Addiction and Addictions Essay Example for Free

Addiction and Addictions Essay Introduction There are many factors that are damaging todays society. Addictions are a fast growing concern, it has branched off and caused many problems whether it be related to drugs, alcohol, gambling, sex, Internet, or eating. Addictions are something society faces everyday. Although there are many reasons behind why addiction are growing, and where they stemmed from, todays society has focused primarily on how someone with an addictions problem can seek help. Also the many Gaps and Barriers around addictions are enabling people who wish to seek help from receiving it. The increasing amounts of people with drug or alcohol addictions has increased vastly over the years especially among young teens who are still yet to be of age to buy alcohol. With addictions being a commonly known problem in society, there should be more awareness put out to people on how to help those with an addiction or more services that are equally accessible for those who wish to seek help on their addictions. Types of Addictions Drugs and Alcohol Even though drugs and alcohol is widely known as bad in society, people continue to abuse it. Once on has chosen to abuse drugs or alcohol continuously they lose the ability to say no to another drink or no to another puff of weed. Soon the person will continuously think about drinking or using drugs, and cannot wait to abuse either substance again. Generally there are two components that stem from drug addiction: physical and psychological dependencies. Physical dependency occurs when a drug has been used habitually and the body has become immune to its effects. Where as psychological dependency occurs where a drug as been used immensely and the mind has become dependant and the mind begins to become emotionally reliant on the effects. Either to feel pleasure or to relieve pain, then the mind does not feel capable of functioning without the drug. Internet Addictions Internet addictions not only include an over excessive amount of chat room participation, but it does not help their social or financial well being. Dysfunctional use of the Internet by children as well as adults can result in diminished participation in the family. Over thirty percent of Canadas population has reported that they use the Internet to escape from everyday life or problems. Either by finding someone else on chat rooms with the same problems or just playing games or surfing the web. Gambling Addictions Gambling has many traumatic effects in a persons life if it is abused the wrong way. It can cause people to loose their family; can put a person into bankruptcy, fraud, domestic abuse, theft or even homelessness. Pathological gamblers tend to be under the age of thirty. Six percent of gamblers in Canada commit suicide. The government profit from gambling in Canada is thirteen billion nationally. In Canada 340,000 people have a modern or severe case of a gambling addiction. Eating Addictions Food addictions affect mostly a persons health. Food addictions lead mostly to eating disorders, such as: obesity, diabetes, bulimia and food allergies. An eating addiction is signaled the same way in our brains as an alcohol addiction. Recent studies on rats have proven that eating triggers a pleasure receptor in our brain. Ten percent of people with anorexia or bulimia are male. Eight percent of children in Canada are obese, and twenty three percent are adults. Gaps in Services The majority of agencies have no costs, no referrals, are wheelchair accessible and have age limited restrictions. The new internet addiction has left a gap in services, simply because it went so long before it was discovered, agencies are just now figuring out ways to support this  addiction. This makes it hard for someone with an Internet addiction to seek help due to the lack of support out there for the general public to use. Barriers in Services The majority of services are available from ages thirteen plus. Which limits teens under the age of thirteen with addiction problems help. With todays society having an increasing amount of children drinking, this sets a bit of a barrier. Since there are no programs offered for children of a young age who have already begun drinking to seek help it allows the problem to grow instead of getting to it when it is still fresh and not yet a full-blown addiction. Although many services do not offer help to those who are disabled. Addiction services are generally offered only in English, which poses a problem for those who have immigrated to Canada or simply have grown up speaking a different language. The hours for addiction centers is limited, unless it is a housing service, most programs run on the nine to five clock, enabling those who seek help after hours from getting the service that is required by them. Local Services Personal Development Programs: Mens Withdrawal Management Center This shelter is for men going through withdrawals from drugs or alcohol. They offer a short-term residence. Also give information and education sessions for men in a safe environment. Also provide one on one counseling for individuals in purpose of defining specific needs and how to treat them. They take in men who are inebriated, who are going through withdrawals or that are at high risk of falling into old patterns. Service for this center in 7 days a week 24 hours a day, there is no fee; admission is immediate accordingly to bed availability. Advocacy and Referral Programs Mental Health and Addictions Services in Grey Bruce This program also known as DART (drug and alcohol registry of treatment) is helpful for people with addictions or mental health problems locate treatment options. It also links local communities with assessment and referral programs for themselves or people that