VIDEO – WATCH WITH WONDER – June 26, 2024 – At 26 years old, singer-songwriter RAYE made history at the 2024 BRIT Awards when she won a record-breaking six trophies in one night, including Song of the Year for “Escapism.” “I started crying from the first award, and my mom is like, ‘Get it together.’ Just 18 months earlier, RAYE was performing in small clubs, and her record label had shelved her debut album. “To hear that is really crushing,” she said. Feeling lost and ashamed of her music, she found inspiration in a Nina Simone quote in her…
Author: Leonard Buschel
VIDEO – LAUGH A LITTLE – June 22, 2024 – The show has passed and was intended to entertain, educate and inspire the audience. CONTINUE@YouTube
VERY FOCUSED – June 26, 2024 – Investigators said that because her pay was based on “patient load,” she sought to “maximize her profits” by neglecting to provide patient consultation, time or medical services after she initially met with Done Members, investigators added. Over the two years she made these orders, Kim reportedly prescribed around 1.5 million pills of Adderall and received over $800,000 in exchange, the indictment stated. Investigators accused Kim of violating several federal laws, including the Controlled Substances Act and the Ryan Haight Act. Kim faces charges of distributing controlled substances and conspiracy to do so.…
Do-b, Do-b, DON’T – June 26, 2024 – For many people, taking a break is a welcome chance to recharge and unwind. For others, the thought of slowing down can stir feelings of anxiety, fear and a sense of looming threat. This paradoxical response is especially prevalent among those grappling with “doing” addiction—a compulsive urge to stay busy to cope with underlying distress. “Doing” addiction often traces back to difficult experiences in the past. For those affected, activities aren’t just ways to pass time or achieve goals, but they are essential for managing emotional distress. Staying busy serves as…
AUDIO – ALL THINGS CONSIDERED – June 26, 2024 – On this edition of On The Record we talk with Eva Williams and Coleen Smith of Willamette Family about the best ways to treat addiction and create a support network. The combination of isolation, the COVID-19 pandemic and other factors have led to an increase in addiction and drug abuse, and treatment organizations like Willamette Family are working to create networks of support for those who are often alone. CONTINUE@KLCC
SOBRIETY IS ART – June 26, 2024, Drew Fowler is an artist living in South New Jersey who creates abstract fluid art. His pieces are striking, vibrant, colorful and as he describes them “inspired by joy”. It is a joy that was hard-earned by Fowler who credits his foray into art as a mechanism for maintaining his soon to be eight years of continuous sobriety. Drew comes from a small town in Southeastern Pennsylvania, just outside of Philadelphia. He grew up with two older sisters and his mother but tragically lost his father to addiction when he was…
GUMMIES TOO? – June 21, 2024 – “What we found is that cannabis use is not harmless in the context of COVID-19. People who reported yes to current cannabis use, at any frequency, were more likely to require hospitalization and intensive care than those who did not use cannabis,” said Li-Shiun Chen, MD, he study, based on outcomes among 72,501 people seen for COVID-19 at centers in a major Midwestern healthcare system during the first 2 years of the pandemic, offers an important take on the risks associated with cannabis use, especially in comparison to tobacco use. Among the…
VIDEO – CRIMINAL!!! – June 27, 2024 – A Louisville woman claims a popular weight loss drug she was prescribed for Type 2 diabetes almost killed her. WDRB Investigates started digging into the serious side effects of drugs like Ozempic and found thousands of others are suffering too. For Jacqueline Barber, it’s been a long health journey. “I just see my sisters and my dad, how upset they were and they would see me every week and I would get smaller and smaller,” Barber said, starting to cry while talking about the health issues she has suffered. Doctors prescribed…
VIDEO – NOT THIS SITE – June 26, 2024 – Dr. Anna Lembke, medical director of addiction medicine at Stanford University, explains how constant connection can be harmful and why governments, companies and families should consider policies that promote unplugging. We need to think about the addictive potential of digital media, social media, the products are engineered to be addictive. Uh whether it’s the A I algorithms or it’s the notifications or quantifications for the endless scroll. All of these things make it more and more difficult for us to exercise our agency to disengage at the point at…
VIDEO – OPIATES ON PARADE – June 22, 2024 – A Maine doctor could be sentenced to hundreds of years in prison for her practices of overprescribing opioids. Dr. Merideth Norris, 53, of Kennebunk, was convicted by a federal jury of 15 counts of unlawfully distributing controlled substances. Each count carries a maximum sentence of 20 years. Norris’ arrest in Oct. 2022 was the first charge brought by the New England Prescription Opioid Strike Force by the federal justice department. At the time of her arrest, she faced 10 counts of unlawful distribution of opioids and other controlled substances.…
