APOCALYPSE NOW? – Nov. 2, 2022 – When it comes to opioid outpatient treatment, the highest rate per 100,000 population is greatest in Manhattan and the Bronx, and there are estimated 30,000-plus methadone patients in New York City, according to state data. The Bronx has 11 methadone clinics sited throughout the borough — the highest of any of the NYC boroughs. In March 2020, the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration loosened restrictions on take-home doses of methadone, as patients who met certain criteria could be classified as “stable” and could be eligible to take home either…
Author: Leonard Buschel
DO SEAT BELTS SAVE LIVES? – Nov. 1, 2022 – The record achieved by OnPoint NYC, the nonprofit agency that runs the two supervised narcotics consumption sites in New York City, is being cited by advocates who contend such programs have demonstrated they can help reduce what has been a growing toll of fatal overdoses in both New York and the nation. Data released last week by the state Department of Health revealed New York experienced a 14 percent increase in 2021 overdose deaths involving opioids over the prior year. In the counties outside New York City, a region that…
VIDEO – NOT ON PURPOSE – Nov. 1, 2022 – Ashli Landrum and Douglas Anglin, both from Frankfort, Kentucky, stole the truck on Old Dublin Road near Recovery Works in Mayfield. The sheriff’s office says they abandoned the semi in Fancy Farm and went to a local business, where they asked for a phone to contact their family in Frankfort to come and get them. This isn’t the first time the facility has run into trouble. The Graves County Sheriff’s Office says it received a call last Thanksgiving about an active home invasion. A patient allegedly left the facility…
WISDOM OF THE ELDERS – Nov. 1, 2022 – After five years of active addiction, Clayton applied for a spot at a local inpatient rehabilitation center. In the four months it took for a bed to become available, he lost custody of his kids, contact with his family and the roof over his head. He was living in a homeless shelter when he got the call that ultimately would save his life and give his children their father back. “If it wasn’t for the recovery center, I would be dead today,” the 34-year-old Clark says of his time at Choctaw…
VIDEO – BUT IT’S LEGAL – Nov. 3, 2022 – Drug overdoses and the opioid epidemic have devastated the country for the past two decades, taking far too many lives. But alcohol use and abuse is a huge problem that far gets less attention. As John Yang reports, a new study documents just how big a toll it is taking on American lives. Judy Woodruff: We know that drug overdoses and the opioid epidemic have risen dramatically over the past few decades, causing one — hundreds of thousands of deaths. But alcohol use and abuse is a huge problem as…
NOT A STROKE OF GENIUS – Nov. 2, 2022 – Writing in the American Academy of Neurology, doctors said the risk of stroke increased the more years people reported moderate or heavy drinking. As part of the study, participants were asked how many days a week they have a tipple, as well as how much they drink. Those who consumed 443.6ml (15 ounces) a day were considered moderate or heavy drinkers. More than 1.5 million people were included in the study, with a total of 3,153 having a stroke. CLICK FOR MORE
MORE WILL BE REVEALED – Nov.1, 2022 – In it, Perry writes about his famous past relationships and his time on the hit sitcom that made him famous around the world. However, Perry also explores his widely publicised addiction to alcohol and painkillers, which have resulted in him visiting rehab 15 times, and a number of near-death experiences. Here are seven of the biggest revelations from Perry’s memoir… Addiction plays a large part in Perry’s memoir, with the actor writing that at his worst moment, he would take 55 strong painkillers a day to get through filming. CLICK FOR MORE
COKE ADDS LIFE? – Nov. 4, 2022 – “Femsa, which bottles Coca-Cola in Mexico, has enormous power,” says Alejandro Calvillo, director of Consumer Power, a campaigning association. “It operates more than 20,000 Oxxo convenience stores across the country, as well as gas stations and many other businesses. “The regulation is very difficult to implement,” Calvillo says of the Oaxaca policy, adopted by nearby Tabasco. “It was primarily about sending a message.” Gradually, however, it all found a way back in and the stores have returned to their normal stock. “The children are our future but we are going to have…
DR. FEEL GOOD, REAL GOOD – Nov. 4, 2022 – Labor is the medical director at OneEighty, a treatment center that offers inpatient and outpatient chemical dependency and behavioral health services in Wooster. Her program, “The Addictoholic Deconstructed: Addiction 101” will explain addiction in a way that is easily understood by a layperson and clinical folks, said Kyle Clark, prevention education director for the WCESC. “She understands the science, how easily things can fall apart and what recovery looks like,” he said. Her book takes a look at addiction from multiple perspectives. The disease process is explained in easily digestible…
WHAT CAN’T SHE DO? – Nov. 2, 2022 – After more than a decade away, Rona decides to return to the wld Orkney Islands where she reconnects with the dramatic landscape where she grew up. While there, memories of her childhood merge with more recent challenging events that have set her on the path to recovery. The memoir of the same name won the 2016 Wainright Prize and the 2017 PEN Ackerley Prize and was a Sunday Times top ten best-seller. The film also stars Emmy nominee Paapa Essiedu (I May Destroy You) and BAFTA winner Stephen Dillane (Alex Rider)…
