JUST TOO TOO SAD – Aug. 30, 2024 – “Into Light” is a collection of hand drawn portraits and stories of ordinary people who lost that battle. Theresa Clower, lost her son to an opioid overdose after a ten year struggle. Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshal lost his wife to an addiction to prescribed opioids. “Well, they are all people who have been loved. They are all part of families. They are giving, caring, talented individuals who also has a drug addiction.” “It’s an ugly disease. In many ways it steals the soul and heart of people. I didn’t recognize…
Author: Leonard Buschel
AUDIO – OLDER NOT WISER? – Aug. 29, 2024 – Many perceive addiction as a devastating disease for younger people, but somehow comfortable for older people. This perception is dead wrong Many perceive addiction as a devastating disease for younger people, but somehow comfortable for older people and dangerous because the elderly are overlooked when they…
VIDEO – STOP WAITING ON THE MAN! – Sept. 6, 2024 – It hijacked my brain’. Former heroin addict turned doctor Brian Pennie talks with Ivan Yates about struggling through a heroin addiction, what he did to come out the other side, and how he now dedicates his life to helping others suffering from addiction. If…
WHAT A MENSH – Sept. 5, 2024 – ”I loved being a recovering person. But I had this inability to get off the damn pain meds of my own free will or through my faith or through my 12-step program.” Somebody asked me, ‘William, what did you think about living a double life?’ I was taken…
NOT CHILLED? – Aug. 27, 2024 – A report by the Drinks Industry Group to calculate the 2023 average level of consumption found alcohol consumption is down by almost one-third over the past two decades. Since the peak of 2001, the average per adult alcohol consumption has declined by 31%. But why has it fallen? Mr…
BECOMING A MENSCH – Aug. 30, 2024 – “It was a really dark time in my life. I knew that my health was starting to really suffer but I couldn’t find a way out. At the age of 42, everything just fell apart for me. I was drinking so much that a vein burst in my oesophagus and I nearly died.” The ordeal marked a turning point in Kev’s life, and after being discharged from hospital he started a home detox before going to rehab. Now, he wants to help others with the same struggles: “I wish I’d known that…
ON SPOTIFY? – Sept. 6, 2024 – A recovered alcoholic has created a song to raise money for a charity that warns of the dangers of alcohol abuse. Ben Gibbs, from Redditch, Worcestershire is releasing a single called “A Nice Glass of Alcohol-free Beer” to raise money for Alcohol Change UK.He said: “I was a happy-go-lucky…
VIDEO – BROADCAST FROM NEW HOPE – Sept. 2, 2024 – Overdose Awareness Day this year focused on highlighting the stories of how people can recover from opioid dependence. Survivor talks about drug overdose awareness Overdose awareness is important to highlight the stories that show how opioid dependence recovery is possible. CONTINUE@CBS19News
KEEP THAT SEAT WARM MAN! – Sept. 6, 2024 – R&B star Ginuwine is celebrating a significant milestone in his journey—two months of sobriety. The singer, known for hits like “Pony” and “Differences,” took to Instagram to share his accomplishments and offer encouragement to others battling addiction. I am still going strong 2 months sober, maybe…
AUDIO – He Should read HIGH Confessions of a Cannabis Addict – Sept. 2024 – The comedian was said to be teetering on the brink of a nervous breakdown and felt he had no choice but to check himself into a psychiatric facility in hopes of getting sober, RadarOnline.com can reveal. Sources claim since his break-up…
BOOK REVIEW: BLUE SISTERS – Sept. 3, 2024 – Avery’s “boring,” perfectly constructed, sober life starts to crack under the weight of her grief when she cheats on her wife, Chiti — a 40-year-old therapist who pressures her to have a child — with Charlie, a poet she meets in Alcoholics Anonymous. “She has said the…
DRUGS FOR DRUG ADDICTS – Sept. 3, 2024 – There are a limited number of medications for opioids, nicotine, and alcohol. But for drugs that fall under the categories of cannabis, polysubstance, or stimulants like cocaine and methamphetamine, there are no FDA-approved options at all. Unfortunately, these addictions can be deadly. While naloxone can rapidly treat opioid overdoses, no medications can reverse the effects of a stimulant drug overdose. Despite the hurdles, researchers are developing many new treatment strategies for these often-neglected substance use disorders that target genes, recruit the immune system, or engineer new small molecule drugs. “I’m very…
VIDEO – MUSICAL INTERLUDE – 285,556,145 views – Oct 8, 2009 – Official Music Video for Because I Got High performed by Afroman. Remastered in HD. CONTINUE@YouTube