they know. Socialization Programs CAMH Center For Addictions and Mental Health The largest organization for addictions and mental health in Canada. Its provides research, broad-based education offerings, clinical services and health promotion activities. They provide information on the best services around, their facilities allow you to locate research resource materials, and contribute to addictions and mental health system planning. They are open Monday to Friday 8:30- 4:30, they are only partially accessible, and only provide services in English. Rehab and Therapy Centers FGI World This facilities helps youth with drug or alcohol based addictions. They work with clients one on one with any problems they are having. This is a private organization, and the program is only offered through referral. The program allows you to come and go as pleased, unless you are an involuntary client. The councilors help take you through the steps that got you to where you are and also the choices that you made to get you there. Located on downtown Hamilton. The hours are 8:00am to 6:00 pm. Appointments are to be made no walk inns are allowed. Conclusion Throughout this report, there have been examples of all types of addictions. Showing how increasingly they are on the rise, and that day-to-day a new  addiction is born. Without services being available to the new born addictions they continuously grow and there is no way to receive help for them. The amount of young teens becoming addicted to things such as drugs or alcohol has grown increasingly and services are yet to be prepared for that situation. Many of the gaps and barriers within these programs or services are what prevent people from seeking the help they need and deserve. It has been proven that not only are addictions physical they are majority psychological and require a great deal of acknowledgement from family, friends, support groups, and government funded programs, so that people can acquire the amount of treatment necessary. With language and hours of availability being a barrier many people with problems are not getting the help they deserve, Canada needs to broaden its options when it comes to addiction programs, allowing twenty-four hour services for people with serious or mild conditions. If the programs continue to enable people from receiving help the amount of people with addictions will continue to increase. Being aware of the problem is the first step to solving one.

Crime on the Internet Essay -- Internet Crime Essays

Overview If cyberspace is a type of community, a giant neighborhood made up of networked computer users around the world, then it seems natural that many elements of a traditional society can be found taking shape as bits and bytes. With electronic commerce comes electronic merchants, plugged-in educators provide networked education, and doctors meet with patients in offices on-line. It should come as no surprise that there are also cybercriminals committing cybercrimes. As an unregulated hodgepodge of corporations, individuals, governments, educational institutions, and other organizations that have agreed in principle to use a standard set of communication protocols, the Internet is wide open to exploitation. There are no sheriffs on the Information Superhighway waiting to zap potential offenders with a radar gun or search for weapons if someone looks suspicious. By almost all accounts, this lack of "law enforcement" leaves net users to regulate each other according to the reigning norms of the moment. Community standards in cyberspace appear to be vastly different from the standards found at the corner of Main Street and Elm in Any City, USA. Unfortunately, cyberspace is also a virtual tourist trap where faceless, nameless con artists can work the crowds. Mimicking real life, crimes and criminals come in all varieties on the Internet. The FBI's National Computer Crime Squad is dedicated to detecting and preventing all types of computer-related crimes. Some issues being carefully studied by everyone from Net veterans and law enforcement agencies to radical pundits include: Computer network break-ins Industrial espionage Software piracy Child pornography E-mail bombings Password sniffers Spoofing Credit card fraud Computer network break-ins Using software tools installed on a computer in a remote location, hackers can break into computer systems to steal data, plant viruses or trojan horses, or work mischief of a less serious sort by changing user names or passwords. Network intrusions have been made illegal by the U.S. federal government, but detection and enforcement are difficult. Limitations with the law as it is currently written can be seen upon examining Kevin Mitnick's recent plea bargain, wherein there is little connection between his final plea and the crimes he allegedly committed. Industr... ...ancisco Examiner; July 2, 1995 Hacker Held Without Bail; Reuter; February 17, 1995 Hacker Reaches Plea Bargain (paraphrased: no title given); Reuter; July 1, 1995 Most Wanted Computer Hacker Gets Court Date; Reuter; February 16, 1995 Miscellaneous Documents Abelson, Hal & Mike Fischer; Listiing of Materials and Reading for Course 6.805/STS085 at MIT Greenspun, Philip; David LaMacchia Defense Fund Hacker Dictionary http://gnn.com/; Shimomura vs. Mitnick: The Computer Crime of the Year?; (possibly written by O'Reilly) Loundy, Dave; Encode, Delete, Download-You're Busted; Chicago Daily Law Bulletin; August 10, 1995 Miller, Adam S.; The Jake Baker Scandal; Trincoll Journal Perry, Kenneth M., Esq. and P-Law, Inc.; Current Regulatory Environment pjswan@engin.umich.edu; What's the Big Deal over Jake Baker Reid, Brian, PhD.; Pornography on the 'Net Siino, Rosanne M.; Official Netscape Response to French Hacker Sterling, Bruce; The Hacker Crackdown: Law and Disorder on the Electronic Frontier Wall Street Journal; AOL Plagued by Hackers; September 8, 1995 Wallich, Paul; Wire Pirates; Scientific American; March 1994

