AUDIO – YOU BET – June 25, 2026 – Tim Pughsley built a sports-betting website that moved billions, then the I.R.S. got involved. In the age of FanDuel and DraftKings, where is the line between legal and illegal gambling?According to government figures compiled later, the operation was a two-billion-dollar business. It was, Pughsley told me, “a money-printing machine.” But there was at least one thing that Pughsley seemed to like more than money: the annual Red44 employee conference. The event, which Pughsley called “Christmas in August,” was always held just before the start of the N.F.L. season, and featured seminars…
Author: Leonard Buschel
BON APPETITE – June 24, 2026 – From protein bars to instant ramen, chicken nuggets, and some sliced breads, the wide range of foods that fall into the “ultra-processed” category can make them difficult to entirely eliminate from the diet. “Our findings suggest that nutritional quality alone does not fully account for the associations between ultra-processed foods and adverse health outcomes,” says Juna S. Hatta-Langedyk. Read More
VIDEO – EATING MORE – June 18, 2026 – The nonalcoholic beverage industry is expected to reach $5 billion in the next few years. Here’s why many are cutting back on alcohol. Mocktails have been on menus for decades, but the nonalcoholic drink category has moved far beyond grenadine, soda and a maraschino cherry. Today, it’s grown into a multi-billion dollar market. Consumers can find nonalcoholic beer and wine, zero-proof spirits, and canned cocktails designed to mimic the taste, look and ritual of drinking — without the alcohol. The shift comes as Americans are drinking less than they have in…
CHECKING OUT FOR GOOD – June 25, 2026 – In 2024, at least 2,327 drug overdose deaths that were unintentional or of undetermined intent occurred in hotels and motels. Location-specific overdose data might help guide distribution of overdose prevention resources. In 2024, at least 2,327 drug overdose deaths occurred in hotels and motels, the second most common location after houses and apartments (1). Analyses of overdose locations can help jurisdictions make decisions regarding optimal distribution of limited local resources for prevention, including opioid overdose reversal medications such as naloxone, and identify local options for substance use disorder treatment to prevent…
WE NEED MORE OF HER – June 23, 2026 – “This project will combine community perspectives with cutting-edge AI tools to help health departments better understand local needs, allocate resources more effectively and ultimately save lives. The project is designed to amplify the voices of people who use drugs and ensure their priorities shape the interventions delivered in their communities.” The NIDA Avant-Garde Award supports exceptionally creative scientists pursuing bold, high-impact research with the potential to transform HIV and substance use disorder research. The award is given to only one to three researchers each year and is intended to support…
CBS – ABC – NBC – NPR – FOX – June 16, 2026 – Humans evolved to pay close attention to danger, but today that instinct is being overwhelmed by an endless supply of bad news from around the world. Researchers say the answer isn’t to stop following current events—… During several recent conversations, people have told me that they’ve stopped checking their phones in the morning. Not because nothing was happening, but because everything was. They described the feeling as standing under a waterfall of perpetual bad news. Read More
…BUT NOT FORGOTTEN – June 20, 2026 – Daveigh Chase’s mother is speaking out after the Ring star’s death at 35. Cathy Chase discussed her relationship with her late daughter in a new interview with Daily Mail, in which she detailed the Lilo & Stitch actress’ struggle with substance abuse.Cathy believes that Daveigh’s addiction began when she was prescribed oxycodone and other painkillers after injuring her back in a motorcycle accident around 2016. “She was seeking drugs and was partying with the wrong people,” she said of her daughter’s lifestyle after the accident. “I never kicked my daughter out. She…
HE’S IN THE WEEDS – June 25, 2026 – California remains a national leader in implementing a comprehensive approach to cannabis legalization that prioritizes public safety, consumer protection, environmental stewardship, and a well-regulated legal marketplace. Through the Department of Cannabis Control (DCC), California oversees one of the world’s largest regulated cannabis markets while working to ensure compliance and accountability across the industry. At the same time, the state has led some of the nation’s most aggressive efforts to combat illicit cannabis activity through coordinated enforcement operations involving DCC, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), other state partners, and…
WHAT DOES HARVARD KNOW? – June 24, 2026 – If you’re concerned about keeping your brain healthy as you age, here’s one more reason to take a hard look at what’s in your pantry: a new study suggests that older adults who eat the most ultra-processed foods — think sugar-sweetened drinks, deli meats, and fast food — may face a meaningfully higher risk of cognitive decline compared with those who favor whole, minimally processed foods. In the study, published online June 3, 2026, by the American Journal of Public Health, Harvard researchers analyzed data from 5,370 older adults participating in…