I’M NOT FEELING WELL – June 20, 2024 – Medical cannabis products are legal in 38 states and the District of Columbia, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. More than 20 states allow the drug to be used recreationally, too. Legalizing medical marijuana for qualifying patients with a “debilitating medical condition” was added to a bill on Wednesday … Sen. Bill Rabon, a Republican from Brunswick County who is one of the most vocal proponents of legalizing medical marijuana, said the bill would help sick and dying people in the state. Like in previous sessions, he recounted…
STARTED WITH A SURGERY – June 27, 2024 – I first met Tammy about 17 years ago. Her kid and my kid were in a sport together. For several years, our kids played together or against each other. Once our kids grew up, we didn’t see each other – maybe at the movies once, and at the store a couple of times. She and her husband were always nice and friendly. They seemed like a typical South Jersey couple – hard-working, supporting their kids, and working their way through life. “I know you have a background with addiction, and…
INSTANT GRATIFICATION – June 27, 2024 – One of my favorite shows is a weekend show called “Freakonomics.” On Father’s Day, they were reporting on the opioid addiction epidemic and interviewing Dr. Stephen Lloyd, a medical doctor who specialized in addiction. Lloyd points out that addiction blocks the “frontal lobe,” the most powerful part of the brain from doing its job: providing insight, judgment and empathy. Instead, addicts, at least while actively using, are dominated by the “pleasure center” of the brain (which is composed by the amygdala, basil ganglia and other parts of the limbic system). To be…
SAVING YOU A PAIR OF SNEAKERS – June 20, 2024 – When Kellen Matthews heard a doctor at his addiction rehab program say that running can give you a high similar to that of drugs, it grabbed his attention. He had been using opioids for more than a decade, starting when he was just 13. Matthews started with prescription drugs such as Percocet, but by the time he was out of high school, he was using fentanyl and heroin. Matthews went to rehab several times before, but this time had to be different. He’d been so beaten down by…
IS VAPING BETTER? – June 28, 2024 – “One thing that was evident when I was in hospital for treatment was that almost everyone smoked,” he told Filter.“ It was clear that this was the norm, and little or no effort was made to help people with mental illness quit—it was just accepted, there was no advice or anything.” The researchers found that people with mental health histories were more likely than other respondents to try certain tools to quit smoking. These included vapes (38.8 percent, versus 30.7 percent), prescription NRT (4.8 percent, versus 2.7 percent) and websites (4.0…
AN INSIDE JOB – June 25, 2024 – The actor — known for playing onetime drug dealer Jay in director Kevin Smith’s Clerks and Jay and Silent Bob franchises — was arrested for heroin in 1999, eventually moving in with childhood friend Smith in an effort to get clean. He has said that Smith was a big part in his sobriety, recounting how the director would leverage parts in his films against Mewes’ ongoing struggle with drugs. In the past, he would always try to help me like, ‘Hey, if you don’t want to miss out on this opportunity…
SOBRIETY WORKS! – June 23, 2024 – The conversation also touched on Lily’s past struggles with addiction and her journey to sobriety She revealed that she had sex with female sex workers during the breakdown of her previous marriage and wrote about it in her book. Lily explained that she shared her experiences to reclaim power and to help others feel more comfortable with their own behavior. She also joked that she sometimes refuses to do certain things in the bedroom that her husband asks for, saying “I’m not like: ‘You piece of shit, how dare you ask me…
TURN ON YOUR LOVE LIGHT – June 26, 2024 – There are various groups in the jam scene, the most prominent being a group among Deadheads dubbed the Wharf Rats. Launched in the ’80s, it was named after a fictional down-and-out drunk with hope to someday get a fresh start. The Wharf Rats began as a few members of Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous, though the group welcomes all pathways to sobriety. Although they’re not affiliated with a 12-Step program, many Wharf Rats are also members of such programs. Like Deadheads, Wharf Rats embrace all kinds, with kindness. Creating…
STILL MASS MURDERERS – June 27, 2024 – A divided Court blocked a controversial proposed Purdue Pharma bankruptcy plan that would have provided billions of dollars to help address the nation’s opioid crisis in exchange for protecting the family that owns the company from future lawsuits. The court ruled that U.S. bankruptcy code does not allow a court to shield the Sackler family, which owns the company and had agreed to pay up to $6 billion over 18 years as part of the plan, from future opioid lawsuits. Family members did not file for bankruptcy themselves. The ruling marks…
