FOCUSED ON FREEDOM – Dec. 1, 2023 – The longest randomized meditation training trial ever conducted did find meditation significantly boosted a global score of well-being dimensions of awareness, connection and insight, with awareness defined as “an undistracted and intimate attentiveness to one’s thoughts, feelings and surroundings, which can support a sense of calm and deep satisfaction.” “As the global population ages, it is increasingly crucial to understand how we can support older adults in maintaining and deepening their psychological well-being. In our study, we tested whether long-term meditation training can enhance important dimensions of wellbeing,” Marco Schlosser, a…
Author: Leonard Buschel
HE CAN RELATE – Nov. 25, 2023 – “For 17 years, I was an absolutely horrible individual,” said Carter, the mayor of Oshawa, Ontario. “Horrible individual. I lied, cheated, stole.” Homeless and addicted to drugs from his teenage years until he was 31, and essentially illiterate because of severe dyslexia … But it was perhaps this atypical background that appealed to voters in Oshawa, a city of 175,000 on Lake Ontario’s shoreline, who first elected him mayor in 2018. Or at least his story positioned him as someone who could bring his personal experience to bear on the city’s most…
GETS FULLY AWAKE – Dec. 2, 2023 – I grew up poor in the Midwest, but I went on to become a model with a doctoral degree in psychology. I retired early by investing in income properties around the United States, and once upon a time, Ryan Seacrest handpicked me to be the “LA Shrink.” I’ve lived all over the world in some of the most beautiful and exotic places there are, and I married a gorgeous and intelligent woman. She and I have two beautiful, brilliant daughters. I’m not telling you all of this to brag. I’m telling…
OF LIFE? – Nov. 29, 2023 – When I was in my mid-twenties, I sat myself in the consulting room of a steely therapist, who told me that I was doing everything wrong when it came to love. For me, she said, love was all about the intoxicating highs and the soul-destroying lows; a dysfunctional cycle of attraction and distancing. I was left ashen-faced. Since when had my love life descended into a kind of school lesson, complete with a whiteboard and diagrams? But this wasn’t a conversation about giggly kinds of romantic infatuation. Rather, I was being told about…
VIDEO – AND SOBERLY? – Nov. 27, 2023 – The organization Reporting on Addiction began as a response to what its founders identified as misinformed, harmful coverage of opioid use disorder and the people and communities affected by it. The organization now offers nationwide training of student and professional journalists. Katti Gray, AHCJ’s Health Beat Leader for mental health, spoke with Reporting on Addiction co-founders and co-directors Jonathan J.K. Stoltman, Ph.D., and Ashton Marra, M.S., about what errors reporters make most often. Marra and Stoltman also presented research-informed strategies, tips and expert viewpoints journalists can apply to solutions-based coverage of…
“Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.” – Lewis Carroll, Alice in Alice in Wonderland
MMMM – Nov. 23, 2023 – Millie posted a series of photos of herself taken around the time of her life-changing decision to her 1.3 million followers. The Quality Street heiress accompanied the images with a lengthy description, where she shared the highlights of her alcohol-free journey. She began: ‘Ditching alcohol has without a doubt been the best thing I’ve done for myself, my mental health and my general well-being. ‘Becoming alcohol-free has really started me on a journey of self-discovery, I’ve learned so much about myself, my strengths, and weaknesses. ‘This self-awareness has been invaluable and I’m more focused…
VIDEO – CLASSIC SOBRIETY – Nov. 23, 2023 – “Celebrating 26 years of continued sobriety today. I am one of the lucky ones in all aspects of life, and I’m sending all my love to those who still suffer. Have a happy Thanksgiving everyone.” Two days ago, Hughes shared a short video celebrating the completion of “ two sold-out tours in the U.K. and Latin America” during which he performed material from DEEP PURPLE with a backing band consisting of Søren Andersen on guitar, Ash Sheehan on drums and Bob Fridzema on keyboards. WATCH@Blabbermouth
VIDEO – IT’S OPEN AND NEEDS SUPPORT – Nov. 2023 – Our Recovery Coffee Shop will provide a friendly, safe and sober space for people to be introduced to how to recover from addiction from our volunteers with lived experience of recovery. We will provide the latest up to date information about how to connect into recovery treatment and other services and into our supportive peer community. We will train up people recently entered into recovery to become baristas and offer them future employment opportunities to rebuild their lives. WATCH@BigGive
VIDEO – WHEN HEALING IS SO PROFITABLE – Nov. 24, 2023 – “We go on a cycle of like traveling from place, to place, to place, to place until I had gone to like at least 24 facilities,” she said. Jaynes had unknowingly become a pawn in a billion-dollar industry accused of making money off addiction. In Florida, it’s coined the nickname, “The Florida Shuffle.” Brokers lure drug addicts to certain treatment centers, which then give those brokers kickbacks from insurance payments. There are close to 1,500 drug treatment centers in the U.S. with more than 1.6 million clients. Florida…
