BUSINESS AS USUAL – Feb. 21, 2023 – It is not the first time NIAAA has been scrutinized for its relationship with the alcohol industry. In 2018, the institute terminated the study meant to show that moderate alcohol consumption may be safe and lower the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Alcohol producers partly funded controversial research. NIAAA is part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), the primary government agency responsible for biomedical and public health research. According to the NIH website, NIAAA conducts and supports alcohol-related research, collaborates with institutions and organizations engaged in alcohol-related work, and more. Click@HealthNews
Author: Leonard Buschel
VIDEO – IT’S COMPLICATED – Feb. 23, 2023 – Alex Murdaugh addressed his drug use, financial problems, and hiring a man to kill him. Click@WLTX
NOW WHAT? – Feb. 22, 2023 – For a forgotten moment, at the very start of the United States’ half-century long war on drugs, public health was the weapon of choice. In the 1970s, when soldiers returning from Vietnam were grappling with heroin addiction, the nation’s first drug czar — appointed by President Richard Nixon — developed a national system of clinics that offered not only methadone but also counseling, 12-step programs and social services. Roughly 70 percent of the nation’s drug control budget was devoted to this initiative; only the remaining 30 percent went to law enforcement. Click@AddictionRecoveryeBulletin
VIDEO – HAS IT EVER? – Feb. 20, 2023 – Police to crack down on public drug use; are more arrests key to ending drug crisis? Click@YakTriNews
WHEN IS IT NOT SUICIDE? – Feb. 22, 2023 – The more lenient the psychiatrist is when his patient is late, the later the patient comes, leading to an inevitable situation where the psychiatrist cannot see the patient that day which leads to both being angry. To rephrase, the psychiatrist’s leniency has inadvertently led to both he and the patient being disappointed, frustrated, and angry. I learned this in a case where my patient committed suicide. “Ms Zee” was in my private care for 3 years. She complained of depression and was frequently very anxious. I acquiesced to her demands…
VIDEO – WATCH IN WONDER – FEB, 22, 2023 – PIX11 News drove to Philadelphia to get a first-hand look at the effects of xylazine, an animal tranquilizer that is turning fentanyl addicts into “zombies.” Click@YouTube
WHO IS THE REAL PRINCE? – On March 4, 2023 – This event, to be produced by Random House in partnership with Barnes & Noble, Waterstones and Indigo Books & Music as the exclusive bookselling partners, will also feature an introduction by Barnes & Noble/Waterstones CEO James Daunt. All participants will also have the option to additionally purchase Dr. Maté’s The Myth of Normal. Guests will be asked to register via Eventbrite to purchase a ticket where they will be prompted to submit a question which could then be selected and answered live. Click@PrinceHarryMemoir
VIDEO – DRUGS CAN KILL ANYONE’S DAUGHTER, EVEN A KING – Jan. 30, 2023 – Presley’s mother Priscilla, 77, recently contested “the authenticity and validity” of her daughter’s will. According to court documents seen by The Post on Jan. 27, Priscilla filed in Los Angeles Superior Court to challenge an amendment made in 2016 that ousted her as a trustee. Priscilla also asked a judge to declare the allegedly fraudulent amendment invalid and noted reasons why it could be deemed as fake. The documents state that Presley executed a revocable living trust on Jan. 29, 1993, which she then amended…
VIDEO – IT DOESN’T STAY DARK – Feb. 23, 2023 – Hale took to Instagram on Valentine’s Day to talk about the importance of “self-love” and revealed that she recently celebrated 12 months of sobriety — which she commemorated with a special cake. “Bear with me, this is an alternative Valentine’s Day post,” Hale wrote, alongside the photo of a sprinkle-covered cake with the words “1 Year!” written in icing. “This is a post about self-love and about the greatest thing I’ve ever done.” Hale explained, “On January 2, 2023, I celebrated one year of sobriety.” One of my best…
HE WILL ALWAYS BE REMEMBERED FONDLY – Feb. 22, 2023 – Strawberry last played in the major leagues in 1999 with the Yankees. In February 2000, Strawberry tested positive for cocaine and was suspended for the entire season by the former commissioner, Bud Selig. The ban effectively ended Strawberry’s baseball career. A year after serving the suspension, Strawberry opened up about his struggles and how he resorted to alcoholism to escape his feelings. “Dealing with the effects of childhood abuse and how it affected me in so many [ways]. Drinking became a part where I just escaped from it and…
NO TURNING BACK, UNLESS… – Feb. 22, 2023 – How do they keep us addicted? They rely on dopamine—the “reward hormone.” Like Pavlov’s dogs, we anticipate a reward when we hear something associated with it, like a notification sound, and respond accordingly. Dopamine levels can be twice as high when anticipating a reward as when actually receiving it. And dopamine is involved in our ability to focus, plan ahead and decide on actions. So controlling our dopamine means controlling our behavior. Psychologist B.F. Skinner showed that unpredictable rewards are more addictive than predictable ones. He gave mice treats for pressing…