LIFE GOES ON, FOR EVERYONE – Nov. 6, 2022 – The Backstreet Boys singer wrote that he “always held onto hope, that (Aaron) would somehow, someday want to walk a healthy path and eventually find the help that he so desperately needed.” “Sometimes we want to blame someone or something for a loss. But the truth is that addiction and mental illness is the real villain here,” Nick continued. He concluded: “I will miss my brother more than anyone will ever know. I love you Chizz., now you get a chance to finally have some peace you could never find…
VIDEO – COPS CRACK THE CASE – Nov. 1, 2022 – Prosecutors allege that Gogic and others used “meticulous planning” to transport cocaine to Europe from Colombia through U.S. ports, using commercial cargo ships. “Members of the conspiracy loaded the commercial cargo ships at night near the coast and ports, working with crewmembers who would hoist loads of cocaine from speedboats that approached the ships at multiple points along their route,” prosecutors wrote. The defendants allegedly loaded the drugs using nets and the ship’s cranes. Once the cocaine was onboard, the crew would hide it within shipping containers, prosecutors…
NO SHAME IN ASKING – Nov. 3, 2022 – As a Marine veteran and retired Manasquan police officer, I had to come to terms with my own struggles with substance use disorder more than six years ago. I know personally when you commit yourself to serving others, it’s extremely difficult to ask for help yourself. Military personnel and first responders often exist in a world of trauma, and though many understand this when entering the career, that does not mean we are necessarily more prepared to deal with the reality of what we encounter on a daily basis. Unfortunately,…
IT’S COMPLICATED & SIMPLE – Oct. 28, 2022 – In his new memoir “Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing,” Matthew Perry opens up about overcoming his drug and alcohol addictions – a decades-long struggle he attempted to hide from family, friends and co-stars. Treatment centers and sober living facilities have helped him in his road to recovery, he told the New York Times earlier this week. In Alcoholics Anonymous, he sponsors three members, but he isn’t sold on the anonymous aspect of the program. “It suggests that there’s a stigma and that we have to hide,” Perry told the…
LET THERE BE LIGHT – Oct. 31, 2022 – In times of uncertainty, Windham tells herself that she “will die” should she take even one sip of alcohol. “And that’s OK,” she says, assuring us that the tactic — though seemingly hyperbolic — works for her. “Like, that’s how low I have gotten a few points in my sobriety.” During the Season 15 premiere of “RHOC” — Windham’s second and last — she revealed that she struggled with addiction. “I don’t know if it’s divine intervention. I don’t know,” she said in the episode, which aired in October 2020.…
WHO KNEW? – Nov. 3, 2022 – The Who drummer knew he needed to change his ways if he wanted his life to continue, which made Moon decide to stop drinking alcohol. However, after years of being physically addicted, it wasn’t a straightforward exercise, and he took clomethiazole pills to help with his withdrawals. Following an argument with his partner Annette Walter-Lax, according to his postmortem, Moon consumed 32 clomethiazole pills mixed with alcohol which caused his death. He was under strict doctors to not take more than three daily pills. As much as Moon wanted to get sober, his…
DEMOCRACY! WHERE WOULD BE BE WITHOUT IT? – Nov. 7, 2022 – In 2022, it’s mostly Republican congressional candidates who’ve made the drug crisis a focus of their campaigns. But they’re not zeroing in on overdose deaths or a lack of addiction treatment options. Instead, GOP candidates across the country have seized on the influx of the ultra-potent opioid fentanyl, using it to bolster their arguments about law enforcement, crime, and border security. Fentanyl is a highly powerful synthetic opioid that, in recent years, has permeated the U.S. drug supply, leading to a dramatic rise in overdoses. It’s not…
VIDEO – FAIRY TALES DO COME TRUE – Oct. 30, 2022 – The charities leading the Taking Action on Addiction Campaign, along with others, are working across the country delivering life changing work to help people recover and move forward. “They are here for you. So please ask for help. I know this was not a choice. Recovery is possible.” Led by The Forward Trust alongside a number of charity partners, the Taking Action on Addiction campaign aims to reframe existing perceptions of addiction, build awareness of the causes and nature of addiction, improve understanding, reduce prejudice and enable more…
GREEDY MONSTERS – Nov. 2, 2022 – A combination of the growing numbers of people buying illegal opioids, and the ubiquity of fentanyl have driven up overdose deaths in the US to unprecedented levels. In 2020, 92,000 people died of drug overdoses. Opioids accounted for nearly 70,000 of those, up from 50,000 in 2019. Estimates for 2021 put overall overdose deaths at 103,000, with at least 82,000 tied to opioids. The costs of such a monumental crisis are hard to estimate. The most recent estimate from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says the crisis cost over…
