Author: Leonard Buschel

VIDEO – AND A LOT OF IT – March 1, 2023 – The FBI in Phoenix won’t say specifically which group homes investigators are looking into, but investigators say the overall scheme involves organizers targeting indigenous people from reservations in Arizona, New Mexico, South Dakota and even at local flea markets and medical centers. The recruiters promise therapy services, yet offer alcohol during the transport. Organizers make sure victims are enrolled in the American Indian Health Plan through AHCCCS so they can make money off the benefits, licensed or not. On a chilly January morning, we visited “The Zone,” the…

AUDIO – WHATEVER WORKS? –  March 6, 2023 – “I don’t want my patients to die from an overdose,” Win says. “But I’m not comfortable with the fentanyl and a lot of narcotics in the system.” Kim is adamant that she’s not intentionally ingesting fentanyl. It might have been in the cocaine she says her roommate shares occasionally. Kim says she takes the Xanax to sleep. Her drug use presents complications that many primary care doctors don’t have experience managing. Some clinicians are apprehensive about using an opioid to treat an addiction to opioids, despite compelling evidence that it saves…

FOR THE LOVE OF SEX – March 6, 2023 – Despite efforts to raise awareness, the problem has only appeared to grow worse as meth-related overdose rates continue to increase in the U.S. According to data collected by the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, from 2015 to 2017, the percentage of gay men surveyed who reported using meth in the previous year was twice as high as straight men. In his memoir, “Tweakerworld,” which is being released Tuesday, Yamas describes the experience of living in the drug-fueled “party and play” subculture in unflinching, gory detail from the unique…

ONE STEP AT A TIME – March 6, 2023 – For some AA members, their journey of sobriety began at “open” AA meetings, which can be attended by any member of the community, alcoholic or nonalcoholic. Open meetings have long been a vital source of information for anyone who wants to learn more firsthand about the AA Fellowship. The only request is that attendees not disclose the names of AA members outside the meeting so that members’ anonymity may be maintained. A typical open meeting will have a “leader” and other speakers. The leader opens the meeting, introduces each speaker,…

IT’S COMPLICATED AND UNPREDICTABLE – Feb. 28, 2023 – When you perform a behavior repeatedly over a long period of time – many years – the underlying neurological basis of the behavior becomes entrenched in the brain’s infrastructure. The specific neural pathways become well-engrained and hardened, making the behavior automatic. Think of the neural pathway as a piece of rope that gets thicker and stronger with each repetition. This is how any habit is developed, whether it’s a world-class athlete honing her skills or an opiate addict downing his pills. The more repetition, the stronger the neural pathways and the…

TWO ADDICTS WALK INTO A… – March 6, 2023 – Harriet Dyer is also no stranger to confessional comedy: she runs Barking Tales, a night dedicated to mental illness. Her show Trigger Warning and her autobiography Bipolar Comedian explore the sexual abuse she suffered as a child and her subsequent addiction and mental health issues. “You have to make it funny,” she says, “otherwise it’s just a witness statement. You’ve got to remember that it’s a show.” Now Popplewell is working on her debut comedy hour, Actually Actually. It’s about letting go of what other people think of you, a…

BUYER BEWARE, BE CAREFUL – March 6, 2023 – Monster describes the drink as a “hard seltzer” and revealed in August last year that it hoped it would be one of many. “Our alcohol innovation pipeline is robust with a number of additional innovative product lines currently under development,” said Sacks. “We look forward to sharing such additional beverage products at a later date.” The Beast Unleashed comes in four flavours, including Peach Perfect and Scary Berries, each modelled on the flavours consumers know from Monster’s original energy drinks. Click@TheDrinksBusiness

JUST IN TIME – March 8, 2023 – But there was still more personal turmoil to come: While filming Planet Sex in Tokyo the following spring, she received the crushing news that her grandmother Jane Sheffield had died. For Delevingne, Sheffield had always afforded her a rare safe space as a child—a place to be herself, a home and a garden to play in. “I would stay with her in her house in the country. She looked after me a lot when my parents weren’t able to … When I heard she had died there were a lot of things…

YOU GOTTA HAVE FRIENDS – March 7, 2023 – Drew Barrymore – the actress who starred in films such as Blended, 50 First Date, Charlie’s Angels, Never Been Kissed and more-doesn’t shy away from her struggles. The 48-year-old actress has now opened up about her alcohol abuse following her split from Will Kopelman in 2016. Per her confession, the divorce even affected her relationship with her therapist. As per her recent confession during a new profile interview, Drew revealed that after a decade of working with therapist Barry Michels, she had him quit on her due to her drinking. Read…

THIS IS NOT YELLOW JOURNALISM – March 6, 2023 – My face was swollen. I had jaundice. My eyes were yellow. I had to go to a liver specialist. I was holding on to weight that wasn’t normally there. My hair was thin and coming out in clumps,’ she continued. It comes after the star was spotted on the way to Good Morning America following the death of her brother Jansen. The Scream 4 actress, 33, was snapped donning a tan coat with white fur lining over a white blouse and black trousers on her way to the popular chat…

