Author: Leonard Buschel

WHAT NEXT, NORTH DAKOTA? – May 17, 2023 – Earlier, TikTok issued a statement saying that the new law “infringes on the First Amendment rights of the people of Montana by unlawfully banning TikTok,” and said it will “continue working to defend the rights of our users inside and outside of Montana.” TikTok, which has over 150 million American users, has faced growing calls from U.S. lawmakers and state officials to ban the app nationwide over concerns about potential Chinese government influence over the platform. The app has become wildly popular with teens. According to the Pew Research Center, 67%…

ACCIDENTAL CHILD ABUSE? – May 9, 2023 – A mother is awaiting sentencing after authorities say her 1-year-old daughter ate heroin found in the Macomb County woman’s purse. Anita Vasquez, 32, pleaded no contest Tuesday to possession of a controlled substance less than 25 grams, third-degree child abuse, and fourth-degree child abuse.  According to the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office, Vasquez, of New Haven, flagged down a Roseville police officer on July 23, 2022, because her daughter was having a medical emergency. It was later determined that she ingested heroin. READ@Fox2Detroit

FAST AND FURIOUS X – May 14, 2023 – Nearly 2 percent of the U.S. population reported cocaine use in 2020, and the highly addictive substance was involved in nearly one in five overdose deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control. In Virginia, the number of cocaine-related overdoses has been increasing since 2013, with 968 fatal overdoses in 2022, a 20 percent increase over 2021, according to preliminary data from the Virginia Department of Health. Of those, four in five included fentanyl — prescription, illicit, or analog — a driving force behind the fatalities. Researchers at the Fralin Biomedical…

VIDEO – AND THE CHILDREN WILL LEAD THEM – May 8, 2023 – ABC News published this video item, entitled “Younger generations explore sobriety to improve mental health” – below is their description. Is it trendy to be sober? Many Generation Z and younger Millennials are exploring sobriety, but not necessarily due to an alcohol addiction. ABC News’ Reena Roy reports on this popular trend. READ@GlobalHerald

HE’S COME A LONG WAY…SOBER –  May 18, 2023 – “My lifestyle is all about staying healthy and focused,” the father of two notes. “There’s nothing better than two beautiful children to keep you focused. And their mother, Viviane, is such a fantastic mother and so very helpful.” Though they’re still young, Cameron can see some of his family’s signature creative spark in his little ones, something that means a lot to him. “It’s interesting. My son is just over 2, and he’s got a great disposition — always has a smile on his face and loves meeting new people,”…

IT’S NOT A DISEASE? – May 18, 2023 – “I thought that the only way to get out was to tell them what they seemed to want to hear,” she said. “When I did try to tell the truth, I was told that I was a liar and a manipulator.” At the time, Alice believed that once she got out of rehab, it would all be over. What she didn’t know then was “how much their assessment of me would follow me home and impact the rest of my life.” “Despite knowing that I didn’t belong there initially, with everyone…

VIDEO – MAKING CASINOS SMILE – May 18, 2023 – Barkley has also previously addressed his gambling blunders and how he regretted them. The Chuckster has admitted that he has lost around $20 million because of the thrill that gambling offered. Barkley visited Las Vegas many times and was lured by his small profits to gamble for more, eventually losing it all. In a recent episode of Spittin’ Chiclets, Barkley spoke about various things, including his love for Canada, the way he started watching hockey, and many other things. While speaking to the host of the podcast, Barkley made a…

“If you don’t become the ocean, you’ll be seasick every day.” – Leonard Cohen, 1934 Canada–2016 Los Angeles

THE LEGEND LIVES ON – May 16, 2023 – Comedian Margaret Cho and the late actor Leslie Jordan on Tuesday were named grand marshals of this year’s LA Pride Parade, while the ACLU of Southern California was named the event’s “community grand marshal.”  READ@OCregister

IS IT TOO LATE? – May 9, 2023 – Based on the latest science about social media, the report is aimed at parents, teachers, policymakers and members of the tech industry “who share responsibility to ensure adolescents’ well-being.” The American Psychological Association’s 10 recommendations are focused heavily on parents. They stress the benefits of social media literacy training before kids set up accounts, and periodic refreshers on applications and uses that both minimize the harm and maximize the benefits social media can provide. Click@Patch

AS IT SHOULD – May 9, 2023 – Well, he’s returned with a new episode of The Danny Brown Show in which he addresses going to treatment head-on. He called the experience “humbling” while saying it gave him a newfound appreciation for his work, especially compared to some of those who were also in the program with him. “Being in treatment … one thing it did do: It humbled the f*ck out of me,” he said. “It made me real f**kin’ umm … Just showed a lot of gratitude. I got a cool-ass life, man. Hearin’ other motherf**kers stories ……

