Ask Stephen L. Braveman what most of the patients he treats for pornography and sex addiction have in common and he’ll tell you that, in about 85 percent of the cases, they’re also addicted to the Internet.
News
Internet Addiction: The Next Depression?
In 1995, in an effort to parody the way the American Psychiatric Association’s hugely influential Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders medicalizes every excessive behavior, psychiatrist Ivan Goldberg introduced on his website the concept of “Internet Addiction Disorder.” Last summer Ben Alexander, a 19-year-old college student obsessed with the online multiplayer game World of Warcraft, was profiled by CBS News, NPR, the Associated Press and countless other media outlets because of his status as client No. 1 at reSTART, the first residential treatment center in America for individuals trying to get themselves clean from Azeroth, iPhones, and all the other digital narcotics of our age.
Santa Cruz Nonprofit Fights Platforms And Plastics
How, exactly, do major household appliances make their way to Santa Cruz County beaches and riverbanks? Why did volunteers find 35 percent more cigarette butts on last September’s Annual Coastal Cleanup Day compared with the year before? Who dumps tires in the river anyway, or batteries or tampons or toys?
Election Today Could Seal Fate of Budget
Voters will be going to the polls today in Santa Cruz County—as well as parts of Santa Clara, Monterey, San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties—to decide who will replace Abel Maldonado, recently appointed Lieutenant Governor. The seat is being contested by Democrat John Laird, Republican Sam Blakeslee, Independent Jim Fitzgerald and Libertarian Mark Hinkle.
Santa Cruz Bows Out Of AMGEN 2011
Despite the success of this year’s AMGEN stop in Santa Cruz, Mayor Mike Rotkin has decided that the city can no longer afford to host the cycling event, and has withdrawn from having it pass through Santa Cruz in 2011. “It’s a great event, we love to see it happen, we just don’t have the staff time to make it happen,” said Rotkin.
New Judge Takes Bench Early in Santa Cruz
When John Gallagher was elected to fill the seat of retiring Judge Michael Barton, it was assumed he would begin his duties on Jan. 1. Instead he will begin his duties this morning at Department 2 of the misdemeanor courtroom at the Santa Cruz County Superior courthouse. Gallagher has already received the Governor’s nod, and will be sworn in by presiding judge Jeff Almquist this morning. By this afternoon, he will already be doing his part to reduce the load on the county court system. Nevertheless, his formal swearing-in ceremony will have to wait until December.
Buying Bras in Capitola
It seems like only yesterday that “Burn the bra” was all the rage on Bay Area campuses. My, how times have changed. On Saturday in Capitola, the chant was “Buy the bra,” at Soroptimist International’s fifth annual “Bras For A Cause” auction.
The 15th Senate District Candidates Speak
Heads nodded and applause occasionally broke out during Thursday’s hour-long candidates forum, but there were few surprises as the four men vying to fill the recently vacated seat of Abel Maldonado exchanged views before a crowd of 200 or so at Cabrillo College’s Music Recital Hall. With slide show and video link.
Smash Mouth Still Walking
Steve Harwell is the kind of musician who would sing Pepto-Bismol commercials if you paid him right. And as long as his bandmate and songwriter Greg Camp was involved, the jingle would probably break the Top 40 charts. Harwell’s band, Smash Mouth, is now 16 years old, while he himself is 43. And having tried his hand at country music and reality TV, the band’s stocky vocalist and self-appointed chief executive is back to doing what he does best—cranking out maddeningly catchy ska pop hits that fit into bite-size, PG-rated, radio-friendly and easily marketable molds.
Taser Settles With Watsonville Man
Steven Butler was drunk on that fateful night in October 2006. He was also off his psychiatric medication. He refused to get off a bus, and a policeman who was called to the scene used a Taser X-26 electronic taser to prod him, but that only exacerbated the situation. Butler suffered a cardiac arrest, and it took 18 minutes to revive him. By then, he had suffered irreversible brain damage, including decreased mobility and motor skills and a loss of short-term memory. As a result of his injuries, Butler sued Taser.