“The mind can also be an erogenous zone.” – Raquel Welch, Sept. 5, 1940 – Feb. 15, 2023
VIDEO – HOPING THEY WIN BIG – Feb, 14, 2023 – TEANECK, New Jersey (WABC) – The family of a Hackensack man who died of hypothermia after he was found outside the rehabilitation center where he was staying is suing the facility. Exactly a year ago 61-year-old George Foster suffered a stroke while living at the Teaneck Nursing Center. He was last seen inside the facility on the night of February 14, 2022. Early the next morning staff found him on an outside patio unresponsive. It was 15 degrees outside, according to the family’s attorney. Click@ABC7NY
AIN’T TOO BRIGHT – Feb. 16, 2023 – A new TikTok trend is sweeping college campuses across America and it’s certainly turning heads. The new “BORG” trend, which stands for “blackout rage gallon” is a new fad on the popular video-sharing social media platform that promises a “hangover-free’ drinking experience and, allegedly, a harm-reduced way to drink. But like many trends on TikTok, is there any actual validity to these claims or is it just the latest in a string of trends that could be more harmful than anything else? Click@Healthline
SWEET! – Feb. 12, 2023 – As myths have evolved over cocoa’s several thousand year history as a food, so too has the scientific pursuit to understand how it may influence our health. Cocoa contains lots of bioactive compounds called flavanols, which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. In recent years, studies have shown the flavanols in cocoa can help improve blood flow and lower blood pressure. Back in 2018, a company that manufactures chocolate and cocoa products, Barry Callebaut AG Switzerland, petitioned the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to allow the use of a health claim on labels, pointing to…
RECOVERY HERO – Feb. 19, 2023 – Justin Bourne is not one to live only in the shadows of his father, famous four-time Stanley Cup winner, Bob Bourne, but Justin does sympathize with his father, who like Justin, struggled with alcoholism. Justin’s new book, Down and Back: On Alcohol, Family, and a Life in Hockey, shares the good and bad on a journey that takes so much courage to fight every day (for the rest of your life). With his most prized possession by his side, his family, Justin takes it day by day and victory by victory. Being a…
ONE ZOMBIE AT A TIME – Feb. 14, 2023 – EU drug enforcement chiefs believe that Mexican cartels are seeking to expand their billion-dollar empire beyond American shores, putting Europe’s untapped market in their crosshairs. Although similar fentanyl warnings in the past have never come to fruition in the UK, concerns are now ramping up. Dealers are already mixing the drug, 100 times stronger than heroin, into batches of cocaine sold on British streets, addiction experts told MailOnline. Dr William Shanahan, medical director of the Priory Hospital, best-known for treating celebrities battling addictions, called it a ‘very worrying development’. Click@DailyMail
GETTING OFF THE MAT – Feb. 12, 2023 – “Last few months I’ve been filming my #AddictionRecovery process. From getting out of rehab to living in a recovery home, dealing with homelessness to building @3Legacies and getting life back together. Click@eWrestlingNews
VIDEO – NEVER TOO OLD TO SOBER UP – Feb. 7, 2023 – He’s the voice many Hawaii Islanders have known and loved since 1979. Even when DJ Kahikina – real name Tommy Ching, and formerly called The Polynesian Pirate – hasn’t been working on air, he’s consistently been a voice at many community events. “I’ve been working with the Hawaii Island Food Basket since 2000. Even though I left radio, they said, ‘You can’t stop helping us!’ I help so many. I did the Kupuna Hula Festival for over 20 years, supporting senior citizens. I do a lot for…
MOM DIED TOO – Feb. 10, 2023 – Though her father, Michael Kuch, stated Brandy died due to addiction, now, Superintendent of New Jersey’s Central Regional School District Triantafillos Parlapanides claims that she died by suicide due to the affair Michael had with his current wife, Sarah Kuch. There is only a little information regarding Brandy. Michael has previously stated that Adriana’s mother died tragically in 2016 after battling addiction, as per Daily Mail. In an obituary note shared on Eguisobits, it states, “Her parents, Randy Taylor and Donna (Turner) Taylor, welcomed their daughter Brandy Jean Kuch into the world…
VIDEO – GOOD INTERVIEW – Feb. 2, 2023 – At the height of Ryan Phillips’s fame and game prowess he was arrested for importing a large amount of marijuana into the United States over the Canadian border. Phillips was incarcerated and detained and then, later, upon his release, prohibited from re-entering the US for life by Homeland Security. In 2012 Ryan was granted access as a humanitarian back to the USA. He started to really focus on doing good in the world and his efforts were reciprocated, to say the least. He found happiness finally after twelve long years. Since…
