Drug gangs report blasting UK cities as dangerous

11:26 Drug gangs report blasting UK cities as dangerous 0 Comments

 Comment By Professor Alan Stevens Drug gangs report blasting UK cities as dangerous is too confusing The problems are nowhere near as deep in Manchester or Liverpool as they are in Rio de Janeiro – or even San Francisco A masked municipal policeman stands outside a shopping mall in MexicoAP On one hand it is right to state that there are communities in British cities suffering from social exclusion and marginalisation and that this contributes to their drug and crime problems. But on the other, these ­problems are nowhere near as deep in Manchester or Liverpool as they are in Rio de Janeiro or Ciudad Juarez – or even San Francisco or Los Angeles. The problem with the INCB report is that the wording is unclear. It gives the impression that its comments on no-go areas could apply equally to all of these cities. But it should have been more careful in specifying which ones it was referring to. The cities in Central and South America have more extreme ­problems which come from bigger social inequalities. They are dramatically more affected by crime and health problems. For example, in the past few years in Rio there have been repeated attempts to crack down on the areas controlled by violent drug markets. For a while these places were no-go zones. But authorities have acted in a militaristic fashion in the past year as they prepare for the World Cup.

British cities are becoming no-go areas where drugs gangs are effectively in control

11:19 British cities are becoming no-go areas where drugs gangs are effectively in control 0 Comments

British cities are becoming no-go areas where drugs gangs are effectively in control, a United Nations drugs chief said yesterday. Professor Hamid Ghodse, president of the UN’s International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), said there was “a vicious cycle of social exclusion and drugs problems and fractured communities” in cities such as Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester. The development of “no-go areas” was being fuelled by threats such as social inequality, migration and celebrities normalising drug abuse, he warned. Helping marginalised communities with drugs problems “must be a priority”, he said. “We are looking at social cohesion, the social disintegration and illegal drugs. “In many societies around the world, whether developed or developing, there are communities within the societies which develop which become no-go areas. “Drug traffickers, organised crime, drug users, they take over. They will get the sort of governance of those areas.” Prof Ghodse called for such communities to be offered drug abuse prevention programmes, treatment and rehabilitation services, and the same levels of educational, employment and recreational opportunities as in the wider society. The INCB’s annual report for 2011 found persistent social inequality, migration, emerging cultures of excess and a shift in traditional values were some of the key threats to social cohesion. As the gap between rich and poor widens, and “faced with a future with limited opportunities, individuals within these communities may increasingly become disengaged from the wider society and become involved in a range of personally and socially harmful behaviours, including drug abuse and drug dealing,” it said.

One in seven Cambridge students 'has sold drugs to help pay their way through university'

05:09 One in seven Cambridge students 'has sold drugs to help pay their way through university' 0 Comments

One in seven Cambridge students is  dealing drugs to help pay their way through university, according to a survey. It found many claim that they have been forced to sell illegal substances to friends to make ends meet as they study. And it revealed nearly two-thirds admitted taking drugs, with cannabis the most  popular substance.

Boozy films 'turn children into drinkers'

07:52 Boozy films 'turn children into drinkers' 0 Comments

Experts say that teenagers who have seen the most films featuring alcohol are twice as likely to start consuming alcohol as those who watched the least. Parents should closely monitor the films their children watch, advise the researchers, while Hollywood should look at phasing out drinking scenes, just as it has for smoking. The team, from a number of US universities, aliken American films to the flu virus, quickly spreading risky drinking behaviour around the globe. For two years they conducted regular phone interviews with 6,500 children, aged 10 to 14 at the start of the study. They asked them about the films they watched, whether they consumed alcohol, whether they drank without their parents knowing, and whether they took part in 'binge' drinking.  They found watching lots of films with drinking scenes was one of the most powerful factors, when it came to predicting both whether a child would start drinking, and progress to binge drinking. Only being an older child at the start of the study, and having lots of friends who drank, were more important when it came to predicting who took up drinking. Writing in the British Medical Journal Open, they suggested that Hollywood should place "similar emphasis" on vetting films for drinking scenes, as they already did for smoking scenes.

