AUDIO – NPR STORYCORPS – Aug. 2, 2024 – Irene Montoya is the owner of Sunflower trucking in Cheyenne, Wyo. She drives a dump truck. She’s also raising her 14-year-old son. 15 years ago, her life looked very different. She addicted to methamphetamines. She came to StoryCorps with her son to talk about how becoming a mother was the turning point in her life. IRENE MONTOYA: When I first had you, I was so scared that you deserved to be with, like, a better mom. There was a time when you were little, and we ended up in a…
Author: Leonard Buschel
SOCIALIZE WITHOUT STOLI – July 27, 2024 – Marshall is a member of a small class of sober bar owners who want to upend the idea that bars are exclusively places where alcohol is served. He and other sober bar impresarios believe bars should be community hubs where you can have fun without imbibing anything alcoholic. And as the non-alcoholic beverage market steadily grows, so have sober bars. A sober bar usually looks and feels like any other. It might be upscale and minimalist or divey and lived-in. There may be handles lined up behind the bar but these…
AUDIO – IT WORKS IF YOU WORK IT – July 30, 2024 – “It’s a family disease,” said Amy, a member of the Al-Anon group. “I’ve heard it said that for every alcoholic out there, some 14 other people will suffer from the consequences of their disease.” It was that realization that led to the founding of Al-Anon back in 1951, a full 16 years after the founding of Alcoholics Anonymous. “People eventually figured out that people who are affected by alcoholics have their own kind of crazy going on because they get trapped into trying to control the…
ANYTHING IS ‘POSSIBLE’ – Aug. 2, 2024 – ARC has developed a reputation for aggressive expansion since it was launched by Tim Robinson, a lawyer who founded the company with a single halfway house for alcohol treatment in 2010. Fueled by the availability of new Medicaid funds for SUD since 2014 under Obama Care, ARC operates 1,800 treatment beds. Last year, ARC took in $130 million in Medicaid funds, the government health plan which gets most of its money from the federal government, making it by far the state’s largest provider of substance use services. Robinson and his wife,…
PRISON BOUND – July 30, 2024 – Federal investigators said Mendez cut, capped and packaged the drugs blamed for the baby’s death. Mendez, unlike his girlfriend, is represented by the federal public defender’s office. While his cooperation with prosecutors doesn’t guarantee him a shorter prison sentence, it does make one more likely. Ian Goldstein, Yi’s defense attorney, said there’s “no proof” that Yi provided the drugs to the mother of the baby who died. He added that the infant’s mother, who faces her own criminal charges in relation to the baby’s death, “is trying to get leniency by testifying…
VIDEO – HEALING OUT LOUD – July 27, 2024 – Every day, in extreme heat, cold, or rain, Darin Rohrer can be found in this Target parking lot always with his guitar. Since getting sober, Rohrer spends every day plucking his guitar strings and performing his own renditions of country greats like Willie Nelson. “Music has that ability to kind of wrap you up in it,” he said. “It’s so cool to see the number of people who said, ‘Man, you really made my day; I was having a really tough day. Thank you for doing that.’ So, it’s…
THE GROOVE IS IN THE HEART – July 30, 2024 – I came to know Blessed Solanus Casey 63 years after his death in July 1957 and three years after his beatification ceremony, held in November 2017. Providentially, my lack of familiarity with the humble and virtuous Franciscan Capuchin friar, whose feast we celebrate July 30, did not prevent him from hearing my silent yet desperate pleas … It was the autumn of 2020, and after 40 years of self-imposed exile, I was newly reconciled with the Catholic Church and determined to make amends for the faith I had…
VIDEO – TED TALKS MATTER – Aug. 1, 2024 – Cara Poland is an internationally respected mentor, teacher, physician, researcher and advocate for advancements in addiction medicine and associate professor in the Michigan State University. Her work and advocacy is changing the way healthcare professionals treat addiction and improving the systems behind the treatment. In this moving TEDxMSU talk, Poland shares her unexpected path to becoming an addiction specialist, which was shaped by profound personal losses including the death of her mother to a rare disease and her brother to suicide. CONTINUE@MSUToday
GOSSIP or REALITY? – July 28, 2024 – Colts owner Jim Irsay appeared at his team’s training camp practice Sunday, marking his first public outing since a suspected overdose at his Indiana home in December. He has denied the overdosing suggestion used in the police report, and is still working his way back from what was previously described as a “major” surgery for a back/leg issue. “It’s frustrating because the left leg just doesn’t have the push off yet that I need,” Irsay said, per ESPN. “I can stand up and those sort of things, but in terms of…
WE LOVE YOU NORMAN VINCENT PEALE – Aug. 2, 2024 – Your mind will be key in overcoming your addiction. Its past workings lead you to substance use and its current state will lead you out of it. If you want to change your life, you should start with your thoughts. What thoughts occupy your brain? Are they endearing or damaging? Do they lift you up or rattle you? It’s time to be fully transparent and evaluate what has been going on inside your head. It’s time to be honest. If you want to fully heal, you should endeavor…
