TIM’S NOT DEAD – Aug. 26, 2024 – David Hellerstein is one of a growing number of clinicians who are investigating a potential answer: the little understood, highly promising, very illegal class of drugs known as psychedelics. These substances, which include psilocybin (a hallucinogenic compound found in more than two hundred species of mushrooms) and LSD (derived from the ergot fungus, which infects grains such as rye). As expectations grow for the medical acceptance of these drugs, Columbians are helping to shape the psychedelic-therapy future. They are conducting clinical trials and studies, synthesizing new compounds, training students in psychedelic-assisted therapy,…
Author: Leonard Buschel
SPEED KILLS – Aug. 28, 2024 – The study aims to determine whether psychedelics, such as psilocybin, could offer a new way to treat meth addiction. Researchers will focus on understanding how these substances work at a molecular level, which could lead to developing new drugs that harness the therapeutic benefits of psychedelics without causing intense psychoactive experiences. “Psychedelics appear to have significant therapeutic activity against different types of substance abuse and other psychiatric disorders,” said Adam Halberstadt, director of the UCSD Center for Psychedelic Research. However, he noted that “existing psychedelics induce intensive psychoactive effects and can also induce…
TREK TO A MEETING – Aug. 28, 2024 – Even when the pointy ears came off, Leonard Nimoy had trouble expressing emotion. A highly repressed, high-functioning alcoholic, Nimoy connected with the character of Spock on “Star Trek” better than he could with his adoring young son, as Adam Nimoy writes in his new memoir, “The Most Human: Reconciling With My Father, Leonard Nimoy.” It wasn’t until Leonard and later, Adam, who smoked pot daily for 30 years, both entered 12-step programs and got clean that they eventually found a tentative path back toward each other. But Adam Nimoy has never…
GOALS MATTER? – Aug. 27, 2024 – His 6½-minute juggling record eventually led to him juggling while blindfolded for more than an hour, and Rush also shattered scores of other Guinness World Records, each one more oddball than the last. It was heady stuff. Earlier this year, after Rush broke his 180th world record for bursting…
WHAT DOESN’T? – Aug. 23, 2024 – A U.S. government report expected to stir debate concluded that fluoride in drinking water at twice the recommended limit is linked with lower IQ in children. The report did not try to quantify exactly how many IQ points might be lost at different levels of fluoride exposure. But some…
AUDIO – SOBRIETY TAKES DISCIPLINE – Aug. 26, 2024 – Living in LA for eight years, Virtual Riot admits he had every excuse to party to excess. But everything changed after a stint in rehab, which was the turning point, he says, that led him to sobriety. His first performance after this life-altering decision was at…
GROW YOUR OWN? – Aug. 28, 2024 – “Dietary preferences are established quite young,” Dunford said. “Half of all the sugar that young kids are consuming through these commercial foods come from squeezed pouches, so that’s certainly an area we have to be more careful about.” These foods often contain additives such as dyes, sweeteners and emulsifiers. Many of the add-ons are used to prolong shelf life of foods bout 60 percent of packaged baby food sold in the United States doesn’t meet nutritional standards established by the World Health Organization, according to research published recently that opens a window…
YUMMY? – Dec. 21, 2022 – Allura Red AC, a food coloring used in sweets and soft drinks like Doritos, Skittles, Pepsi and Gatorade, can trigger inflammation of the large intestine. The RED food dye product used in popular children’s snacks and beverages has been linked to a concerning body erosion. IBD, or colitis and Crohn’s disease, is a chronic condition that causes abdominal pain, cramps, or swelling, recurring or bloody diarrhea, weight loss, and extreme tiredness. There is no cure for the conditions, which can vary in severity. Researchers say the study, which was conducted on mice, reflects the…
TOO COMPLICATED? – AUG. 27, 2024 – These data suggest that policy, regulatory, or accreditation changes are needed to systematically address institutional barriers, as well as increases to physician reimbursement and opportunities for clinically relevant training that provides both skill development and knowledge gain. The researchers also identified 4 key facilitators to improving physician intervention: 1)…
NO KIDDING – Aug. 28, 2024 – X Factor star Matt Cardle has opened up about his rocky relationship with alcohol – and how being sober again has made everything ‘great’. The singer, 41, has always been candid about his struggles, including the perils of instant fame and how he struggled with his mental health in the years that followed his 2010 win. And now, speaking to The Sun, Matt has revealed that he stopped drinking in January after making a ‘conscious decision to knock it on the head’. He told the publication: ‘Life is always better when I’m not…