“For one thing we know beyond all doubt: Nothing has ever been achieved by the person who says, ‘It can’t be done.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

NOT AN EASY LIFE –  March 9, 2023 – Blake won a 1975 Emmy for his portrayal of Tony Baretta, although behind the scenes the show was wracked by disputes involving the temperamental star. He gained a reputation as one of Hollywood’s finest actors, but one of the most difficult to work with. He later admitted to struggles with alcohol and drug addiction in his early life. In 1993, Blake won another Emmy as the title character in, “Judgment Day: the John List Story,” portraying a soft-spoken, churchgoing man who murdered his wife and three children. Blake’s career had slowed…

ONE CHIP AT A TIME – Feb. 27, 2023 – Kirk gave up the lead on 18 after his second shot hit a stone wall and splashed down just feet from the floating Honda Pilot Trailsport (both players finished 14-under). He then won it on 18 (the first playoff hole) with a birdie. The win was Kirk’s fifth on the PGA Tour, first since 2015 at Colonial. The 37-year-old takes home $1.512 million and will go down as the last winner of the Honda Classic. The tournament is seeking a new title sponsor with American Honda ending its sponsorship after…

AND NOT TALKING TO NOBODY – Feb. 24, 2023 – “I just felt like I really couldn’t walk properly,” Fox told The Mirror on Friday of one particular episode. “I felt really unwell. Dizzy, and kind of distorted. I can visualize it, but it’s not easy to explain.” At the time, the social media star was living in Portugal, where doctors were baffled by her troubles. As her symptoms started to become more extreme, Fox flew to the UK to be looked after by her parents. “I got a taxi to the airport fine, but when I was in the…

A DRIVE THROUGH LIFE – Feb. 25, 2023 – “Considering the deleterious consequences of food addiction (e.g., obesity and depression), the risk factors leading to adults’ food addiction warrant examination,” said study author Hope Zhou, a PhD student at the University of Macau. “Understanding the psychological mechanism of food addiction from the perspective of life history may help evaluate and decrease one’s risks for food addiction. These results may yield a theoretical framework for the development of food addiction and practical insights for future food addiction intervention programs.” The new study was based on life history theory, which seeks to…

ALMOST IS KEY – Feb. 23, 2023 – Speaking to the Daily Star, Natalee, who was born in Puerto Rico to military parents, revealed how her older sister Niki, was her “best friend” growing up and that they “did everything together”. But the family’s life changed forever when Niki, an Air Force Medic, passed away in August 2008. Natalee said: “She just got mixed up with the wrong crowd of people and fell in love with the wrong guy and she got a drug addiction and it killed her and that was really rough on our family”. Recalling the day…

PERSEVERANCE FURTHERS – Feb. 22, 2023 – Prioritizing self-care is an important part of maintaining long-term recovery. Unfortunately, many of us find it difficult to practice self-care. Whether we struggle to prioritize it every day or feel self-centered, implementing self-care techniques post-recovery after attending our luxury rehab center in Hawaii is easier said than done. Nevertheless, there are many benefits of self-care for recovery and mental health. In treatment and recovery, you should consider creating a self-care routine to maintain your sobriety. The nice thing about self-care is that there are several practices you can experiment with. You can learn…

SO IS AFFECTION – Feb. 23, 2023 – The electronic cigarette, or e-cigarette, was invented by Chinese pharmacist Hon Lik in 2003. Inspired by the death of his father (a smoker) from lung cancer, Lik wanted to create a healthier alternative to smoking that would also make it easier to quit tobacco altogether. The e-cigarette he came up with—and what most people still use today—includes a small battery that heats up and vaporizes liquid that contains nicotine and other substances. You then inhale or “vape” that vapor into your lungs. Twenty years later, more than 70 million people vape worldwide,…

VIDEO – REACH ONE TEACH ONE –  Feb. 23, 2023 – “I have been in recovery for 16 years. I don’t think I would have ever found recovery or stayed in recovery had I not gone through a 12-month program. It does a lot of things but usually just the time the 12 months gives you time to break those bad connections, toxic relationships,” she says. Mims has also seen it through to the other side. “Recovery is a lifetime change. It’s a journey. At the beginning you need to define what your recovery is. Are you wanting to satisfy…

THE WORLDLY WAY – Feb. 23, 2023 – South Africa plans to roll out treatment for opioid addiction to all government health facilities by 2028, according to a draft of the country’s sixth HIV action plan. Read one person’s story of recovery here. Register for free to read article at: DailyMaverick