Fresh hope in pancreatic cancer war

07:49 Fresh hope in pancreatic cancer war 0 Comments

Pancreatic cancer cells can be destroyed by combining two drugs, researchers have found - giving hope that more effective treatments can be developed to combat the disease. The research by Cancer Research UK's Cambridge Research Institute showed in mice that combining a chemotherapy drug called gemcitabine with an experimental drug called MRK003 sets off a chain of events that ultimately kills cancer cells - multiplying the effect of each drug on its own. MRK003 blocks an important cell signalling pathway called Notch in both pancreatic cancer cells and the endothelial cells that line the blood vessels supplying tumours with essential nutrients. Experts found the addition of MRK003 to gemcitabine - a drug used commonly in patients with pancreatic cancer - increased the ability of gemcitabine to destroy tumours. The research was published in the Journal of Experimental Medicin, and study author Professor David Tuveson said: "We've discovered why these two drugs together set off a domino effect of molecular activity to switch off cell survival processes and destroy pancreatic cancer cells." Around 8,000 people in the UK are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer each year and the disease is the fifth most common cause of cancer death in the UK. Survival rates are very low in relation to other cancers and the length of time between diagnosis and death is typically short, usually less than six months. The most recent data for England show that around 16% of patients survive their disease beyond 12 months after diagnosis - prompting the need for new treatments. The discovery is now a clinical trial being led by Duncan Jodrell, professor of cancer therapeutics at the University of Cambridge. He said: "We're delighted that the results of this important research are now being evaluated in a clinical trial, to test whether this might be a new treatment approach for patients with pancreatic cancer, although it will be some time before we're able to say how successful this will be in patients."

Hospitalised, robbed, arrested – new TV series follows consular staff as they help Brits in distress

14:18 arrested – new TV series follows consular staff as they help Brits in distress , Hospitalised , robbed 0 Comments

How the staff of British Consulates in Spain help citizens in distress is to be highlighted in a new TV documentary series to be broadcast next month on the UK’s Channel 4.UK in Spain The new TV series, filmed last summer, reveals how consular staff come to the rescue of Britons who find themselves in trouble. From helping victims of crime to advising Brits arrested by the police, the series also follows consular staff as they visit holidaymakers who end up in hospital and meet expat residents to hear their property concerns. In a three part series, ‘Our Man In…’, provides unprecedented access to the work of British consular staff. It will be shown on the UK’s Channel 4 on Thursdays 1st, 8th and 15th March at 22.00 GMT (23.00 CET). The first programme features Mallorca and Ibiza, the second follows the team in Alicante and the third covers Tenerife and Barcelona. “The series shows the hard work and professionalism of our staff in helping British expats and holidaymakers as well as highlighting the serious issues that Brits can face abroad”, says Paul Rodwell, British Consul in Alicante. “Some of the less serious cases can be avoided and I would encourage people to read our travel advice and have a look at the information we have on our ukinspain website.” The series reveals the consequences of failing to prepare properly for a holiday. Even if you’re staying with friends and family, travelling without insurance could cost you many thousands of pounds if you’re injured abroad. “Losing your passport will cost you time and money”, says Paul Rodwell. “And without an EHIC health card, you’ll find it harder to get medical care. By taking a few simple precautions, you can avoid a dream holiday turning into a nightmare.” The programme in Alicante, about life on the costas, shows the pro-active face of the consulate, with staff seeking out Brits caught up in a forest fire, organising outreach events to hear residents’ property concerns, and working with local police to manage an invasion of Scottish football fans for a big game against Spain. On the party island of Ibiza, consular staff tackle the fall-out from a new drug on club scene - the so-called 'pink pill'. A young tourist is found lost, nearly naked, and unable to recall anything but his name. Then the Brit dealers who supply the pills also need help after they're arrested. In Mallorca, staff deal with a young Brit who's been tasered by overzealous police. A holidaymaker from Essex has been run over by a drunk driver, and lies seriously injured in hospital. And a Lancashire couple's holiday is transformed by the arrival, nine weeks early, of their tiny baby son. In Barcelona and Tenerife, crime has its effects on visitors and on the workload of the Consulates. Street robberies and stolen passports lead to inconvenience, distress and unexpected costs for holidaymakers. Meanwhile consular staff are also busy helping some of the people who need it most – expat prisoners & homeless Brits who simply want to go home. ‘Our Man In…’ was filmed mainly in August and September last year and is produced by Screenchannel Television, a London-based independent production company. The executive producers are Emma Barker, a former commissioning editor and controller at ITV, and Peter Lowe, a former executive producer and programme editor at BBC Television and controller at Carlton Television.