TACKLING HIS DEMONS – Aug. 29, 2024 – The 49-year-old coach has made some huge changes in his personal life, too. ESPN’s Chris Low wrote a very good feature story on Kiffin that was published Thursday morning and in it Kiffin talks about how he hasn’t had a drink of alcohol in over three years. He…
VIDEO – LIVE IN PEACE – Aug. 28, 2024 – Safe Harbor is for people in recovery who are looking to live independently but also want to be supported in their recovery by staff and community. One year since the groundbreaking, there are now 40 tenants living at Safe Harbor apartments. “Before I came here, I…
VIDEO – ALWAYS MERRY AND BRIGHT – Aug. 28, 2024 – This week’s community hero is changing lives, starting with those who are down on their luck and battling addiction. Zac Holt brings a message of hope and love to those in desperate need. Holt can relate. He said he battled addiction, as well. “There were a lot of years in my life where I struggled with substance abuse,” he said. “That took me to some really dark places, had me in and out of jail, on and off the streets. And eventually it landed me back in jail where…
VIDEO – MUSICAL INTERLUDE – 2015 – Boom!!!!! Finally, the long awaited visual presentation of this awesome musical Anthem (that has played an important role in many people’s lives) is ready to be launched all over the world! Pato Banton delivers the goods again in high definition and fine high grade quality! Gwarn! CONTINUE@YouTube
VIDEO – ONE BAD APPLE? – Aug. 26, 2024 – In the labyrinth of addiction recovery, where hope and despair often intertwine, a dark and insidious practice known as patient brokering, or “body brokering”, thrives. This unethical, and sometimes deadly, exploitation of individuals seeking help for substance use and mental health issues has become a malignant undercurrent in the treatment industry. This unethical, and sometimes deadly, exploitation of individuals seeking help for substance use and mental health issues has become a malignant undercurrent in the treatment industry. Understanding Body Brokering Body brokering involves the illicit recruitment of individuals into substance…
MUSICAL COWBOY OUTLAW – Aug. 23, 2024 – Whey Jennings comes from a famous family, but his life and music journey are completely his own. He’s the grandson of Waylon Jennings, and spent most of his life moving back and forth between his divorced parents. He only saw Waylon about three or four times a year. “I grew up listening to his music and knew every word to every song. So, just like everybody who starts out with a bar band, you sing the songs you know. I also sang Lynyrd Skynyrd, Bob Seger, Otis Redding, and others, but I…
WHAT EVIL GREED LURKS IN CORPORATE HEALTHCARE? – Sept. 1, 2024 – A New York Times investigation found that success was built on a disturbing practice: Acadia has lured patients into its facilities and held them against their will … In at least 12 of the 19 states where Acadia operates psychiatric hospitals, dozens of patients, employees and police officers have alerted the authorities that the company was detaining people and that violated the law. Some patients arrived at emergency rooms seeking routine mental health care, only to find themselves sent to Acadia facilities and locked in. A social worker…
VIDEO – OD WITHOUT LEAVING HOME – Aug. 27, 2024 – French prosecutors arrested Telegram’s CEO Pavel Durov and is being held as part of a cyber-crime investigation for offenses conducted on the platform including illicit transactions, child pornography, fraud and the refusal to disclose information to authorities. Drug dealing groups on Telegram display photos and videos of substances they say they offer which include cocaine, ketamine and ecstasy pills as well as fentanyl, LSD and the date rape drug Rohypnol. Some include menu-like lists of drugs for sale and their prices. They instruct interested patrons to send messages to…
WHERE THERE IS SMOKE… – Aug. 28, 2024 – The Lord calms stormy waters, the leader of Kentucky’s largest addiction treatment provider preached last week to a sanctuary full of clients, and these are certainly turbulent times. “The organization’s been dealing with some storms,” Addiction Recovery Care founder and CEO Tim Robinson told roughly 1,100 clients and employees. Three weeks earlier, the FBI announced it was investigating Robinson’s organization for possible health care fraud. Robinson, an ordained minister, was speaking at ARC’s monthly three-hour gathering, which brings together hundreds of clients who are who are currently matriculating through its year-long…
