HIGHER POWER LEATHER – Jan. 12, 2023 – Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on how the United Kingdom reacted to Demi Lovato’s latest stunt: Demi Lovato’s on-again, off-again, relationship with God blew up when authorities in the United Kingdom banned a poster for one of her albums on the grounds that it was anti-Christian. This is remarkable given the fact that Christians are now a minority in this thoroughly secular nation. In August 2022, Lovato released her eighth album, “Holy Fvck,” but only now did she accompany it in the U.K. with a poster depicting her as Christ crucified…
Author: Leonard Buschel
BOYS WILL BE KINGS – JAN. 8, 2023 – Paul said Harry spent about an hour with him and two other addicts, talking in great detail about his life. He said that at times he had to “pinch myself” that it was really happening. He added: “I was a senior resident at the centre at the time which is why I think they chose me. I think Charles wanted him to be alone and talk to real addicts about how bad drugs are. “He did not even have his security people in the room at the time. I said my…
WHOOPS! – Jan. 11, 2023 – After his arrest, Robinson told investigators that he sold methamphetamine in ounce or pound quantities. He admitted he bought pound and kilogram quantities of methamphetamine from at least three different suppliers on a regular basis. He paid $6,000 per pound of methamphetamine, which he sold for about $700 per ounce. According to court documents, Robinson has four prior felony convictions for drug trafficking in California from 1999 through 2003. He was released to parole in 2005 and discharged from supervision in 2008. Click@Justice
VIDEO – CASEY JONES YOU BETTER WATCH YOUR SPEED – Jan. 13, 2023 – Officers say during their surveillance, they saw Hagedorn speeding and pulled him over. They say it took several commands for him to roll down the window, and he refused to get out of the car. Police say he starting rolling the window back up, and put a book under his seat. They say after more commands, he stopped rolling up the window and got out of the car. Officers say they could see meth crystals in the driver’s seat, and found a glass pipe and…
HORROR AMID THE HORRORS – Jan. 7, 2023 – Over a matter of weeks, Tracey McCann watched in horror as the bruises she was accustomed to getting from injecting fentanyl began hardening into an armor of crusty, blackened tissue. Something must have gotten into the supply. Switching corner dealers didn’t help. People were saying that everyone’s dope was being cut with something that was causing gruesome, painful wounds. “I’d wake up in the morning crying because my arms were dying,” Ms. McCann, 39, said. In her shattered Philadelphia neighborhood, and increasingly in drug hot zones around the country, an…
TAKE THAT DR. MATÉ – Jan. 9, 2023 – The pandemic was a collective, global trauma. Even if you were lucky and navigated the last few years without losing loved ones, a job or becoming ill, the experience of living under lockdowns, the uncertainty of a dangerous virus spreading through the world and the curtailment of freedom was a lived trauma. It’s a loss we all carry. Some people have responded to that grief in incredible ways. They have started businesses, new relationships, and even social movements. It turns out there’s a term for this — and some helpful…
VIDEO – THAT DESERVES A WHAMMY – Jan. 9, 2023 – “I believe we never stop growing and searching to find ways to do anything that improves not only our lives but also for all those we love,” he continues. “None of this is easy and it wasn’t meant to be. We constantly have to work and dig deep into every aspect of ourselves to stay clean and sober.” He wraps up the personal video stating, “To those of you on this same journey, I send my unconditional love. And to those of you who are about to begin,…
GOOD COP, BETTER COP – Jan. 10, 2023 – The Center for Family Life and Recovery (CFLR) and members of the Utica Police Department traveled around Utica Tuesday to spread “Erin’s Light” while delivering care packages to those struggling with homelessness and addiction recovery. Erin’s Light is an initiative that encourages family members, friends and others to reach out to those dealing with drug addiction to provide support and let them know there’s always hope for recovery. “My hope is to touch another human being who is either suffering, actively, from addiction or people in recovery, to make them…
TEMPORARY HAPPINESS – Jan. 13, 2023 – …but the differences are telling: The big one for me starts with the fact that you need to eat in order to live, but you don’t need cocaine, heroin, or alcohol to live. Among other things, this impacts treatment options. When you have a food addiction, you can’t abstain from food. You need it to sustain life. Two other differences between food and drug addiction relate to tolerance and withdrawal. In drug addiction, tolerance is needing more and more of a substance to gain the same effect. This rarely, if ever, happens with…
VIDEO – LIA MARIE, NOT LISA – Jan. 7, 2023 – The YouTube personality who skyrocketed to fame on the viral YouTube channel The Fine Bros., has had fans “in tears” after releasing a heartfelt confessional that details a long history of drug addiction, domestic violence, and recovery since becoming an explosive internet sensation at the age of 14. Johnson shared details about her highly scrutinized personal journey that she said hoped would “clean the slate” for a new chapter of her life. “This story is so hard to tell because I have so many beautiful memories, but the other…
