GOING THE DISTANCE – Sept. 30, 2023 – Meanwhile, the ‘Flintstones’ star – who has been married to Anna Beth Goodman since 1989 and has 33-year-old daughter Molly with her – has carved out an illustrious career in film and TV in the 40 years that he has been in the business but admitted that he never believed there was “any possible way” he would ever succeed in such an industry because he had been such a “loner” as a child. John Goodman said: “So I grew up without a father, and there was always a feeling of being different.…
Author: Leonard Buschel
IMPORTANT! – Sept. 28, 2023 – Changes in Consciousness One of the first signs of a possible drug overdose is a sudden change in consciousness. This can include extreme drowsiness, confusion, or difficulty staying awake. If a person is unable to respond coherently to questions or seems disoriented, it’s time to take action. Difficulty Breathing Respiratory depression is a serious symptom of a drug overdose. Shallow or labored breathing, irregular breathing patterns, or even complete cessation of breathing can occur. If you notice someone struggling to breathe or gasping for air, seek medical help immediately. Unresponsiveness If a person is…
“When you get older, it’s not about what you did that you regret, it’s what you didn’t do.” – Grace Slick
HELPING RECOVERY – Sept. 22, 2023 – Dr. Louise Stanger, an advisor to families and behavioral centers, has made it her life’s mission to help people heal from trauma, especially trauma related to sudden deaths. ‘‘I was born on a fault line of trauma. I’ve experienced five sudden deaths in my lifetime,’’ she says. READ@Fortune
MUCH TO SAY – Sept. 13, 2023 – You were skeptical of religion growing up, but you converted to Judaism as an adult. What role does Jewish tradition and belief play in your life these days? We’re primarily secular in our family. We go to High Holy Days and things like that. We have Seders. It’s a community that we feel embraced by, and a congregation that has a warm feeling to it for our family. When we’ve gone through things like my wife’s cancer diagnosis, it’s important to have a support system beyond just your friends — to…
THE CRONE’S WISE WORDS – Sept. 4, 2023 – Speaking at Brooks Memorial Library is a big deal for Avery, she said, “because this is my hometown.” She said she’s excited and nervous at the same time. Her first foray into public speaking came at an AARP event in 2019. She had drug paraphernalia on display and read from a script, as she was new to the format. “Left behind are the children, our future,” Avery told members of the local AARP chapter at the Brattleboro Senior Center. “I’ve made a commitment to put a face to addiction and…
AUDIO – IT’S HAPPENED BEFORE – Sept. 14, 2023 – Another group of people who are affected are people intending to use stimulants on their own but who don’t realize their supply has been laced with or contaminated with potent drugs like fentanyl. “The drug supply is so toxic and dangerous, so if somebody’s using cocaine on the weekends here and there and they get the wrong batch, they could die of an overdose as well,” Weintraub said. Making sense of autopsy data While taking both of the drugs at the same time is potentially lethal, it’s important to…
IS THERE NO GOD? – Sept. 11, 2023 – Our reward system is at play here — dopamine is being released into our limbic system. Picture a time long ago when humans first walked on two legs, when supermarkets didn’t exist and extreme scarcity threatened our survival. Our biology back then rewarded us for finding calorie-rich food. I didn’t know this during my stint in rehab, but deep down, I must have had a hunch. Why? Because every time I felt the urge to drink, they handed me a glass of sugar water. I always thought that both behaviors…
AUDIO – PASSING IT ON – 2023 – He adds that music was his “only form of solace” and that it was “the only thing that really ever made me feel like there was hope in the world,” energized by the fact that there was always more music out there “waiting for me to discover it.” And when it comes to leading a sober life, choosing to do so, Taylor says, can only happen “if you’re ready to see it.” “When he first started his journey, getting sober and getting healthy and whatnot, I looked at that, and I…
IT’S BRUTAL? – Sept. 2, 2023 – After struggling to quit on my own, and unsure of where to turn, an online search led me to several frightening, confusing weeks in detox and rehab facilities. Despite the intervention, I still suffered what seemed like endless sleepless nights, heart palpitations, severe agitation and tremors. As it turns out, I was one of the lucky ones – my withdrawal could have been not just miserable but also long-lasting or even life-threatening. n estimated 30 million adults in the United States take benzodiazepines such as Klonopin, Ativan, Xanax and Valium for anxiety,…
