GANGA AIN’T LEGAL EVERYWHERE, YET! – Nov. 10, 2023 – Dr. Hoover pointed to a Rhode Island study that showed a 12% decrease in statewide overdoses following the implementation of medication-assisted therapy in its prison system in 2016. The common practice of leaving incarcerated individuals to endure withdrawal without treatment increases their vulnerability to resuming drug use, engaging in criminal activities, and facing a heightened risk of overdose upon release. “Many of these individuals are released back to the community within days,” said Dr. Hoover. “Their health is community health. That time in jail is the reachable moment to begin…
Author: Leonard Buschel
VIDEO – FIND OUT NOW – Nov. 7, 2023 – You’ve heard that quitting drinking and getting sober can change your life. December 22, 2013, was the last time I had any alcohol. It’s now been almost 10 years since I’ve had a drink. I’m fortunate that I didn’t have to hit rock bottom to get sober. Many people with a drinking problem don’t get the luxury of voluntarily giving up alcohol. Many heavy drinkers only stop drinking because they’ve lost the support of their friends and family. To celebrate my second year on the wagon, I wrote my internal…
HE FIGURED RIGHT – Nov. 10, 2023 – It all started to come back to me. Not just how I got on the plane in yet another blackout but how I ended up here, at the lowest point of my life. It was a life full of new lows. I was a 28-year-old drug addict, alcoholic, and thief. The money in my pocket was the only thing left from my family’s marine supply business I had bankrupted with a daily cocaine habit. It’s an easy habit when your best customers are smugglers. It was easily the worst day of my…
THE BIG PICTURE – From this distant vantage point, the Earth might not seem of any particular interest. But for us, it’s different. That’s here. That’s home. That’s us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. WATCH@YouTube
A STAR IS ON – Oct. 16, 2023 – Before unearthing some hilarious and poignant stories of Hollywood icons and Hollywood excesses, Ed Begley Jr. took a deep breath in front of an assembled crowd of family, friends, fans, and flattering, although not fawning, onlookers. After taking their seats and enjoying the moment, Ted asked Ed if they should start talking now. With a big smile, Ed replied, “I think we should just sit here for a little while and be in the now.” After now passed into what was to come, the three actors mentioned a challenge they faced…
“Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said.” – Voltaire, 1694-1778
VIDEO – STREAM ONE TODAY – Nov. 3, 2023 – As Hollywood evolved, so did its actors’ ability to depict the depths of alcoholism with astonishing realism. These portrayals are incredibly powerful tools for reflecting the darkness of our lives, and that is why, in this article, we look back at some of the most convincing and impactful performances of alcoholism in American history, including examples from both classic and contemporary cinema. Jack Lemon as Joe Clay – Days of Wine and Roses (1962) Bradley Cooper as Jackson Maine – A Star Is Born (2018) James Woods as Bill Wilson…
ONE DAY AT A TIME – Nov. 3, 2023 -In March 2020, after the pandemic began, the couple bought a house in the nearby village of Palmetto Bay. “It was a big commitment — I wasn’t sure about getting married again,” Mr. de Amezola said. “But she makes me a better person. Everything I do with her is an improvement.” That September, Ms. Hartman developed a cough that wouldn’t go away and had trouble swallowing. She saw a specialist in December and had an endoscopy. “When I woke up, the doctor was sitting in my room,” she recalled. “She said,…
CHEECH WITH NO CHONG? – Oct. 26, 2023 – ith recreational marijuana now legal in more than 20 states, a joint or cannabis gummy has become as routine as a glass of chardonnay in some quarters. But as the drug enters the mainstream of American social life, the rules surrounding its usage can be, well, hazy. And many couples are trying to figure out how to fit it into their lives with the least disruption. Ms. Sparks, 40, and Mr. Pietrangeli, 41, have had a close-up view of changing societal attitudes toward marijuana as the owners of LA Confidential Caregivers,…
HE KNOWS FROM WHENCE HE SPEAKS – Nov. 4, 2023 – Though the rocker, known for his shredding guitar chops and wry sense of humor, has been known for his work in various lineups over the years, ( like the Eagles, to name one) none make him prouder than the one he assembles each year for VetsAid. Nov. 4, 2023 – “California has the biggest homeless vet population—what’s up with that? A homeless vet? I can’t do the math on that,” he tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue. “I thought, ‘You know what? This is a place I can…
A FRIEND REMEMBERS THE LOVE – Oct. 30, 2023 – Perry and Azaria shared the screen in five episodes of “Friends.” Azaria played David, a scientist who was in an on-and-off relationship with Lisa Kudrow’s Phoebe Buffay for years. Azaria then commented on Perry’s impeccable comic sensibilities on and off the screen. “He was to me … as funny as he was on ‘Friends’ and he was, and in other things too. In person, he was just the funniest man ever. He just loved to laugh. He was like a genius,” Azaria said. “He would start to weave comedy…