MAD SCIENCE – Jan. 11, 2023 – Compulsive drug addiction is characterized by persistent drug use regardless of negative consequences surrounding a user’s addictive behavior. Epidemiological studies have revealed individual differences among users during the development of drug addiction. Neuroscientists have recognized the insular cortex to be involved in a spectrum of drug addictive behavior. Interestingly, smokers with insular cortex damage can undergo smoking disruption, allowing them to discontinue smoking. However, implications of the insular cortex during compulsive drug seeking behavior remain unknown. The insular cortex is a complex anatomical hubris in the mammalian brain, which includes an anterior insular…
QUALITY NOT QUANTITY – Jan. 13, 2023 – I’m a recovering alcoholic, and I lost my father to alcoholic liver disease six and half years ago. I’m also a former nurse who worked in mental health and addictions. As you can imagine, this gave me a unique perspective on alcohol and health problems. I quit drinking when I was 42 years old, and by then, I had racked up a host of health issues that were most definitely mediated by alcohol. For at least a decade before I quit, I had headaches, joint pain, severe depression, extreme fatigue, poor…
“I’ve been through a lot of stuff.” – Lisa Marie Presley, Feb. 1, 1968–Jan. 12, 2023
COME BACK PARENTHOOD KID – Jan. 2, 2023 – “Eventually, he couldn’t hide it from her any longer and he had to come clean. She was nothing but supportive and there’s no blame or anger on her side – just love, care and determination to get through this together,” a source told Us Weekly exclusively in October 2020. “Her heart aches for Dax after what he went through with his dad, and she’s beyond proud of him for turning his life around whilst openly addressing his demons head-on.” Following his candid revelation, Shepard thanked Bell and his podcast cohost, Monica…
VIDEO – NOT A PRETTY PICTURE – Dec. 29, 2022 – In a chance meeting with Global News near Main and Hastings in October, Coulson explains how he’s snorting government-issued drugs through a straw as he waits to get into treatment. “I’m so lucky this last time. Six months ago when I overdosed, that was it. It was final and it scared the living crap out of me and I don’t want to go back there,” he said. “I really don’t want that anymore. I just want to be me, which was crack a few cold ones after work.” When…
YEP, MANY PEOPLE ARE MESSED UP – Jan. 4, 2023 – Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) released the results of its annual National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), which shows how people living in America reported about their experience with mental health conditions, substance use, and pursuit of treatment in 2021. The 2021 NSDUH national report includes selected estimates by race, ethnicity, and age group. It is the most comprehensive report on substance use and mental health indicators that SAMHSA has released to date.…
VIDEO – WIN WIN LOSE LOSE – Jan. 5, 2023 – Six years later, with millions harmed, the CDC emphasizes that its guidelines should never be used for an “inflexible, rigid standard of care” and “patient abandonment.” However, if you read the fine print, that is precisely what I see the CDC advocating for. The original guidelines came about from a lethal combination of bureaucratic arrogance and do-goodery, with the organization foolishly trying to stop substance abuse by making prescribing more difficult and, thus, the drugs more challenging to acquire on the black market. According to the Journal of Pain…
VIDEO – EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE – Jan. 4, 2023 – In 2016, before most people had heard about ketamine for depression, her therapist recommended a clinic near where she lived in Raleigh, North Carolina. “I said, ‘Yes, when and where?’” she said. “I was so desperate to feel better. I thought trying something is better than not trying anything at all and end up taking my own life.” Ebberts said each 45-minute infusion felt like a dream, in which she saw vibrant colors and shapes. After she underwent three treatments in one week, she said, something started to shift. “I…
MIRACLES ARE MADE OF GRACE – Jan. 3, 2023 – “To be able to spend the day with my mum was very special. “I wanted to relax for the day before my 5.30am wake up call for 1st day back for @dancingonice #dancingonice #dancingonice #dancingonice2023 “And mummy to relax before she gets the kids ready for school for a while… Thank you @champneysspas #champneystring for looking after us both. #happy #family #spa #gifted #joy #healthy.” The post comes days after Michelle looked back on where she was two years ago after being admitted to hospital “not for the first…
HOW COULD IT NOT? – Jan. 3, 2023 – At the beginning of the study each 12-year-old participant was asked how many times they checked their social media feeds each day. Those who checked their socials 15 or more times a day were classified as habitual users. Non-habitual users checked social media less than once a day, while moderate users were in the middle. Over the next three years the participants underwent annual MRI scans during which they played a game designed to trigger brain activity in regions associated with social feedback responses. The striking findings revealed those children with…
