SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGE – Feb. 3, 2024 – An unregulated rehab centre linked to the Church of Scientology put mentally ill people through intense psychological drills that allegedly left them “traumatised” and in “trance-like” states, an investigation by the Observer can reveal. Former patients and staff at Narconon UK say vulnerable people seeking help for addiction were expected to complete mental exercises, similar to methods used in Scientology’s controversial “auditing” process, at a secluded compound in rural Sussex. Before arriving, they had thought Narconon was offering a holistic approach to rehabilitation and were drawn in by promises it…
Author: Leonard Buschel
VIDEO – IS NO PLACE SAFE? – Feb. 7, 2024 – The US saw roughly 57,000 preterm births caused by phthalates in 2018. More than 8 million metric tons of phthalates and similar chemicals are consumed annually — either ingested, inhaled or seeped through the skin. Research linked phthalates to cancer, infertility, birth defects, obesity, asthma, heart disease, diabetes and premature death. However, the American Chemistry Council, a chemical trade association for US industries, maintained that the new report failed to establish a hard connection between phthalates and preterm births. “Not all phthalates are the same, and it is…
ONE MACAROON AT A TIME – Feb. 7, 2024 – Professor Serena Bartlett is an addiction neuroscientist. She has studied sugar and its effects on the brain. “Sugar uses exactly the same neural pathways as alcohol and nicotine, it’s physically changing your brain.” Sugar addiction is real and should be treated in much the same way as other addictions. The childhood element is down to conditioning. We were all trained to see sugar as the reward for enduring the horror of vegetables, for reaching a birthday, a way to celebrate Halloween, Christmas, the end of the school day—and the…
AUDIO – LOCK THEM UP – Feb. 3, 2024 – Her reporting details two women’s efforts to bring to justice the owner of a network of treatment centers in California and Colorado who was routinely sexually assaulting clients and offering them drugs. She tells host Al Letson how she, her sources, and staff at New Hampshire Public Radio became the targets of intimidation … and, in some cases, vandalism, after exposing allegations that the owner of New Hampshire’s largest addiction treatment network was harassing patients. LISTEN@MotherJones
“My idea of artistry has always been ‘try everything until you find out what works.’” – Usher
JUST SELF DELUSIONAL – Jan. 27, 2024 – One of many misunderstandings about addiction is that it is self-destructive. However, people suffering from addictions are not either intending to harm themselves or uncaring about their well-being. The unimportance of self-destruction in addiction is especially clear if one understands addictive behavior. The very same psychological factors that drive addiction regularly lead to similar symptoms that are not self-destructive. A compulsion to wash hands, or compulsively clean the house, can have the same emotional basis, and be understood in the same way, as a compulsion to drink alcohol or to gamble. If…
VIDEO – FROM ZERO TO HERO – Jan. 26, 2024 – Cocaine addiction, sexual abuse, a robbery conviction and prison time as far away as Kentucky is an incredibly difficult journey to survive. But the story of Kimberly Villegas is not just a story of survival. It is a story of redemption and determination. After decades of struggling with alcohol and drug abuse and time in and out of prisons, with the help of the University of Hawai‘i at Maui College and its partners, Villegas has become a working Certified Substance Abuse Counselor (CSAC) and is helping others to…
VIDEO – IT TAKES A VEGAS – Jan. 29, 2024 – “It will have 240 beds and an intake for detox.” Unlike many facilities, this center has no time frame for how long a person can stay. “We want people to get healthy on their own terms, but there will be rules to follow,” County Commissioner of District B, Marilyn Kirkpatric added. Working in healthcare, I’ve been in the ER and I’ve seen patients in and out so I think it’s good that Clark County is doing something to help because it is moving drastically,” Cecilia Velasco said. “I look…
FASCINATING – Jan. 30, 2024 – When I was about eight or nine months into my sobriety, I had one of the worst days of my life. My problems started at work. I was a recent law school graduate working at a mid-size public defender’s office in Florida. Public defenders are court-appointed lawyers who represent criminal defendants who can’t afford to hire a private attorney. It’s an incredibly stressful job, with high caseloads (sometimes over 100 open cases at a time), long hours, and low pay. For me, the most difficult part of the job was the emotional toll. My…
IS SCIENCE TOO WOKE? – Jan. 11, 2024 – As science teacher Zach Lazar looks out across his classroom at South Eugene High School, he sees more kids struggling than he did before the pandemic. In the past two years, Lazar said, three of his students have died from drug use. Lazar’s experience aligns with alarming trends: The rate of substance use disorder among Oregon youth ranks third in the country, and in the past six years, 348 Oregonians aged 15 to 24 died from accidental drug overdose. That’s enough to fill more than 15 high school classrooms. In…
PERSONAL SOBRIETY – Jan. 30, 2024 – My first drink was a Smirnoff Ice aged 16. I took a pack of four to a party and had a glass of water after each one because I was scared to get drunk. I don’t think I finished the pack. My tastes have matured since. My alcohol cabinet now includes port, sherry, wine, gin, vodka and rum. My motivations for this year-long challenge were fourfold. I wanted to see what socialising without alcohol felt like, and whether I could continue to have as much fun when seeing friends without the booze.…