No date set for Málaga's second prison to come into service

13:19 No date set for Málaga's second prison to come into service 0 Comments

Construction appears to be funded, but the problem is how to find the money for the staffThe entrance to the Alhaurin prison  There is concern over when a new prison being built in Archidona, Málaga will be able to accept inmates. 70% of the construction, which is budgeted at 117 million, has been done, and there is a date of the end of this year or the start of next for completion. However to start accepting inmates the prison has to employ some 600 people, and there has been no advertising of any jobs as yet. Union CCOO think the new Director of Prisons, Ángel Yuste, wants to delay the reception of the installations as long as possible as there is no money, and noting that the maintenance of the facility could be more than five million a year. The new prison will have 1,008 cells. We will probably better know if there is funding to open the prison after we have seen the State Budget for 2012 which the PP is to reveal next month. Thankfully the prison population has fallen slightly, falling by 1.6% in Andalucia in 2010. The latest figures show 17,215 inmates in 9,445 cells. At Málaga’s prison in Alhaurín de la Torre which was designed for some 1,000 prisoners, it is now holding 1,400, and has held as many as 1,900 inmates at times in the past.

Alastair Campbell on drink: 'I paid a heavy price'

05:24 Alastair Campbell on drink: 'I paid a heavy price' 0 Comments

Alastair Campbell, Tony Blair's former spokesman, examines the British middle class's troubled relationship with alcohol and his own long and complicated history with drink. To read the headlines about Britain's drink problem, you might think it is largely an issue of teenage binge-drinking in town centres up and down the country. You would be very wrong. Young people drinking too much is a problem. But it is not the biggest drink problem Britain faces. The real problem comes in the form of our hidden alcoholics. Back in my hard-drinking days I was one of them - professional, successful on the surface, with a good job, a steady relationship, a mortgage, nice holidays, lots of friends. But I was heading for a very big fall. The Office for National Statistics tells us that the professional classes are now the most frequent drinkers in the country and that 41% of professional men drink more than the recommended daily limit of three to four units at least once a week. Women are also drinking much more than they used to, with alcoholic liver disease now split evenly between the sexes. My own drinking reached its peak while I worked in Fleet Street in the 1980s - a time when the pub was an extension of the office. Anne Robinson, one of my colleagues on the Daily Mirror back then, was one of the many casualties of the hard-drinking culture. Reflecting back on the days before she too gave it up, Anne said: "It was just a sea of alcohol. If you were editing the paper, people just came in to your office to empty your drinks cabinet." Annie has been dry for years. I paid a heavy price for the same sort of lifestyle when my drinking, coupled with depression, triggered a mental breakdown that landed me in hospital. It forced me to confront my drinking, and by 1986 I'd stopped and started a slow road to recovery. Since then, even in newspapers, Britain's boozy workplace culture has largely disappeared. 24-hour mistake? Yet, paradoxically, more people are being treated for alcohol problems. Recent figures show that nearly 9,000 people die each year in the UK from alcohol-related diseases. Perhaps more alarmingly, liver disease in general is the only major cause of death in Britain that is on the rise, year after year - claiming 100 lives every week - whereas mortality for all the smoking diseases is falling dramatically. Find out more Panorama: Britain's Hidden Alcoholics BBC One, Monday 20 February at 20:30 GMT Then available in the UK on the BBC iPlayer That Britain has a problem with drink is highlighted not just by the figures, but by the fact that the government is busy devising a new strategy to address alcohol-related ill-health. David Cameron has signalled his appetite for reform, including the possibility of minimum pricing as already being taken forward in Scotland, and tougher rules on promotion and marketing. So how did we get here? Well, as with so much of our recent history, the answer lies in Europe. With closer ties came cheaper travel and a newly developed taste for all things European, wine included. Then came the booze cruises to France and the birth of a seemingly unquenchable British thirst. Since 1970, our consumption of wine has gone up five-fold, according to the Beer and Pub Association. We now consume 1.6 billion bottles a year (not counting the ones we drink when we go abroad). It has gone from a middle-class luxury to an everyday part of middle-class life. Anne Robinson remembers a "sea of alcohol" in the newsroom Though ultimately individuals have to take responsibility for their own relationships with alcohol, governments have to set the framework, which is why the planned new strategy is so important. I defend virtually everything done by the government I worked for under Tony Blair. I confess however, as he and Tessa Jowell will confirm, that I was never a big fan of the laws to introduce 24-hour licensing, surely one of the factors in the troubled relationship between Brits and booze. I had left Downing Street by the time the law came in, but it had been mooted for some time before and I never really bought the argument that Britain would suddenly become a continental-style drinking nation. Cheap booze I think we have always had this tendency, where there is drink, to drink it to excess. Did it make things worse? Was it a mistake? On the one hand it is quite nice to have a sense of London and other cities being more European in their approach to drink. But I think it is entirely possible to see a link between increased availability of alcohol and our increased consumption. Britain is, after all, the nation of the gin epidemic - back in the 18th Century. While in 1914, the government had to bring in the Defence of the Realm Act because our own drinking was deemed a threat to our ability to defend ourselves in war. Health campaigners cite those as the first major British drinking crises. They believe we are now facing the third. The big shift in recent times has been the rise of drinking at home, which is why the binge-drinking stereotype is neither accurate nor helpful. The issue is largely about price. Pubs charge a lot for a pint. Supermarkets don't. It is a sad paradox that the decline in pubs has come alongside what seems to be a rise in drinking and alcohol-related problems. In 1970, 90% of all pints were poured in a pub. Today, it is only 50% - the other half are bought much more cheaply in supermarkets and off-licences. The government has to do its bit. But in making a film about Britain's relationship with drink, and in meeting some of the hidden alcoholics, I met people who had each come to their own arrangement with alcohol. For most, the answer is complete abstinence, or complete loss of control. I too said no for 13 years, but then I started having the odd drink again. This time, I feel as though I am more in control. To be frank, it would be hard not to be. Alcohol facts 10m people in England drink more than recommended Daily units men: 3-4 Daily units women: 2-3 New advice is to abstain from alcohol for two days a week Source: Drinkaware But, having met others as they underwent rehabilitation treatment, I do wonder if I am doing the right thing. Partly I am testing myself, having one or two so I can then enjoy the satisfaction of being able to say "No". I also like being able to be "normal" like other social drinkers, just have the odd one and then call it a night. I cannot say I have not drunk since first falling gently off the wagon in 1999. But I can say I have never been drunk, never had a hangover, never touched spirits and never felt the loss of control that had me hospitalised prior to my 13-year unbroken dry spell. The psychiatrist who I see for my depression thinks that even occasional drinking on my part is a bad idea, and interestingly, in making a documentary on the subject, I did once again stop drinking altogether, not least perhaps as a result of the tour of Queen Mary's Hospital anatomy department, where I was shown a few damaged livers. I do feel that my own relationship with alcohol is more secure. And while government has a role to play in setting rules and regulations on responsible drinking, on a certain level I think that our connection to alcohol is a deal that each of us has to make with ourselves. I hope this film helps some of Britain's drinkers to do that.

