SAFETY FIRST – April 24, 2026 – On-site illicit drug use would be grounds for eviction, though legal substances like alcohol and marijuana would be accepted. “Why is this even controversial?” Jenkins asked. “Why are we debating this? This is common sense. This is what the people of San Francisco deserve.” Jenkins said people should not be relegated to subpar living conditions in drug-infested, violent environments. “We have an obligation, as city leaders, to save lives,” Jenkins said. “That’s what this will do. … This should be passed unanimously.” Mandelman said permanent supportive housing was well-intentioned but has largely failed.…
Author: Leonard Buschel
VIDEO – CLEVER TO DEATH? – April 24, 2026 – Hattie Underwood is a recovered alcoholic and she told 5 Live’s Naga Munchetty how she used delivery apps to “anonymise” her alcohol consumption. WATCH
GOOD FOR BUSINESS – April 24, 2026 – The sober living homes market is gaining significant traction as more individuals seek structured and supportive environments for recovery. With evolving treatment approaches and increasing demand for tailored services, this sector is set for notable expansion in the coming years. Below, we explore the market size, key players, emerging trends, and segment breakdowns that define this growing industry. Projected Market Size and Growth Prospects in the Sober Living Homes Market The sober living homes market is expected to experience robust growth, reaching a valuation of $10.71 billion by 2030. This expansion is…
VIDEO – MUSICAL INTERLUDE – Featuring Dave Mason, Mick Fleetwood, Sammy Hagar, Michael McDonald and John McFee, Tom Johnston & Pat Simmons from The Doobie Brothers. WATCH
STICK WITH THE WINNERS! – April 28, 2026 – Sherri Lewis aka Sherri Beachfront, lead singer of the ’80s pop duo Get Wet was discovered by Lou Reed at the legendary club Max’s Kansas City and featured in Andy Warhol’s Interview Magazine. Signed to Neil Bogart (Casablanca Records, Donna Summer, The Village People, Cher, KISS) to head up his new label Boardwalk Entertainment (Ringo, Joan Jett). Q. If you are in recovery, what was your drug(s) of choice and when is your sobriety date?A. I am 41 years sober May 15, 1985!Q. Is there anything special in your sobriety toolkit that…
AUDIO – NO COMEDIES – April 21, 2026 – 1955 brought the two-hour film “The Man with the Golden Arm” starring the notable Frank Sinatra. This highly controversial film focuses on the story of a heroin-addict named Frankie who struggles to stay off drugs after leaving prison. The film points out the immense struggle of curbing addiction, but also reflects societal ideas of that era that stopping addiction could come from sheer willpower. Like all movies, before it could be released it had to be reviewed by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), which gives movies a seal of…
BUSTED! – April 27, 2026 – Twenty-two Sri Lankan monks returning from Thailand were arrested at the main international airport with a record 242 pounds of powerful cannabis. “Each carried about five kilos of the narcotic concealed within false walls in their luggage.” The monks were young students from temples across Sri Lanka on a holiday sponsored by a businessman. Read More
NOW WHO GOES TO JAIL? – April 19, 2026 – In May 2024, Breanna Esparza died behind bars from a fentanyl overdose just hours before she was to be released on May 29, 2024, according to a recently filed wrongful death suit. She left behind a 14-year-old son, who is now being cared for by his grandparents. “She had been asking for mental health help or some kind of counseling and they never gave it to her,” said Esparza’s father, Jesus Esparza. “My biggest fear was that someone was going to find her dead on the street. I thought she…
EMINEM IS LEGAL! – April 21, 2026 – Eminem is celebrating 18 years of sobriety. On Monday, April 20, the “Lose Yourself” rapper, 53, shared a photo on Instagram of himself wearing a 90s-inspired D-Nice To tha Rescue T-shirt while holding a new coin to mark the special milestone. The words “to thine own self be true” had been inscribed on the coin’s outer edge and “unity, service, recovery” was written around a triangle with the number 18 etched in Roman numerals inside. “XVIII,” Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Bruce Mathers III, captioned the post. The “Without Me” rapper…
VIDEO – WHAT CAN WE DO? – April 23, 2026 – “Dilworth Center continues to see significant numbers of our patients having taken synthetic opioids. Fentanyl is a known problem that we have been dealing with for years. Cychorphine, it’s one of the newer synthetic opioids available in the black market. The concern is that this drug is approximately 10 times stronger than fentanyl. We’re already seeing overdoses in Tennessee, in South Carolina. If an overdose is suspected call emergency services immediately and administer naloxone. Because of the drug’s extreme potency multiple doses of naloxone may be required.” “And if…
VIDEO – WAS THE REHAB IN ISRAEL? – April 20, 2026 – Nacua entered the rehab facility at some point in the offseason before he was sued in March by a woman who claims he made an antisemitic statement and bit her on the shoulder on New Year’s Eve. Nacua bit her and left teeth marks on her shoulder when they were in a van together, and she claims Nacua also bit her friend’s thumb.Nacua’s attorney, Levi McCathern, has strongly denied Nacua made any antisemitic statements and describes the bites as “horseplay.” Nacua issued a public apology last December after…
