“We do a huge injustice when we point our finger and make judgment about behaviors rather than recognizing the innate goodness of most human beings.” – Judy Crane
Author: Leonard Buschel
AND EVERYONE ELSE TOO – May 21, 2026 – For Black American recovering addicts, their cultural relevance carries a lot of extra weight. Some programs hire Black counselors, partner with faith leaders, and also acknowledge the trauma of systemic inequity. These programs have better engagement than clinical methods only. Personalized recovery plans treat addiction by matching care to each person’s history, mental health, and personal goals. Your care providers weigh your medical needs, trauma, family dynamics, employment, and cultural background before any clinical work begins. Tailored care succeeds where generic programs fail, since no two recoveries begin from the same…
DISCOVERING YOU’RE PREGNANT AFTER WAKING UP FROM HEROIN-INDUCED COMA – May 19, 2026 – “16 & Pregnant” star Jessica Danielle Cunningham is opening up about the struggles she faced after appearing on the reality series, including drug addiction, and a shocking second pregnancy. After criticism following her time on the show, Cunningham says she got into drugs. “I just started partying. And then all of a sudden pills started going into the parties and we’re doing Xanax, and then it was Percocet, and when I was 17, I had somebody shoot me up with heroin,” she recalled, per a clip…
IGNORE HIM? – May 18, 2026 – The glaring issue is that the founder of the company is an alcoholic. For long stretches of time, he disappears completely from day-to-day work. He is essentially unreachable and does not carry out his responsibilities leaving the rest of us to pick up the slack. If he were in any other role, he’d be fired, but since he’s the founder, and we have no formal human resources department or board, I fear there’s nothing I can do about it. I’ve learned to work around him and don’t need him to review my work…
MISUNDERSTANDING? – May 18, 2026 – Scientists Kellie St.Cyr Brisini and Ningyang “Ocean” Wang conducted the study to understand how underlying relationship qualities affect the emotions couples feel during regular conversations. Past studies on this topic have relied heavily on survey data. In those older studies, participants simply answered questionnaires about how they typically communicate with their partners. Brisini and Wang wanted to observe couples in real time. They hoped to see exactly how relationship characteristics influence emotions and communication styles during actual conversations. Read More
REMEMBER LAWS? – May 19, 2026 – Overprescribing in problematic pain clinics is driven by profit motive, which increases when opioids are both prescribed and dispensed by the provider. Pill mills typically dispense opioids directly or coordinate with a local pharmacy (in return for kickbacks) to fill inappropriate opioid prescriptions. To examine whether the laws reduced this type of arrangement, the team analyzed transaction-level information on opioid shipments. They found that pain management control laws reduced opioid shipment quantities to practitioners by 74%. They also documented “strikingly large” reductions in the volume of opioids dispensed directly by practitioners to patients.…
OH NO! – May 20, 2026 – The BMJ Mental Health study stressed the need to improve medication continuity for individuals with ADHD and SUD. They recommended that treatment providers consider the specific needs of individuals with ADHD and SUD to improve outcomes … especially in young males, who were more likely to discontinue treatment compared to females. Study results showed those with ADHD and SUD were more likely than those with ADHD only to change providers and medication type between discontinuation and reinitiation of treatment. “SUD patients, especially those with more severe SUD, have difficulties accessing and engaging with…
OH HAPPY DAY – May 21, 2026 – An existing drug primarily used to treat rheumatoid arthritis could offer a significant new treatment avenue for individuals battling difficult-to-treat depression, a recent study suggests. Researchers explored whether tocilizumab could alleviate symptoms in patients unresponsive to standard antidepressant therapies.Current drug treatments for depression predominantly target brain chemicals such as serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine, yet approximately one in three individuals find no relief from these conventional approaches. The investigation, involving 30 participants with moderate-to-severe depression, yielded early evidence that tocilizumab may reduce depressive symptoms, combat fatigue and anxiety, and improve overall quality of…
HAVE A FEW – May 21, 2026 – “If you have started drinking more frequently, for example, once a week instead of once a month, if you find new excuses that you did not use before, if thinking about alcohol improves your mood and you have the desire to ‘continue drinking’ – this is already an alarming signal,” the specialist said. She added that other symptoms include changes in emotional reactions, an increase in minor injuries while intoxicated, loss of documents and belongings, as well as disturbances in time and space orientation. The specialist noted that if three or more…