WHAT ELSE IS NEW? – Aug. 31. 2024 – Although white and Black people use drugs at similar rates, fatal overdoses have escalated in Black people at a much higher rate than in other groups over the past decade, and multiple recent studies have documented especially high rates of overdose deaths among older Black men. Fentanyl, often in combination with stimulants, is driving increased overdose deaths in most demographic groups. In all groups, men are at greater risk of overdose than women, but additional factors, including age-related health disparities, social isolation, and lifetime exposure to structural racism, may be colliding…
VIDEO – STEPS … INTO THE RING – Aug. 29, 2024 – They tell you, ‘Listen, in a room of 20, 30 people, one person is going to stay sober.’ I’m sure you’ve heard that, and when I heard that the first time, I was like, ‘best believe I’m going to be that one person’.” Santana credits his daughter for being the “why” in his recovery journey, and 552 days sober, he believes that being conscious of the “just for today” mindset, as well as selfless giving through the program, will allow him to continue his journey successfully. “For me,…
STORIES OF SURVIVAL – August 28, 2024 – We’ve taken a trip to The Addict’s Diary Instagram account and compiled their most powerful stories and photos down below. These images show incredible transformations of people who fought tooth and nail to get sober and deserve to be celebrated. This isn’t the first time we’ve featured this page, but today we’ve put their best posts of all time in one place. So enjoy scrolling through these incredible stories, and keep reading to find conversations with Kevin Alter, founder of The Addict’s Diary, and A. Tom Horvath, PhD, ABPP, President of Practical…
BETTER SAFE THAN DEAD – Aug. 30, 2024 – Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that New York State has surpassed the milestone of distributing 20 million fentanyl and xylazine test strips statewide. These efforts and other initiatives are making an impact to help prevent drug overdoses, save lives, and address the opioid and overdose crisis. New York State has the largest response to opioid overdoses in the nation. Last year, the Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) developed the first in the nation online ordering portal where naloxone kits and test strips can be ordered by any New York…
WATCH OUT WILLIAM BURROUGHS? – Aug. 27, 2024 – Whenever a fentanyl-related announcement starts using language normally reserved for nuclear war, there’s a good chance you’ll come away not entirely sure whether it was talking about the opioid-involved overdose crisis, or a crisis that is hypothetical. Maybe the “mass casualty situation” is the one we already…
AUDIO – NATURE IS NATURAL – Aug. 30, 2024 – The state Departments of Drug and Alcohol Programs and Conservation and Natural Resources are teaming up for a “Recovery in Nature” initiative. Spending time in nature can be a powerful tool to boost mental and physical health for people in recovery from drug addiction. So, the…
AUDIO – WISHFUL SCROLLING – Aug. 27, 2024 – From endless scrolling to dopamine hits of likes and shares, social media has become a double-edged sword in our digital age. While it connects us like never before, it also has the power to consume us, impacting our mental health, productivity and sleep. Dr. Rebecca Rast, assistant…
“Birds born in a cage think flying is an illness.” – Alejandro Jodorowsky, at 95
CALIFORNIA SOBER ALL OVER – Aug. 16, 2024 – If you have a sober living facility in your town and then add a medical marijuana dispensary are you creating a healing dichotomy? That’s the situation facing one small community in Pike County. … While it’s sad that we have so many of these facilities, some of which have been or are being looked at for fraudulent billing, the facilities are still needed. I listen to Howard Stern; he’s a great interviewer and oftentimes when not acting like a 12-year-old he’s funny. He has touted that porn websites are now…
AUDIO – WHAT CAN? – Aug. 19, 2024 – A common reaction in hearing about a pornography addiction is wondering if something is “off” in the marriage, and especially in the bedroom … In this episode we discuss the harmful effects of this line of thinking, along with why a pornography addiction really isn’t about sex anyway. About Geoff Steurer: I am a licensed marriage and family therapist, relationship educator, and coach with over 20 years of experience. I am the co-author of, “Love You, Hate the Porn: Healing a Relationship Damaged by Virtual Infidelity”, the host of the weekly…
HOW SWEET IT IS – Aug. 21, 2024 – Evidence indicates that grapes could be a smart choice for anyone who wants to lower their cholesterol without resorting to many (or any) medications. Recent studies point to the unexpected effect grapes have on cholesterol, which is useful to know if you’re interested in controlling your cholesterol levels as much as possible with food. The polyphenols in grapes are one of the reasons they’re being studied as cholesterol-improving superfoods. Polyphenols are antioxidant-rich compounds with the potential for anti-inflammatory capabilities (via Healthline). It’s this aspect that seems to improve cardiovascular system…