MISTAKES CAN HAPPEN – April 16, 2026 – According to ABC 7, Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky was indicted for second-degree manslaughter by a grand jury for the fatal surgery, which occurred in August 2024. Prosecutors alleged that the botched operation led to “catastrophic blood loss,” resulting in the death of a 70-year-old man. The senior citizen, who hails from Alabama, came in expecting the removal of his spleen. Instead, Shaknovsky removed his liver, with the man dying on the operating table. The patient’s widow revealed his identity to NBC News as Bill Bryan. For the deadly mistake, Shaknovsky was detained on…
A HEROINE FOR OUR TIME – April 20, 2026 – ‘I had woken up, as often happened, with no memory of the night before. I was in the middle of a huge theatre tour,’ she said. ‘Then I looked around and realised that my husband – then boyfriend – was watching me and he threw a newspaper on the bed.’ The front page showed a paparazzi photo of her …‘leaning over the bonnet of a car shouting at someone and pointing’ – an incident she had no recollection of. ‘The bathroom door of his flat had been pulled off its…
WISH IT WAS TRUE – April 18, 2026 – Opioid addiction has shattered countless American lives. A near-perfect cure could be miraculous and podcaster Joe Rogan recently said it’s within reach. “With one dose of Ibogaine, more than 80% of people are free of that addiction.” Ibogaine is a psychedelic medication derived from the Iboga shrub found in Central and West Africa. When taken in large amounts, it causes hallucinations that can last more than 24 hours and cause cardiac problems. The Trump administration’s new executive order directs federal agencies to make psychedelic drugs, including ibogaine, more available to researchers…
FOR BETTER OR WORSE – April 23, 2026 – Some psychedelic drugs, once considered fringe, are getting a step closer to possibly being approved for use as mental health treatments in the United States. The Usona Institute, which has been studying psilocybin for major depressive disorder, said the voucher “accelerates FDA review to approximately one to two months.The FDA also is allowing an early-phase clinical study of a drug based on the psychedelic ibogaine as a potential treatment for alcohol use disorder to move forward. It’s the first instance in which the agency has allowed a clinical study in the…
SHINING STARS – April 22, 2026 – Hollywood is known for its pitch-perfect glamourous side but unfortunately there are some stars who have been hit with a darker reality; alcohol addiction. So, this Alcohol Awareness Month, let’s honour the actors and actresses who turned their struggles into strength. List of famous faces who have battled alcohol addiction. It’s difficult to believe but Barrymore’s alcohol addiction began at age of 9, when she was introduced to Hollywood nightlife. The 51-year-old actress experienced periods of sobriety and relapse over the years. However, the 50 First Dates actress in 2019, made a life-changing…
“Chew your drink, and drink your food.” – Mahatma Gandhi, 1869–1948
STRONG AND DRUNK? – April 10, 2026 – A man set himself the bizarre challenge of lifting weights and drinking beer every day for 90 days – this is what happened. By now, we’re all well aware of the downsides which consuming alcohol has on our bodies. Hangovers, reduced libido and numerous issues affecting your liver, digestive system and cardiovascular health. But what if you were to balance out your drinking habits by exercising every day –would that make drinking less damaging to the body? It was this premise which one YouTube creator set out to investigate. In a video…
DISCOVER UNCOVER DISCARD? – APRIL 10, 2026 – Kaitlyn Line, a Peak Undergraduate Research Fellow, participates in immersive research and internship experiences toward understanding a devastating societal challenge and barriers to resolution. The ArtSci Scholar of the Year presents at the National Conference on Undergrad Research April 13-15. Substance abuse resulting in addiction, says Utah State University social work scholar Kaitlyn Walker Line, is a downward, hard-to-escape spiral. “People initially make a choice to try alcohol or illegal drugs, or to abuse a prescription medication,” Line says. “But over time, the substance rewires a person’s brain structure and function. Addiction…
FOR THE 1% AND THE INSURED – April 10, 2026 – The Grove Estate is expanding access to addiction treatment services in rural Indiana, addressing a persistent gap in care availability for individuals living outside major metropolitan areas. The development reflects a broader national trend in which patients seek structured, residential care options closer to or within underserved regions. More information about its programs is available at The Grove Estate. Indiana recorded 2,682 drug overdose deaths in 2022, a mortality rate of 41 per 100,000 that exceeds the national average, according to the CDC. Fentanyl accounted for nearly 67% of…
LOTS TO FEEL – April 10, 2026 – In a world where many suffer silently, Can You See Me? Is There Anyone There? breaks that silence with courage, compassion, and unfiltered truth. In this deeply personal memoir, Latoya Pemberton shares her journey through childhood abuse, teen motherhood, addiction, incarceration, and ultimately, spiritual awakening and recovery. From the opening pages, readers are drawn into a little girl’s desperate longing to be seen, loved, and protected. What unfolds is not just a story of survival, but an intimate exploration of what happens when a child grows up without safety, when pain becomes…