SCIENCE MAY ONE DAY DO SO… – Jan. 31, 2024 – Some experts tout deep brain stimulation as a lifeline for people struggling with opioid use. Others question the hype. Elena Daly was packing for a family vacation when she walked into her 16-year-old son’s room and found him unconscious. Her son, Max, had overdosed on opioids, aspirated vomit and fallen into a coma. By that point, Max had struggled with addiction for about three years. He had tried medication, therapy and residential treatment programs in France, where the family lives, as well as in the United States and the…
ON BROADWAY? – Feb. 1, 2024 – It never rains but it pours. Sometimes, however, it doesn’t pour rain. What’s poured instead is scotch, bourbon, rum, and beer. Sean Daniels is the author of this unyielding autobiographical reminiscence — autobiographical because Steven reports achievements as an actor, director and having spent much theater time in Kentucky. Daniels himself has a parallel career history and so has chosen, as a recovering Alcoholics Anonymous member, to herald his evidently personal history. It may be that Daniels uses the name “Steven” in observance of the rule that AA members always remain anonymous.…
RELIEF IS IN SIGHT – Feb. 2, 2024 – Now for the first time in more than 20 years, the Biden administration is publishing new federal rules for methadone treatment aimed at widening access for more patients. But patients accessing those clinics will now be able to receive more take-home doses of the medication; they’ll be able to receive care more frequently after a telehealth consultation; and nurse practitioners and physicians assistants working at OTPs will be able to order the medication. The new rule also eliminates a long-standing restriction that required patients to experience opioid addiction for at least…
VIDEO – SWEET DREAMS ARE MADE OF THIS – Feb. 2, 2024 – Dr. Charles Puza, a New York–based physician, has recently shocked over a million people on TikTok by revealing that the continual use of anticholinergic medications can be linked to dementia. He stitches his video with a woman who says she uses it as a sleep aid every night … In the video, Dr. Charles summarizes a study* that found that taking an anticholinergic drug long term was associated with higher dementia risk. And he concludes that it’s a cumulative risk. So if you take diphenhydramine to sleep…
VIDEO – DO THE WRITE THING – Feb. 2, 2024 – When she was 27 years old, a sudden trip-and-fall injury left Chekesha Kay Ellis taking pain medication. This eventually snowballed into a dangerous opioid addiction that lasted for about 10 years. “The rock bottom moment for me was total isolation,” she said. “I basically was sitting in my truck in a parking lot and realized that either I had to choose life or death.” Ellis chose life. And since quitting and recovering, she has become an author and nationwide advocate. She wrote her book, A Life of ‘Kayos’ -…
IS IT THAT COMPLICATED? – Feb. 1, 2024 – Pennsylvania’s court system will pay a total of $100,000 to six people who were prevented from taking medication prescribed to treat opioid addiction while under court supervision as part of a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice. The settlement resolves a 2022 lawsuit by the Justice Department alleging that the Pennsylvania Unified Judicial System (UJS), which includes county courts, violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The suit claimed county courts ordered the six victims in the lawsuit and others to stop taking medication prescribed for opiate use disorder…
THE WHOLE WORLD WAS WATCHING – Feb. 2, 2024 – A subsidiary of the French advertising giant Publicis will pay 350 million dollars (or around 320 million euros) to the United States for its role in the opioid crisis in the country, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced on Thursday, February 1 .New York State. This is the first advertising agency to reach an agreement with the courts for its role in the opioid crisis, Letitia James’ office said on her X account (formerly Twitter). All states as well as several American territories will receive a share of the…
SLIPPERY SLOPE OR RELAPSE PREVENTION? – Feb. 3, 2024 – When he took out the classified ad that changed everything, Bill Shufelt was desperate. He’d quit his job on the trading desk at one of the world’s richest hedge funds to start a business that sounded absolutely nuts: He was going to sell nonalcoholic beer. He didn’t have a product or even a prototype. Or investors. Or any sort of industry experience. And he’d been turned down by hundreds of brewers who basically hung up as soon as he mentioned what kind of beer he wanted to make. Finally, he…
THE ADVENTURESS – Feb. 2, 2024 – Hailing from California, I was more inclined toward other legal substances to unwind. However, everything changed when my career took an unexpected turn. At the peak of my celebrity chef life, known as the “pink hair chef,” a freak accident with a famous hairdresser led to losing my iconic pink hair. In response, I shaved my head, dyed it black, and swiftly relocated to Vietnam with just a single suitcase and a tennis bag. Overnight, my life shifted from the glitz of the red carpet to a corporate finance role in southeast…
