Features

 Toes pointed above her head, positioned upside down and trying her best to whirl down a pole with swan-like grace, the Charlatan’s Sabrina Jade Doyle gets the spin on pole dancing in Ottawa.

Lying on my back, legs spread above me in a wide “V,” I smile at the irony: I'm surrounded by women. It's the warm-up to a beginner's pole dancing class. With the candles lining the walls and Shakira pumping out of the speakers, everything has a fun, sensual spin to it. 

Not many people lose their homes, jobs or relationships to Dr. Mario, but video games can still produce addicts.

Before you jump to conclusions about a friend’s gaming habits, there are criteria that have to be met to label them an addict. A modification of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) test is used to determine if a person is addicted to video games.

Caffeine is one of the most widely used drugs around the world.   

Coffee is the average Canadian’s morning pick-me-up and a commonality in our daily routine.

It’s legal, it’s easily accessible and is not usually associated with negative societal connotations. So what’s so bad about it?

We often overlook the negative consequences of coffee and the fact that it is a drug of dependence, simply because it is an accepted part of our society.  

Nicotine, derived from the tobacco plant, has about the same toxicity as cyanide.

Dependence on nicotine happens extremely quickly, with people under the age of 20 being the most susceptible to forming an addiction. The younger someone is when he or she starts smoking, the harder it is to quit.

One tequila, two tequila, three tequila, fail!

Drinking at university is socially accepted. Studies indicate more than 90 per cent of students drank over the last year, notably, Caucasians, athletes and first-year students.

People drink too much, it happens. With good times and good friends, it’s easy to lose count of how much booze was chugged back. Before you know it, you might become unintentionally intimate with a toilet.