Factors That Influence the Development of Individual’s Self Concept Essay

Income can influence the development of individual’s self-concept in a negative and positive way whereby people with good income with be able to live a luxurious life-style, for example will be able to afford good healthy balance diet, expensive cloths, shoes and jewellery able to afford good expensive accommodations with nice furniture, expensive cars, private hospitals, can afford their children to go to private schools which will them the advantage to good education and will be able to reach their full potential in life; can afford to go on holidays. But most importantly, possessions are not the only important thing in life, as long as one is able to maintain basic standard of living. on the other people with low income will even find it difficult to maintain the basic needs of life and this will their self-esteem especially if they are surrounding by images of people who have a lot of wealth. They will be restricted from a lot of things for example, will not be able to afford nice cloths for them and their children, will not be able to afford nice secured accommodation, not be able to access higher education and in terms of sickness they will have to be on the NHS waiting until is the time for them to be treated because they cannot afford to go to private hospitals to be treated or seen by a doctor. This is why so many people on low income are dying due to health problem because they cannot afford private hospitals so they have to wait on the NHS waiting list for a year or more meanwhile the sickness is getting worse and if they are unlock by the time the NHS get to them they would have been dead. Therefore, money in an important factor that influence the development of individual’s self-concept. Media edia means things like newspapers, television, internet, sites and music and these may influence the development of individual’s self-concept in that they positively enable us to have knowledge on what is happening around the world as well as playing a big role in the development of especially teenagers’ self-esteem and self confidence in relation to how they perceive their body image and beauty because media can alternation how to look beautiful by making them eat less to maintain their body figure, body transformations an so on thereby developing their self- esteem and confidences. On the other hand media can influences the way we think and feel about ourselves as it affect the person’s perception of body image and present them with an unrealistic view of how their bodies should look like thereby making them not to appreciate who they are, causing them always want to look like others and so begin to copy what they do and how they like as well as hoe they dress hence leading them to attempt unhealthy diet that is eating less because they do not want to gain weight as they want to be models, get stressed with money to buy designer clothes and so on and if they fail to achieve what their hearts desire, their self confidence will decline as well as having low self-esteem. Also when we watch media we tend to hate certain features of our appearance for example hate your nose and admire another person seen on media causing you to go for face transformations like plastic surgeries which may have an impact on your general health as time goes on because it may cause you to develop health issues sues as developing cancer, and also the feeling that we are not good or beautiful makes us unhappy and hence gets withdrawn. Family The family in which a person is brought up in plays an important role in influencing the development of someone’s self concept because when members of your family for example your parent love and care for you, it can make you feel good about yourself and develop a sense of belonging as well as self awareness. Also parent who praise and reward their children for what they have done contribute to the development of their self-concept because rewards and praises make them love and believe in themselves that they can also do things something which makes them have a feeling being useful people as well as developing their self confidences. On the other hand poor relationship between parents and children with in the family may make children lack confidence as well as as feel unloved and valued something which can result them in not being able to form long lasting relationships in adolescent or adulthood because of the effect that was cause during their childhood of not being loved and therefore they are passing on what they experienced during childhood making them having no love for anyone. However family members who abuse and neglect their children, this affect their self-concept because it makes them feel unloved, and insecure as well as having a feeling of not belonging in the family causing them to always feel withdrawn, and isolated leading to to develop low self-esteem and having negative image about themselves as they may see themselves as being useless, not wanted and not worth of living hence leading to suicide attempt and children who think poorly about themselves always have a hard time on finding solutions to problems. Education education is another factor that influences the way we feel about ourselves in the way that the person’s idea of how they are is strongly influenced by the experience at school and later experiences at college or university can also change what we think about ourselves. However this depends on which school we have attended, which experiences we have faced and how successful we have been because when we perform well in school and be praised for that which we have achieved, it