VIDEO – LIKE AN INFESTATION? – Nov. 20, 2023 – “At one point, there was like a person passed out sleeping at the park, needles everywhere, beer cans, and again, the neighborhood has been around for six months at that point, so to see it go down that fast by people that didn’t care, it was a really big deal to me.””It’s the American dream, right? My parents are immigrants. We come from nothing. It’s like, ‘grow up, go to school, do a good job, work hard, buy a house,’” Jackie Mares said. She moved in right as 2023…
AUDIO – FATHERS LOVE SONS – Nov. 20, 2023 – Ken and his now late wife Barbara turned to support groups for loved ones of people with substance use disorders. The meetings helped them find resources about treatment and how to talk with their other children about Brendan. The members of the groups understood what they were going through. The main advice they got was to be tough — to not tolerate Brendan’s drug use because that would enable it. Other parents told Ken and Barbara their children didn’t get better until they refused to let them come home if…
VIDEO – A DOCTORS OPINION – Nov. 20, 2023 – For many dealing with addiction, it can be difficult to admit there is a problem and that they need help. Even when they seek help, it may take several attempts before they are successful. Dr. Vincent Croglio, a psychiatry specialist, spoke with Spectrum News. Watch the interview to hear what he had to say about: If you or someone you know needs help, you can reach out to the following organizations: WATCH@SpectrumNews1
THE END ZONE THERE’S NO COMING BACK FROM – Nov. 20, 2023 – Irsay, who has spoken candidly in the past about his battles with drugs and alcohol, made the revelation in an interview with Andrea Kremer for HBO’s “Real Sports.” HBO teased the full interview with a clip published on social media Monday. In the clip, Irsay tells Kremer that he has been in rehab “at least 15 times.” He then told a story of a near-death experience. Kremer asked if he has “actually ever overdosed.” Irsay, 64, started his career as a Colts executive in 1984 under…
PRECIOUS TIMES – Nov. 23, 2023 – When I drank, it was epic. Humility aside – if there is such a thing about humbly telling drunk stories – I was the quintessential partier. I was that way all my life, from my “hit me like a goddamn bullet” days in high school, until I was 57, still letting the booze pulverize me with pellets. That was 40 years of playing with a loaded gun. I woke up in unusual places and ended up in scary situations. I’ve passed out in front of a library, on a tennis court, in…
FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE – Nov. 23, 2023 – ‘Addictions Don’t Discriminate’ is the name of a temporary exhibit set up by the Medicine Hat Drug Coalition. It’s National Addiction Awareness week in Canada, and this exhibit is meant to destigmatize addiction, educate and show that there is hope for people struggling. “You know, we’re all addicted to something,” says volunteer of the exhibit, Diane MacNaughton. “I think we’ve all suffered trauma, so we all should be able to relate to this exhibit.” One story told at the exhibit follows Jordan, someone who used drugs to deal with mental health…
VIDEO – AO = ALWAYS OPEN – Nov. 23, 2023 – The holidays can be a rough time for different folks– especially for people recovering from alcoholism. It’s why Alcoholics Anonymous is promoting the importance of their Alkathons.Its purpose is to create a safe space and help people stay sober or achieve sobriety. Mike, who has asked to remain anonymous, shared why the holidays were a hard time for him. “Coming back and reconnecting with families and after some years of active alcoholism can be difficult,” said Mike. “So having a place that is safe loving and compassionate to…
WARM WAYS OF RECOVERY – Nov. 24, 2023 – Lindsay Hubbard from Summer House openly discussed her egg-freezing journey, while partner Carl Radke shared insights on sobriety and support in their relationship. Her journey was further illuminated during a red-carpet interview with Today, where Hubbard emphasized the importance of understanding and planning one’s fertility journey. “I think for some reason it’s a little taboo to speak publicly about fertility and your fertility journey,” Hubbard noted, challenging the societal taboos surrounding fertility issues. READ@Desimartini
THE MOUNTAIN COMES TO MOHAMMED – Nov. 21, 2023 – Dr. Francesca Beaudoin was the first physician in the nation to serve patients in a mobile drug recovery unit. The van, an innovative public health intervention on wheels, delivers services to individuals suffering from substance use disorder. The 27-foot-long RV looks like an everyday camper, painted in shades of teal and displaying the CODAC logo. But inside, there’s a counseling room that can fit in four, a bench for people to wait, a bathroom, a desk, a security system, a refrigerator stocked with snacks and an area for dispensing medications,…
VIDEO – THE SINS OF THE FATHER – Nov. 20, 2023 – County deputies said 31-year-old Stormie Jasmine Graves was found “cold to the touch, and rigid,” surrounded by “multiple pieces of tin foil.” Investigators noted, “one piece was on the entertainment center and appeared to have an unknown brown substance on it and the other piece was located on a chair that was nect [sic] to Ms. Graves body.” Investigators said a friend tried to administer Narcan to Graves, but it was too late. Deputies later questioned her father, George Graves, who allegedly told investigators he traveled to a…