ACTING NATURALLY – May 5, 2023 – BLADE: How does your sexuality impact your work? SALINAS:  I’m open to whatever the role. Being gay has made me observant and given me the experience to connect with feelings and emotion. That helps to construct characters in a sensitive and different way. I’ve played straight characters without issue. I made a very convincing Romeo in Chicago [his home base for eight years prior to D.C.].  Growing up in Mexico City, I started acting classes at age six and did my first play when I was ten. I always was true to myself…

VIDEO – TAKING IT TO THE STREETS – May 5, 2023 – A new bill aims to address the deadly fentanyl crisis by making it easier to get treatment to those who need it. The bill allows local jurisdictions to use mobile pharmacies to dispense certain medications. In San Francisco, Assembly member Matt Haney and Mayor London Breed introduced the new strategy to address the opioid crisis. “Right now over 80% of the people who are addicted to opioids are not enrolled in a medication assisted treatment that can save lives and get them off these drugs,” Haney said. Haney…

LOBBYING WORKS WONDERS – April 23, 2023 – The press ran with it. A New York Times front-page headline announced, “In an About-Face, U.S. Says Alcohol Has Health Benefits.” The assistant secretary of health said at the time, “In my personal view, wine with meals in moderation is beneficial. There was a significant bias in the past against drinking. To move from antialcohol to health benefits is a big change.” Physicians were also changing their tunes. One influential alcohol researcher, R. Curtis Ellison—who made a cameo on that infamous 60 Minutes episode about the French paradox—wrote in Wine Spectator in…

VIDEO – TOO MUCH OF ANYTHING… – May 8, 2023 – “There could be changes to the overall neuroplasticity and neurocircuitry … changes to serotonin, changes to dopamine, histamine, all these things are responsible for executive functioning and for how we perceive the world,” he continued. “When cannabis oversaturates the system it can trigger higher levels of anxiety, cognitive delays, memory loss.” Teen are also more likely to develop a problem with the drug. According to a report by the National Institute on Drug Abusepublished in March 2021, those aged 12 to 17 are more apt than those aged 18…

VIDEO – AND SO MUCH MORE –  May 6, 2023 – Dr. Drew’s daughter shares story of addiction and recovery | America Right Now. Click@YouTube

MAYBE SOMETIMES PERHAPS NEVER ALWAYS – May 7, 2023 – For one, a person’s mental health state prior to consuming the drug can impact whether they feel anxious after taking it, as research shows cannabis can intensify emotions a user is already feeling. Sex may also be a factor. Among infrequent cannabis users, women are more likely to feel anxious, nervous or restless after using the drug, according to one 2020 study. “A person’s sex potentially influences every aspect of cannabis use,” said Esther Choo, professor of emergency medicine at the Oregon Health & Science University School of…

A WORTHY RADICAL IDEA! – May 10, 2023 – BC is a province with a population of around five million people, which, for context, is significantly less than London’s roughly nine million people. In BC, an average of almost seven people die from a drug overdose each day; 596 people tragically met their end that way in the first three months of 2023. For comparison, according to the latest drug death statistics in England and Wales, there were 296 drug use deaths in London in 2020 – and that’s the highest since records began. But in BC, a total of…

PODCAST – KEEP AN OPEN MIND –  May 9, 2023 – The US could soon follow, with plans for the US Food and Drug Administration to be asked for approval to treat PTSD with MDMA this year. Ian Sample speaks to correspondent Hannah Devlin about how the science behind psychedelic therapy has progressed, and hears from Prof Celia Morgan about what treatment is actually like, what we know about the risks and what’s left to learn. Click@TheGuardian

NO AGENTS CALLING NOW – May 10, 2023 – In early March, county health officials initially said they weren’t sure whether the deadly adulterant had begun appearing on the streets of Los Angeles. Weeks later, the Times learned that the Sheriff’s Department crime lab had been detecting signs of xylazine in drug samples for at least four years — but they’d never told the health department or the public. At the time, department officials said that was because, despite its harms, xylazine is not illegal, so formally tracking it was beyond the scope of their work. Now, though, the pilot…

UNDERSTANDING, COMPASSION AND INTELLIGENCE – May 10, 2023 – “It’s important to measure recovery capital so we can understand the inequities that influence recovery,” says Bowen. “Without a good measure it’s hard to quantify which groups have the most access to resources and which groups are likely to struggle. “Ultimately, I’m interested in doing something to address those disparities, and the MIRC can provide the required momentum.” Bowen’s research team developed the MIRC in three phases that started with a wide-ranging list of possible items that were shared with a group of 44 individuals who were either service providers or…

