VIDEO – CRAZY FOR COCO PUFFS? – Jan. 30, 2023 – Gearhardt was a member of the group that devised the Yale Food Addiction Scale. The scale uses the same criteria used to diagnose substance addictions and applies it to highly processed foods, she said. Gearhardt suspects that ultraprocessed foods, which are high in fats, sugar and salt, tap into the brain’s reward system, triggering the release of dopamine, the same signaling chemical that makes people feel pleasure when they get enough food, have sex or use certain drugs. Another insidious component of these foods, she said, is that companies…
Author: Leonard Buschel
IT WILL SAVE LIVES – Jan. 31, 2023 – Sellers and traffickers of hard drugs, however, will continue to face criminal prosecution during the three-year pilot project. “The situation has never been more urgent,” Addictions Minister Carolyn Bennett told a news conference on the eve of the new rules taking effect. “The effects of this public health crisis have devastated communities across British Columbia and across Canada,” she said. When the measure was announced last May, she’d suggested it could be expanded to other provinces. British Columbia is the epicenter of a crisis that has seen more than 10,000 overdose…
VIDEO – LIVE TO EAT OR EAT TO DIE? – Jan. 31, 2023 – As participants increased their junk food diet by 10%, there was a 2% increased risk of developing cancer, the authors found, while also taking into account lifestyle behaviors including smoking, diets and exercise, as well as socioeconomic class and body mass index. “Although our study cannot prove causation, other available evidence shows that reducing ultra-processed foods in our diet could provide important health benefits,” Dr. Eszter Vamous, a study author, said in a statement, noting that the research “adds to the growing evidence” that processed foods…
VIDEO – IT’S COMPLICATED – Feb. 1, 2023 – The drug overdose crisis is killing on average 50 people a month in San Francisco each month and some see safe injection sites as part of the solution. These are places people can go to use their drugs under supervision – in case of an overdos. “What we know about overdose prevention sites is that when people use pre-obtained drugs, they do not die,” said Lydia Bransten, Executive Director, Gubbio Project. Vancouver, Canada, is home to the first safe injection site in North America established nearly 20 years ago. It has…
IF ONLY – Feb. 1, 2023 – But unfortunately, following a phenomenon that’s been replicated throughout the country, SSPs have been subject to constant legal threats. In 2019, the major cities of Orange County successfully sued to block a mobile SSP funded by the state, citing the litter of used syringes as a primary concern. The last needle exchange in Orange County was shut down in early 2022 after its permit was revoked on the grounds of a zoning violation. As a result, in Orange County there is currently not a single SSP. Cases like these constitute a crisis in…
VIDEO – TRYING ANYTHING – Jan. 31, 2023 – Another poster from the campaign, which features a gleeful group of drug users, advises to “take it easy” and “go slow” when using. “Use less at first to test the strength of your drugs,” one poster reads. “Injecting drugs carries the highest risk of overdose, so try smoking or snorting instead,” another poster reads. Other posters used by the campaign advise those who use drugs, as well as those who may be around drug users at the time of an overdose, on how to use naloxone – a medicine sold under…
VIDEO – AND IT’S EVERYWHERE – Jan. 29, 2023 – According to the state’s Office of Addiction Services and Supports, gambling is more accessible today than ever before to anyone, and that includes teenagers. Also, the National Council on Problem Gambling reports that when teenagers do gamble, they are at a greatest risk of developing addictions — more than any other age group. The National Council on Problem Gambling also says that the pandemic and easy access to online gambling have heightened risks for young adults. Click@SpectrumNews
NOT THEIR THUMBS – Jan. 30, 2023 – The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that children and adolescents (5-17 years old) get an average of at least 60 minutes per day of moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity. This should incorporate vigorous aerobic activities, as well as those that strengthen muscle and bone, at least three days a week. It’s also recommended that children spend no more than two hours a day on recreational screen time. These recommendations aim to improve children’s physical and mental health, as well as cognitive outcomes. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, physical activity among children and…
