from the as-if-addiction-were-only-temporary dept.
Google temporarily bans addiction center ads globally following exposure of seedy referral deals
Google is temporarily halting advertisements worldwide for addiction and rehabilitation centers, following a report last week showing it was acting as a platform for shady referral services earning huge undisclosed commissions.
Essentially these ads, which commanded huge prices on Google's networks, would show for people seeking addiction treatment; the help lines and services listed would then refer the person to an addiction center. These centers were, unknown to their new patients, paying enormous finders fees to the referral services, on the order of tens of thousands of dollars.
The ads were already banned in the U.S., but were banned in the UK following a Sunday Times investigation. Google then extended that ban worldwide.
Also at The Verge.
(Score: 0, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 16 2018, @04:26AM (10 children)
That much cashcow money must actually be coming from someone who is stupid enough to be paying it; the only entity in this scenario that fits is government.
This is what happens when you allow one set of people to spend the money of another set of people; this is what happens when you organize your society around a violently imposed monopoly.
(Score: -1, Spam) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 16 2018, @04:47AM
As you requested, I have looked into the matter. I can see it. It's not good, but I can see it. I can see the future of your ass. I'm the Assteller.
You're feeling Tough. Why? Because you ingested a certain pill. You feel as though you could defeat anyone or anything, and as you look around your bedroom, you see a wizard puppet. It tells you this: "Don't go in the living room." You instantly leave the bedroom and head towards the very room the wizard puppet told you not to go into.
Sure, that children's toy is pure evil, but so what? You're Tough now, and regardless of what it tries to do to you, you could defeat it without a single problem. You chuckle to yourself as you walk towards the living room. "What an insolent insect that wizard puppet was!" you think. You'll show it what for. You finally arrive at your destination.
As soon as you step into the living room, you hear someone scream, "I told you not to go in the living room!" You prepare to beat the wizard puppet as soon as it appears, but what happens next exceeds your expectations. You are transported into your bedroom, and all your clothes except your undies are gone. Additionally, you cannot move a single cheek, perhaps because your and feet are somehow stuck under your dresser drawer handles. "What's going on here!?" you shout.
You know. You know you should've never challenged the wizard. As you begin thinking this, a certain magical spell is cast upon your ass, and every molecule of your snap is overwhelmed by a particular feeling. Yes, that feeling is tickle! No! The wizard cast a magical spell from his yellow star-shaped wand, which caused star-shaped glitter to fly everywhere and tickle your ass! The substance which appeared similar to glitter all began bouncing around inside your ass, tickling it horribly! To make matters worse, the wizard slammed his face into your snappyhole and was pressing upon it, thereby tickling it even further! No! No, not the tickle! You begin apologizing profusely, but given your immense suffering, all that exits your mouth is gibberish. The wizard laughs as he continues inflicting preposterous levels of tickle upon the snappiest hole in existence...
(Score: 3, Informative) by MostCynical on Tuesday January 16 2018, @05:09AM (1 child)
More oikely private "hospitals", being paid by insurance, or, for those desperate enoug, directly by the addict (or eir family)
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 16 2018, @06:52PM
Indeed, it's the business of insurance companies to pay as little as possible.
If insurance is paying hugely inflated rates, one must ask why?! As with the rest of health care, the answer always comes back to the meddling of politicians.
(Score: 2) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Tuesday January 16 2018, @05:16AM (6 children)
Addiction treatment will be covered by insurance - if they really do have insurance.
I was in Washington's Western State Hospital for six months. You do the math.
Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 16 2018, @05:24AM (1 child)
They use solid gold electrodes for your shock therapy?
(Score: 3, Informative) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Tuesday January 16 2018, @06:21AM
Each ward only holds a couple dozen patients, but even so they have five or six staff members in each one.
Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 16 2018, @07:02AM (1 child)
A lot of us question the efficacy of addiction "treatment".
Does it really work, or is it mostly an excuse for someone ( "care provider" ) to open up a charge number on someone else's account?
I know I have tried to counsel some people to ditch the drugs, but the most common response is that "I just don't get it. Buzz off!"
I guess I am used to being told where to go when I try to intervene. But when I am put on the spot to dig 'em back out, why am I not supposed to do what I've been told to do?
Suddenly, the "Have a Heart" people want legal power to requisition my resources to fund their bailout efforts? Buzz off!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 16 2018, @11:53AM
Sure it works. It works ONLY if the patients want it to work. So treatment centers provide a supportive environment for this. But that's about as far as it works. You can't ditch addiction by going to treatment centers.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 17 2018, @12:06AM (1 child)
"I was in Washington's Western State Hospital for six months". [...]
Only females with mouths to feed qualify for admittance to Western State Hospital.
(Score: 2) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Wednesday January 17 2018, @01:06AM
"I mouthed off to a judge."
Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
(Score: 2) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Tuesday January 16 2018, @05:14AM (1 child)
You say that like it's a bad thing.
Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
(Score: 2) by inertnet on Tuesday January 16 2018, @11:45AM
It seems like these addiction centers are addicted to dollars.
It is a bad thing because that money is payed by insurance companies, who are payed by all of us.
(Score: 2) by kazzie on Tuesday January 16 2018, @06:59AM (1 child)
Now how will I find out about services to help treat my addiction to Google products?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 16 2018, @11:35AM
That addition is normally serviceable via Googmosis, which your Android device tells us you may have developed a resistance to. If that is the case you may obtain your freedom from Google product addiction by choosing the Red Pill, the Blue Pill or a Tide Pod.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by pdfernhout on Tuesday January 16 2018, @04:09PM
This applies to more than food; from: http://web.archive.org/web/20160418155513/http://www.drfuhrman.com/library/article16.aspx [archive.org]
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The pleasure trap
Figure 1 (above) depicts a devastating trap. People consuming a whole natural foods diet will experience a normal range of pleasure from eating low-fat, high-fiber, unprocessed foods—shown as Phase I. However, if concentrated, adulterated, processed foods are consistently allowed in the diet, they quickly will become preferred [because humans are evolutionarily adapted to seek sweet, salt, and fat which used to be scarce -- and seek them at the least effort].
In Phase II, we see that these products are typically experienced as better—that is, more pleasurable—than natural foods. This is the result of the heightened pleasure-inducing characteristics of artificially-produced foods. However, within a short period of time (a few weeks), the taste nerves adapt to this higher level of stimulation, and reduce their firing rate. This reduces the pleasure experience of artificially-stimulating foods back down to normal levels (Phase III).
Phase III is the culmination of a process of extraordinary importance. It is within Phase III that most people live out their lives. And it is from within Phase III that most people will engineer their own health crises. Phase III occurs when we have become “used to it” - used to the extreme levels of stimulation present in artificial foods. Yet ultimately, we experience no more pleasure than had we remained on a simpler, more healthful diet! However, this process is rarely noticed - just as we rarely notice the process of getting used to a brightly-lit room.
A challenging escape
Once in awhile, a person may actually become aware of important dietary knowledge. Despite the ingenious misinformation campaigns waged by the dairy, cattle, and processed food industries, sometimes a person actually comes to understand the truth about diet. At such times, determined individuals might attempt to change their diet toward whole natural foods—in spite of dire and unfounded warnings from their families, friends, and doctors.
But along the way, they are likely to be met with a formidable obstacle—their own taste neuroadaptation to artificially-intense foods. This challenge is depicted as Phases IV and V, wherein a change to less stimulating foods typically will result in a reduced pleasure experience. In the early stages, this process is dramatic because natural foods often are not nearly as stimulating.
Scientific evidence suggests that the re-sensitization of taste nerves takes between 30 and 90 days of consistent exposure to less stimulating foods. This means that for several weeks, most people attempting this change will experience a reduction in eating pleasure. This is why modern foods present such a devastating trap—as most of our citizens are, in effect, “addicted” to artificially high levels of food stimulation! The 30-to-90-day process of taste re-calibration requires more motivation—and more self-discipline—than most people are ever willing to muster.
Tragically, most people are totally unaware that they are only a few weeks of discipline away from being able to comfortably maintain healthful dietary habits—and to keep away from the products that can result in the destruction of their health. Instead, most people think that if they were to eat more healthfully, they would be condemned to a life of greatly reduced gustatory pleasure—thinking that the process of Phase IV will last forever. In our new book, The Pleasure Trap, we explain this extraordinarily deceptive and problematic situation – and how to master this hidden force that undermines health and happiness.
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See also "Rat Park", on environmental aspects of addiction due to stressful places: http://brucekalexander.com/articles-speeches/rat-park/148-addiction-the-view-from-rat-park [brucekalexander.com]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rat_Park [wikipedia.org]
Addiction involves an interaction of person and environment. Sadly, many people who go through addiction treatment then go back to the same environment with the same cues and so immediately return to their old ways. See also: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2017/09/the-addicted-brain/ [nationalgeographic.com]
For food addiction, "Blue Zones" is one approach to change the food and exercise environment in specific locations to promote healthier behavior.
Addiction can be seen as an externality of free market (and black market) capitalism -- socializing costs and risks of selling addictive substances (whether sugar, entertainment, or cocaine) while privatizing gains.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/ethics-everyone/201202/facebook-addiction [psychologytoday.com]
And the problem is only getting more challengine:
http://www.paulgraham.com/addiction.html [paulgraham.com]
The biggest challenge of the 21st century: the irony of technologies of abundance used by scarcity-minded people.