210,000 people face alcohol death risk, warn doctors

05:20 000 people face alcohol death risk , 210 , warn doctors 0 Comments

Failure to reform alcohol laws could lead to 210,000 preventable deaths in England and Wales in the next 20 years, doctors have warned. They are putting pressure on the government ahead of its "alcohol strategy" for both countries, expected in the coming months. Writing in The Lancet, doctors said the UK was at a "potential tipping point". Prime Minister David Cameron has already vowed to tackle the "scandal" of drunkenness and alcohol abuse. The projected mortality figures comes from Prof Ian Gilmore, a former President of the Royal College of Physicians, Dr Nick Sheron, from the National Institute for Health Research and members of the British Society of Gastroenterology. Their figure of 210,000 is a slight reduction from their previous estimate of 250,000 and represents their "worst-case scenario" of no change to alcohol policy. "It remains entirely within the power of the UK government to prevent the worst-case scenario of preventable deaths," they wrote. The figures for England and Wales suggest 70,000 of the deaths could be from liver disease and the rest from accidents, violence and chronic illnesses such as high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease, breast cancer and cancer of the gastrointestinal tract. 'Tipping point' They were critical of the "responsibility deal" in England, which are voluntary agreements with the drinks industry on issues such as promotions and labelling. Continue reading the main story “ Start Quote What we have to accept is that doing nothing is no longer a responsible option” Eric Appleby Alcohol Concern This was compared to the Scottish government's approach such as a minimum price per unit of alcohol. The group said: "We are at a potential tipping point in the UK in taking on the shameful, preventable loss of life caused by alcohol. "The potential prize of reversing this tragic toll of alcohol-related deaths is there for the taking." The Department of Health will publish its alcohol strategy for England later this year. Selling alcohol below cost price is to be banned in England and Wales from 6 April. However, ministers are expected to go further in the forthcoming strategy, recommending a higher minimum price for drink. The chief executive of Alcohol Concern, Eric Appleby, said: "What we have to accept is that doing nothing is no longer a responsible option for alcohol policy, and that trying to 'nudge' drinking culture through information and persuasion has proved to be little better than doing nothing. "We can see from the example of other countries that drinking patterns really can change, the challenge is there for the government to start the process now through the Alcohol Strategy." Henry Ashworth, chief executive of the Portman Group, which also represents UK drinks producers, said: "It is really important that we put this report in context. "The vast majority of people drink responsibly. Painting doomsday scenarios won't help reduce alcohol misuse and calling for Soviet Union style population controls cannot do anything but alienate the vast majority of people who already drink within Government guidelines. "We agree with the Prime Minister that strong partnerships are essential to tackle the minority who use alcohol recklessly and drinks producers are committed to supporting this approach." The public health minister, Anne Milton, said: "As the Prime Minister said earlier this week, we are determined to tackle the scandal of alcohol abuse. People that misuse alcohol endanger their own lives and those of others. "It costs the NHS £2.7 billion per year and in our forthcoming alcohol strategy we will set out our plans on how to deal with the wide range of problems and harms it causes."

