the Tories, Annabel Goldie, to urge a “programme that eradicates, rather than manages, the problem…”, and Fergus Ewing, the safety minister, “…promised to improve service provision to get people off methadone.”

Imagine politicians promising to “get people off insulin,” or dismissing medication that “manages” but fails to “eradicate” hypertension, asthma, arthritis, AIDS, etc! Consider attacking Alcoholics Anonymous because while it has helped countless alcoholics remain abstinent, it adamantly refuses to accept the notion that the disease of alcoholism can be “cured.”

Addiction is a chronic medical disease; get used to it! The good news is that it can be treated, often with extremely positive results, and the more people who need treatment that get it, the better.