develops a sense of confidence in ourselves as well as making us feel good about ourselves by making us feel that we are important people to the society thereby creating a positive self-image. But when we do not meet the expectations of education, we tend to develop negative attitudes about ourselves, for example we begin doubting our abilities to progress, we get discouraged, we loose confidence and self-esteem thereby making us become, withdrawn, and have a feeling of not belonging especially when with those who have achieved careers through education hence affecting our self concept. Also educational achievement is a positive influence on self-image because it increase out self-esteem as well as forming a positive self-image leaving a person with confidence feeling in our abilities and rise to challenges. It also influences us because it involves mixing with other people and we may compare our selves with them, learn theories and new ideas from them something which can help us to understand our lives. Peer pressure During adolescent stage, teenagers rely much on their friends and most of them follow what their friends do hence friends becoming a major influence on the development of the person’s self-concept because they can support their friend’s existing attitudes and values thereby making him/her feel good about his/her self and gaining confidence as well as making you feel you belong to their group as they support you. Also peer pressure can lead to the development of a positive image by encouraging you on how to dress nicely as well as helping you to choose which outfit can make you look nice because if you are smartly dressed, it can make you feel good inside and have confidence in what ever you do. Peer pressure also influence the way we behave in society by making us copy their behaviours whether they are good or bad just because we want to fit in their group and a sense of belonging and if you do not behave the way they want you, they may exclude you from a certain social group making you feel bad, unacceptable or failure and as a result you become withdrawn and isolated hence affecting our social development. Conclusion: there are different factors that can influence the development of individual’s self-concept and they can be influenced positively or negatively it all depends on the individual. When it comes to children and teenagers the parents have an important role to play in their children’s life; you as a parent suppose to set up a high standard behaviour and self-discipline because your children will be watching if you are a parent that wants to live life any how that will play a big role on your child/children’s behaviour; they will never respect you as a parent and they will start to look up to other people outside and also look for a role model that will be a big influence in their lives making you a second class citizen. It is therefore important to train yourself to live a good and valued life style so that you can be respected by your children, family and other people outside. You as an adult, and your children will feel good and proud when you are respected and at the same-time you are a role model to your children.

What is Virtual Reality - Who Invented Virtual Reality

The sudden  plethora  of head-mounted display products on  the market suggests that virtual reality is poised to completely re-invent the gaming experience. But while the nascent mainstreaming of virtual reality is relatively recent phenomenom, the technology has been a work-in-progress for nearly half a century. In fact, the U.S. military, NASA and even the original Atari corporation all contributed efforts to manufacture an artificial sensory environment that people can interact with       So what is virtual reality? You know you’re in a virtual reality when your surrounded entirely by a computer-generated environment that can be sensed and interacted with in a way that makes you feel as if you’re really there. This is done by blocking out the real world and using audio, visual and other sensory feedback to immerse you in a virtual one.   Usually this involves receiving imagery input from a computer monitor or with a virtual reality headset. The experience can also include sound played from stereo speakers as well as haptic technology that simulates touch sensations through force, vibration and motion. Position tracking technology is also often used to make movement and interacting in the 3D space as real as possible.   Earliest Devices In 1955, an inventor named Morton Heilig came with the concept of what he called â€Å"experience theater,† a kind of machine that can play films while engaging all of the viewer’s senses to draw the person into the story. In 1962, he unveiled the Sensorama, a prototype that featured a large stereoscopic 3D display screen, stereo speakers and an aroma diffuser. Sitting in the contraption, viewers can even feel the wind blowing thanks to the clever use of the air tunnel effect. Clunky and ahead of its time, the idea died because Heilig wasn’t able to get financial backing to further its development. In 1968, Ivan Sutherland, widely regarded as the father computer graphics, built the world’s first virtual reality headset. Nicknamed â€Å"The Sword Of Damocles,† the device was essentially a head mounted display system that used computer software to project a simple graphic. A unique head-tracking feature made it possible to alter the user’s viewpoint based on the position of the gaze. The big drawback was that the system was massively large and had to be hung from the ceiling rather than worn.   