Whitney Houston was found dead today in a Beverly Hills hotel room,

03:13 Whitney Houston was found dead today in a Beverly Hills hotel room 0 Comments

Demi Moore seeking spiritual solace

10:35 Demi Moore seeking spiritual solace 0 Comments

Troubled actress Demi Moore, who was recently hospitalized after reportedly suffered from a drug-induced meltdown, is seeking spiritual help from friend and guru Deepak Chopra. The 49-year-old had decided to end her 6-year marriage to husband Ashton Kutcher in November last year due to his infidelity. A source told People that she is seeking advice from Chopra, who has authored more than 64 books about spirituality and healing, the New York Daily News reported.

New Brain Research Helps Explain Drug Addiction

14:02 New Brain Research Helps Explain Drug Addiction 0 Comments

It makes you feel hopeless seeing there's nothing you can do

05:44 It makes you feel hopeless seeing there's nothing you can do 0 Comments

A vaccine against heroin addiction could be ready for human use in just five years.

05:40 A vaccine against heroin addiction could be ready for human use in just five years. 0 Comments

Ewan MacGregor portrayed a heroin addict in the 1996 film Trainspotting. He was shown suffering from withdrawal symptoms. Now scientists believe a vaccine could help drug users

Addiction: Injecting heroin and sharing needles spread HIV and hepatitis C

Addiction could be hereditary: study

09:33 Addiction could be hereditary: study 0 Comments

The human brain may be "wired up" for addictive behaviour according to a study that shows how some people are more likely than others to become addicted to crack cocaine. Scientists have found specific abnormalities in the brains of regular cocaine users which are likely to have been present in early childhood rather than coming about as a result of the drug misuse. The researchers also found similar abnormalities in the brothers and sisters of cocaine addicts - even though the siblings were not themselves drug users - but did not find the same brain patterns in the general population. The discovery of specific brain abnormalities in the families of drug addicts suggests a genetic basis for addictive behaviour. But it also implies that some people can overcome this predispositiion to remain free of drugs, said Karen Ersche of the University of Cambridge. "Cocaine is a highly addictive drug but only some people get hooked on it. However, your chances of getting hooked rise about eight times if you have a family member who is addicted," Dr Ersche said. "Our findings suggest that drug addiction is not a failure of character or a lifestyle choice. It's a problem with the brain. If your brain is wired for addiction it's easier for the drugs to take over, but the good thing is that this is not inevitable," she said. The study, funded by the Medical Research Council and published in the journal Science, used hospital scanners to analyse the brains of 50 cocaine addicts and compared them against the brain scans of their non-addicted siblings. As an overall control, the researchers also scanned the brains of 50 unrelated, healthy volunteers. The scans showed that both the addicts and their siblings shared defects in the nerve fibres that communicate with the front part of the brain, the temporal cortex, which is known to be involved in controlling impulsive behaviour. Previous research has shown that drug addiction is linked with brain abnormalities involved with self control but it was not known whether the drug misuse was the cause or the result of the irregularities in the brain. "Given that some forms of drug addiction are thought to develop out of bad habits that get out of control, it's intriguing that siblings who don't abuse drugs show similar brain abnormalities as the ones who have been abusing drugs for many years," Dr Ersche said. "Our findings now shed light on why the risk of becoming addicted to drugs is increased in people with a family history of drug or alcohol dependence - parts of their brains underlying self-control abilities work less efficiently," she said. "The use of drugs such as cocaine further exacerbates this problem, paving the way for addiction to develop from occasional use," she added. The next stage of the research is to find out why the drug-free siblings were able to avoid getting hooked on drugs. They may have developed other interests that led them away from drug taking, or have been influenced by older family members. "While we still have more work to do to fully address the reasons why some family members show a greater resilience against addiction, our results will provide the scientific basis for the development of more effective prevention and treatment for people at risk," Dr Ersche said. Professor Les Iversen of the University of Oxford said: "These new findings reinforce the view that the propensity to addiction is dependent on inherited differences in brain circuitry, and offer the possibility of new ways of treating high-risk individuals to develop better 'self control'."

