VIDEO – SO GUILTY – Dec. 22, 2022 – The business conduct of addiction rehabilitation facilities was under the microscope this week as the State Commission of Investigation held a public hearing on illicit business practices and abuses in the industry. Wednesday’s hearing centered on testimony from Nicholas DeSimone, the owner of the Kingsway Recovery Center, an addiction treatment center in Mullica Hill. Click@YouTube
Author: Leonard Buschel
COOKING UP LOVE – Dec. 2022 – “Today marks two years since I last had alcohol,” Ramsay wrote on Wednesday. “Two years ago today I hit rock bottom, I was terrified. I certainly didn’t think I would be where I am today both physically and mentally. I’ve fought every day since to get where I am today.” Click@Insider
TAXES TRUMP QUITTING – Dec. 17, 2022 – Alcohol is one of the five most addictive substances according to many studies. Other drugs that typically make the inglorious list are heroin, cocaine, nicotine and barbiturates. Both heroin and cocaine are of course illegal in Canada. Barbiturates are a controlled substance. And products that contain nicotine are heavily regulated. Cigarette companies are banned from advertising their products or from sponsoring cultural events. Yet alcohol is totally normalized. Click@TheStar
WHAT A WAY TO GO 🙁 – Dec. 22, 2022 – In September, Melanie Ramos, 15, died from a suspected fentanyl overdose after taking a fake Percocet. Alexander Neville, 14, passed away from a fentanyl overdose in 2020 after taking what he thought was an oxycontin pill. Zachary Didier, 17, also overdosed in 2020 after buying fentanyl-laced Percocet on Snapchat. In 2019, Trevor Leopold, 18, died after taking what he believed to be oxycodone. While the data relating to overdose-related deaths would appear to indicate more teens are dangerous and taking illicit drugs, The Department of Health and Human…
ALCOHOLISM MEDICATION? – Dec. 21, 2022 – The patent follows the appointment of former Red Bull Canada executive Nicholas Kadysh as special advisor on the regulatory development of MEAI. Clearmind has been granted patent for MEAI-based alcohol substitute in Europe and India. Click@SeekingAlpha
TOO YOUNG! – Dec. 20, 2022 – The social media star had been candid with his followers about his history of drug abuse, which began when he was just 9 years old. “I mean, we’re talking Xanax, Aderall, marijuana, nicotine,” Noriego told podcast host Dave Portnoy, who replied, “Nine [years old], that’s crazy. I didn’t even know I was playing G.I. Joe when I was 9.” Click@PageSix
VIDEO ONLY – YOU CAN’T BE TOO CAREFUL – Dec. 19, 2022 – Staying safe during the holidays. Click@WTOK
CRIME PAYS – Dec. 20, 2022 – Wells Fargo’s yearslong mistreatment of its customers has resulted in another record-breaking fine and a warning that more restrictions on its ability to do business could soon follow. On Tuesday, the bank agreed to pay a $1.7 billion fine and another $2 billion in damages to settle claims that it engaged in an array of banking violations over the last decade that harmed millions of consumers, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said. The bank misapplied customer payments on home and auto loans, wrongfully repossessed some borrowers’ cars and homes and charged overdraft…
COOKING CRAB, NOT CRACK – Dec. 21, 2022 – This centre is dedicated to helping individuals with substance disorders to recover and reintegrate into society, and it is the biggest of its kind in Europe. Arianna Merlo is Vite’s restaurant manager as well as an ex-member of the San Patrignano programme. Like most of the restaurant’s workers, she joined the three-year course after developing an addiction to drugs. “I arrived here as an addict having already tried another pharmacological programme that didn’t work for me,” Merlo said. “In fact, half an hour after leaving that programme I immediately returned to…
WHATEVER WORKS – Dec. 22, 2022 – or the first time in the center’s 30-year history, a University of California, Riverside music researcher has captured the positive impact icaros play in men’s recovery. Ayahuasca, a plant-based psychedelic, means “vine of the dead” in Quechua, Perú’s primary Indigenous language. About 67% of participants who completed a nine-to-12-month program at Takiwasi Center, did not return to substance abuse, according to previous research cited by Graham and his colleagues. About 86% of patients showed statistically significant improvements on the Addictions Severity Index, an assessment tool used to evaluate substance abuse treatment. An…
CAREFULLY AND HAPPILY – Dec. 19, 2022 – 1. Make A Plan The best way to stay on track during the holidays is to have a plan in place. Know which events you will be attending and what you will be doing there. If there is an event that you know will be exceptionally difficult, it is best to come up with a strategy for how you will handle it. For instance, when it comes to events that you know will be harder to get through, it’s okay to bring your own beverage. It could be one that makes you…