BENZENE at CVS & WALGREENS EVERYWHERE – Nov. 1, 2022 – Benzene is a chemical that can cause cancer in humans. Long-term exposure to high levels of benzene can lead to cancers such as leukemia and cancer of blood-forming organs, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In addition to aerosols, the chemical is often found in common household products like detergents, paints, furniture wax and glues, and exposure can occur through the skin, orally or through inhalation. “Based on an independent health hazard evaluation, daily exposure to benzene in the recalled products at the levels detected in…
VIDEO – STRETCHING THE SOUL – Oct. 28, 2022 – Daffner said his recovery process was long, trying many times to get clean and never feeling fully prepared. But nearly nine years ago, something clicked when he began practicing yoga regularly in an inpatient treatment facility. “What I didn’t like about (yoga) when I first got started, but was really grateful for down the road, is that it was mandatory,” he said. “I was kind of at the end of my rope, so to speak, and was just like, ‘Whatever, this is kind of stupid, but I’ll try it. At…
“I am a strong, black lesbian woman. Every single time I say it, I feel so much better.” – Brittney Griner
THE BEST THERE IS – Oct. 25, 2022 – Basu had no intention of forcing Price into speaking about his battles with alcohol abuse that led the goalie to enter the league’s Player Assistance Program before the start of the 2021-22 season and admit himself into a rehab facility. “I just kind of said, ‘Listen, I don’t know if this is out of bounds, but if you’d like to talk about what happened last year and going into the program and what led you to that, I think you’ve already helped a lot of people by admitting that you…
VIDEO – INTERVIEW WITH A WRITER – Oct. 24, 2022 – “From the very beginning, alcohol was very bad for me,” Rice says in her video. “For years I was an episodic drunk, then, after a considerable length of time, I became what I would call a steady drunk. I still managed to be very successful at life. I wrote ‘Interview with the Vampire’ and got drunk at night . . . I wrote ‘Feast of All Saints’ and managed to get drunk in the evenings afterwards. I don’t know that I’d be alive today if I’d kept up the…
VIDEO – REALITY AT ITS BEST – Oct. 24, 2022 – Before she went to bed, however, she also posted a lighthearted “tribute” to sparkling water on her Instagram Stories. “Thank you for making [four] years of sobriety f**king fantastic,” Lala wrote over a photo of several cans of Perrier water on her nightstand. “Thank you for calming my nerves. Thank you for helping me through tough days. Thank you for helping me get buckwild. I love you.” On a more serious note, Katie Maloney also applauded Lala in her own Instagram Stories post. Sharing a glam photo montage…
MEMOIRS ARE HIP – Oct. 2022 – Q. What inspired the book? “To try to make sense of how the worst day of my life became one of the best days of my life. I often understand something best through the process of writing about it.” Q. What surprised you in the process? “How one thing in my life led to another, including parts of my life that I haven’t thought about in decades and almost seem like they had happened to a different person.” Q. What do you want people to take from it? “That you don’t need to…
AUDIO – THE BUZZ THAT KILLS – Oct. 24, 2022 – Tristen Nash went into cardiac arrest while having a seizure. Both appear to be due to withdrawal from alcohol. Both Kevin & Tristen decided to quit drinking together cold turkey after the WWE Hall of Famer discovered his son had “four or five beers, unbeknownst to me” while he was taping a recent podcast. The elder Nash said Tristen had some recent alcohol-related “incidents”, including being hospitalized earlier this year for alcoholism. “The seizure caused a cardiac arrest. He was basically dead in his room on the floor…
NOT IN HIGH SCHOOLS! – Oct. 26, 2022 – CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – Stores in Ohio will soon be selling a drink that is available in less than a dozen other states. The beverage company announced on Wednesday that after requests from drinkers, “Hard MTN Dew” will be available for purchase in Ohio. The alcoholic version of Mountain Dew contains 5% alcohol and comes in several different flavors. Before the announcement that the drink will be distributed to Ohio, Hard MTN Dew was only available in nine other states. more@Cleveland19
A ROSE IS ROSE IS A ROSE – Oct. 26, 2022 – The terms, of course, mean functionally the same thing. But in the field of addiction medicine, the question presents something of a crisis. Even as drugs and alcohol claim 200,000 lives each year, many who seek addiction treatment are greeted by the harsh, stigmatizing labels that many Americans don’t think twice about: Words like addict, alcoholic, junkie, abuser, or worse. Even as the nation’s substance use crisis has escalated, however, new research has emerged showing that simple word choices can have a big impact on the way health…
BACKING IS HIGH – Oct. 24, 2022 – Measures to legalize recreational marijuana are on the ballot in five states in next month’s election, including four red ones. If they pass, it will mean nearly half of all states will have legalized it. Most of those states have legalized it via ballot initiative rather than through their legislators — a reflection of how touchy this issue remains for elected officials. At the same time, the response on the right to Biden’s move has been muted — even as Republicans pursue a tough-on-crime message in the 2022 elections. It mirrors…