Sex addiction linked to Internet porn

09:25 Sex addiction linked to Internet porn 0 Comments

Dismiss sex addiction as an excuse for weak behaviour, and you're ignoring an “explosive sexual health issue” heading our way, warns a leading sex-addiction expert. “Sex addiction might be used as an excuse by a man who has multiple sexual partners,” says JC Durbin, CEO of the Wicklow-based addiction treatment centre Toranfield House. “It might also be seen as a titillating subject. Yet there's nothing titillating about a man who continuously has unprotected sex with prostitutes who may have sexually transmitted diseases, and then goes home and has sex with his wife,” says the addiction counsellor. “There's nothing titillating about the compulsive masturbator, who masturbates up to 15 times a day, and whose life is spiralling out of control because of his compulsive behaviour,” says Durbin. The subject of sex addiction is back in the news, thanks to the 2011 film Shame, which stars Michael Fassbender and tells the story of a thirtysomething sex addict whose life is run on his need for sexual encounters. Sex addiction regularly crops up in the world of celebrities, with stars who have reportedly sought treatment for sex addiction including Michael Douglas, when he was married to his first wife Diandra, and Tiger Woods after he was caught out cheating on his ex-wife, Elin Nordegren. Comedian Russell Brand has written about his excessive sexual appetite in the autobiography My Booky Wook. While David Duchovny, star of The X-Files, was also allegedly treated for sex-addiction problems. Rather than seeing sex addiction as an excuse for cheats, Durbin believes we should be educating ourselves on how easy access to porn is putting young people at risk of sex addiction. Pornography on the internet is putting society at risk of an “explosive increase in sexual health issues”, he believes. “Porn can be accessed on mobile phones, meaning young people are exposed to sexual imagery at a very early age,” he says. “Because young people's first experience of sex is now often porn, and they are seeing sex presented in an excessive way, it may lead to problems with them modifying their sexual behaviour later and in real life,” he says. Durbin estimates between three to five percent of people with addictive problems will present with issues around sexual compulsivity. “I haven't seen the film Shame, but I've heard that the character derives no enjoyment from sex. That's a defining aspect of any kind of addiction,” the addiction counsellor says. “Heroin might feel enjoyable at first, but in the end all an addict is doing is using the drug to try to feel in any way normal. “Sex addiction involves compulsive and risky behaviour which has destructive consequences for the sufferer,” Durbin says. There are no statistics for sex addiction here but the American-based Society for the Advancement of Sexual Health estimates that up to 5 percent of people are afflicted. Durbin feels it's time to “destigmatise sex addiction”. “If you have a counselling group, and someone talks about being addicted to alcohol, and the next person about being addicted to drugs, the person who is addicted to masturbating will be the last to speak,” he says. Liam Lally is co-director of counselling at Accord marriage and relationship counselling service. He says: “In Accord we don't have any statistics on sex addiction. In 2011, 22 percent of our clients listed use of the internet as a problem in their relationships. People use the internet for work, gambling, games and pornography. All of those who use the internet to access pornography could not be described as sex addicts. “Sexual addiction is an intimacy disorder and the symptoms mostly consist of compulsive sexual thoughts and acts. Like all addictions, it interferes with the life, work and relationships of the individual and as the disorder progresses the individual usually has to increase the behaviour in order to achieve a measure of satisfaction. Signs that a person may be at risk of sex addiction can show up in careless or illicit behaviour a person might exhibit around their sex life. “A young person might date a lot, but as we get older we tend to modify our behaviour. If instead, a person's behaviour becomes excessive and extreme in the search for sexual encounters, they may be at risk of sexual addiction,” he says. While sex addiction is most often seen as a male problem, women also run the risk of experiencing the symptoms. Durban says: “It's not unheard of for a woman to present with extreme sexual behaviour.” “The distress caused to someone who can't control their sexual behaviour is considerable,” Durbin says. “Like any addiction, recovery is possible. But there has to be an acceptance that the problem of sex addiction exists first,” he says. - Evening Herald