BRAVO! – May 21, 2026 – The eight-time winner on the PGA Tour posted a heartfelt and inspiring message marking Brittany’s 10 years of sobriety. Brittany went public about her battle against alcoholism one year after becoming sober and has used the couple’s platform to help and inspire others on the same journey. “315,569,520 seconds. 5,259,492 mins. 87,658 hours. 3,652 days. 521 weeks. 120 months. 10 years,” he wrote. “That is how long my best friend, amazing wife, caring and loving mother has been SOBER! It has been special to see this journey you have taken from the first photo…
VIDEO – SMILE! – May 21, 2026 – Juliet Warner is on a sobriety journey that’s been tested over the years because of her decision to get cosmetic enhancements. The content creator and recovering addict, 40, posted a video about one of the most “misunderstood” parts about getting sober … after revealing that she had taken laughing gas (nitrous oxide) and a Benzodiazepine (a medication that can be used for sedation prior to medical procedures) when in the process of getting porcelain veneers. WATCH
DEMON IN CHARGE? – May 19, 2026 – In April, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration notified states that the federal government is terminating financial support for some harm reduction approaches. This marks a profound shift under the Great American Recovery Initiative, which now prioritizes abstinence and treatment over compassionate, evidence-based resources. For years, harm reduction initiatives have successfully provided life-saving tools like fentanyl test strips and naloxone, and have minimized the negative health, social, and economic consequences associated with drug use. The impact of these resources is evident in recent local data. In 2025, Milwaukee recorded 383…
ONE HIT AT A TIME – May 18, 2026 – Accumulating research on cannabis use among teenagers suggests it may alter their brain’s structure in measurable ways. Findings reported in June 2021 in JAMA Psychiatry suggest that when teens use cannabis, it causes increased thinning of the cerebral cortex, the outermost layer of the brain, compared with those who don’t use it or use it less. The cortex is composed of gray matter that’s responsible for high-level thinking, which plays a role in learning, memory, problem-solving, emotions and consciousness. The study followed nearly 800 adolescents who had their brain imaged…
VIDEO – SONG OF THE WEEK – 335,986 views – Broadway luminaries gathered with hundreds of members of the community and casts of Broadway shows on the iconid red steps in the Manhattan Theatre District’s Duffy Square November 28 at noon to celebrate the life and art of late composer-lyricist Stephen Sondheim, who died November 26 at the age of 91. Participants sang “Sunday” from Sondheim’s celebrated work, Sunday in the Park with George. Watch video of the event. WATCH
STICK WITH THE WINNERS! – May 26, 2026 – My name is Hunny Powell. I love romance and value mutual respect from all humans. I am a native of San Francisco, a true 70’s flower child. The diversity of my environment affects my attitude towards others, my food choices, musical and theatrical loves. I was the mother of two sons, whom I am so proud of, and their fathers gave me four daughters. Hunny is Mom, Daughter, Sister, Auntie, Niece, Friend. Q. Who are your heroes in real life?A. Recovering individuals.Q. What is your favorite city?A. San Francisco.Q. What…
OR BEFORE 65? – May 15, 2026 – Experts warn the risks may be underestimated. Stanford Medicine specialists say modern cannabis can increase the chances of heart problems, falls, memory issues, dangerous drug interactions, and even addiction, especially for people over 65.Both medical and recreational cannabis use continue to increase across the US… As cannabis use grows among older Americans, Stanford Medicine experts are warning that today’s marijuana products are far more powerful than many people realize, and they may come with significant health risks. Read More
GREAT DNA – May 20, 2026 – His father, Robert Downey Sr., was a celebrated independent filmmaker. His unconventional, experimental work gave the younger Downey an unusual early education in the arts. Downey was appearing in films as a teenager and even as a child of 5 when he played a ‘puppy’ in Pound … The career arc that followed has been well covered. A turbulent period in the early 2000s gave way to one of the most celebrated comebacks in recent Hollywood history. Casting Downey as Tony Stark for Iron Man in 2008 turned out to be one of…
AUDIO – ON THE ROCKS – May 19, 2026 – STAT, the health and medicine publication, has a new multipart series on what they call the United States’ drinking problem and “nation in denial.” Here & Now’s Indira Lakshmanan talks with Isabella Cueto, a chronic disease reporter at STAT and a lead reporter on the series, titled “The Deadliest Drug.” LISTEN
AUDIO – SAD NEWS – May 22, 2026 – “On Nov. 7, 1955, Kitty was born into a life that was anything but ordinary — from her very first days she entered a world already in motion, complicated, loud, and very public, shaped by forces larger than most people ever encounter,” her family wrote. “What is remarkable is not that she survived them.She chose service. She chose love.” LISTEN
VIDEO – ALMOST LOST A GOOD ONE – May 15, 2026 – Bassett said he was “consuming six baggies of ketamine, all by myself, every single night,” and instead of just “snorting a line, I’d down a whole bag in one whiff.” He wrote that he would also set an alarm to take out his “max daily allowance” from an ATM in order to purchase the drugs. On the Zach Sang Show, he admitted that he would buy the substance “every single day,” until he began having negative side effects. “It got to a point, and I think that’s the…