THE LOST GENERATION – June 22, 2024 – As one example of Zuckerberg’s decision-making, executive David Ginsberg told him in 2019 citing concern about “areas of problematic use/addiction and teens,” says court records. He wanted to conduct research to “reduce loneliness and compulsive use,” but was told there weren’t resources available for his project. Mary Rodee, the mother of a teenager who died by suicide in 2021 after being victimized by a sexual predator on Facebook, blasted Meta to the Times. “They preach that they have safety protections, but not the right ones,” she said. Rodee filed a lawsuit…
ASK FOR HELP – June 26, 2024 – Porn, Alcohol, Gambling, Opioids, Food, Marijuana and Five More … A new study has revealed which addictions Americans are seeking help with the most. Learn More… CONTINUE@WIBC
HOW CONVENIENT – June 27, 2024 – “Nowhere near the standard you expect. Harsh ammonia smell. Very jittery. One star,” writes a disgruntled customer of their $240 Colombian cocaine purchase. Another reviewer reported a better experience, leaving a five-star rating and gushing, “Better than street stuff around me! Recommended.” This is not a South American drug market or even an obscure dark web marketplace. It’s Telegram, one of the world’s top five most downloaded apps and the go-to communications platform for everyone from activists to cryptocurrency enthusiasts. A recent tour by Fortune of Telegram channels that operate like stores…
WALKING THE WALK – June 27, 2024 – On a cloudy Saturday morning, with temperatures at 77 degrees, a group of men embarked on a journey toward sobriety and mental wellness. The recent monsoons have refreshed the landscape, creating a serene atmosphere for this introspective walk. The previous evening, they observed a spectacular display of the lightning deity’s might as thunder roared and winds fiercely battered their tents. In a mix of wonder and determination, they marveled at the raw power while striving to secure their tents from imminent collapse. The men, scattered along a lengthy dirt road that…
NBC VIDEO – USEFUL / DEADLY – June 21, 2024 – Kratom is a $1.5 billion a year industry in the U.S., but too few people know anything about it. You can find kratom at gas stations, vape shops, convenience stores, coffee shops, grocery stores… it’s more common than you may realize. But is it a beneficial botanical or a lethal opioid? Stay Tuned spent weeks talking to health experts. Stay Tuned spent weeks talking to health experts, chronic and recreational users, a family who lost a loved one, the American kratom Association and others to find out what…
OMG – July 28, 2024 – Employees of a multistate rehab company have been left in the dark after several facilities shut across the country following the suicides of the two top executives. Retreat Behavioral Health, which has facilities in Florida, Philadelphia and Connecticut, abruptly closed their facility in Palm Beach, Florida, last week. Employees told WPTV that around 100 mental health and substance use patients were told to pack up and leave, including 30 who had nowhere to go. Facilities in Lancaster County, PA, and New Haven, CT, have also since shuttered following the deaths of CEO Peter…
FEMME FATALE? – June 28, 2024 – MATTHEW Perry had been romantically involved with Charlie Sheen’s ex-wife – who is now being investigated over the Friends star’s drug death. Brooke Mueller, 46, had been questioned multiple times after police executed a search warrant at the sober living facility where she is living in May. Officers probing Perry’s death from ketamine in October last year are said to have taken an iPhone and laptop belonging to Mueller and she is said to have hired legal representation. It was claimed that Perry and New York-born actress Mueller had met in rehab…
PURITY MATTERS – June 27, 2024 – The Taliban’s crackdown on poppy cultivation in Afghanistan could trigger a spike in overdose deaths if the global heroin lack is filled by more potent synthetic compounds. The loss of this supply from Afghanistan, previously the world’s dominant producer of opium and heroin, was partially compensated by Myanmar, where there was a 36% increase in output. Nevertheless, global opium production fell by 74% last year, according to UN research. Prices of opiates in Afghanistan skyrocketed last year, but the availability of old stockpiles meant that no real shortage was reported in destination…
AUDIO – SO DOES AA – June 25, 2024 – APA has helped “move the needle” in a positive direction on addiction, bringing together primary and specialty care professionals interested in addressing substance use disorders (SUDs) in the populations they treat and communicating to millions that treatment for addiction works. That’s what outgoing APA President Petros Levounis, M.D., M.A., said during the Opening Session of APA’s 2024 Annual Meeting, recounting his presidential theme, “Confronting Addiction From Prevention to Recovery.” The yearlong effort was a public education and advocacy campaign aimed at addressing four topics on addiction: tobacco and vaping,…
“My heart is a thousand years old. I am not like other people.” – Charles Bukowski, 1920–1994
TRAGEDY – June 26, 2024 – (CEO Peter Schorr, CAO Scott Korogodsky: Both found dead in less than a week.) Chaos and uncertainty at the parent company of one of New Haven’s largest drug rehab clinics have left 160 workers burned by missed paychecks and patients hustling for new treatment options.Retreat Behavioral Health’s facilities in 3 different states, appear to be closed indefinitely—amidst a $17 million lawsuit in Florida… CONTINUE@NewHaven