SAD STATE OF AFFAIR – Oct. 31, 2023 – “We will encourage businesses, restaurants, banks, construction sites, schools, others to think about this — think about it as a smoke alarm or a defibrillator, to make it as easily accessible, because it’s not just you,” Gupta said when the drug was approved. “It could be your neighbor, it could be your family, your friend, a person at work or school who might need it.” More than 5,000 children and teens have died of drug overdoses involving fentanyl in the past two decades, according to data published recently in JAMA Pediatrics.…
GREAT LISTINGS – Nov. 2, 2023 – American Psychiatric Association The American Psychiatric Association, founded in 1844, is the oldest medical association in the country. The APA is also the largest psychiatric association in the world with more than 38,000 physician members specializing in the diagnosis, treatment, prevention and research of mental illnesses. APA’s vision is to ensure access to quality psychiatric diagnosis and treatment. For more information, please visit www.psychiatry.org. American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry The American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry is the member organization for Addiction Psychiatrists. AAAP’s focus is to: promote high quality evidence-based prevention, treatment and…
AUDIO – AND I’LL NEVER HAVE THAT RECIPE AGAIN – Sept. 18, 2023 – The Southern California News Group interviewed Elliot, dozens of other people who use fentanyl, business owners, residents, LAPD personnel, homeless outreach workers, and medical professionals over several months, discovering how the intertwined crises of homelessness, addiction and petty theft have made MacArthur Park an epicenter of a deadly epidemic. Overdoses are a daily occurrence in the area, says Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez, who represents the neighborhood. “When we think about the epidemic of overdoses, of fentanyl use, of sales,” she says, “MacArthur Park is ground zero.” At…
VIDEO – HALLELUJAH – Oct. 31, 2023 – The video is from God Behind Bars, a non-profit ministry that shares the testimonies of prison inmates. The video of Bateman has more than 200,000 likes on Instagram. In the video, Bateman shares that he was raised in a Christian home, but he was sexually molested and raped when he was 9. He was bullied at school as well, according to CBN News. “I eventually started hating life,” he shared. “I started hating God. I started just cursing and hating everybody.” He attempted suicide when he was ten and then spent…
VIDEO – NOT GOOD! – Nov. 2, 2023 – A national study found nearly 30 million people had what’s officially called Alcohol Use Disorder, or alcoholism. So, on this Life Life Well, we’re looking at the impact on children. Clinical Psychologist Doctor Jennifer Baker tells us that children of alcoholic parents can develop flawed behaviors. She says it happens due to being around someone who denies the reality of addiction. She says discussing the problem would be a big step forward in any family. “Your dad doesn’t have a bad cold. He doesn’t have the flu,” explained Baker. “He has…
IT’S COMPLICATED AND SAD – Oct. 31, 2023 – Research has illuminated a significant connection between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance use disorder (SUD), underscoring the intricate relationship between these conditions. Several studies (here, here, here, and here) have shed light on this comorbidity, revealing that individuals with PTSD are at a heightened risk of developing substance abuse issues, alongside other mental health disorders. A study by Breslau and colleagues, in particular, offered noteworthy insights. They found that exposure to traumatic experiences, when coupled with PTSD symptomology, was associated with an increased risk of substance problems. Moreover, this…
VIDEO – WHAT’S GOOD FOR THE GOOSE… – Nov. 1, 2023 – Treatment, Ricky said, had saved his life, and other people should have that chance — even if they’re reluctant to accept it at first. Ricky had been sober from his alcohol addiction for years, but this 2023 trip to Portland was different. He was running from his own law. By crossing the border into Oregon, Ricky found a refuge away from forced treatment as he battled addiction once again. “That was a sign that his disease was active and he was scared,” Ricky’s husband Kelsey Klausmeyer told KGW.…
VIDEO – ATTRACTION NOT COERCION? – Nov. 2, 2023 – Washington passed “Ricky’s Law” in 2016, which allows for someone with a serious substance abuse disorder to be involuntarily committed to inpatient care. But Oregon does not have any comparable option. WATCH@YouTube
CALIFORNIA DREAMING – Nov. 2, 2023 – Gov. Gavin Newsom last month signed SB 43, which broadens eligibility for both conservatorships and shorter-term involuntary holds in hospitals to include people whose addiction challenges threaten their own safety and access to necessities including medical care. The law, part of a broader effort by Newsom and others to reform the state’s behavioral health system, is likely to put more pressure on a local system now unable to meet the need. While much of the rhetoric around SB 43 implied longer-term conservatorships, San Diego County’s behavioral health director and others predict the…