VIDEO – SHARING THE GOOD NEWS – Aug. 2, 2024 – Caitlin Perez is celebrating 10 years of sobriety. Three overdoses later, Perez said she found herself back in a courtroom ready to go to prison, until she was given a second chance at life. Now she’s a wife, mother, and an inspiration to those on the path to recovery. But through her journey, Perez said she’s lost friends and family, including her brother, Ian, who died of an overdose in 2018. “Him and I would always say, ‘When mom and dad go, it’s me and you,’” she said.…
IT’S A BUSINESS BABY – Aug. 2, 2024 – “We started out for many years just doing residential care. And as we move more [to working with] payers, we saw an opportunity to expand into partial [hospitalization], which led to an opportunity to grow into IOP,” Robert Poznanovich, chief business growth officer at Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, said Delray Beach, Florida-based Guardian Recovery has over a dozen residential centers dedicated to treating SUD. Its care includes medical detox, residential inpatient, partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient services. It also provides mental health services, including psychiatry, therapy, TMS, ketamine, and a…
VIDEO – LET THERE BE LIGHT – July 30, 2024 – Harm reduction programs look to help those dealing with addiction by providing them with things like clean needles. Critics say harm reduction only makes things worse, while proponents say they help save lives. Mark Strassmann takes a look at how one program is being deployed on the Cherokee Nation reservation. CONTINUE@CBSNews
VIDEO – THE ULTIMATE STEP – 20th Cent. – Discover Alan Watts’ groundbreaking insights bridging Eastern philosophy and Western thought, urging us to question our understanding of life and our place in the universe. With every minute, you’ll be closer to seeing beyond the surface of your everyday reality, unlocking a new, enlightened perspective. Unravel the mysteries of life after death with Alan Watts. This video invites you on an enlightening journey to challenge conventional wisdom and uncover the profound truths about existence, consciousness, and the real nature of reality. CONTINUE@YouTube
VIDEO – MUSICAL INTERLUDE – 4.4 Million views – 14 years ago: This was one of the very first songs to address the issues of alcoholism & alcohol abuse! I am a Native Man who was career drinker for 25 years, have been sober for 20 years now. I am now NO longer LIVING IN THE BOTTLE! I’m an Italian 20 year old fella. After months of knowing about this song I’ve just decided to comment under one of its videos on YouTube. I had to leave my mark too on this masterpiece. Scott-Heron’s link to the world of…
FREEDOM TO BE – July 29, 2024 -Ali Liebert, who’s in a relationship with non-binary Hallmark star Donia Kash, has only discussed her sobriety journey a handful of times on social media. Read More: https://www.thelist.com/1629965/inside-hallmark-star-ali-liebert-sobriety-journey/ “Celebrating 17 years clean & sober today. What a miracle. What a gift.” Though it’s not a topic that she talks about frequently, Liebert has used her platform to share kind messages with those struggling with addiction, similar to her LGBTQIA+ advocacy. One of the earliest celebration posts came in July 2020, with the “One of Us is Lying” actor posting a masked selfie.…
WE ARE EVERYWHERE – July 27, 2024 – Anita Raey was addicted to weed, masturbation, smoking among other things. “I used to tell people I could never marry a man who doesn’t drink. Nobody told me to quit. No amount of words can explain how I feel. I never went to any rehab. If you want to stop it, the world will help you stop. By the time I got to class 8, I was a heavy drinker, I continued drinking in High school. I was such a heavy drinker, I got married I drank, I left my marriage…
BOOKS TO GO BY – July 29, 2024 – The program, “Read to Recovery,” will provide books on healing from substance abuse for free to anyone at all San Francisco library branches even if they don’t have a library card. They include Alcoholics Anonymous’ 12-step “Big Book” and publications on Recovery Dharma and Narcotics Anonymous. San Francisco Mayor London Breed signed into law legislation that will make books on addiction recovery free of charge at all city libraries. “For folks that are struggling and find respite in places like the public library, it is immensely powerful for folks to…
BODY/MIND/WINNER – Aug. 2, 2024 – After winning the all-around competition on Thursday, Aug. 1 at Bercy Arena in Paris, Biles, 27, reflected on a meditative moment from her gold medal performance. In a Instagram Post on Friday, the three-time Olympian shared a picture from mid-competition, where she sits cross-legged with her eyes closed, breathing deeply. “Mental health matters,” Biles captioned the post. That’s been a focus for the six-time Olympic gold medalist, after speaking openly about how her mental health suffered during the 2020 Tokyo Games. It was there that she was forced to withdraw from the team…