INSANITY? – Dec. 22, 2022 – “There is something going on here that we, as a nation, are devouring drugs — prescription and illegal drugs at rates not seen in humanity — not seen anyplace else on the planet Earth,” said Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.). He wanted to know why. Cheryl Healton, founding dean of the School of Global Public Health at New York University and a witness at the hearing, replied: “That is a very difficult question. Why do we use drugs? Humans have been using mind-altering substances for —” Booker interrupted. “This is not a human problem,”…
“Living by principles is not living your own life. It is easier to try to be better than you are than to be who you are.” – Marion Woodman (1928-2018)
VIDEO – YOU OR YOUR NATION? – Dec. 9, 2022 – A recipient of the Order of Canada, that country’s highest civilian distinction, Maté’s work is recognized worldwide, with four bestselling books published in more than 30 languages. Click@ScheerPost
ONE HIP BLOKE – Dec. 20, 2022 – Oldman added that he isn’t entirely sure he’d even still be here if he didn’t give up alcohol. He then proceeded to list all the things he’s thankful for, like his wife, kids, grandkids, and amazing career. But I think sobriety, that moment where I knew that I was done with this, and I’m going to hopefully put it behind me – I think that’s the big one. Oldman’s openness about his struggle with addiction no doubt inspires many others to seek the help they need. He’s proof that there is…
THE HILLS ARE ALIVE – Dec. 19, 2022 – “So proud of you! With better decisions and prioritizing your brain health will always come a better life,” he wrote. Jason’s Laguna Beach and The Hills costar Kristin Cavallari also showed her support, commenting three muscle emojis, honoring Jason’s strength in overcoming his struggles. On The Hills: New Beginnings, Jason’s costar Spencer Pratt accused him of not actually being sober, which Jason and his wife took offense to. However, the three made amends at the end of the season during Spencer and his wife Heidi Montag’s wellness retreat. Jason’s journey…
KEEP CUMING BACK – Nov. 30, 2022 – “Whoever taught him needs some sort of award because it was mind-blowing,” she added. Kent marked her fourth year of being sober in October with an Instagram post featuring photos of her and her family. She wrote in the caption: “Today marks four years of sobriety. The weekend was full of love and support. Being present for my daughter… That part is priceless. I’m grateful and extremely humbled by each birthday that passes. But y’all, I am proud! Hell yes, Lala. You better work, girl.” Kent was previously engaged to US film…
AIN’T NO MOUNTAIN TOO HIGH ENOUGH – Nov. 28, 2022 – While in prison, Anderson spent a lot of time working out, as there wasn’t much else to do, he said. Now he describes fitness as a “constant” in his life. “Working out helps build confidence, self-esteem, self-discipline and grit,” he said. “I also saw how fitness carried over into other areas of my life because it paralleled the recovery process – if you can change the way you think, your options change.” Wanting to help others with what holds them back, Anderson received his personal training certificate and started…
DON’T LEAVE OR STAY AT HOME WITHOUT ONE – Nov. 30, 2022 – It’s important to take care of your fundamental needs daily — especially during times of high stress. For me, this means taking my medication, exercising, going to therapy, and prioritizing alone time. In the recovery community, there’s an acronym, HALT, which stands for “Hungry Angry Lonely Tired.” It’s often said that the best way to maintain your sobriety is to avoid those four feelings that often lead to irritability. And since you can’t always avoid those feelings, you need to establish healthy coping skills for when…
ROLL MODEL – Dec. 16, 2022 – The young star is of course referring to a since-deleted IG post in which she admitted to an overdose in November of 2021, after a psychiatrist “over-prescribed” her for panic attacks: “He gave me three milligrams of Xanax a day, so my body got dependent on Xanax number one, and number two I overdosed.” If you don’t remember the lengthy post, she pretty much claimed she felt like the COVID-19 vaccine led to a flare up of autoimmune diseases she “didn’t know” she had. She vehemently denied being an “anti-Vaxxer,” noting at…
SOMETIMES IT STARTS WITH A HANDSHAKE – Dec. 13, 2022 – Stan Webb’s decision to give up his life as a transient and to stop smoking crystal meth is the story of only one man’s recovery. But at a time when chronic homelessness in Hawaii can seem overwhelming, Webb’s decision to change his life offers hope. Today Webb is the lead volunteer at HNL Tool Library in Kakaako, a nonprofit that offers its members the chance to check out as many expensive tools as they want, the same way you borrow books at a library. “Stan is an awesome…