NO MORE 9th HOLE HUT – Sept. 6, 2024 – Steve Wheatcroft has written an essay on his struggles with mental health and alcoholism. bunkered reached out to Wheatcroft, who gave permission for us to republish in its entirety. Maybe these next five minutes help you sleep. Maybe it helps you to number one in the world. Maybe it saves your marriage. Netflix ain’t going anywhere, so just keep reading. I can’t tell the present without touching on the past. I’d love to tell you I was haunted with trauma, alcohol and drugs growing up, but it was the exact…
STEPS ON THE MOUND – Sept. 6, 2024 – ‘Greatest decision I’ve ever made’. Rawlings stitches “6/10/2020” into Lucas Erceg’s glove at the Kansas City Royals reliever’s request. It’s the day Erceg got sober, so he welcomes the reminder of how lucky he is every time he takes the mound. Alcohol cost Erceg a promising baseball career at the University of California in Berkeley. He was an All-Pac-12 performer as a sophomore, a power-hitting corner infielder with an arm capable of throwing 100-mph heat. Despite landing at tiny Menlo College, an NAIA baseball program at the time, Erceg was talented…
AUDIO – PRISON BOUND? – Aug. 30, 2024 – Fifteen women have filed a lawsuit alleging an Irvine physician forced them to expose their breasts and, in many instances, groped them under the guise of treatment at UCI Medical Center and a clinic affiliated with Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian. The alleged abuse by Dr. John C. Hoefs, a 79-year-old hepatologist, began in 2006 and continued until his arrest in May 2024 for the sexual battery of two female patients at UCI and his Hoag-affiliated Liver Specialty Center in Irvine, according to the suit filed Monday, Aug. 26, in Orange County…
VIDEO – DR. SNITCH – Aug. 31, 2024 – The cooperation of Dr. Mark Chavez, who has agreed to a plea deal in the criminal case stemming from actor Matthew Perry’s fatal ketamine overdose, could help federal prosecutors in California make their case against Dr. Salvador Plasencia, the other doctor who’s been charged. Plasencia is indicted alongside Jasveen Sangha, whom prosecutors say is also known as “the Ketamine Queen.” Both have pleaded not guilty. A total of five people have been charged, including Chavez and two others who have already pleaded guilty: Erik Fleming, who admitted to distributing the ketamine…
BFF – Sept. 3, 2024 – A trial for the so-called “Ketamine Queen” and a Santa Monica doctor who supplied Matthew Perry with the drugs that contribute to the Friends star’s death last year has been set. If found guilty, the duo could be in federal prison for decades. Canceling a hearing scheduled for tomorrow in the cases of Jasveen Sangha and Dr. Salvador Plasencia, U.S. District Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett has inked in the duo’s joint trial to start on March 4, 2025. If found guilty on the multiple charges they are facing, Sangha and Plasencia will almost certainly…
VIDEO – SHE’S GOT IT GOING ON – Sept. 2, 2024 – Thank you for dropping in on the @KnockinDoorzDown podcast. I am excited to have you eavesdrop on my conversation with the awesome Rachel Kove. Rachel Kove is a certified recovery coach with over 17 years of personal recovery from alcohol. With 15 years of experience in the mental health and addiction field, she is dedicated to helping others find their path to healing. As the owner of The Loved Mom, she fosters a supportive community for mothers navigating their challenges. Rachel is an actress, podcast host, singer, and…
ELVIS KNEW ALL TOO WELL – Sept. 3, 2024 – Scientists have discovered that a microorganism may be causing digestive problems in some people, potentially paving the way for better treatments for constipation. Analyzing data from more than 1,500 people, researchers at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center found that participants with an overgrowth of archaea in the gut—a type of microorganism that produces methane—were more likely to experience constipation. Those with intestinal methanogen overgrowth (IMO)—too many archaea in the gut—could benefit from a personalized treatment plan to address the root cause of their symptoms, scientists concluded in a new study. The…
COOL – Sept. 3, 2024 – What gives cranberry juice a possible anti-aging edge? The primary answer is the beverage’s high amounts of antioxidants; cranberry juice has plenty of antioxidant sources, including vitamin C and compounds such as peonidin and quercetin. How do antioxidants available in foods like cranberry juice reportedly fight against the aging process? For one, they may help keep free radical compounds in check. As explained by Healthline, free radicals aren’t necessarily bad, but they need to be balanced by antioxidants. Without antioxidants, free radicals can cause damage at a molecular level. As the damage accumulates, the…
