Virtual Crack House Sim Designed to Help Addicts
Virtual Crack House Sim Designed to Help Addicts
November 6, 2007
Substance abuse in video games is often targeted by critics who fear it will encourage the use of illegal drugs.But when a new Duke University project leads players into a virtual reality crack house, it's by way of treating their existing addiction.
As reported by ABC News, Duke prof Zach Rosenthal designed the game, which actually seeks to place addicts in tempting situations. Said Rosenthal:
What we're trying to do is take people into a virtual crack-related neighborhood or crack-related setting and have them experience cravings, just like they would in the real world.
Rosenthal told ABC that cravings are learned behavior. Hopefully, the game will teach addicts not to crave. Here's how it works:
When temptation arises [in game]... the patient rates his or her own craving level. But the magic moment comes when a high craving subsides, which it does, because the patient won't be taking drugs in the virtual world.
The therapist tries to tie that moment, when a craving subsides, to a trigger, like a tone. So the addict eventually learns to associate the sound with the sensation of decreased craving...
For example, if an addict ends up in a [real world] tempting situation, he or she can take out the phone donated by the program, dial a number and hear that tone. The addict remembers the sound learned in the therapy session, and the craving should subside.
A 52-year-old drug addict was enthusiastic about the game's results:
The program has done wonders for me. Although I have fallen since I came out of the program, I am clean and have been clean for a good while.
The Durham, NC Police Department even provided help to the Duke research team by taking them drug use locations where the team took digital images for use in the game.
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Posted 11/07/09 at 10:58am
JDKJ: Which could be explained by both (a) and (b).
JDKJ: Which could be explained by both (a) and (b).
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:56am
Austin_Lewis: JDKJ: You forgot C) the fact that, for some reason, every time he did something that would suggest he shouldn't be in the military, let alone an officer, higher ups ignored it or let it slide.
Austin_Lewis: JDKJ: You forgot C) the fact that, for some reason, every time he did something that would suggest he shouldn't be in the military, let alone an officer, higher ups ignored it or let it slide.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:51am
JDKJ: Part of the problem is, I believe, that (a) the Army had a lot of time and money already invested in him and which they were unwilling to simply write-off and (b) an increasing need for the type of skills and services he provided.
JDKJ: Part of the problem is, I believe, that (a) the Army had a lot of time and money already invested in him and which they were unwilling to simply write-off and (b) an increasing need for the type of skills and services he provided.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:48am
JDKJ: And that even if he was begging not to get cut loose, he was apparently a real good candidate for being cut loose, anyway.
JDKJ: And that even if he was begging not to get cut loose, he was apparently a real good candidate for being cut loose, anyway.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:11am
JDKJ: @chada: And while Kennedy once noted that there's usually more than enough blame for everyone to get a slice, the possibility that the Army was unwilling to cut loose someone who was asking to get cut loose could be a factor.
JDKJ: @chada: And while Kennedy once noted that there's usually more than enough blame for everyone to get a slice, the possibility that the Army was unwilling to cut loose someone who was asking to get cut loose could be a factor.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:07am
ZippyDSMlee: *noms on his feet*..nomnomnomnom*droooll* ...wuuutttttt uuu looking at?
ZippyDSMlee: *noms on his feet*..nomnomnomnom*droooll* ...wuuutttttt uuu looking at?
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:05am
JDKJ: I'm no psychologist, but I'm told that crazy people have a tendency to do crazy things.
JDKJ: I'm no psychologist, but I'm told that crazy people have a tendency to do crazy things.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:03am
chadachada321: Whoops, was out of the convo for awhile. I do wonder what type of ammo he used etc, but the real issue is WHY he did it, not HOW
chadachada321: Whoops, was out of the convo for awhile. I do wonder what type of ammo he used etc, but the real issue is WHY he did it, not HOW
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:56am
JDKJ: But if it turns out that they actually did, they'll have Hell to pay.
JDKJ: But if it turns out that they actually did, they'll have Hell to pay.
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:45am
JDKJ: And I'd tend to rule out the possibilty of FN Herstal supplying restricted ammunition to someone merely because they're ordering it from a military base.
JDKJ: And I'd tend to rule out the possibilty of FN Herstal supplying restricted ammunition to someone merely because they're ordering it from a military base.
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:37am
JDKJ: I know you don't leave your gated community and get around much in dark alleys, so you may be surprised to learn that there's this thing called "the black market" where, if you've got enough money, ain't too much of anything which can't be bought.
JDKJ: I know you don't leave your gated community and get around much in dark alleys, so you may be surprised to learn that there's this thing called "the black market" where, if you've got enough money, ain't too much of anything which can't be bought.