FINALLY – July 26, 2024 – For first-year medical students in Philadelphia, the beginning of their career in health care is often marked with ceremony, sacred oaths and, more recently, tools to combat the addiction epidemic. “Twenty years ago, addiction medicine was primarily in psychiatry, but now it’s every specialty,” said Dr. Abigail Kay, an addiction psychiatrist … “It’s saying to [students], this is a disease just like any other disease and it’s really important to treat patients who have this disease,” Kay said. “The reality is, we can’t treat a dead patient. And so, by keeping someone alive,…
TO EACH HIS OWN – July 27, 2024 – When the Journal was founded in 1812, there was no such thing as an LGBTQ+ community, and the medical terms “homosexual” and “transsexual” had yet to be coined. Between 1812 and 1890, the Journal made only fleeting references to same-sex sexual activity. An 1853 article entitled “Case of Venereal Chancre Produced by Sodomy” described an episode … “Case of Venereal Chancre Produced by Sodomy” described an episode in a prison in which one man committed “an outrage upon” the author’s male patient, who contracted syphilis as a result. An 1869…
HE’S STILL STANDING – Aug. 2, 2024 – The legendary British singer-songwriter has taken to Instagram to share a photo of his coin – a well known token given to members of AA (alcoholics anonymous) and NA (narcotics anonymous) – which bore the roman numerals XXXIV to mark 34 years. It came with the caption: “34 years clean and sober. The Rocket Man singer was congratulated by many in the comments section, with musician Matt Sorum writing: “Bravo Elton …your greatest accomplishment”. Former EastEnders star Kacey Ainsworth added: “I do believe you were with my dad during his journey…
DRUGS ARE DANGEROUS – July 17, 2024 – Izzy McKinney was a healthy teenager who wrote poetry, played the mandolin and took pride in her flair with an eyeliner pencil. She also had acne. She tried topical medications and then antibiotics. Two weeks after starting a doctor-prescribed antibiotic — trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole — Izzy came down with a mild fever. Less than three months later, one month after her 16th birthday, Izzy’s heart failed, and she died. An autopsy revealed the cause was DRESS — drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms. It’s a rare but deadly condition triggered by medications…
VIDEO – REAL HORROR FILM – July 30, 2024 – Disturbing new video has emerged of zonked-out drug addicts stumbling like zombies inside a Canadian bus station — with many suggesting it was the flesh-rotting drug dubbed “tranq.”Some lie knocked out on benches, or unconscious on the floor with their belongings strewn about them. But two somehow remained upright, their semi-conscious bodies twisted and bent like dying flowers as they staggered and leaned over. Their awkward body positions suggested the presence of xylazine, the flesh-rotting zombie drug known as “tranq” that’s stormed through the North American drug supply and…
VIDEO – WEEKLY STIPEND – July 29, 2024 – The proposal, called “Cash Not Drugs,” would create a voluntary sobriety incentive for eligible residents on public assistance, offering up to $100 a week for those who test negative for illicit drugs. nly residents who receive assistance from San Francisco County’s Adult Assistance Program, or CAAP, and who have been screened or diagnosed with substance abuse disorders and referred to treatment are eligible. “Contingency management has been researched and studied for decades, and it is considered ‘one of the most effective behavioral interventions for initiating and maintaining abstinence from drugs,”…
UPS AND DOWNS – July 31, 2024 – On Wednesday, July 31, it was confirmed that the Saturday Night Live alum, 30, is taking some time to focus on his health. The move comes after a string of more than 200 live stand-up comedy shows across the nation, as well as several film projects. Davidson revealed he took ketamine daily for four years. “It was magical,” he told the crowd. n 2018, he revealed that he had been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder after years of battling depression and anxiety. He explained that the symptoms of the disorder had…
VIDEO – Or 12 STEPS? – Aug. 2, 2024 – Self-improvement coach Clark Kegley shared some of the tips and tricks he’s picked up throughout his sobriety journey in the hopes that they will be of service to other people in the same boat. In a YouTube video, the motivational speaker, based in Scottsdale, Arizona. So Clark decided to set himself a 30 day challenge where he ditched drinking … which then turned into 60 days, then 90 days and now, he says it has stuck for good. “Look, if you would have told me in my 20s I’d…
OBESITY MATTERS – July 31, 2024 – Cancers with the most significant increased risk are kidney, pancreatic and small intestine, which are two to three times as high for millennial men and women as baby boomers. Millennial women also are at higher risk of liver and bile duct cancers compared with boomers. If the current trend continues, the increased cancer and mortality rates among younger people may “halt or even reverse the progress that we have made in reducing cancer mortality over the past several decades,” he added. While there is no clear explanation for the increased cancer rates…
“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” – Martin Luther King, Born: Jan. 15, 1929 – Assassinated: April 4, 1968
VIDEO – MUSICAL INTERLUDE – July 2, 2024 – Celine Dion sings “Hymne A L’Amour” at the base of the Eiffel Tower following the cauldron-lighting. CONTINUE@Youtube