COMPASSION AND COMMUNITY – Nov. 3, 2023 – It was 2007 when Stuby began hearing from officials about prescription opioids being misused. That was about the same time Jesse Johnson, then 14, was prescribed the painkiller Percocet. The Findlay native was pregnant when she needed stents put into her kidneys as treatment for infections and kidney stones. After seven months on the opioid medication, she gave birth to a healthy daughter. Then she underwent an operation to remove the stents. The prescriptions stopped and she became sick from withdrawal. “I remember not even being able to hold my daughter,”…
VIDEO – OD to O’WOW, I’M ALIVE – Nov. 3, 2023 – LOCShannon Smith is the director of housing and community development for Lighthouse, an organization that provides resources like food and shelter for people in the community. On Friday, Smith was teaming up with the nonprofit Alliance of Coalitions to provide resources she hopes will make a difference. They were installing Save a Life Stations at three of their facilities. The stations are filled with a variety of free resources, including Narcan, Fentanyl and Xylazine testing strips. “Having these accessible in my community was of the utmost importance to…
BOTTOM TO TOP – Nov. 1, 2023 – Taylor: You put it in your post [that] you want to handle your emotions head on now. And I think as men, that’s something that is shied away from. It’s like, I’m gonna suck it up. I’m gonna keep it in. I’m gonna keep it pushing. So, what are your outlets like how do you [cope]? They say you meditate, like what other outlets do you have to kind of keep you aligned. Vic: I think music is a primary outlet of mine, definitely. There’s so much creativity in me that…
VIDEO – RIGOROUS HONESTY – Nov. 3, 2023 – Kathryn Burgum, wife of Gov. Doug Burgum (R-N.D.), is using her husband’s 2024 presidential campaign to share her personal story of addiction and recovery in hopes that it will “eliminate the stigma.” WATCH@YouTube
ADDICTIVE ANY WAY YOU TAKE IT – Nov. 1, 2023 – In September, VicHealth and Quit released research revealing e-cigarette retailers are advertising vaping products on social media specifically designed for teenagers to easily hide from parents and teachers. If the bill amendments pass, updated and improved graphic warnings will be added to tobacco packaging and included on individual cigarettes. The use of specified additives in tobacco products like menthols would also be banned. New measures to discourage smoking and prevent the promotion of vaping and e-cigarettes would also be introduced, such as plain packaging on vapes. The bill is…
NEEDS A SHOVE OR A PUSH? – Nov. 1, 2023 – Failure to launch syndrome refers to the phenomenon where young adults struggle to transition into independent living and adulthood. This issue has become increasingly common, with more young people living at home with their parents well into their 20s and 30s. While the reasons behind the failure to launch are complex, there are steps parents can take to support their children in gaining the skills and mindset needed for adulthood. Failure to launch syndrome is characterized by an inability or unwillingness to leave the parental home and live independently.…
BIG PHARMA FINALLY FOILED – Nov. 3, 2023 – Dr. Hendeles, an expert in pharmacokinetics, or the way medicines move throughout the body, was the first to critique phenylephrine in 1993 in a study that compared the efficacy of that and other more cold remedies including pseudoephedrine, the main ingredient of Sudafed. But for all their findings pointing to its inefficacy since that first 1993 report, the FDA and consumer groups continued to brush off their concerns, insisting that the ingredient was worth keeping on store shelves. This also kept drug manufacturers happy, given that the phenylephrine medicine industry…
GREED TRUMPS MORALS – Nov. 1, 2023 – Ganong was charged on May 19, 2017, with the following felony counts: Between January 2008 and December 2016, defendants Pamela and Philip Ganong owned sober living homes in Orange County, Bakersfield, Los Angeles, and San Diego, through their business William Mae Company, which operated as Compass Rose Recovery (Compass). In December 2011, the Ganongs are accused of forming a medical testing lab called Ghostline Labs (Ghostline). Sober living residents at Compass were recruited by other Compass residents through Craigslist and by word of mouth. In 2012, William Mae Company/Compass had 12 employees…
A DIFFICULT PART TO PLAY – Nov. 2, 2023 – Perry’s journey in the entertainment world began as a child actor. When he was 15, he decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and try out an acting career by moving to Los Angeles. Perry landed his first sitcom role on the show Second Chance(which later became Boys Will Be Boys) and went on to secure roles in series like Charles in Charge and Beverly Hills 90210. By 1988, he had already made his big screen debut in the film A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon, where he…
PLEASE DON’T DRIVE – Nov. 3, 2023 – But the consequences are huge, especially for women. For one thing, women have a lower amount of alcohol dehydrogenase, an enzyme that breaks down alcohol. That means, they are more susceptible to liver disease, heart disease and cancer, said Jennifer Gorder, clinical manager of behavioral health services at Ogden Regional Medical Center. “There’s a definite physical difference in men and women and the way they process alcohol,” Gorder said. “Biologically, women have a higher percentage of body fat and less water, and of course, higher estrogen than men. This all makes…