Half of Spain “Addicted” to the Internet

00:21 Half of Spain “Addicted” to the Internet 0 Comments

Nearly half of all Spaniards (45%) claim to “be addicted” to the internet, amongst them, the majority are women and youngsters between 18 and 34. The figures come from the “Nestea Study about the Internet and Social Networks”, carried out by the Sondea Institute. 2,618 people were interviewed throughout Spain. According to the study, the autonomous communities with the most “addicted” to the internet are people living in Navarra (65%), Balearic Islands (58%), Cantabria and the Basque country (both 50%). The least “addicted” are in Asturias (35%), Galicia (36%), La Rioja (38%), and Murcia (41%). The study reveals that 43% of all Spaniards spend between four and ten hours per day, actively connected to the internet, while 5% are connected more than ten hours per day. Over 90% of those who took part in the survey confirmed that they had a profile on a social networking site, mainly Facebook (85%), Twitter (35%), Tuenti (27%), and LinkedIn (17%).

German nationals face death penalty over drug smuggling charges in Malaysia

16:37 German nationals face death penalty over drug smuggling charges in Malaysia 0 Comments

A district court near the Kuala Lumpur International Airport charged the three men on January 13 with drug trafficking, said a customs official who declined to be named. Airport officials arrested the men arriving from Istanbul on January 1 after finding 10.2 kilogrammes of methamphetamine hidden in the bags they were carrying, the official said on Wednesday. He said no plea had been recorded from the three pending the case's transfer to a high court once a chemist report on the drugs is ready. The two Germans have parents from Afghanistan but were born in Germany, while the Moroccan has lived in Germany for 15 years, the official said. Authorities in the Southeast Asian country went on "red alert" late last year following a surge in arrests and drug seizures, tightening passenger and luggage screening.

Amy Winehouse coroner 'not qualified'

00:05 Amy Winehouse coroner 0 Comments

The family of singer Amy Winehouse have said they are "taking advice" following news that the coroner who oversaw her inquest has resigned. Camden Council has confirmed that Suzanne Greenaway had stood down because she had not been a lawyer in the UK for the required five years. The council said she had been appointed "in error" by her husband Andrew Reid, the coroner for inner north London. Ms Greenaway ruled that Winehouse, 27, died from accidental alcohol poisoning. She returned a verdict of misadventure. The Office for Judicial Complaints has begun an inquiry into Dr Reid's conduct. Letter of apology In a statement, Winehouse's relatives said: "The Winehouse family is taking advice on the implications of this and will decide if any further discussion with the authorities is needed." Ms Greenaway qualified in Australia in 1999 in September and was a member of the Supreme Court there but she had not worked as a lawyer for the required time in the UK, a Camden Council spokesman said. The spokesman added that the Winehouse inquest verdict remained legal and would only be judged illegal if it was challenged and subsequently overturned by the High Court. Amy Winehouse's father leaves St Pancras Coroners Court Dr Reid said he was writing to all of the families affected to apologise. He said: "While I am confident that all of the inquests handled were done so correctly, I apologise if this matter causes distress to the families and friends of the deceased." He has offered to hold the inquests over again if the families of the deceased request it. During her time as deputy assistant coroner, Ms Greenaway conducted 12 inquests in Camden, but mainly worked from Poplar Coroner's Court. Coroners are appointed by the Ministry of Justice who then interview and appoint their own staff, including in the case of Dr Reid, his assistant deputy coroner. Under the Coroners Act, he must then notify the local authority although it has no power of scrutiny over appointments, a Camden Council spokesman said. The inquest into Winehouse's death heard she was more than five times the drink-drive limit when she died on 23 July. Ms Greenway had said the "unintended consequence" of Winehouse drinking so much alcohol was her "sudden and unexpected death". Three empty vodka bottles, two large and one small, were found at her flat, St Pancras Coroner's Court heard.

