VIDEO – SAD TELEVISION – Feb. 2, 2024 – The trailer also appears to imply that Williams is still struggling with drinking after having gone to rehab last June, on top of other possible health issues. “Anyone can tell this is not just alcohol, this is something more,” a loved one says in the trailer. Almost a year after she left daytime television, Wendy Williams is ready to share her story in a new Lifetime documentary. The network released a heartbreaking trailer for Where Is Wendy Williams?, per TooFab, that shows Williams struggling with life under her guardianship. The…
Author: Leonard Buschel
IMAGINATION DISTORTED – Jan. 29, 2024 – The tournament part of the “One Pill Can Kill Game Over Tournament,” where DEA guest commentators shared fentanyl misinformation soundbites while college students played Rocket League, was livestreamed January 27.For spectators who want to test their fentanyl knowledge, the DEA made an accompanying quiz. If you feel a bit sick each time the agency responsible for mass overdose death hypes its “fun and informative” questions, you will probably feel a bit sicker each time it promises that lucky winners get an Xbox. The quiz is, regrettably, still online until February 4. Thankfully there…
OOPS! – Jan. 29, 2024 – Patients who have received the wrong medicine have a higher risk of getting into accidents and injuring themselves, as well as being more likely to experience drowsiness and depression, increased eye pressure and thyroid disorders… The two medications have opposite effects: carbinoxamine maleate, an antihistamine which is used to treat allergies, has a sedative effect on some patients, whereas dextroamphetamine sulfate is a stimulant that generally increases users’ attentiveness, according to Mayo Clinic. he pharmaceutical company said in its notice that it had not received any serious injury reports related to the mixup.…
SO AM I – Feb. 2, 2024 – In recent years, there has been growing concern about the addictive qualities of social media. Last year, the US surgeon general issued a public health advisory on the risks that social media could pose on young people’s mental health. Social media companies use algorithms to decide who appears in a person’s feed. These algorithms are a set of tech rules that decide which posts appear in a person’s feed. In the earlier days of social media, users were shown specific posts or media based on how many likes or views it had,…
“Block out all the negative energy and just love.” – Ariana Grande
THIS MAN KNOWS – Jan. 20, 2024 – Sam Quinones has been on the front line of reporting on illicit drugs, from his decade as a reporter and writer in Mexico to his decade at the Los Angeles Times covering immigration, drug trafficking, neighborhood issues and gangs/ Noticing the black tar heroin flooding L.A. from the Xalisco, Mexico, region, Quinones started writing about the hell being unleashed on America. In a 2010 piece, Quinones wrote, “Their success stems from a business model that combines discount pricing, aggressive marketing and customer convenience. Addicts phone in their orders, and drivers take…
IT HAS TO HAPPEN – Jan. 26, 2024 – Many people are wired to seek and respond to rewards. Your brain interprets food as rewarding when you are hungry and water as rewarding when you are thirsty. But addictive substances can overwhelm the natural reward pathways in your brain … A popular misconception is that addiction is a result of low willpower. But an explosion of knowledge and technology in the field of molecular genetics has changed our basic understanding of addiction drastically over the past decade. The general consensus among scientists and health care professionals is that there is…
NOT AFTER 89 YEARS – Jan. 26, 2024 – The SUD treatment industry is beginning to move away from an abstinence-only approach to care and towards harm-reduction and medication-assisted treatment approaches. Research demonstrates that abstinence-based substance use disorder (SUD) treatment is deadlier than no treatment at all. Despite shifts in the industry away from a concept of recovery that involves strict abstinence, providers say that more traditional approaches will remain an essential part of the treatment spectrum. The abstinence-only treatment industry is heavily influenced by the 12-step program model popularized by Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA). AA…
IT’S COMPLICATED – Jan. 18, 2024 – People will be asked questions during a screening process and may be referred to a doctor, said Cedric Akbar, the director of Positive Directions Equals Change, an addiction treatment center. “Almost 30% of the people now who receive general assistance from The City, self-identify as such that they have a substance use disorder,” said Breed. “We know that number is definitely lower but they’re admitting that they have a problem.” The goal of the proposition is to address substance use issues among the population while paving the way for better access to…
AUDIO – COMMUNICATION IS KEY – Jan. 24, 2024 – The message during a recent public health forum was clear and chilling: Don’t do drugs. They could kill you – or, at the very least, ruin your life. About 30 people attended the forum – titled “What I Wish My Parents Knew: Dangers of Youth Substance Use and Fentanyl . More than half of the counterfeit pills the Drug Enforcement Administration confiscated in 2022, for example, contained fentanyl. And, according to the DEA, criminal drug networks are using social media and e-commerce platforms such as Snapchat to target minors.…