VIDEO – POOCH AT WORK – April 10, 2026 – Eight people are facing charges after investigators say they were running large-scale fentanyl packaging mills inside residential buildings in the Bronx and Washington Heights. An NYPD K-9 was exposed to narcotics during a major drug bust this week. Eight people are facing charges after investigators say they were running large-scale fentanyl packaging mills inside residential buildings in the Bronx and Washington Heights. Authorities seized more than 40 kilograms (roughly 90 pounds) of fentanyl during three separate operations carried out Wednesday. Officials say the drugs have an estimated street value in…
HONEST TO A FAULT? – April 11, 2026 – “When I tell people I have anal cancer, I’m like, ‘It is what it is,’ ” Eileen McGill Fox said while speaking to the Tampa Bay Times. “Let’s talk about vulvas and anuses and cervixes. Let’s remove the stigma and the shadow language for dealing with it. She learned that her husband had cheated on her — and it led to a years-long challenging journey with multiple cancers. Fox immediately visited her health care clinic for an STI screening and was relieved to learn that she tested negative for syphilis, gonorrhea…
AUDIO – POISON AT RALPHS – April 14, 2026 – “What is not so well-known is that diet also has a significant impact on musculoskeletal health,” said Dr. Thomas Link. Muscles store fat in two ways: in “streaks” of fat that sit between healthy muscles, called intermuscular fat, and in droplets stored in muscle fibers, called intramuscular fat. Everyone, regardless of weight or physical ability, has some of both types, but you typically won’t find thick streaks of intermuscular fat in extreme athletes, said Christopher Fry, co-director of the Center for Muscle Biology at the University of Kentucky. The difference…
ONE PUCK AT A TIME – April 14, 2026 – In an effort to break the ice with Chris Pronger ahead of our conversation for the release of his book, Earned: The True Cost of Greatness from One of Hockey’s Fiercest Competitors, I thought a good opener would be to give him a chance to tell everyone he is the newest general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs. His response began with a belly laugh. “I am currently not the new general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs,” he said. Currently?! While Pronger didn’t share much beyond that when it…
AUDIO – SCIENCE MAY ONE DAY DO SO… – April 14, 2026 – Ketone esters are synthetic compounds designed to raise the level of ketone bodies in the blood without requiring fasting or a strict ketogenic diet. Ketones are alternative energy molecules produced naturally by the liver when carbohydrate intake is low, especially during fasting or prolonged exercise. The rationale behind the study stems from how alcohol changes the brain’s metabolism. People who drink heavily adapt to using acetate (a byproduct of alcohol) for brain energy instead of glucose. When a person stops drinking, the sudden lack of acetate creates…
HYMNS FROM THE CHURCH – April 15, 2026 – “Twenty-five years clean and sober,” says Bates. “I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that there is no way I could have ever stayed clean without God! So, above all, I hope and pray that this album of hymns brings my Heavenly Father all the honor and all the glory He so richly deserves!” The 12 track project was inspired by the hymns of Bates’ upbringing and the faith that guided him out of darkness. The album also features gospel standards sent through generations. The record represents themes of hope,…
JUST BRAIN CELLS – April 15, 2026 – “Your dad argues that diet soda is good for him because it kills grass – if poured on grass – so, therefore, it must kill cancer cells inside the body,” Oz said on Triggered with Don Jr, the president’s eldest son’s podcast. Oz then described a recent moment onboard Air Force One. “You know, we were on Air Force One the other day, and I walk in there because he wants to talk about something, and he’s got an orange soft drink on his desk. He’s got a Fanta on the desk,”…
AUDIO – A MEMOIR – April 16, 2026 – Some memoirs seek to comfort. Ken Rideout’s Everything You Want Is on the Other Side of Hard seeks to awaken, and for the most part, it does. It opens with brutal impact and bone-deep fatigue. A runner slams into the hard Mongolian desert during an ultramarathon, drenched in sweat, heart pounding. This is not a tale of gentle healing. Far from it. It’s about pressing on when stopping would be easier. Rideout grew up outside Boston in a world where chaos felt normal and safety was never guaranteed. This was Boston…
BAD HEALTH CONDITION – March 26, – The current study aimed to estimate the percentage of US adults who disagree or do not know that addiction is a health condition. Close to one-quarter (23.0%) of US adults either disagree or do not know that drug or alcohol addiction is a health condition. This includes 17.0% of US adults who strongly disagree or disagree that addiction is a health condition…A nationally representative sample of US adults was recruited from Gallup’s probability-based panel. A total of n=5250 (out of n=12,500 invited) responded to a web-based survey including questions about beliefs about drug…