PINOT PEER PRESSURE – Jan. 2, 2023 – Sobriety is having its moment. “Sober-curious” or “mindful drinking” are now familiar phrases; Sober October and Dry January are popular trends. Whereas problematic drinking used to be hushed or relegated to the edges of polite conversation, confined to anonymous meetings often held in church basements, abstaining from alcohol is increasingly destigmatized. But it still requires a willingness to go against the grain. The country singer-songwriter Margo Price published an essay in GQ in March 2021 about her decision to quit drinking after one too many stressors caused by the pandemic, including her…
VIDEO – EACH ONE TEACH ONE – Jan. 1, 2023 – The New Year often means a new start for some, and one St. Augustine woman who overcame drug addiction wanted others addicted to substances to do the same. Cameron Jewell is the founder of Project Liberation, which is a substance abuse support group for all ages. Jewell said starting an online support group for people who want to get off drugs has been a dream of hers for years since becoming sober, and she wanted it open to all ages because she started doing drugs when she was…
FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES – Jan. 2, 2023 – The chief of staff to Alberta’s new premier and key advisor on the United Conservative Party (UCP) government’s addiction and recovery file, Smith spent four years on the streets of Vancouver struggling with addiction. In the years before he hit his downturn, Smith was working in the BC Attorney General’s ministry where he developed a reputation as a “pretty effective organizer.” It wasn’t long until he was invited to join then-BC Premier Gordon Campbell’s team at the legislature. Smith says he had a normal, good upbringing. And he drank like any…
ADDICTIONS ARE FASCINATING – Jan. 4, 2023 – I was a nice Jewish girl finishing my master’s program who’d just landed a coveted (albeit low-paying) editorial assistant job at a top magazine. Why was I risking my safety for this middle-of-the-night excursion? I had seen no choice, since I’d unexpectedly run out of my daily dose and couldn’t find anybody closer who had any to share, loan or sell me. I used to buy dime bags in Washington Square Park blocks away — until somebody sold me oregano and I realized there was no Better Business Bureau to take…
IT’S ALL IN YOUR HEAD – Jan. 6, 2023 – The approval of the drug, lecanemab, to be marketed as Leqembi, is likely to generate considerable interest from patients and physicians. Studies of the drug — an intravenous infusion administered every two weeks — suggest it is more promising than the scant number of other treatments available. Still, several Alzheimer’s experts said it was unclear from the medical evidencewhether Leqembi could slow cognitive decline enough to be noticeable to patients. Even a recent report of findings from a large 18-month clinical trial, published in the New England Journal of…
ONCE UPON A TIME… – Jan. 6, 2023 – The power of story to eliminate stigma! Smith’s negative experiences in health care settings led her on the path to becoming an occupational therapist. She hopes to help people navigate life without misusing substances after they leave inpatient treatment, rehab or incarceration, and also advocate for the rights of people with substance use disorders.While in grad school, Smith came across work from Sally Wasmuth, an assistant professor of occupational therapy at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis. Part of Wasmuth’s work focuses on reducing stigma in medical settings toward people who use…
ALL THE RIGHT MOVES – Jan. 3, 2023 – Nashville, Tennessee-based Integrative Life Network gains a new state market through the deal. It also extends its “evidence-based trauma-resolution modalities” to Shadow Mountain Recovery Centers’ patients.Shadow Mountain Recovery Centers operates in four New Mexico cities. It offers outpatient and detox services in Albuquerque, women’s residential services in Santa Fe, and men’s residential services and men’s detox services in Taos and Rio Rancho, respectively. The organization is also in-network with several insurance companies including Blue Cross Blue Shield plans, Aetna, Cigna Corp., Magellan Health, and the military health plan Tricare for outpatient…
AUDIO – ADDICTED TO PODCASTS – Jan. 6, 2023 – Dr. Anna Lembke, psychiatrist and author, explains when too much pleasure-triggering dopamine upsets the delicate balance of pleasure and pain our brains need to feel “normal,” which can lead to long-term pain and addiction. In today’s dopamine-filled world, here’s how keep that balance in check. Click@WKNO
TASTIER THAN FAKE NEWS – Jan. 4, 2023 – “Like clockwork, after indulging between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve, people look for ways to be healthier when the new year rolls around,” says author Hilary Sheinbaum whose The Dry Challenge: How To Lose The Booze For Dry January, Sober October, and Any Other Alcohol-Free Month was published by HarperCollins. According to Sheinbaum, cutting out alcohol “can be easier to commit to and more appealing than a generic [resolution] to lose weight or be healthier for a year.” According to YouGov, one in five Americans took part in “Dry January”…
Jan. 8, 2023 – Adam Rich, a former child actor who starred in the hit television series “Eight Is Enough,” died on Saturday at his home in Los Angeles. He was 54. Danny Deraney, Mr. Rich’s publicist, confirmed the death. On its website, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner did not immediately list a cause. Click@NYT