PANTS POCKET OR DESK? – Feb. 15, 2023 – Fear of being without your smartphone even has a name – this is known as nomophobia – which stands for NO MObile PHone PhoBIA. martphones fuel internet addiction because they can be used anytime, any place, anywhere. Use of a smartphone allows access to social networking, playing video games online, and allows for internet surfing and scrolling the net. Also, it gives access to gambling, gaming and sexual behaviour sites. Affects mood, and salience (being noticed – on the internet you become invisible) and can result in social withdrawal within your…
FREE ADVICE – Feb. 14, 2023 – As the author of five best-selling books on addiction and recovery, Mr. Foster brings first-hand knowledge and advice on traveling the road of recovery. In addition to his insight developed over many years of sobriety, Mr. Foster never shies away from sharing his own “war stories” about life in the trenches as an alcoholic and drug addict. “Like my books, my podcast doesn’t focus on sadness and tears. Rather, it focuses on growth and hope,” states Mr. Foster. “A big part of my recovery is acknowledging the absurdity in some of the…
AUDIO – LEGALLY TOXIC – Feb. 14, 2023 – That’s grower Ed DeSousa, and the virus he’s referring to is called hop latent viroid, a plant-specific pathogenic RNA that’s been called the greatest threat to the cannabis industry across the country. It can easily spread undetected, suck the potency out of plants and destroy the commercial value of crops. Nick Masso of Indo Labs, a cannabis testing facility outside Boston, says by the time growers notice the signs, they have just one option. NICK MASSO: Destroy everything. You cannot recover from hop latent viroid. Click@NPR
VIDEO – THE DEVIL? Or Victim of Disease? – Feb. 15, 2023 – Tests were administered and it was determined the child had an alcohol serum level of 149 mg/dL which is equivalent to .149 BAC. The child was diagnosed with acute alcoholic intoxication and hypothermia. The child’s grandfather confirmed with police that he left the child with Dena while he went to work that morning, and he was gone all day. He said he returned and found Hobbs and the child asleep in the bedroom. After the child’s grandfather and Hobbs were not able to wake up the child,…
YES MAYBE NO PERHAPS – Feb. 16, 2023 – Risks associated with substance abuse include dangerous driving, missed work, problems with depression, anxiety, health and money problems. Yet people with addictions seem to experience a sort of myopia, getting in deeper and deeper to cope with unpleasant emotions and to feel good, regardless of the cost. Research has clearly established that psychosocial and environmental factors play a role in the development of substance abuse disorders. But there is more to the story, and now functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies are highlighting the importance of biological factors, in particular how…
GOOD ADVICE – Feb. 16, 2023 – Alcohol misuse is defined as when someone’s drinking becomes harmful, or they become dependent on alcohol. While it might have negative effects on the drinker, they are not the only ones affected, as it can have an incredibly damaging impact on the entire family. Children can lose their sense of safety and security. Things such as their schoolwork and friendships can suffer because they often blame themselves for what is happening at home. That’s why it’s so important that children living with an alcohol dependent parent have the opportunity to speak up, so…
SWEET IRONY – Feb. 17, 2023 – After corresponding for about a year, Herold and the Foltz family met recently outside of Columbus at the high school where Stone Foltz graduated. Herold was honest in sharing his alcoholic past when the families met. “It’s part of my past. I can’t just dust that off. It is what it is. I accept it. Am I proud of it? No, but I’m not going to hide from it,” Herold said. He was appreciative the Foltzes held nothing against him and were happy he was alive. Foltz, a 20-year-old sophomore, died of alcohol…
VIDEO – SOBRIETY AND A WHOLE LOT MORE – Feb. 14, 2023 – Why does Partnership to End Addiction focus on supporting the parents and close family members of those struggling with addiction? Because study after study shows that when families are involved, outcomes are better. Recovery is a process of change. People in recovery learn new ways to improve their health and wellness and to reach their full potential. However, it is truly a process where each person decides how to seek help, work through a substance use problem or a mental health challenge in their own unique way.…
BEHIND THE LOOK – Feb. 16, 2023 – The 27-year-old then went on to talk about her life before sobriety, admitting, “I used to be drunk all day every day. I used to drink almost a bottle of Tito’s a day. I honestly never thought I could do this. I never thought I would be able to not drink. This is wild man.” In another Tweet, the 27-year-old went on to say, “Since my sobriety, I have EVOLVED and I’m so ready to be back in front of a camera.” Burnett also recently opened up about her recent autism diagnosis,…