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:36am
Austin_Lewis: Or, maybe he or someone else at the base ordered the SS190 from FN Herstal.
Austin_Lewis: Or, maybe he or someone else at the base ordered the SS190 from FN Herstal.
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:32am
Austin_Lewis: the hands of private owners. They run about 300 dollars minimum for a box of 50, and boxes of AP 5.7 are extremely scarce, mainly residing in the hands of Class III stores or individuals who for one reason or another got a demo box of it.
Austin_Lewis: the hands of private owners. They run about 300 dollars minimum for a box of 50, and boxes of AP 5.7 are extremely scarce, mainly residing in the hands of Class III stores or individuals who for one reason or another got a demo box of it.
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:30am
Austin_Lewis: There are other firearms that fire the 5.7. However, I too would like to know where he got the ammo and what kind was used. Maybe Hasan, planning not to live through this, went out and bought one the boxes of SS190 that are floating around in
Austin_Lewis: There are other firearms that fire the 5.7. However, I too would like to know where he got the ammo and what kind was used. Maybe Hasan, planning not to live through this, went out and bought one the boxes of SS190 that are floating around in
Posted 11/07/09 at 08:44am
JDKJ: And it isn't yet clear what type of ammunition Hasan used. It's strange that he purchased a gun but didn't purchase ammunition for it at the same place and time. Especially because the calibre required is peculiar to the actual gun.
JDKJ: And it isn't yet clear what type of ammunition Hasan used. It's strange that he purchased a gun but didn't purchase ammunition for it at the same place and time. Especially because the calibre required is peculiar to the actual gun.
Posted 11/07/09 at 08:40am
JDKJ: We can sit here all day and debate the relative merits. However, I think the events of recent days suggest that an FN Five-Seven ain't exactly the same as that Daisy BB gun you got for Christmas when you were a kid.
JDKJ: We can sit here all day and debate the relative merits. However, I think the events of recent days suggest that an FN Five-Seven ain't exactly the same as that Daisy BB gun you got for Christmas when you were a kid.
Posted 11/07/09 at 08:38am
Austin_Lewis: JDKJ: tumbling can be quite dangerous. However, the rounds that commonly tumbled were variants of the SS90. Civilian ammo tends to tumble far less commonly.
Austin_Lewis: JDKJ: tumbling can be quite dangerous. However, the rounds that commonly tumbled were variants of the SS90. Civilian ammo tends to tumble far less commonly.
Posted 11/07/09 at 08:33am
JDKJ: I understand that while they don't have much expansion effect, they tend to "yaw" on impact. Yaw can be almost just as damaging as mushrooming.
JDKJ: I understand that while they don't have much expansion effect, they tend to "yaw" on impact. Yaw can be almost just as damaging as mushrooming.
Posted 11/07/09 at 08:30am
Austin_Lewis: JDKJ: Except when one considers the lack of expansion for the 5.7, it basically ends up leaving a far smaller hole.
Austin_Lewis: JDKJ: Except when one considers the lack of expansion for the 5.7, it basically ends up leaving a far smaller hole.
Posted 11/07/09 at 08:29am
JDKJ: But if the latter's travelling at close to twice the speed of the former, there's a compensatory effect on the weight difference.
JDKJ: But if the latter's travelling at close to twice the speed of the former, there's a compensatory effect on the weight difference.
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Comments
Gotcha, its hard to tell on forums at times :wink:
??......ok...sounds more like the last bad experience is what helped with teh change...
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As for "cravings" I can see how this program would help deal with non stress related issues but...... how dose the whole hunting for craving thing work because as I see it by the time they are near the crack house its too late...I do understanding every lil bit helps when dealing with addiction but.... it sounds somewhat ....fishy .....if they focused more on stress and the need for a fix....
I dunno maybe I am seeing things backwards.....maybe I have my brain in the wrong way today 0-o
now theres the connection my drug rattled brain missed :P
Nightwng2000
NW2K Software
@ zippyDSMlee
I don't see how stress comes into cravings, can you clarify that for me?
But, if it helps, fair enough.
This can't be the solution. Pavlav's dogs? There's got to be more to it.
We can be pretty simple creatures at times.
I'm sure there is more to it. The sound heard won't immediately remove all cravings, but I imagine that it would help ground the addict a bit and offer them an additional tool to fight their battle.
The only addiction that I've ever overcome is smoking and I quit cold turkey after being a smoker for over a decade. In those first few weeks anything that could get me through a difficult craving was welcome. If listening to a particular sound helps people kick a crack habit then I say it's a good thing.
That was my first thought when I read about the sound. But I agree with Tom that anything that gets your mind off of the cravings can be a good thing.