VIDEO – STILL A CELEBRITY? –  May 10, 2023 – When reflecting on what she would say to herself while she had been at her lowest point with her substance abuse, Mama June stated: ‘Girl, what the hell are you doing spending all that d**n money?’ She continued: I say that a lot to my husband [Justin Stroud]. I would be like, “Man, why in the hell did I blow all that money?” I am always thinking about that. ‘I think about a lot of things I could do with that money. My husband tells me all the time that…

QUIT and STILL ON THE GO – May 8, 2023 – Relocating to the French countryside ended up being a life-changing and ultimately life-saving decision for the troubled singer. “I threw myself into my French album [2007’s Voila], which really kept me sober,” she says, and this was “when I pretty much got over my food issues and my weight issues. It’s not about deprivation [in France]; it’s about celebration. And I really responded to that, because I was depriving myself in so many ways, actually, when I was working on the hamster wheel, as I call it. So, when…

BETTER THAN PRISON – May 6, 2023 – A woman with a history of forging checks received two suspended 19-48-month prison sentences and was ordered to pay nearly $4,900 in restitution. Bobbi Mortimer, 39, has been in custody since Jan. 9 and admitted to a felony charge of theft in connection with bad checks written Dec. 21, 2022. Mortimer was supposed to be participating in Western Nevada Regional Drug Court as part of a diversion granted on Nov. 1. That was revoked on Tuesday. “I made the check myself and gave it to my sister to cash,” she said on…

RE-BIRTHED IN EVERY WAY – May 11, 2023 – Step One: Research Industries And Occupations The first step when looking into potential careers is researching different types of occupations within various industries. These have to be relevant to your skill set and your passions outside work. You can also include those which may have been present before substance abuse issues arose. To efficiently narrow down options, use online resources. Industry publications like trade magazines with related articles about current trends ensure you have an up-to-date understanding of the job market. They also provide information on salaries, educational requirements and company…

EVERYONE’S HERO – May 10, 2023 – The 9-1-1: Lone Star actor received a number of responses to the post, including from his son John Owen, who said, ‘Proud of your recovery, opposite feeling about this selfie.’ One follower said: ‘I celebrated 30 years a week ago. It’s still the best decision I’ve ever made…I wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t gotten sober.’ Another added, ‘33 years, that’s amazing. I’m on 2 and a half years and I thought that was good,’ while one user said Lowe’s story was inspirational. ‘I still have hope for my 25 year old son,’…

STICK WITH THE WINNERS! – May 16, 2023 – Maia Akiva is a professional speaker, trauma-informed trainer, performer, and a writer in Los Angeles. Her unique approach encourages audiences to embrace their relationships with their emotions and feelings as a path to a better Mental Health, success, happiness, freedom and fulfillment. She specializes in mental health, self-empowerment, creativity and creating mental health and motivational programs and content, like her fictional podcast, Interview with Myself —in which she interviews her feelings and emotions as guests on the show. Q. If you are in recovery, what was your DOC and when did…

VIDEO – IT’S NOT BLACK AND WHITE –  May 10, 2023 – “All that bullshit people go ahead and spew about hard rock and heavy metal being something that’s dark and evil. Such a crock of shit. Don’t get me wrong — we have colleagues that like to play the dark and evil character. And you know what? They do it pretty goddamn well. But you know what? They are playing a character. It’s not for real. Nobody actually sacrifices anything. No one’s actually satanic. It’s all a bunch of bullshit. It’s called entertainment. And even more than that, it’s…

VIDEO – MONEY – May 5, 2023 – Fentanyl was not created to be used recreationally or bought and sold on the street. In the early 1960s the synthetic opioid was manufactured and approved by the FDA a few years later, for a specific purpose: to treat pain. “I’ve used it for five decades in anesthesia,” Dr. C.M. Schade, a North Texas pain doctor of more than 50 years, said. “It has a very rapid onset, but it lasts an hour and half.” According to the National Institute of Health and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), fentanyl’s two main purposes…

VIDEO – HE WILL BE MISSED, RIP Beau Mann –  May 11, 2023 – Beau Mann was a sober living advocate from California, United States. He suffered from substance abuse issues when he was younger so he wanted to create a support system for people to stay clean and sober. Mann was an art dealer before he founded Sober Grid, a digital health company based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA providing mental health addiction care. Here are 13 more things about him: Click@ConanDaily