Category: Addiction

Addiction, Conversations Of A Sistah, Dr. Pamela Rutledge, Online selfies, Tracy L. Bell

This “SELFIE ADDICTION” Tonight on “Conversations Of A Sistah”

The ReadyWriter

The 15 Types of Selfies

Tracy_Selfie_April 16Seems as though everybody is into themselves these days and this addicting craze of taking “Online selfies“. You can’t scroll through Facebook or Instagram in peace, without seeing pictures of your friends, followers and/or associates standing in front of a bathroom mirror posing in front of their hand-held smartphones.

 <<— My selfie per Dr. Rutledge’s advisement on tonight’s show

And what really gets me are the “POKED OUT LIPS” the dark rim poindexter reading glasses worn by some and the never-ending peace signs, that’s making them feel sexy or even somewhat cool. However, a Selfie addiction is similar to other addictions that humans experience. So the question is…is it healthy?

Dr. Pamela Rutledge, Director of the Media Psychology Research Center consults on this issue and has said…

“The desire to take, post and get “likes” on selfies goes back to a biological behavior all humans are wired for. “I think it influences our sense of social connection in the same way as it does when you go to a party and people say ‘Oh I love your dress'”

Rutledge Headshot 300 dpiRutledge told The Huffington Post recently. “Biological and social validation is a real need and there is even an area of the brain that is dedicated to social activity.”

Join me tonight on “Conversations Of A Sistah” via “Conversations Live” as Dr. Pamela Rutledge, (pictured left) author of Selfie Empowerment and co-author of The Science of Audience Engagement will be my special guest. Dr. Rutledge is a leading expert on social behaviors and trends in media, technology use and development.

All “Conversation Links“ in this post will take you to the online show!

Meet you all on the air!

Addiction, Celebrity Deaths, Conversations Of A Sistah

Tonight on “Conversations Of A Sistah” Functioning with an addiction

The ReadyWriter

On January 22, 2008 at about 2:45 p.m., actor Heath Ledger was found unresponsive in his New York city apartment by his house keeper; and after two weeks of intense media speculation, the New York city Chief Medical Examiner concluded that Ledger’s death was ruled an accident. Conclusions, based on an initial autopsy and a subsequent complete toxicology report. Ledger died as the result of acute intoxication by the combination effects of several drugs. The examiner also ruled, “Ledger’s death was a result from the abuse of prescription medications.”

On June 25, 2009, Michael Jackson died while in his bed at his rented mansion at 100 North Carolwood Drive in the Holmby Hills district of Los Angeles. Attempts at resuscitating him by Conrad Murray, his personal physician, were unsuccessful. The news of Michael Jackson’s death spread quickly online causing websites to crash and bringing twitter to a complete halt. On August 28, 2009 the Los Angeles coroner decided to treat Jackson’s death as a homicide; at the time of death, Jackson had been administered a deadly dose of propofol, lorazepam and midazolam. It was later revealed that Jackson hired a personal physician to administer the drugs to him nightly to help him sleep. After a full investigation of Jackson’s personal physician, Conrad Murray; Murray was charged with involuntary manslaughter and is now serving time in a CA prison.

July 23, 2011, singer Amy Winehouse was found dead of alcohol poisoning in her London home. The singer had battled drugs and alcohol for years while recording some of her best-selling hits. I had no idea one of her many hits “Rehab” was actually her true to life lyrics.

Then this year, on February 11, 2012; New Jersey native Whitney Elizabeth Houston passed away in suite 434 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, submerged in the bathtub. A Los Angeles County coroner’s office reported the cause of Houston’s death as a drowning and the “effects of atherosclerotic heart disease and cocaine use”. The office stated the amount of cocaine found in Houston’s body indicated that she used the substance shortly before her death. The manner of death was listed as an “accident”, this all after a failed comeback for Houston in 2009.

All of these entertainers were talented and great and they all made history in their own right. But these same famous entertainers were all living and functioning every single day, with an addiction. This just goes to show us that; not all abusers are down and out with their indulgences, but it is true that if one continues to abuse drugs and/or alcohol, it will sooner or later take a toll on not only your body, but your life.

If you or anyone you know is functioning with an addiction and wish to share your story for this week’s show topic on “Conversations Of A Sistah” on “Conversations Live“, do send us an email at conversationsofasistah@readywriterproductioncompany.com

I hope you’ll join us at 8:00 P.M. Thursday October 4th on “Conversations Live” as we talk about this topic…