ONLY DRUGS CAN SAVE LIVES – Feb. 2, 2023 – “There’s still a lot to be learned for identifying the underlying cause of addiction and being able to address that with a specific target,” he said. “That limits the shots on goal. If you look at the number of targets, there just aren’t that many at all. If there were, maybe that would incentivize investors to get behind more of the novel targets. But we just don’t see many there.” The report suggests that, even though U.S. addiction deaths are hovering around their all-time high, drug companies and the investors…
GO TO THE MOVIES – Feb. 1, 2023 – These are not happily ever after stories – far from it, actually. The work that both Alice and Leslie have put in to get them to this point marks their beginning of making things right. It’s the beginning of the hardest part of alcoholism – facing life as it comes, free of the mind-numbing elixirs that they both relied on to cope with everyday life and the hardscrabble twists and turns that are unavoidable. It lasts for the rest of your time on this earth and is just one bad decision…
READING! IT’S GOOD FOR YOU – Feb. 1, 2023 – All the best bars are serving up a huge range of delicious mocktail options these days, and staying sober socially is now more accessible than ever – but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. While we’re all aware of the health benefits of cutting down on our alcohol consumption, as a society, there’s no denying that we’re still obsessed with drinking. If you’re sober curious, giving up drinking beyond Dry January might seem like an impossible task. However, the ‘quit lit’ genre is a relatively new category of books that’s helping…
“We emerge into the light not by denying our pain, but by walking through it.” – Joan Borysenko PH.D
MUSIC CAN HEAL – Jan. 26, 2023 – “In July of 2021, we lost our son Nic to a fentanyl poisoning,” Pagano said. Nic was a New Yorker who overdosed in Connecticut, where he’d moved for addiction treatment. Before he died, he told his parents he wanted to stay clean and become a social worker. Studies have shown that people in the LGBTQ community suffer higher rates of substance abuse, so Pagano used his music connections to plan a benefit concert to help people in the LGBTQ community pay for treatment.The money will go into a fund launched in Nic’s…
VIDEO – TEACH YOUR CHILDREN WELL – Jan. 21, 2023 – Following his death, people are now paying tribute to the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer for his generosity, especially the support he and his wife, Jan Dance, provided to the 47-year-old ‘Charlie’s Angels’ actress during a trying time in her life. In an interview with Howard Stern, Crosby recalled, “We knew her because we were in recovery at that time. We were going to meetings probably three times a week and totally sober.” The Grammy winner explained, “She was in a facility that was run by a…
ASK AN ALATEEN – Jan. 23, 2023 – On the other hand, the children also framed themselves as competent agents who developed effective coping strategies, such as trying to reduce their parent’s drinking and assuming the role of a “young carer.” A selective overview of Hagströma and Forinder’s results, broken down between Vulnerable Victim and Competent Agent, is provided below. In their life stories, the children understood themselves to be vulnerable victims. Parental alcoholism gave rise to various harmful experiences, including neglect of basic needs, verbal and physical violence, and sexual abuse by a family member. The participants struggled…
NURSING…A COCKTAIL – Jan. 23, 2023 – “I said goodbye to her every time she drank”: Brooke Shields’ revelation on her mother’s alcoholism. Click@ANINews
SAVE-A-LIFE-FOR-FREE – Jan. 23, 2023 – New Jersey’s government has held naloxone “giveaways” in years past. Since 2018, the state’s Department of Human Services has distributed around 186,000 two-dose naloxone kits. And last year, 54,000 of the kits were distributed, according to the press release. But until now, naloxone has been available through pharmacies only with a prescription, according to an email to Filter from the New Jersey Department of Human Services. Now, some pharmacies have already started to participate in the program, and the department is “working and encouraging more pharmacies to join so we will have widespread participation…
MAYBE! – Jan. 22, 2023 – Plus, drinking less could save you a bit of money. Of course, the potential benefits of transitioning to a damp lifestyle will depend on how much you were drinking beforehand – and remember the NHS guidelines are no more than 14 units a week, spread over three or more days. Click@HullLive
VIDEO – SAVE-A-NEW YORKER’S LIFE – June 24, 2022 – The NYC Office of Nightlife hosted a training session at Lucky Jack’s on the Lower East Side on Tuesday. Lucky Jack’s owner Meghan Joye said you want to be ready for anything. “You never know what’s going to happen in New York City,” she said. The NYC Department of Health is partnering on the project. Click@YouTube