EVERY NICE TURN CAN TURN SOMEONE AROUND – Dec. 22, 2022 – “Whenever she got out, she’d give me a call and say, ‘Hey ma, can you go buy Goodwill and pick me up a purse, backpack, tote or something? I have been in here 45 days and they are just giving me a plastic bag to walk out with my stuff,’” stated Brusha. Michaels, according to her mom, felt more like she was walking around prison than rehab. She didn’t think made a good first impression. Hence the name of Brusha’s boutique: ‘Purse-Impressions’. She turned it into a charity…
EVERY DAY IS FATHER’S DAY – Dec. 18, 2022 – A Dublin dad-of-four who battled drug addiction for 20 years revealed how the thought of his beloved children pushed him to get sober. Barry Cullen, 40, said his life is “a million miles” from where it was as he celebrated five years of sobriety. He told Dublin Live: “All I wanted was my kids back. When I was at death’s door, I just kept thinking about my poor children. “I made a promise to myself when I was at the detox centre. I got this chance and I was going…
PERSEVERANCE FURTHERS – Nov. 29, 2022 – I would see that I did not meet the criteria for substance use disorder (SUD) and rationalize that I was overthinking. The problem was the more I restricted my drinking, the more intense my Friday nights became. I privately worried about the blackouts in my 40s that I rarely had in my 30s. On Nov. 3, 2021, the day I came back from Mexico, my worry was unavoidable. The quiet whisper that I should get curious about sobriety became a roar. To be clear, there was no rock bottom in Mexico. I…
AUDIO – HOPES TOO? – Dec, 26, 2022 – MANN: But public health experts say stigma in the health care system and strict government regulations mean 90% of people addicted to opioids never get these medications. Wang, who treats patients at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, says this denial of basic health care is a deadly holdover from the era when addiction was seen as a crime, not an illness. WANG: We were enacting a war on drugs and criminalizing drug use, and it was racist. MANN: Studies show people of color have the hardest time gaining access to…
ARRIVE LATE – LEAVE EARLY – Dec. 14, 2022 – “All are invited, not just Jewish people,” he said. “We accept people from all walks of life. The concept (is to welcome) people from any race, gender, orientation and everything in between.” JSC’s foundation is to celebrate sobriety through comradery and to prove that the absence of alcohol and drugs doesn’t mean the absence of community. But, not all who are involved with JSC are recovering from an addiction, Boxer said. Some who attended the first event — a pumpkin-carving party on Oct. 25 — simply wanted to find…
VIDEO – THERE SHOULD BE MORE LIKE IT – Dec. 12, 2022 – It’s estimated that up to 65% of the U.S. prison population has an active substance use disorder. When these inmates are released, studies have shown that many will return to using and be arrested again within a few years. Stephanie Sy recently visited a jail in Kentucky that’s trying to not only break that cycle but also save lives. It’s part of our ongoing series, Searching for Justice. Click@Thirteen
VIDEO – AMAZING INTERVIEW – Dec. 11, 2022 – He opens up about he was at a low point in life and was approached by Sugar Baggott, who later became his manager and convinced Jones to start a nightclub in Printers Alley in Nashville called ‘Possums Hollar.’ After a few months of being in that crowd, he was still hitting rock bottom, and one night he was not doing well enough to do a show. Baggott took him in the back and gave him some coke to get him to sing all night. “He said just sniff it and…
IT’S A FAMILY AFFAIR – Dec. 13, 2022 – “If anybody has ever dealt with someone with addiction, you know it has nothing to do with someone else,” Susan said when asked about the coincidence that both men started living sober after getting into relationships, according to THR. “They have to be ready,” she said Sunday. “If you can be a small part of creating an alternative world for them that says, ‘Hey, I’m here. If you are clean, great.’ But there’s no credit I will ever take other than basically saying, ‘Here’s what I need to have happen,’ or…
IT WAS A CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY – Dec. 12, 2022 – The MAT Act would eliminate the special Drug Enforcement Administration waiver that doctors must apply for in order to prescribe buprenorphine (a medication that helps reduce the craving for opioids). It would enable community health aides to dispense this medication as long as it’s prescribed by a doctor through telemedicine. And it would give the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration responsibility to start a national campaign to educate health care practitioners about medications for opioid use disorder. Reams of data have shown and addiction specialists agree that…