Perhaps the sound is just a reminder to follow whatever steps they took in game to kick the craving.
Who knows until you have played it.
There is. He's replaced Pavlov's dogs with crackheads and reversed it so that they stop slobbering when they hear a tone.
Seriously though, I have to wonder how well they actually manage to simulate a crackhouse and "tempting situations".
I quit cold turkey after being a smoker for over a decade. In those first few weeks anything that could get me through a difficult craving was welcome.
Ditto, after 3 years. Of course I just removed the stimuli that I associated with smoking. Namely working at a fast food joint. So no withdrawal for me. ;)
there's a few for the sims, one for Runescape etc...
the point being, i hear the music, i think of the game, subconsciously, like a memory. the same theory is being applied here;
people hear the sound, and it helps trigger the memory of the released craving, which in turn drops the craving substantially.
its using the force of habit against the force of addiction, two epic powers clashing for dominion... could be a good film in there :p
Its exactly like Pavlov's Dog. I think it will work.
Will it work on everyone?? No, but neither does Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, Certain Medications, ect ect.
But, it will still help SOMEONE. And thats all that matters. Someone will be positively effected by this...its just that results may vary.
however, JT and others forget to differentiate between a person who is also being conditioned outside of the virtual realm at the same time (pilots, soldiers or the participants in the experiments mentioned here) and people who only play games (be it children, teens of mature adults).
Turn in your Penis, you've done it again.
Its good to see stories like this rather than same ol' stuff day in and day out.
And it's still not used to train soldiers. Gosh..
You know the rules, turn it in and you may have it at the end of the day.
LOL, not sure if that was sarcasm. If it wasn't, if you can explain how playing bowling, tennis or baseball on Wii sports trains military soldiers recuperaiting in hospitals from injuries in Iraq and Afghanistan I am all ears.
Sarcasm mate, sarcasm.
Stress or discomfort can lead to needing it more, at least from my prepctive, prehaps I am crossing my wires er thoughts
needing it "more" pre addiction to addiction cravings, my train of thought was it would be to use it it to create situational stress and teach how to deal with it.
witch it is but instead of dealing with the issues that drive people to become addicted it works on the cravings from the addiction.....
bah...me stupid brain has to sound it out to understand it >>
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BaronJuJu
Oh and "gaming" dose help to train soldiers..just not for killing ^^
last time I saw it in the news months ago it they were using a setup to help train coardation and local population (people skills) stuff.
Yeah I have seen that as well, pretty interesting stuff.
This isn't a forum.
I can. It's been done before..
But I would love this program to be released into the public so maybe we can use this program and expand this on other addictions.
Having never given up anything that wasn't prescribed I can't speak from experience, but it seems a fair principle. The tone is somewhat Pavlovial bit Pavlov works; we're creatures of routine. More than that though, it sounds to me like it's a change in reflex action. If you phone up to hear the tone, you've done something other than fulfil the craving. It's chewing gum to quit smoking.
November 6th, 2007 at 2:50 pm
@BaronJuJu
This isn’t a forum.
"
then quite trolling!
LOL
:P
Matthew
I think its about identifying bad behavior and understanding it personally so you can try and counter it.
if you think abotu it as a way to understand and counter bad habits it makes sense.
However for it to work on zippy a cowprod/tazer is still needed :P
Unless some idiot spins it to like "Crack house simulator now out, encouraging kids to break the law"
I see what you mean now when you're talking about stress. Well, I'm running on the assumption that since Dr.Rosenthal is talking about crack cocaine, addicts would want to get that high again and again, since the effects last very short and they often do it in a usual place (i.e. crack house).
But it's more understandable with stress when you deal with other drugs like heroine or alcohol.
@ everyone talking about pavlov
It does seem ridiculous to treat addiction with classical conditioning, but the principle do apply with addiction too. Our brain learn (with or without our awareness) to associate some stimuli to a specific response. So in effect, merely being in the crack house can elicit cravings because we learn to associate it to the cocaine highs. So Dr.Rosenthal would attempt to counter-condition that response with another stimuli associated to a more desirable response.
http://audability.com/AudabilityAdmin/Clients/BMO/10552_116200780000AM/p...
My trains of thoughts(yes with a S on both) can sometimes be out of order...or lost in the woods LOL.
I can see now its a different way to handle conditioning while preemptive conditioning and what not would be "better" life is rarely that simple, prehaps more conditioning types of VR training will be sparked from this for the longest we've had phobia re conditioning(hight,spiders,ect) the more fruit is bared the more variants can be made from it and the more people helped.
Now...I is off to find me trains >>
Here is a link to the VR Worlds 2 page - http://www.vrworlds2.com