VIDEO – ALL LIVES MATTER – Nov. 21, 2023 – The agency announced a new, free Narcan vending machine will be in its arrest processing center in collaboration with the group CARE Partnership, which is providing the products. The goal is to stop opioid overdoses for those recently released from jail before it’s too late. The new measures come as the nation continues to see a concerning trend of opioid misuse with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention saying nearly 645,000 people died from an overdose between 1999 and 2021. “This initiative serves as a pivotal step in…
METHADON’T WORK – Nov. 21, 2023 – Neither Suboxone nor methadone is designed to treat addiction to xylazine or stimulants. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that of the more than 111,000 drug-overdose deaths in the U.S. in the 12-month period ending in April, more than 77,000 involved fentanyl and other synthetic opioids. The nation has also seen a significant increase in overdose deaths from co-use of stimulants and opioids. Vermont has experienced a spike in the use of cocaine and, more recently, methamphetamine. “There was a time when we couldn’t have pictured things being worse than…
HUMANS ARE HOLY – Nov. 16, 2023 – Lisa Macon Harrison, director of the Granville Vance Public Health District in North Carolina, describes the landmines inherent in small rural communities that can serve as barriers to effective treatment for substance use disorders. Conventional wisdom is shifting regarding substance use disorder treatment, but given the limitations in rural counties, local officials may have to put their shoulders into helping make that shift, if they want to put their communities in a position to succeed. As addiction continues to compromise millions of lives, the “whole person” approach reflects the science of how…
THOUGHTS ARE THINGS – Nov. 17, 2023 – When Maia Szalavitz was in the throes of her drug addiction she was injecting speed balls, a mixture of heroin and cocaine, as much as 40 times a day. She is one of the lucky ones who survived her addiction, got good quality treatment and is now a journalist who covers addiction and drug policies. She joins us to talk about how trauma, temperament, despair and mental illness drive our drug epidemic and why the war on drugs has has been a colossal failure by criminalizing users and promoting myths and…
VIDEO – TRUTH IN HOLLYWOOD – Nov. 23, 2023 – “I can’t claim to have known him well, but I liked him very much,” Penn said on Wednesday’s episode of Piers Morgan Uncensored. “I saw him somewhat recently, and we were both catching a flight out of Los Angeles airport, and I complimented him on what I knew of his book. In Perry’s novel, titled Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, the star openly discussed his decades-long battle with drug and alcohol addiction. Although Penn acknowledged that he “hadn’t read the book,” the filmmaker said that he’d seen…
STEPS TO HAPPIER LIVES – Nov. 24, 2023 – Hollywood often seems like one big party — and for some celebrities, it was at one point in their lives. Many stars have bravely spoken out about their struggles with substance abuse and their journeys to sobriety. Several of those have made it their mission to use their platform to help others who have been struggling. Below are 41 celebrities who have candidly spoken about how sobriety plays a role in their daily lives. READ@PageSix
VIDEO – THEY ARE RECYCLERS!!! – Nov. 23, 2023 – Randall Byrge went from being ashamed to return home to a pillar in the recovery community. “Drug addicts ain’t trash. They’re people that made a mistake. I made a mistake. And that mistake took 12 years of my life for me,” Byrge said. For Byrge to spend Thanksgiving at the house he was once not welcomed in, he says, is a testament to the way his parents raised him. “It’s what I’ve always dreamed to be. It’s what my daddy taught me to be, it’s what my mommy taught me…
EVERYDAY IS FATHER’S DAY – Nov. 19, 2023 – He hands out his business card with pride, excited to speak about the work he does. He feels obligated to help those in need, as so many tried to do for him for so long, he said. The walls inside Crapser’s house are covered in pictures of him and his son, Henry, now 10 years old. One picture shows Crapser holding Henry as a baby, and a recent photo hangs on the wall with Henry in a Seahawks jersey, arms around his Dad. The house is filled with plants in the…
NPR AUDIO – ADDICT’S LIVES MATTER – Nov. 19, 2023 – According to Vincent, this kind of stigma, rejection and isolation deepens the cycle of addiction and self-destructive behavior that leaves people like herself vulnerable. The illegal drug supply has only gotten more dangerous since Vincent began using. A few years ago, before public health warnings were issued about the dangers of xylazine being mixed into fentanyl, Vincent used a dose of the chemical cocktail. It left her with wounds that still haven’t healed. “It has eaten the skin off my entire arm,” she said. “I can’t even talk…
ROCK ‘N ROLL SOBERSTAR – Nov. 19, 2023 – Speaking to The Sun, the singer got candid about that dark time in his life, sharing what was going through his head at the time: “I thought I could snort the most, take the most pills, drink the most and I thought that was a superpower at the time.” He added, “I didn’t know that was my fast track to death. You feel like you’re indestructible, I didn’t feel I was going to die. It’s only subsequently I realize I was close.” That might sound like a horrifying experience, but back…