NO TEXTING? – June 27, 2026 – On a bad day, Marios, a personal trainer, can spend more than 14 hours staring at his screen (Instagram, he says, is the killer for him). But now, he is trying a 12-session course of private therapy to try to curb this compulsion, which he believes is driven by loneliness. One look at my screen time statistics tells me I checked my phone 116 times yesterday. I also spent over three hours gawping at it. Is Marios addicted? Am I addicted? It’s difficult to know.Phone addiction does not yet exist as an official…
“Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been.” — Mark Twain, 1835–1910
LOVE MATTERS – June 15, 2026 – Last night, after dancing and sweating ridiculously on gallons of Red Bull at low, middle and/or high tea, members of our house came home to enjoy a hearty, rustic, group-prepared and -approved meal. Do you know how difficult it is to get eight queens to agree on a meal? It makes the Yalta Conference look like child’s play. We cleaned up the dinner plates before separating into our two distinct, but not overtly delineated, cohorts-the Gen X gents, of which I am the youngest, and the millennial-and-under men. We older boys had gotten…
TO DIE FOR? – June 15, 2026 – Public concern over the effects of ultra-processed foods has been growing. Research has increasingly associated these foods with a higher risk of conditions like heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and even early death. Despite these concerns, ultra-processed foods make up around 55% Trusted Source of the American diet. “UPFs [ultra-processed foods] do offer some advantages, but at the expense of the consumer’s health. They are convenient, affordable, have a long shelf life, and are often engineered to be highly palatable, which contributes to their widespread consumption,” said Mir Ali, MD, medical director of…
ADDICTION IS PROFITABLE – une 14, 2026 – After reviewing tobacco industry archives, U. of C., professor Laura Schmidt found that when cigarette companies acquired major food brands in the 1980s, they carried over the same approaches used in product development and marketing. Philip Morris owned Kraft General Foods, while RJ Reynolds controlled Nabisco. “The very technologies that were used to figure out how to optimize the addictive properties of nicotine using added sugar and artificial flavorings — that core technology was transferred from the tobacco industry to ultra-processed food development,” Schmidt said. The researchers said those tobacco-style methods also…
AT SAFEWAY? – June 18, 2026 – Next time you’re in the supermarket, you might want to steer clear of foods high in certain preservatives. New research identifies a laundry list of additives potentially linked to poorer heart health. Certain food preservatives might silently be raising our blood pressure and heart disease risk…Government scientists in France and others studied the self-reported dietary habits of more than 100,000 people in the country. They found at least eight common food additives that were associated with a higher risk of high blood pressure or cardiovascular disease, while people who consumed higher amounts…
CHEAPER THAN GAS – June 16, 2026 – The next fentanyl may not come from drug cartels and basement labs — but your local truck stop. Pharmacist TikToker Grant Harting recently bought a gas station pill with ‘super concentrated’ amounts of potentially deadly narcotic 7-OH — plus a cocktail of potentially toxic mystery chemicals. “This went from very sketchy and dangerous to incredibly super crazy sketchy and dangerous,” Harting said after sending the pill to a lab for analysis.The chemical comes from the kratom plant — a century-old medicinal herb manufacturers are now using to make a far more potent…
LOVE AND PATIENCE – June 15, 2026 – When people leave treatment or otherwise try to start recovery, it’s a very difficult and daunting process. There are huge differences between individuals in the amount of support and resources they have access to that will help them maintain recovery. RCCs help level this playing field…People in recovery often have huge deficits of support and resources, like access to medical care, transportation services and stable employment. Without access to these resources, people in recovery can struggle to rebuild their lives and sustain recovery. Read More
VIDEO – GUNS and VIOLENCE – June 14, 2026 – As Mexico struggles with a cartel-driven methamphetamine crisis, even makeshift rehab centers have become vulnerable to gang infiltration and attacks. Yet with little else available to those seeking addiction help, some officials now see regulating these underground facilities as the path forward. Nicolás Pérez drives his pickup through dimly lit streets in central Mexico. Five men are in the back. They are on a “spiritual mission,” he says, looking for people struggling with methamphetamine addiction to force into treatment at his rehabilitation center. The truck stops at an abandoned house.…
DEPRESSING – June 17, 2026 – Millions of Americans who take a popular antidepressant are being urged to check their medicine cabinets after a staggering number of bottles were recalled amid concerns over possible contamination. The recall affects both 30 mg and 60 mg capsules of duloxetine, a widely prescribed medication used to treat depression, anxiety, fibromyalgia, and certain types of chronic nerve pain.According to the National Library of Medicine, N-nitroso-duloxetine is a nitrosamine compound that is “suspected of causing cancer.” The compound belongs to a broader class of chemicals that have triggered a string of high-profile drug recalls. Duloxetine…