VIDEO – I CAN TASTE HIS PROUDNESS –  Feb. 24, 2023 – At a certain time in your life, you need to do something to help yourself. I did that. For me it was going to a detox, rehab and living in a sober house where I can learn the necessary living skills to be successful,” expressed Christopher Bland, Owner of Sober Chef Caterers. Chris Bland shared the joy of the moment with his mother, Sherrell Velasquez. She told 22News of the pride she has in her son for the way he’s tackled his addiction recovery, “I’m very proud of…

HALLOWED BE THY NAME – Feb. 24, 2023 – Within hours, Sheriff’s Detective Christian Wrather arrested Sam. “What I was praying to do turned out to be a beautiful dynamic,” Kincaid said. “Christian has been a part of it.” Sam, now 23, started his road to sobriety the day he was arrested. He was released from jail and started rehabilitation immediately. He’s been sober since then. He credits Wrather for being part of his success. “He saved my life by stopping the destructive task I was on, simply by the arrest,” Sam said. “Judging how this turned out, I think…

ONE PILL MAKES YOU PRETTY AND SOBER – Feb. 27, 2023 – The study was further carried out by the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California. They then started human trials for the drug. Their study involved 51 subjects who were assessed over 11 days after they went under treatment with this particular drug. Barbara Mason, a co-author of the study from the Scripps Research Institute team, told the Oregon Health and Science University Press, “Apremilast’s large effect size on reducing drinking, combined with its good tolerability in our participants, suggests it is an excellent candidate for further evaluation…

VIDEO – ANXIETY IS INTERNATIONAL – Feb. 27, 2023 – “Let’s say they have four friends, then suddenly we’re up to 20-30 young people taking them. And that’s just the ones we know about,” Ekmann said in an interview with Danish broadcaster TV2. According to Danish reports last year, the problem was even prevalent among children as young as 12 in the country’s western municipalities. They buy opioid pills either directly on the street, or through social media such as Snapchat and Tiktok. Experts say more youths in Denmark are abusing opioids because they take the pills both to get…

LIKE IT AIN’T BAD ENOUGH ALREADY – Feb. 28, 2023 – “When better coping skills are developed, there may be fewer temptations to try to manage anxiety symptoms and similar mental health challenges through vaping, as well as better refusal skills if offered an electronic cigarette,” said senior study author Dr. Rose Marie Robertson. “Increased priority on more positive behaviors to alleviate tension and manage anxiety symptoms may reduce the likelihood of vaping, possible addiction and the increased risk of negative health outcomes,” added Robertson, who also serves as the deputy chief science and medical officer of the American Heart…

THE PAINT AS DRY AS THE ARTIST? – March 1, 2023 – Fischl originally moved to New York City in 1978 and was part of the class of artists following the Abstract Expressionists, who he described as “super drinkers.” His own story of sobriety began in 1987, days after his show at the Whitney Museum, which he told me he was “incredibly drunk and stoned for.” Preceding Fischl’s decision to get sober, he said, was a fear “that I wouldn’t be funny anymore.” Many artists I spoke with elicited similar feelings of anxiety about navigating the social side of the…

KIND OF BLUE – March 2, 2023 – Wayne Shorter, an award-winning saxophonist, composer and bandleader has died. He was 89. Shorter died on Thursday surrounded by his family in a hospital in Los Angeles, his rep confirmed to PEOPLE. A cause of death was not revealed. “Wayne Shorter, my best friend, left us with courage in his heart, love and compassion for all, and a seeking spirit for the eternal future,” Herbie Hancock said in a statement. “He was ready for his rebirth. As it is with every human being, he is irreplaceable and was able to reach the…

SAVING TOM SIZEMORE – March 5, 2023 – His characters were often informed by their volatility: affable nihilism could explode into violence, which made him a natural player of bent cops and detectives, as believable in straight roles as in over-the-top variations, such as Oliver Stone’s Natural Born Killers. But his own personality bore many of those same traits. His career was sidelined repeatedly by addictions to heroin and methamphetamines, and his peripatetic drug-fuelled sex life led to repeated cases of domestic violence. In 1998, after starring as the criminal gangster boss John Gotti in the television film Witness to…

AUDIO – LISTEN UP – Feb. 27, 2023 – Caers shared intimate stories about growing up in Tongerlo, Belgium, the process of accepting and feeling accepted by his queerness, living with HIV and being bipolar and fighting a methamphetamine addiction. He then went on to discuss being sober for the past 10 years and finding joy in community service, particularly his work with Project Open Hand, where Caers says he currently volunteers for four hours each week in Tenderloin, San Francisco. “I’m going to tell a very personal journey,” Caers said in his opening line. “I will talk about challenges…

IT’S A GOOD START – March 1, 2023 – She added: “At the start of this journey there were times that I felt seriously awkward, especially in social situations, but with each month that goes by I feel much more comfortable with my decision and with myself and now it’s just my new norm. “At the end of last year a few months after cutting out alcohol, I felt much stronger mentally and decided to come off of my anxiety medication. Life happens and I know that there will still be ups and downs, but I feel really positive with…