IT’S ABOUT TIME – Feb. 2, 2024 – The drug, called VX-548, works by blocking pain signals from nerves in the body before they get to the brain. Unlike opioids, it works only on peripheral nerves, and not on the brain or spinal cord. That means it doesn’t carry the potential for addiction that opioids do. “Eighty million patients receive a prescription for moderate to severe pain, and their choices are really limited,” Stuart Arbuckle, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Vertex, said in an earnings call. Painkillers like ibuprofen, muscle relaxers, and antidepressants typically carry few…
ANYTHING FOR A BUCK? – Jan. 31, 2024 – The ‘sober curious’ movement has gained momentum, particularly among younger generations. It’s driven by a growing awareness of alcohol’s effects on health and well-being. Celebrities, often at the forefront of cultural trends … Supermodel Bella Hadid co-founded Kin Euphorics with Jen Batchelor with a focus on energy-transforming ingredients. The brand offers a range of non-alcoholic, adaptogen-infused beverages aimed at wellness-conscious consumers. Kin Euphorics emphasises holistic health and social enjoyment without alcohol. Blake Lively, Founder, Betty Buzz: Actress Blake Lively has launched Betty Buzz, a line of non-alcoholic, mixable sparkling beverages.…
NOW WHAT? – Feb. 2, 2024 – A Virginia doctor who prescribed more than 500,000 opioid doses in less than two years had his conviction and 40-year prison sentence thrown out by a federal appeals court on Friday. Prosecutors said Smithers prescribed controlled substances including fentanyl, hydromorphone, oxycodone and oxymorphone to every patient he saw at the Martinsville, Virginia office he opened in August 2015. A majority of patients traveled hundreds of miles each way to see Smithers, who did not accept insurance and collected more than $700,000 in cash and credit card payments before law enforcement raided his…
VIDEO – SMACK ON TAP? – Feb. 1, 2024 – Police had a search warrant on the defendants’ motel room and two trucks. They located and took eight 55-gallon barrels containing approximately 370 gallons of a liquid narcotic weighing 1.4 metric tons, according to Washington County Sheriff’s Office narcotics room. The U.S. Attorney’s Office-District of Oregon said four suspected drug traffickers are facing federal charges Thursday after they were caught transporting near 370 gallons of liquid heroin. Police said 44-year-old Marco Antonio Magallon, 26-year-old Luis Deleon Woodward, 25-year-old Jorge Luis Amador and 32-year-old Santos Alisael Aguilar Maya have ties…
KEEP IT SIMPLE – Feb. 2, 2024 – The global cancer burden is projected to surge by 77% to over 35 million new cases in 2050, stemming from population growth, aging, and changing risk factors associated with socioeconomic development. Tobacco, alcohol, and obesity play pivotal roles alongside persistent air pollution. Development Index (HDI) countries anticipate the greatest absolute increase (4.8 million cases), while low HDI nations face a striking 142% rise and medium HDI countries a 99% increase in cancer incidence by 2050. Cancer mortality in low- and medium-HDI countries is expected to nearly double. Urgent global efforts are…
ANXIOUS TO GET ON SOCIAL MEDIA? – Jan. 31, 2024 – The rate of babies born prematurely in the US grew 12% from 2014 to 2022 to nearly 8.7%, with pronounced racial and age disparities among the mothers. Black mothers were almost twice as likely as white mothers to give birth before babies reached full term, 12.5% versus 7.6% respectively. Similarly, women older than 40 had a greater risk of preterm birth compared with women aged 20-29, 12.5% versus 8.23%. “What’s important here is, with all of the research we’ve done to try to decrease preterm birth, we still…
TREATMENTS WORKS – Jan. 23, 2024 – I was sitting on the bathroom floor, sobbing. The room was spinning. It was the heart of lockdown and I wasn’t coping – or, rather, I was attempting to cope by drinking heavily. My nascent alcoholism, bobbing at a functional level since I was 14, was finally dragging me under. Beneath the hopelessness was utter self-loathing. As a full‑time crime author with eight published books under my belt, I had a packed schedule – editorial deadlines, publicity commitments – and, on top of it all, the next morning I had to home…
HALLELUJAH – Jan. 30, 2024 – So, I decided to give sobriety a chance. I began working with sober women to figure out why I drank in the first place. In turn, I developed an understanding that sobriety is so much more than just not drinking. Alcohol was my constant companion and my chemical courage throughout college and my early 20s. As I moved on to adult things like a corporate job, marriage, and motherhood, I didn’t let my best friend out of my sight. Alcohol became my coping mechanism, my nightly self-care, my sanity in a bottle. My…
AUDIO – GETTING BETTER ALL THE TIME – Jan. 23, 2024 – Getting sober, I felt like that I now have the ability to really love as deeply as possible. And that’s myself and that’s others—and not just people in my circle at that time, but soon to come. There’s the metaphor of oceans as something that’s so deep, love that is as deep as an ocean and wanting to be in tune with that—whether it’s having a family or having a wife or continuing to love myself. And if you want that, you now can have that.” Josh…
LOOK BACK, DON’T GO BACK – Jan. 27, 2024 – Maybe you woke up in a jail cell after a night of heavy drinking with only the foggiest memory of what you did to get there. Or maybe you drank too much at a friend or family member’s wedding and ruined what was supposed to be a magical day with your drunken antics. Or maybe you simply woke up one day and realized that you were looking forward to that five o’clock drink more than you should, and no longer wanted it to take your attention away from the important…