EXHALE ALREADY – June 18, 2026 – The question is becoming more urgent as cannabis use rises, particularly among younger adults, who tend to use it most heavily and are the most likely to experiment with increasingly potent products. Doctors report increasing numbers of patients arriving in emergency rooms with confusion, paranoia, rapid heart beats, dizziness and other signs of cannabis intoxication. One study found that cases of cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome, a condition involving severe, repeated vomiting, quadrupled among adults ages 18 to 35 between 2016 and 2022. Recreational cannabis is now legal in 24 states and D.C. In 2002,…
GOOD NEWS! – June 17, 2026 – “Every community deserves access to effective behavioral health services that help people prevent addiction, achieve recovery, address mental health challenges, and respond to crises,” said SAMHSA Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Christopher D. Carroll. The STREETS program, housed within the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), will award eight communities up to $3 million a year for four years. The program will distribute up to $24 million each year, totaling $96 million over four years…to develop multisector, state-of-the-art care systems for people who are homeless and have substance use disorders, serious mental…
IT AIN’T NO GOOD – June 17, 2026 – Studies of alcohol’s effects on health have offered contradictory findings, with some suggesting a glass of red wine a day is beneficial and others saying even a drop of booze is too much. A new review attempting to clarify the risks finds more than 60 diseases, based on the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Diseases, are 100 percent attributable to consuming alcohol. But the review also finds that some of the damage can be slowed or reversed by cutting down or quitting drinking. Read More
AUDIO – THE NEW YORKER – June 20, 2026 – A few years ago, I noticed that drinking alcohol had fallen out of favor with young people. I was annoyed. Yes, some people drank so much that they got fired and hit on random people and drove drunk—those people should obviously quit. But being able to drink reasonably and quitting anyway was, I believed … a rude refusal to have fun with others. We lived in a world where everything had become a kiosk or an effluent pond, or was owned by individuals so rich that the category “human being”…
CANCER IS REAL – June 18, 2026 – Stimson, a public health social scientist and emeritus professor at Imperial College London, was speaking at the Global Forum on Nicotine (GFN) in Warsaw, Poland, in early June. He emphasized the extremely high prevalence of tobacco smoking, and related harms, among people who use banned drugs. “Smoking rates amongst people who use drugs or people in drug treatment are two to four times higher than the general population,” Stimson said. Of 100,000 people who used heroin in the United Kingdom, according to research he cited, 63 percent were projected to die before…
WHOLE FOODS WARNING? – June 15, 2026 – A large-scale study suggests that men with higher levels of the amino acid tyrosine may have shorter lifespans, potentially losing close to a year of life expectancy. The finding is especially intriguing because tyrosine is commonly associated with brain health … A common amino acid found in protein rich foods and many brain health supplements may have an unexpected connection to longevity, according to new research. Scientists reporting in the journal Aging-US examined whether two amino acids, phenylalanine and tyrosine, could influence how long people live (lifespan). Their findings suggest that higher…
VIDEO – SONG of the WEEK – 4,573,018 views since Feb 14, 2008 – Stan Bronstein is the sax player. Tex Gabriel is the other guitarist. Gary Van Scyoc is the bassist. Adam Ippolito is the keyboardist. Rich Frank is the drummer. WATCH
STICK WITH THE WINNERS! – June 23, 2026 – The actress, 75, is aging without assistance. The former Bond girl shared that she’s the happiest she’s ever been. “I’ve been playing a lot of older women,” she explained. “And the truth is, for me personally, the kind of acting that I do is not about glamour, it’s more about serious emotion, and for real authentic emotion, you need every muscle to work.” Read More
ROLE MODELS – June 15, 2026 – These profiles highlight actors, musicians, athletes, and artists who have chosen sobriety and shared their recovery journeys. From decades-long commitments to recent milestones, each story reflects personal transformation, renewed health, and professional resilience. Collectively, they illustrate how openness about addiction can inspire others and reduce stigma around recovery. Read More
AMBITION GONE WRONG – June 18, 2026 – Devlin Hosner was ordered to serve 10 years in federal prison on Tuesday after prosecutors said he ran a dark‑web operation that sold counterfeit oxycodone pills laced with fentanyl and moved methamphetamine across state lines. The sentence, imposed in Sacramento by Senior U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez, follows a guilty plea entered late last year and caps a multi‑agency investigation into online vendor accounts that used cryptocurrency and the mail to reach buyers around the country. Authorities say the operation generated hundreds of thousands of dollars in illicit proceeds and left…
TREASURE – June 17, 2026 – NEW YORK – It launched the 12-step movement, changed countless lives, and became one of the most influential books of the 20th century. Now, the original working text of Alcoholics Anonymous, complete with extensive handwritten notations and edits by the authors, will be the final lot of The Jim Irsay Collection: Icons of History sale, taking place live July 1, 2026 at Christie’s Rockefeller Center. Known as “The Big Book,” it is a testament to the almost sacred value its many readers place in it. All of the proceeds of the sale of this…