VIDEO – FATHER KNOWS BEST – Sept. 5, 2023 – “My story actually is so huge, and the journey is so wide.” Sobriety and recovery gave it back. “20 years, 20 plus years, it’s amazing.” Amazing, not easy. He had a sentimental gold to work towards. “I just wanted to be a good dad.” He got involved in a sober living community. “These guys were celebrating three and five years sober, and I thought, man, that is a lot. How do they do that?” He climbed several steps, learned a list of lessons, and started passing them on. “How to…
VIDEO – WISDOM FROM A REAL BIKER – Sept. 5, 2023 – Tony Hoffman, founder of pH Wellness and a former BMX athlete who struggled with drug addiction and spent time in prison, has spoken to over 500,000 students in the past decade. “I know my story resonates with students who may feel lost or lack inspiration. My goal is to give them hope and show them that the future is always brighter than you can imagine.” Tony Hoffman’s presentations cover topics like: – Coping with anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts. Tony shares his personal struggles and offers advice on…
FEED A SOUL – SAVE A LIFE – Sept. 4, 2023 – Since 2000, there have been over 700k drug overdose deaths in the U.S. The federal budget for drug control in 2023 was $42.5 billion but little progress has been made compared to other countries. This was spent on various treatments for substance abuse disorder and the remaining budget was distributed among various government departments for prevention, interdiction and law enforcement. More than a quarter of illegal drug users have been diagnosed with having a drug disorder, and 24.7% of those with an officially diagnosed drug disorder are addicted…
AUDIO – IT’S NOT FUN – Sept. 16, 2023 – It was estimated that an American drank on average over 2.51 gallons of ethanol in 2021. This equates to a person aged 14 or older—the legal drinking age in the country is still 21—consuming approximately an average of 535.5 standard drinks in a year, or one-and-a-half drink per day, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. But even though having a drink with friends is just a common social activity for most people, it can potentially be a toxic habit for others. It turns out that not…
VIDEO – DRUGS KILL IN MANY WAYS – Sept. 4, 2023 – According to authorities, just before 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Spokane Police Department (SPD) officers responded to reports of a shooting in the area. There, they found a man with multiple gunshot wounds, and despite life-saving measures being taken, the victim died on scene. Initial reports indicate that a bail bondsman was attempting to take the victim into custody when an altercation occurred, leading to the agent opening fire – striking the victim. The bondsman was detained on scene. SPD Major Crimes Unit is still investigating the…
WHEN THE END IS NEAR… – Sept. 14, 2023 – “The subsequent search of the yacht allegedly uncovered about 43 grams of cocaine, 14 grams of ketamine, a .380 pistol, three 30-round 9 millimeter magazines, a 12-round magazine in a 9-millimeter pistol, according to the police report.” Once all parties were removed from the boat, more revelations came to light from the wild boat afternoon in the sleepy harbor town. After police obtained a warrant and searched the boat, the Nantucket Current reported on the additional findings on the ship. And buckle up folks … this already wild story becomes…
SACREBLEU – Sept. 14, 2023 – This drug, which is very easy to hide in a glass, has arrived in France. It remains unknown or almost unknown, but we know that it is much more concentrated than opium. The public authorities are warning about the identification of a synthetic drug, which is not classified among the drugs already known, and which is already causing damage on French soil, in Reunion. New trafficking is suspected, but for the moment, it is experts in illicit substances who are alerting the population. These experts have already analyzed the product, which is said…
VIDEO – JACK THE HIPPER – Sept. 14, 2023 – “His favorite trick is smiling but he also learned how to count recently so he will either smile or count at you,” she said. Her favorite part about having Jack is the emotional bond between them. “I think he reminds me to slow down and enjoy the moments and to live in those moments and to also appreciate my city and my community,” Johnson is working with the YMCA so people can meet Jack the Magnificent. That event will be happening Friday at Boyd Park at 11 a.m. People attending…
RUFF FOR EVERYONE – Sept. 14, 2023 – Last week, Gibson and his girlfriend made headlines after police arrested the couple in a Walmart parking lot. Authorities said that the pair had drugs in their car and that Gibson’s girlfriend feared Myla, their 8-week-old puppy, had somehow ingested fentanyl during the arrest. Police treated the dog with Narcan — a brand of the overdose-reversing drug naloxone — and said the animal “immediately began to recover.” Then they sent the case to the district attorney’s office for suspected drug possession and animal cruelty, but so far no charges have been…