STARS HELPING STARS – May 20, 2026 – Andrew McCarthy credited Ted Danson’s classic sitcom Cheers with helping him get sober. “I owe you a great, great debt, which you don’t know,” McCarthy, 63, told Danson, 78, on the Wednesday, May 20, episode of the “Where Everybody Knows Your Name” podcast. McCarthy has previously opened up about seeking professional help for alcoholism at a Minnesota rehab center in 1992. (He once told London’s The Times that he would have landed in rehab “whether I was in the movies or not.” ) “In 1992, I was in an alcohol rehab in…
FLEXIBILITY IN THE MIND TOO – May 22, 2026 – The scientists say this could be a stable trait of alcohol dependence, reflecting underlying reward processing differences in people who are at risk of alcohol problems. The study also looked at another signal, the feedback-P3, which shows how strongly your mind reacts when you get important feedback and starts updating what you’ve learned. Overall, it did not differ between the groups, but for people recovering from alcohol dependence, this signal was largest in the early stages of abstinence, and after many years appeared more similar to that of healthy people.…
TIMOTHY LEARY’S ALIVE – May 26, 2026 – Results from a new clinical trial show that a single dose of psilocybin could be an effective treatment for cocaine addiction. The mechanism that probably makes psilocybin work for cocaine might also work for many classes of addictive substances, experts say. Robin Carhart-Harris, a neuroscience researcher who has studied how psychedelics work in the brain, believes psychedelics increase neuroplasticity and psychological plasticity – or the ability to change thinking and behavior. He says addictions inherently involve a resistance to change rigid, impulsive behaviors. Gabrielle Agin-Liebes, a clinical psychologist at the Yale School…
RUN LOLA RUN – May 21, 2026 – Nearly half of the runners had polyps, also known as adenomas, in their colons. Some of these polyps could develop into cancer. 15 % of the runners had large, advanced adenomas, “which are much farther along on the continuum to cancer.” The number of adenomas, especially advanced polyps, was much higher than what typically has been seen during screening colonoscopies of adults in their late 40s. Historically, the incidence in that age group has ranged from about 1.2 to 6 percent. “There does seem to be something potentially going on here” with…
VIDEO – NOT SATIRE – May 21, 2026 – Spencer Pratt has big plans for LA and he insists that he’s not running to make money or boost his personal brand. Pratt said he would much rather be out promoting his book and his wife’s music or running his crystal business, but can’t do any of that because he’s following campaign ethics rules. Spencer Pratt: “Well, they’re not homeless. They’re drug addicts. Most of these people are addicted to fentanyl and meth. This isn’t Spencer making that up. There is places for all of these people to sleep in L.A.…
VIDEO – SAVED THE GAME – May 22, 2026 – From the first time I spoke with Royals star reliever Lucas Erceg about his sobriety two years ago, what struck and moved me most was his candor … and the reasons for it. While part of making himself vulnerable that way is to help keep himself accountable, mostly it’s because he feels compelled to offer hope. By destigmatizing alcoholism and encouraging people contending with the disease to seek help and support. If he could learn to stop assigning blame everywhere but in the mirror, he wants others to know they…
THE END – May 21, 2026 -Outside of the famed theater in New York City, fans departed the finale taping, revealing the emotional episode they had just witnessed. “It was a very sentimental show,” Ray Lingenfelter from Eugene, Ore., tells USA TODAY. “There were a lot of cameos. A lot of people popped up.” Read More
“Peace begins in the kitchens and pantries, gardens and backyards, where our food is grown and prepared. The energies of nature and the infinite universe are absorbed through the foods we eat and are transmuted into our thoughts and actions.” – Michio Kushi, 1926–2014
WOODS & FORREST – May 11, 2026 – Doctors spend years becoming experts in how the body works, how it can break down and how to recognize and treat various illnesses. Their training rarely involves what’s known as “nature-based medicine.” Dr. Susan Abookire has made it her mission to change that. She’s developed an unusual addition to the courses taught in most medical schools, a voluntary two-hour session that challenges doctors and medical students to embrace the health benefits of spending time outdoors. On a bright but chilly spring afternoon, she asked 11 doctors and medical students to get comfortable…
SAD BUT TRUE – May 12, 2026 – “The first thing I’d thought of when I woke up was alcohol,” Panettiere wrote. “I labored with Kaya for 14 hours and was in surgery for three hours after she was born,” she wrote. “My blood wouldn’t clot during my C-section, so doctors had to close the blood vessels in my uterus to prevent me from bleeding out.” Panettiere felt distant from her newborn—a feeling shared by many women who have difficult childbirth experiences. “I had always heard that mothers feel an instant rush of love the moment they lay their eyes…