The 80’s The ability to simulate a sense of physical interaction with the graphics environment didn’t come along until 1982 when employees of Atari’s virtual reality division embarked on their own project to develop VR products. The team invented a device called the DataGlove, which were embedded with optical sensors that detected hand movements and converted them into electrical signals. The PowerGlove, a controller accessory for the Nintendo Entertainment System was based on the technology and was released commercially in 1989. During the 80’s, the U.S. Air Force also made use of early VR technology to create a head-mounted device called the Super Cockpit, which simulated an actual cockpit to train fighter pilots. Separately, NASA developed the Virtual Interface Environment Workstation or VIEW to experiment with virtual environments. The system integrated a head-mounted display with the DataGlove and a sensor-equipped full body garment that relayed the motions, gestures and spatial positioning of the wearer. The 90’s Some of the most ambitious attempts to deliver a consumer VR product for the masses took place right before the turn of the century. The primary application this time was gaming.   In 1990, Jonathan Waldern debuted an arcade system that took advantage of VR’s immersion capabilities. His â€Å"Virtuality† line of gaming products comprised of a headset connected to either a sit-down or stand-up arcade pod with built-in controllers that allowed players to explore virtual environments. The arcade systems, which cost 3 to 5 dollars to play, didn’t quite catch on.   A year later Sega launched the Sega VR, a headset for home gaming consoles. Later, competitors launched the Forte VFX1, designed to work with PCs, the Nintendo Virtual Boy, a VR Helmet, and the Sony Glasstron, a stand-alone pair of virtual reality glasses. They were all in one form or another, plagued by glitches typical of new, somewhat unsophisticated technologies. For example, the Nintendo Virtual boy came with a low-res display that caused headaches and nausea for some users.         Ã‚   Renewed interest As many of the devices in the 90’s flopped, interest in VR waned over the next decade until  2013, when a company named Oculus VR launched a crowdfunding campaign on the site Kickstarter to raise money for the development of a commercial virtual reality headset called the Oculus rift. Unlike the head-mounted systems of old, the prototype they came up  was a lot less clunky and featured  much improved graphics technology -- all at  a consumer-friendly price point of $300 for early pre-orders. The buzz surrounding the generating  campaign, which raised over 2.5 million dollars, soon caught the attention of many in the tech industry. About a year later, the company was acquired by Facebook for 2 billion dollars, a move that in effect announced to the world  that the technology may indeed be ready for primetime. And since  beginning of this year, a  polished consumer version can now be ordered  starting at  $599.99.   Along the way, other prominent players have also jumped into the fold as the likes of Sony, Samsung and HTC announcing  their own gaming headsets.  Heres a brief rundown of the latest and upcoming product releases:   Google Cardboard Instead of trying to best other competitors with a device, the search giant chose attract consumers by going low tech. Google Cardboard is simply a platform so that allows anyone reality who owns a capable smartphone to get a virtual reality experience.   At a starting price of only 15 dollars, users get a head mount cardboard kit that can be easily assembled. Simply insert your smartphone, fire up a game and youre set. Those who prefer to make their own headset can download the instructions from the companys website.   Samsung Gear VR Last year, Samsung and  Oculus  teamed up to develop the Samsung Gear VR. Somewhat similar to Google cardboard in that the kit combines with smartphone such as the Galaxy S7 to deliver the immersion environment. The  Samsung-compatible phones are  Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy S6 edge, S6 and S6 edge, S7 and S7 edge.   So what can you do with a $199 helmet that you cant do with Google Cardboard? Well, for one, the Gear headset comes with additional sensors for better head tracking for a smoother sense of immersion and minimal latency. Samsung and Oculus has also calibrated its software and games to integrate seamlessly with the headgear.    HTC Vive Hitting the market just recent is the HTC Vive, which  has been widely praised for offering one of the best virtual reality experiences out there. Packed with a pair of  1080x1200 high-resolution displays, more than 70 sensors  and a pair of motion controllers, the system enables players to maneuever within a 15x15 feet space. The system connects to your PC and includes a built-in front facing camera that blends together real life objects and virtual projections in the visual space. The big advantage the Vive has over Oculus rift is the ability to engage the VR field with hands and body as well as your eyes and head, though it appears that such capabilities will eventually come to Oculus Rift.   The entire system retails for $799 on the HTC Vive website. Currently, a selection of  107 games are due to arrive for the virtual reality format.   Sony PlayStation VR Not to be outdone by its competitors, Sony announced that it will release its VR device in October of this year -- in time for the holiday shopping season. The head-mounted display is designed to work in conjunction with the Sony Playstation 4 and comes equipped with a  5.7-inch OLED screen with a refresh rate of 120Hz.   Its also compatible with Playstation accessories such as the Move Motion controllers and camera, though some reviewers note that they dont work together as seamlessly as the HTC Hive system. What the platform has going for it is the wide range of gaming options that the Sony system can deliver. Pre-orders starting at $499,  through retailer Gamestop, sold out within minutes.    .