RADIO TRUTH? – Sept. 13, 2023 – Ntalami went on to laud the publication for helping celebrate her win and putting a smile on her mom’s face. “‘Attitude of Gratitude.’ Hey. How is everyone here doing? Lately, I’ve been both feeling and practising a lot of gratitude. And it’s starting to do wonders for my life! For the things that I’m grateful for and able to share with the world, I promised myself I will go ahead and give the universe that credit out loud.” started out the entrepreneur. Ntalami went on to add how when sharing her decision to…
VIDEO – AND SHE SURE CAN SING TOO – Sept. 13, 2023 – The singer tells Howard Stern she lives with hearing and vision impairments as a result of her drug overdose in 2018. ‘IT WAS DUE TO THE LACK OF OXYGEN TO MY BRAIN’ WATCH@Digg
DEATH DON’T HAVE NO MERCY IN THIS LAND – Sept. 12, 2023 – Counties with the highest average doses of legal pain pills per person from 2006 to 2013 suffered the highest death rates in the nation over the subsequent six years. Annual overall overdose deaths reached a grim milestone in 2021, surpassing 100,000 for the first time in U.S. history. More than 110,000 people died of drug overdoses in 2022, two-thirds of whom succumbed to synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, according to estimates by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “We created a huge cohort of people dependent…
IN OTHER NEWS… – Sept.23, 2023 – A star of the American band Pussycat Dolls has given their support to besieged comedian Russell Brand after he broke his silence on multiple claims of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse made against him – to rant about conspiracy theories. READ@DAILYMAIL
ROUGH SEA YET STILL SAILING – August 30, 2023 – Yawn has previously shared, including in her book, Be the Calm or Be the Storm, that there have been generations of substance struggles in her family. She fell into drug and alcohol misuse as a teen — after growing up between her parents’ homes — which resulted in multiple life-threatening incidents and arrests. “Someone’s keeping me alive for a reason,” the kidney cancer survivor told PEOPLE just after her book release in January. “I should have been dead 10 times over with the lifestyle I led.” The Be the Calm…
WELL EARNED! – Sept. 15, 2023 – White’s post included a collection of photos that began with an image in which she received flowers and a balloon from her mom, Tokyo Toni (real name Shalana Jones-Hunter). She followed the sweet photo with pictures of a celebratory cake that read, “Congratulations on your 1 year sobriety Angela Renee White” and included a sobriety chip. While she confessed in the lengthy post that reaching the milestone was not easy, she vowed to continue practicing sobriety and thanked everyone who had been a part of her journey. “Angela White is unstoppable, smart, beautiful,…
BETTER THAN METH – Sept. 16, 2023 – Young people in China are using oxygen inhalers to boost their capacity for work and study in the face of relentless pressure to excel. The extent of the phenomenon is illustrated by the fact that a topic titled “Oxygen is more useful than coffee” began trending on the social media platform Xiaohongshu on September 10, attracting more than 5.6 million views. A 26-year-old account holder on the platform called @Zhimali posted a photo of herself using a portable oxygen machine in her office and said she bought it to keep up with…
YOU CAN’T GO HOME AGAIN – Aug. 28, 2023 – Johnathan De Jesus Monzon Valdivia, 21, faces charges of trafficking methamphetamine, trafficking heroin, failure to maintain lane, failure to use a turning signal and driving while unlicensed. The sheriff’s office said the drugs, valued at $395,000, were going to be distributed in west Georgia. READ@AtlantaNewsFirst
VIDEO – EARLY RELEASE – Sept. 13, 2023 – The wife of Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman was released from federal custody on Wednesday after completing a three-year sentence for helping him run his multibillion-dollar criminal empire, the federal Bureau of Prisons said. WATCH@YouTube
VIDEO – HISTORY REPEATING ITSELF? – Sept. 13, 2023 – It’s a half hour before noon on Aug. 31 outside a Dunkin’ Donuts in Chandler near Riggs Road and Arizona Avenue. 53-year-old Robert Kayongo is met by special agents with the Arizona Attorney General’s Office just feet away from his van. A probable cause statement says Kayongo wanted to meet there to close a deal with someone who actually was an undercover agent. Investigators say Kayongo is a patient broker in a scheme targeting vulnerable people who need behavioral health treatment, offering food and housing at unlicensed sober living homes.…
REAL DATA – Sept. 13, 2023 – Here are the numbers that tell the story: 45 percent: The approximate decrease of prescription opioid pain pills shipped in the United States from 2011 to 2019. But by 2019, the rate of overdose deaths from fentanyl — a powerful synthetic opioid — had skyrocketed. 7.1 billion: The number of hydrocodone and oxycodone pills that were shipped to pharmacies and practitioners in 2019 — a stark decrease from the peak of 12.8 billion pills shipped in 2011. 1: The number of prescription opioids that increased in the final five years of the…