BACKGROUND Problematic Internet use(PIU)or Internet addiction has been recognized to be a behavioral addiction characterized by excessive or poorly controlled preoccupations,urges,or behaviors regarding computer use a...BACKGROUND Problematic Internet use(PIU)or Internet addiction has been recognized to be a behavioral addiction characterized by excessive or poorly controlled preoccupations,urges,or behaviors regarding computer use and Internet access that leads to impairment or distress resembling substance abuse.AIM To investigate the prevalence and characteristics of Internet use and abuse in a group of drug addicts from Southern Italy,by means of a specific questionnaire[“Questionario sull’Utilizzo delle Nuove Tecnologie”(QUNT)].METHODS All subjects(183)were heavy smokers,almost 50%of them used heroin and/or opioid compounds,30%alcohol,10%cannabis,8%cocaine,and 5%were polydrug users.Almost 10%of the individuals were also suffering from gambling disorder.RESULTS The time spent online was more than 4 hours a day in the total sample,with a slight prevalence in male subjects.Cocaine and cannabis users spent more than 6 hours online,significantly more than opioid and alcohol abusers.Distribution of the QUNT factors was not different in both sexes.Cocaine users showed higher scores at the“loss of control”,“pornography addiction”,and“addiction to social networks”factors,for the stimulant effect of this substance.Moreover,15 out of the total 17 cocaine users were pathological gamblers.Positive and statistically significant relationships were observed between some QUNT factors and body mass index.CONCLUSION These findings indicate that PIU is less severe in subjects taking sedative substances,such as heroin/opioids and alcohol,than in subjects taking stimulants.Alternatively,it may be used as a“stimulant”trigger in cocaine and cannabis users.Flattening effect of abuse drugs was noted on possible sex-related differences in QUNT items.We observed a sort of“protective”effect of a love relationship and/or living together with a partner,as those engaged subjects showed lower scores on different items than single subjects or those living alone.The relationship between time spent online(and related sedentary lifestyle)and body mass index would suggest that Internet use might be a contributing factor to increasing weight gain and obesity amongst adolescents and young adults worldwide.Our findings also highlighted the specific vulnerability of drug addicts who use stimulants,rather than sedative compounds,to other kinds of behavioral addictions,such as gambling disorder.展开更多
Drug dependence is a serious global health problem.To assist individuals with drug addiction,China alone has established 678 Compulsory Detoxification Detention Centers （CDDCs） that treat over300,000i ndividuals who...Drug dependence is a serious global health problem.To assist individuals with drug addiction,China alone has established 678 Compulsory Detoxification Detention Centers （CDDCs） that treat over300,000i ndividuals who are required by national law to receive compulsory treatment;because community-based outpatient treatment failed.展开更多
WHEN China opens its doors to the outside world, fresh air comes in. So do flies. While drug addicts were unknown in China for 30 years, there are now reports of drug users and their related crimes. In an effort to ab...WHEN China opens its doors to the outside world, fresh air comes in. So do flies. While drug addicts were unknown in China for 30 years, there are now reports of drug users and their related crimes. In an effort to abolish drug abuse in China, rehabilitation centers are being set up throughout the country to give medical aid to drug users trying to kick the habit. These photos were taken in a rehabilitation center in a small town in Gansu Province in the northwestern part of China.展开更多
TWENTY-four-year-old Mu Li has come to the rehabilitation center in Tianjin of her own free will. After a year on drugs, she now wants to quit. This is her second time being hospitalized. The first time, she stayed fo...TWENTY-four-year-old Mu Li has come to the rehabilitation center in Tianjin of her own free will. After a year on drugs, she now wants to quit. This is her second time being hospitalized. The first time, she stayed for 20 days in the center. Not long after she was discharged, however, she was on drugs again. So she came back to the center, begging to be hospitalized again. The Tianjin Rehabilitation Center for Drug Addicts (TRCDA) where Mu Li is being treated was established in 1992, although cases of drug abuse were then still rare in the city. However, with the increasing rate of drug abuse in展开更多
基金Supported by A grant from “Regione Calabria”,Italy
文摘BACKGROUND Problematic Internet use(PIU)or Internet addiction has been recognized to be a behavioral addiction characterized by excessive or poorly controlled preoccupations,urges,or behaviors regarding computer use and Internet access that leads to impairment or distress resembling substance abuse.AIM To investigate the prevalence and characteristics of Internet use and abuse in a group of drug addicts from Southern Italy,by means of a specific questionnaire[“Questionario sull’Utilizzo delle Nuove Tecnologie”(QUNT)].METHODS All subjects(183)were heavy smokers,almost 50%of them used heroin and/or opioid compounds,30%alcohol,10%cannabis,8%cocaine,and 5%were polydrug users.Almost 10%of the individuals were also suffering from gambling disorder.RESULTS The time spent online was more than 4 hours a day in the total sample,with a slight prevalence in male subjects.Cocaine and cannabis users spent more than 6 hours online,significantly more than opioid and alcohol abusers.Distribution of the QUNT factors was not different in both sexes.Cocaine users showed higher scores at the“loss of control”,“pornography addiction”,and“addiction to social networks”factors,for the stimulant effect of this substance.Moreover,15 out of the total 17 cocaine users were pathological gamblers.Positive and statistically significant relationships were observed between some QUNT factors and body mass index.CONCLUSION These findings indicate that PIU is less severe in subjects taking sedative substances,such as heroin/opioids and alcohol,than in subjects taking stimulants.Alternatively,it may be used as a“stimulant”trigger in cocaine and cannabis users.Flattening effect of abuse drugs was noted on possible sex-related differences in QUNT items.We observed a sort of“protective”effect of a love relationship and/or living together with a partner,as those engaged subjects showed lower scores on different items than single subjects or those living alone.The relationship between time spent online(and related sedentary lifestyle)and body mass index would suggest that Internet use might be a contributing factor to increasing weight gain and obesity amongst adolescents and young adults worldwide.Our findings also highlighted the specific vulnerability of drug addicts who use stimulants,rather than sedative compounds,to other kinds of behavioral addictions,such as gambling disorder.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [No.71774175]
文摘Drug dependence is a serious global health problem.To assist individuals with drug addiction,China alone has established 678 Compulsory Detoxification Detention Centers （CDDCs） that treat over300,000i ndividuals who are required by national law to receive compulsory treatment;because community-based outpatient treatment failed.
文摘WHEN China opens its doors to the outside world, fresh air comes in. So do flies. While drug addicts were unknown in China for 30 years, there are now reports of drug users and their related crimes. In an effort to abolish drug abuse in China, rehabilitation centers are being set up throughout the country to give medical aid to drug users trying to kick the habit. These photos were taken in a rehabilitation center in a small town in Gansu Province in the northwestern part of China.
文摘TWENTY-four-year-old Mu Li has come to the rehabilitation center in Tianjin of her own free will. After a year on drugs, she now wants to quit. This is her second time being hospitalized. The first time, she stayed for 20 days in the center. Not long after she was discharged, however, she was on drugs again. So she came back to the center, begging to be hospitalized again. The Tianjin Rehabilitation Center for Drug Addicts (TRCDA) where Mu Li is being treated was established in 1992, although cases of drug abuse were then still rare in the city. However, with the increasing rate of drug abuse in
