Technology addicts lonely, upset and "can’t live" when deprived of their digital obsessions

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People, especially those aged from 18 to 40, have become emotionally dependent on technology.

Twenty-four hours without an internet connection or access to a smartphone, computer or tablet is described as "my biggest nightmare" or akin to "having my hand chopped off" by respondents in a recent study conducted by British consumer research specialist Intersperience.

Intersperience challenged more than 1,000 individuals in the UK to switch off from their digital lives and to go one full day without technology to measure the extent of their "digital dependency."

The results, released this week, could be likened to that of smokers who have been deprived of their cigarettes: more than half of respondents said they felt "upset," while a significant number of participants couldn't hold out and "cheated" by watching TV or putting their phones on silent.

"A total of 40% of people felt 'lonely’ when not engaging in activities such as social networking, emails, texting or watching their favourite television channels," said Intersperience.

Some admitted that the thought of being completely disconnected, even for just one day, was "inconceivable."

A second study conducted by the University of Maryland’s International Center for Media & the Public Agenda recorded similar results when it asked university students to abstain from media for 24 hours.

When deprived of media, students from around the world experienced cravings, anxiety and depression. When asked to write about their experience, the students repeatedly used the term "addiction" to describe their dependence on technology.

"Students around the world reported that being tethered to digital technology 24/7 is not just a habit, it is essential to the way they construct and manage their friendships and social lives," said the International Center for Media & the Public Agenda.

 

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Uncontrolled Meth May Lead To Parkinson's

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A recent study in neurology, conducted by Toronto's Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, has suggested that use of amphetamine or methamphetamine, popularly known as crystal meth or meth and similar drugs, can pose a risk of developing Parkinson's disease.

The relation has been long suspected but now it has been confirmed.

Parkinson’s disease causes tremors, slowness, and stiffness and impairs balance. This neurodegenerative disease is caused by brain’s inability to produce the dopamine, evidences of meth and similar drugs injuring the dopamine-producing areas of the brain have been traced before in animal tests.

The Center had examined three hundred thousand cases of California hospitals over the past 16 years. The studies laid a clear indication that the people on meth or similar drug as amphetamine had 76 % greater chances of developing Parkinson’s

As the illness has long-term effects to those usually in their middle or old age, it was difficult for researchers to establish a link because it required long-term cases of the users for studying. The study was not conducted under the supervision of any medical practitioner, as it is widely used as a recreational drug which is out of practitioner’s control anyway.

The research suggested that it is also important for people to understand that the results do not apply to people taking the drug, as the medicine is for limited period of time and under controlled supervision.

 

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Marijuana Derivative May Offer Hope in Cocaine Addiction

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A new study in mice has found that activating a receptor affected by marijuana can dramatically reduce cocaine consumption. The research suggests that new anti-addiction drugs might be developed using synthetic versions of cannabidiol (CBD), the marijuana component that activates the receptor—or even by using the purified natural compound itself.

Researchers formerly believed that the receptor, known as CB2, was not found in the brain and that therefore CBD had no psychoactive effects. But a growing body of research suggests otherwise. After THC, CBD is the second most prevalent active compound in marijuana.

The study found that JWH133, a synthetic drug that activates the CB2 receptor, reduced intravenous cocaine administration in mice by 50-60%.

"It's a very significant reduction,” says Zheng-Xiong Xi, the lead author of the study and a researcher at the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

JWH133 comes with some other features that make it an attractive candidate as a potential anti-addiction treatment. It does not seem to produce either a high or a negative experience, which is critical if it is to become a useful and politically acceptable anti-addiction option. While mice given drugs like cocaine or heroin will spend more time in the place where they got high (apparently hoping for more), mice didn't develop such a “place preference” when given JWH133. Nor did they avoid the spot where they'd been given it, which happens when mice are given drugs they find unpleasant.

"It's extremely exciting,” says Antonello Bonci, scientific director for intramural research at the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Ethnographic research by Ric Curtis, chair of anthropology at John Jay College in New York suggests that, as is often the case, addicts may have been ahead of the researchers in discovering this potential property of marijuana. National surveys found that as crack use declined in the early 1990's, marijuana use rose— and Curtis found that many crack users reported deliberately substituting marijuana for crack, seeking a cheaper and less disruptive high.

MORE: Study: Marijuana Not Linked With Long Term Cognitive Impairment

Could successful replacement of crack with marijuana be related to CBD and its activation of CB2 receptors? “That's a very tough question,” says Xi, adding that while we don't really know, he suspects that THC may be more involved. “That sounds more like substitution, using a less addictive drug to replace a more addictive drug,” he says.

The next step to is to figure out what are the side effects of this, to figure out what could limit [development],” says Bonci. Interestingly, other studies suggest that JWH133—and therefore, potentially, CBD—may prevent the development of the brain plaques associated with Alzheimer's disease. It also seems to have antipsychotic effects.

All of which merely adds to the increasingly absurd controversy over medical uses of marijuana.

 

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Rehab' too late for Winehouse

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Her very public battles with her demons spawned her signature tune "Rehab", but British soul singer Amy Winehouse's self-destructive lifestyle finally caught up with her.

The 27-year-old singer, who was found dead at her north London flat on Saturday, will be remembered as a wildly talented musical star whose addiction to drink and drugs proved too much.

She seemingly headlined newspapers more often than concerts, most recently in June when she was booed at an open-air concert in Serbia as she appeared to be too drunk to sing at the start of a comeback tour.