VIDEO – PEOPLE ARE HIGH EVERYWHERE – Aug. 30, 2024 – In a joint operation involving Poland’s Central Bureau of Investigation and Ukraine’s Department for Combating Drug Crime, officers seized nearly 200 kg of synthetic opioids from 38 locations and arrested seven cartel members in both countries. A dramatic video posted online shows armed police carrying out the raids, which include the arrest of a woman. In one scene, the bloodied hands of a man in handcuffs can be seen. A CBSP statement on Friday said that officers had “carried out the largest operation in the history of European law…
DEFINITELY POSSIBLY MAYBE!? – Sept. 3, 2024 – “I don’t think it helps to tell people they are chronically diseased and therefore incapable of change. Then what hope do we have?” said Kirsten E. Smith, an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and a co-author of the paper, in the journal Psychopharmacology. “The brain is highly dynamic, as is our environment.” The recent scientific criticisms are driven by an ominous urgency: Despite addiction’s longstanding classification as a disease, the deadly public health disaster has only worsened. Almost no one is calling for entirely…
ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE – Sept. 3, 2024 – In fact, people who appear as ‘functional’ – but still drink excessively – can sometimes struggle to realise they might have a problem in the first place. Even celebrities are starting to speak out on their relationship with alcohol including Adele, who revealed she was becoming ‘a borderline alcoholic’ before she stopped drinking. Speaking to her audience the singer confessed: “I stopped drinking maybe like three and a half months ago.” “It’s boring. I mean, I was literally borderline alcoholic for quite a lot of my 20s, but I miss it so…
VIDEO – ASK FOR HELP – Sept. 6, 2024 – After decades of struggling with alcohol use disorder, Larry Boganwright now describes every day as a gift. “Here I stand today happy,” Boganwright said. “Life is so good.” This summer, he celebrated one year of sobriety. Today, he is focused on his future and has no plans of turning back. He nearly lost everything – including his family and eventually, his life. One night in June of 2023 he called 911 for help. He was taken to OhioHealth Marion General Hospital’s Emergency Department. That’s where he met Katie Herdman, a…
“There’s a word in English that I love: serendipity. That’s the story of my life.” – Sergio Mendes, b. Brazil, Feb. 11, 1941 – d. Los Angeles, Sept. 5, 2024
SHE LOVES IT – Aug. 23, 2024 – I am pathetically addicted to my vape. I am not proud of this, but it is what it is. Or more accurately, it dawned on me as I walked into WH Smith at Euston station a few weeks ago, I am pathetically addicted to nicotine. Nicotine is available in other forms. For the first time, staring down the barrel of a six-hour train journey to Edinburgh, and with my “never the toilet” rule in mind, my eye was drawn towards the selection of nicotine pouches. You’ve probably seen these around. Hockey puck-sized…
AUDIO – ONE NOT ANGRY MAN – Aug. 18, 2024 – In this episode, we welcome Ed Begley Jr. Ed is a legendary actor with roles in films including This Is Spinal Tap, A Mighty Wind, Best in Show, Pineapple Express, Whatever Works, Recount, For Your Consideration, The Accidental Tourist, Paul Schrader’s Auto Focus, Blue Collar, and Cat People — and shows such as “Better Call Saul,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” … “Arrested Development,” “Portlandia,” “Six Feet Under,” “The Larry Sanders Show,” “Battlestar Galactica” and “St. Elsewhere”. In our chat, Ed shares all about his background, experience as a Camera Assistant,…
ONE IS THE LONELIEST NUMBER – Aug. 27, 2024 – It contains elements of sadness and anxiety, fear and heartache. The experience of it is inherently, intensely subjective, as any chronically lonely person can tell you. A clerk at a crowded grocery store can be wildly lonely, just as a wizened hermit living in a cave can weather solitude in perfect bliss. (If you want to infuriate an expert in loneliness, try confusing the word “isolation” with “loneliness.”) For convenience’ sake, most researchers still use the definition coined nearly three decades ago, in the early 1980s, by the social psychologists…
MONEY CAN’T BUY SOBRIETY – Aug. 22, 2024 – Over the years, Hutcheson and ReGeneration managing partner Elle Hansen have developed theories about why drug or alcohol abuse appears prevalent among the heirs to a family business dynasty. Though the famous Anna Karenina principle applies to families—each unhappy family business is unhappy in its own way … Behind closed doors, substance abuse disorders are among the most common sources of conflict for families running companies, according to consultant James Olan Hutcheson, founder of ReGeneration Partners, in Dallas, which specializes in family-owned enterprises and has made helping those in which a…