Leonard Cohen - Beautiful Loser

03:16 Leonard Cohen - Beautiful Loser 0 Comments

1956 to 1958 Seeking religious ecstasy, he starts taking drugs, mainly hashish, acid and amphetamines. He later tells Zig Zag magazine, "I have used almost everything that I could ever get my hands on. I have taken them in every possible way. I think that drugs without a sacrament, without a ritual, without a really great understanding of their power are dangerous." Cohen is also prone to depression, as was his mother, and becomes increasingly withdrawn. He reads on an album called Six Montreal Poets, released in the U.S. by Folkway Records. He enrols in grad school at Columbia University in New York City, where he writes a term paper on his own collection of poetry; he is extremely critical. He meets beat poets in Greenwich Village such as Allan Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac, but they find him too bourgeois. Feeling homesick, Cohen moves back to Montreal and starts working in his family's business, a decision mocked by Layton. He writes an unpublished novel, The Ballet of Lepers. In 1958, he starts reciting poetry in front of jazz ensembles, often at Dunn's Progressive Jazz Parlour, above Dunn's Steak House on Ste. Catherine Street. 1959 Canadian publisher Jack McClelland signs Cohen based entirely on his confidence and style; McClelland had not yet read his poems. Cohen wants the book's cover design to appeal to "inner-directed adolescents, lovers in all degrees of anguish, disappointed Platonists, pornography-peepers, hair-handed monks and Popists, French-Canadian intellectuals, unpublished writers, curious musicians, etc." Cohen gets a $2,000 Canada Council grant to write a novel. He finally quits the family business, upsetting his mother, and briefly works for the CBC before getting a passport and setting sail to see the world. He arrives in London in December. Friends of friends put him up on the condition that he clean his room and write three pages a day. He buys two key items: a typewriter that lasts him the next 26 years and a blue raincoat that becomes famous. 1960 Cohen is entranced by the Greek island of Hydra, where there are no cars, plenty of donkeys, very little running water and not much electricity. He buys a house there for $1,500. The island is populated largely by an international array of writers and artists, many of them adulterous and drunk. He falls in love with Swedish model Marianne Ihlen, who moves into his home with her young son; they stay together for over six years. Cohen finds all of this to be an ideal creative environment. It's also very cheap; he survives on $1,000 a year. He returns to Montreal in November to apply for another Canada Council grant. To do so, he rents a limousine, gets high on the drive to Ottawa, and sings for the secretaries at the Canada Council office while chasing them in a wheelchair. The first draft of Cohen's first novel, The Favourite Game, is rejected by Jack McClelland; his editors found it "too tedious, not to say disgusting." Cohen himself describes it as "miserable," and "an important mess." It would not be published until 1963. 1961 Telling his friends he is "wild for all kinds of violence," Cohen heads to Cuba just before the Bay of Pigs invasion, and spends most of his time drinking in Havana's underworld. One night a Canadian official rouses him at his hotel and demand that he come to the embassy; Cohen is disappointed that he's been summoned only because his mother is worried about him and pulled some strings to find out if he was still alive. He is later arrested by Cuban soldiers who suspect him of being American; after 90 minutes of interrogation, the non-Spanish-speaking Cohen convinces them of his good intentions and they all drink rum and sing songs together. Cohen writes to Jack McClelland to say that if he is killed in an air raid, it will be great publicity. When he tries to leave Cuba, he's mistaken for a Cuban trying to escape and is detained; during a distraction at the airport, he manages to sneak on to the plane. The poetry collection The Spice-Box of Earth is published, sells out its first printing in three months, and is nominated for a Governor General's Award. 1962 to 1964 Living on Hydra gets difficult as his mother and various friends come to visit and distract him while he struggles to sculpt The Favourite Game into shape for publication. He tells Irving Layton, "I've torn apart orchestras to arrive at my straight, melodic line." In early '64, Cohen tours Western Canada, performing with the Lenny Breau Trio in Winnipeg, and upsetting members of the audience in Vancouver for using salty language and, while on stage, inviting women back to his hotel room. The NFB makes a film called Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Leonard Cohen. His next novel, Beautiful Losers, is written on Hydra between 1964 and 1965 while hopped up on amphetamines and Ray Charles records; "more of a sunstroke than a book," he jokes.

Eamonn Holmes asks sex addict, Crystal Warren why she hasn't turned to prostitution

03:13 Crystal Warren why she hasn't turned to prostitution , Eamonn Holmes asks sex addict 0 Comments

Eamonn Holmes stunned ITV viewers after he asked a female sex addict why she hadn't turned to prostitution. The This Morning host was interviewing Crystal Warren who claimed to have slept with more than 1000 men. The 42-year-old revealed that she was unable to keep a job as a result of her constant need for sex. Critical: Holmes, right, during the maligned interview with Crystal Warren During the candid chat, Holmes queried: 'If you need this five or six times a day, have you never thought about making a business of it? Charging for it?' To which, Warren replied: 'What, becoming a prostitute?' 'Then it becomes a business, then I become maybe like a robot. 'This way I am enjoying it, I do it when I want to do it, I get to choose who I sleep with.'