CAVEAT EMPTOR – Jan. 19, 2024 – Drug addiction, a disease that takes hundreds of lives in Palm Beach County every year, is often misunderstood and mistreated. That’s slowly changing, but experts say much is yet to be done. Private treatment facilities can make false promises and reap insurance payments for substandard treatment of people in crisis, a system that prospers under lacking oversight by the Florida Department of Children and Families, a recent Palm Beach Post investigation found. And other resources that should be a source of help — hospitals, first responders and even friends or loved ones —…
VIDEO – EVERYONE CAN CHANGE – Jan. 20, 2024 – “It’s really hard to believe, looking back at the old Emma, to who I am now. I would never have imagined I would do modelling.” Who Emma is now is a long way away from the meth addict she was for more than five years, she says. “At my worst, I had nothing. I had lost my family through my addiction, I was spending time with people who, while now I understand they weren’t my friends or ever were, at the time they were all I had. I was…
NOT GOOD – Jan. 23, 2024 – Common effects of using the drug include feeling elated, increased appetite, experiencing relaxation and having difficulty thinking due to distorted perceptions. Additionally, patients can experience increased heart rate and blood pressure when taking the drug. The most well-known therapeutic use of marijuana revolves around treating chronic pain, and in particular, neuropathic pain, caused by damaged nerves. Conclusive evidence shows marijuana can be helpful in treating chronic pain in adults, according to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Medical marijuana can also treat nausea and vomiting, particularly in patients on chemotherapy for…
HANDLE WITH CARE – Jan. 20, 2024 – Narcissistic parents are ignoring, controlling, blaming, self-absorbed, and intolerant or unaware of their children’s needs and of the effects of their behavior on other people. Children are much more vulnerable than other people … Similarly, addicts are preoccupied with themselves and their addiction. Although they may be able to empathize with their children during sober periods, other times they disappoint and emotionally abandon their children by responding in ways that shame or ignore their children’s needs and feelings. Both types of families are marked by interpersonal conflict between the parents and/or in…
YES – Jan. 23, 2024 – From our skin to our cells, the food we eat supplies a range of essential nutrients that can support our body’s microbial machinery and help us to live longer, healthier lives. One beverage that has shown promising results in this area is tea. One beverage that has shown promising results in this area is tea. And while tea drinking might be a stereotypically British behavior, the beverage can be found in almost 80 percent of U.S. households, according to the Tea Association of the U.S.A. In 2021, Americans drank more than 3.9 billion…
THE GOOD OLD DAYS WEREN’T – Jan. 23, 2024 – Chemists refer to this category of drugs as “nitazenes,” even though the term is incorrect; it should be “benzimidazole-based opioids.” The Swiss drug maker CIBA, now part of Novartis, developed the first nitazenes in the late 1950s as potential pain treatments. In 2020, the World Health Organization reported that isotonitazene (which drug users call “iso” or “tony”) began appearing in forensic toxicology reports in six European countries, Canada and the United States. In 2022, the Tennessee Department of Health reported that overdose deaths from synthetic opioids classified as nitazeneshave increased…
DON’T USE AND DRIVE! – Jan. 24, 2024 – Many tianeptine users are taking the substance because they believe it’s a safer alternative to opioids like heroin and fentanyl or because they’re trying to wean themselves off these other drugs. “Some people have turned to tianeptine as an opioid alternative, or to self-treat anxiety or depression.” The use of tianeptine by itself or in combination with other substances can cause a slew of side effects, including nausea, high blood pressure, vomiting, coma, slowed or stopped breathing, and death, per the FDA’s 2022 warning. The misuse of tianeptine can lead…
VIDEO – HELPFUL INFORMATION – Jan. 25, 2024 – In this Double Take video from the New England Journal of Medicine and NEJM Knowledge+, Jennifer Foreman (Randolph Health Medical Group) and her son, Dylan Glover, recount their journey through Dylan’s addiction and recovery. Ms. Foreman, along with Sarah Bagley (Boston Medical Center) and Scott Hadland (Massachusetts General Hospital for Children), reviews available medications for opioid use disorder and their mechanisms. They emphasize that multiple types of health care providers, including those in primary care, can manage and treat opioid use disorder. L.J. Punch (the T St. Louis, a harm-reduction…
PERSONAL ESSAY – Jan. 25, 2024 – I’ll never forget the time a relative casually called me a “junkie,” as I organised my collection of drugstore makeup and fancy soaps on my bathroom countertop. This particular incident stands out as memorable because it was so random – not connected to a specific instance of heroin use or recent drastic weight loss, but simply an out of the blue insult about my past use. That’s the most insidious thing about the concept of the “junkie” – once you’re declared one by society, nobody will ever believe you’re anything more than…
DON’T GIVE UP THE FIGHT – Jan. 25, 2024 – Daniel Hand High School graduate Joe Deane lost his life due to fentanyl poisoning in 2018 after numerous attempts to shake his addiction and get his promising future headed in a positive direction. Hunter Mayhew was Joe’s best friend, and Joe’s death still looms over Hunter, his friends, and especially the Deane family, who are all still grieving the potential of Joe that was lost forever. Hunter spent his youth with Joe among a close circle of friends, playing sports and eventually becoming part of the Deane clan. “I…