WINNER – Jan. 24, 2023 – “I remember we were up the whole night and I looked over at him and I was like I can never drink ever again,” she said. “And I just knew that was it.” Gillian then turned her time and energy into starting a podcast about sobriety which has been a huge hit. “I just kept posting,” Gillian said. “And uploading every week and eventually a lot of people discovered it.” Research from the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism shows misuse is on the rise amongst women. Click@CBSNews
WHO CAN EVEN SIT STILL? – Jan. 23, 2023 – A seven-point scale was used to assess anxiety among 208 participants, with a score of seven representing extreme anxiety and a score of one being normal. In both the medication and the mindfulness groups, the average score after treatment dropped from a moderate level of anxiety to a mild level of anxiety. Both groups began the study with similar baseline scores (4.44 in the mindfulness group and 4.51 in the medication group.) By the end of the study, anxiety scores in both groups had declined to an average of 3.09…
VIDEO – MONKEY OFF THE MONKEY’S BACK – Jan. 25, 2023 – They found that blocking an enzyme, called CA4 in the brain, reduced cocaine-seeking behavior and relapse in the withdrawal phase. Click@KCRG
VIDEO – DOC DRUGS CAN KILL TOO – Jan. 24, 2023 – VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Richard Fee was destined to change the world, but after becoming addicted to a prescribed psychiatric drug, his life was cut short. News 3 met with Kathy and Rick Fee to talk about their son’s Adderall addiction, and how his story is now changing those in Hampton Roads. Click@WTKR
VIDEO – SNAPDEATH – Jan. 25, 2023 – On Aug. 15, 2020, Nicholas took his last breath after overdosing on a counterfeit pain pill made with fentanyl. “I was trying everything and anything I could to help him,” said Christal. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is now looking into Snapchat’s potential role in the continued sales of fentanyl and other illicit drugs. On Wednesday, an Orange County mother, Amy Neville, spoke to a congressional committee about how her son, Alexander, used Snapchat to obtain an illicit pill that eventually killed him. Click@KTLA
VIDEO – LIFE IS NOT SUFFERING – Jan. 27, 2023 – Dr. Humeidan is providing pain management alternatives with a program for cancer patients. This program sends patients home on a strict and constant 24-hour regimen of ibuprofen and acetaminophen to preempt the onset of pain. “The idea of being proactive with pain control rather than reactive is a very different way to think of things,” said Humeidan. “We’re really aggressive in starting [this regimen] before surgery and continuing that while they’re in the hospital. We’re able to control pain very well.” She says that non-opioid pain-management options can result…
VIDEO – RICHNESS OF SPIRIT – Jan. 27, 2023 – Forced to live on the streets because of addiction and job loss, Michael Allen finally hit a point where he wanted to change! Click@CBSNews
BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY – Jan. 24, 2023 – It was horrific, it was the worst thing in the world, what I saw,” said Smith (whose name has been changed to protect her identity) referring to her experience on ibogaine. Behind closed eyelids, she also witnessed wires in her brain being ripped apart, singed, and pieced back together like a puzzle. Under the watch of a nurse who kept an eye on her vitals, Smith’s body shot straight upright in bed then flopped back down before darting up again – all part of an ibogaine trip. She spent five weeks…
LIVE TO EAT? OR EAT TO DIE! – Jan. 23. 2023 – No one thinks “healthy” when they think “fast food.” However, there are some options that are definitely worse than others when it comes to heart health–and as far as sides are concerned, Dr. Dutta says it doesn’t get much worse than some deviously deliciously fried cheese curds. “Fried cheese curds are likely to be the most dangerous fast food items for your heart,” she says. This is the case for several reasons, but one of the biggest issues with fried cheese curds (along with many other fast food…
LAX REGULATION? – Jan. 25, 2023 – At an urgent care clinic, the doctor found more lumps under Isadora’s arms and in her groin. The doctor urged Emily to take her daughter to a hospital as soon as she and her husband returned home from visiting family. Back home in Porto Alegre in southern Brazil, Emily watched as doctors hurried her daughter through medical tests. The lumps had grown. That night in 2017, Isadora was lying on a stretcher beside Emily when a doctor told her the news. Isadora had an aggressive form of leukemia, a cancer that affects white…
SCHLEMIEL, SCHLIMAZEL, HASENPFEFFER INCORPORATED! – Jan. 30, 2023 – Cindy Williams, the energetic actress who appeared in a pair of Oscar best picture nominees before starring as the idealistic Shirley Feeney has died. “The passing of our kind, hilarious mother, Cindy Williams, has brought us insurmountable sadness that could never truly be expressed,” her children. @HollywoodReporter