Winehouse had reportedly ended an alcohol rehabilitation program in London two weeks earlier and local media reported that alcohol had been banned for the tour.

Born on September 14, 1983 to a north London Jewish family, Winehouse grew up in a jazz-loving household — her taxi driver father Mitch is an aficionado, while uncles on her mother Janis's side were professional musicians.

Aged 12, she created a rap duo with a friend, and a year later, she received her first guitar and began singing soul music.

She cited black American female singers like Sarah Vaughan and Dinah Washington as influences, as well as Elvis Presley.

Winehouse attended the BRIT School in Croydon, south London, which excels in the performing arts and has produced music stars such as Katie Melua, Adele, Dane Bowers, Kate Nash, Leona Lewis and The Feeling.

In an interview for a tour DVD, Winehouse described herself as "insecure", giving a possible reason for her excessive behaviour.

She bared her soul in two albums — "Frank" in 2003 and "Back to Black" in 2006 — and impressed critics with her powerful, smoky voice and wide-ranging repetoire taking in everything from rap to Motown.

Her distinctive jet-black beehive hairstyle, thick make-up around her eyes, and the myriad tattoos on her skinny frame ensured that she stood out from the crowd for her appearance as well as her talent.

"Back to Black" was Britain's best-selling album of 2007, and was named best pop vocal album at the 2008 Grammys.

Unfortunately, her hit single "Rehab", which won three gongs by itself at the Grammys, became a symbol for her off-stage life.

She has fought alcohol, drugs, self-harm and eating disorders, all in the public eye.

Her relationship with her former husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, was further fuel for the tabloid newspapers.

They married in Miami in May 2007 but had a tempestuous relationship. He spent part of their marriage behind bars for a vicious attack on a pub landlord and a subsequent attempt to cover it up. They divorced in July 2009.

In December 2007, she was photographed wandering London's streets barefoot and in her bra in the early hours of the morning.

In early 2008 she spent another stint at a rehabilitation clinic to overcome drug addiction, having been caught on video apparently smoking crack cocaine a month earlier, which led to her bein

 

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Troubled actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers was rushed to hospital by ambulance after a suspected suicide attempt.

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Meyers - who played Henry VIII in raunchy BBC series The Tudors - is believed to have taken pills at his £3million home in Maida Vale, west London on Tuesday evening.

The handsome actor - who has been battling a long-standing drink problem - was found slumped on the floor by paramedics. They were forced to call police after he initially refused treatment at the scene.

The Irish actor was then taken to hospital.


Rising star: Jonathan Rhys Meyers at the Irish Film and Television Awards in Dublin in February 2010

A source said: ‘It was the opinion of those present that he tried to take his life.’

Meyers, 33, was then discharged in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

A female neighbour of the star said: ‘I saw the ambulance arriving and was worried to death.

‘Jonathan is a lovely guy. You see him all the time in the street. He says hello and is very pleasant. I hope he is fine.’

Meyers is regarded as one of the rising stars of the acting world.

However, the actor - who owns homes in Los Angeles and Monaco as well as London and his native Dublin - has long battled a drink problem which worsened following the death of his beloved mother in 2007.


Critically-acclaimed: Rhys Meyers as King Henry VIII in The Tudors

Last month, Rhys Meyers checked into a five-star rehabilitation centre in South Africa. It was his fifth stint in rehab.

The actor has been dating heiress Reena Hammer - whose father owns the Urban Retreat spa in Harrods department store - for seven years.

However, there have been rumours their relationship has recently been under threat.

Meyers has starred in films including Alexander, Velvet Goldmine and Bend It Like Beckham. He won a Golden Globe for his role as Elvis in a US TV series.

He is also a pin-up, and has worked as a model for Hugo Boss and Versace.


Troubled: Rhys Meyers pictured drinking in a London street at 10am four years ago

In the past, he has spoken of his alcohol problem, admitting: ‘When I do drink I'm like Bambi. I'm all over the place like a 16-year-old kid.’

Scotland Yard today confirmed: ‘Officers were called by London Ambulance Service to a residential address following reports of man refusing treatment.

'Police and London Ambulance Service were in attendance and a 33-year old man was taken to a central London hospital for treatment.’

Rhys Meyers has also been arrested twice at airports in drink-related incidents in the past.

He was arrested at Dublin Airport and arrested for being drunk and in breach of the peace in November 2007. The charges were subsequently dropped.

He was also detained by police in June 2009 at the Charles De Gaulle airport in Paris after allegedly assaulting an bar staff employee while drunk.

Last night, a spokesman for Rhys Meyers was unavailable for comment.

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Drug raids net 9 suspects in western, northern NY

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Authorities say they've arrested nine people involved with a drug ring that smuggled marijuana from Canada and cocaine from South American into the United States via western and northern New York.

Local, county and federal law enforcement officials say raids carried out Thursday in the Niagara Falls area resulted in the arrests of six suspects while two others were taken into custody in Massena. Another was arrested in Buffalo.

Officials say the raids netted pot and cocaine, 17 firearms and more than $25,000 in cash.

Federal prosecutors say the busts resulted from the arrests in April of two Niagara Falls men accused of being the ringleaders of the drug-trafficking operation.

Officials say the two men and their associates were smuggling marijuana in from Canada and South American cocaine through Mexico.

 

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