VIDEO – MORE THAN COFFEE – Jan. 24, 2024 – Accepted. Loved. Worthy. Those are the feelings tied to the mission of the Recovery Cafe. A vision spread around the country to help people battle their inner demons and come out on top. Lexington is a part of that goal, one of 66 spots Recovery Cafe has chosen as a base of operations. “Our definition of recovery is expansive and inclusive. We believe we are all in recovery from something, whether it’s trauma, homelessness, incarceration, substance abuse disorder, or mental health challenges,” executive director Aaron Guldenschuh-Gatten said. Leaders at…
THE ’90s WERE DANGEROUS – Jan. 24, 2024 – Alice was given a room although it was evident to everyone that she was acting very abnormally. She moved in a slow dreamlike state which no one could attach a reason to until one of the female boarders noticed Alice pull a bottle from her pocket and sip from it. The clear, glass container had come from a pharmacy in Providence and contained laudanum. It was almost empty. A sedative and pain-killer, laudanum was a tincture of opium, a popular household cure-all at the time and highly addictive. A one-ounce bottle…
LISTEN TO A PROFESSIONAL – Jan. 24, 2024 – I had checked into rehab, in my own black pit of despair. A bestselling author for almost a decade, I had started my career as a London journalism aged twenty, with just enough childhood trauma to send me into the open arms of Fleet Street drinking culture, My switch to novel writing marked the culmination of a life-long ambition to be an author. But by now I had a terrible secret. My heavy drinking was a habit I’d been using to successfully drown out painful feelings. Now I was using alcohol…
POETY LIVES IN RECOVERY – Jan. 23, 2024 – Poet Kaveh Akbar’s debut novel, Martyr!, explores themes of addiction and sobriety, grief and grace, trauma and love. Rich with Daedalian prose, this semi-autobiographical bildungsroman tells the story of Cyrus Shams, a young Iranian American poet and recovering alcoholic. Born in Iran but currently living in an Indiana college town, Cyrus is drifting, purposeless, and largely unattached. A couple of years into sobriety, he is struggling to learn how to live and write again. The high-highs and the low-lows mostly disappeared when he quit drinking, but the poet wrestles with understanding…
TRUTH TO POWER – Jan. 11, 2024 – Jelly Roll is not shy about his past as a drug dealer. However, just as he transitioned from a life of crime to being a family man, he is transitioning from being part of the problem to advocating for solutions. Today (January 11), he attended a Senate hearing on strategies to stop the spread of fentanyl into the United States. His history of selling and abusing substances gives him a unique perspective on the current opioid epidemic. As a result, he was able to deliver a passionate and emotional speech to the…
VIDEO – GIVE HER THE OSCAR – Jan. 21, 2024 – Saoirse Ronan’s role in “The Outrun” has earned her some of the strongest reviews of her career for her performance as a student who returns to the Scottish Isles to pursue sobriety after struggling with alcoholism. Ronan, who also produced the film, explained that she encountered Amy Liptrot’s novel on which the film is based during the COVID-19 pandemic — and instantly knew that it could become a career-defining part for her. “It was Jack Lowden — who we produced the film with, who is a very proud…
VIDEO – A MODEL SPONSOR – Jan. 26, 2024 – Ines de Ramon is proving to be a calming positive influence for Hollywood star Brad Pitt. Pitt has reportedly given up drinking and is committed to sobriety. The couple also make relaxation a priority and reportedly have a proper Zen room. “Brad and Ines have a Zen room with aromatherapy diffusers and sound bowls,” a source told. “Sometimes there’s an instructor but sometimes it’s just the two of them.” The exercise is helping Pitt maintain his physical and mental health and focus on his business endeavors. “The mind-centering practice has…
A LOVING GESTURE – Jan. 24, 2024 – What better way to celebrate the milestones achieved by your loved ones in sobriety than by presenting them with unique and meaningful gifts? In this article, we’ll dive into eight heartfelt gift ideas. Jewelry has this amazing way of capturing personal growth and triumphs, you know? It’s like a little piece of art that tells a story. When you’re looking for the perfect gift for someone special, consider personalized sobriety jewelry. Just imagine, a necklace, bracelet, or ring, engraved with their sobriety milestone or a quote that speaks to their journey. It’s…
IT’S ABOUT TIME – Jan. 24, 2024 – “Companies like TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook are fueling a mental health crisis by designing their platforms with addictive and dangerous features,” he said. “We cannot stand by and let Big Tech monetize our children’s privacy and jeopardize their mental health.” Adams confirmed New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan issued an advisory to classify “unfettered access to and use of social media” as a public health hazard. In the advisory, the department laid out a series of steps that adults, especially parents and caregivers, can take…
AND FLIPPED OUT – Jan. 6, 2024 – Was it inconvenient? Yes. Did T9 texting drive me crazy? Definitely. Was it worth doing? Absolutely. My biggest regret of 2023 was my relationship to my smartphone, or my “tech appendage” as I’ve named it in my iPhone settings. That’s only an hour more than the average American, but I still found it staggering to think that I spent the equivalent of January, February and half of March looking at that tiny screen (April too, if we only count waking hours). Sure, some (much?) of that time was gainfully spent on activities…