AUDIO – GOD WILLING – Sept. 15, 2022 – Nearly one million Americans are addicted to methamphetamine, or meth as it’s called on the street. Of those, nearly 16,000 regular users are between the ages of 12 and 17. And when it comes to overdoses, the numbers have tripled between 2015 and 2019, the last year for which we have data. One of the doctors using the new treatment as part of a study in his emergency room is Dr. Thomas Robey. He’s an emergency doctor at Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett, Washington, one of only four sites using…
Author: Leonard Buschel
AUDIO – NEIGHBORLY LOVE – Sept. 15, 2022 – Record numbers of people in the U.S. are dying from drug overdoses, more than 100,000 deaths a year. And now, public health experts here are watching a controversial experiment underway in Canada. It aims to keep drug users alive, not by curing their addiction but by helping them get high more safely. NPR addiction correspondent Brian Mann reports. BRIAN MANN, BYLINE: Ann Marie Hopkins takes me down a street in Ottawa, Canada’s capital, where dozens of people lie on the sidewalk. ANN MARIE HOPKINS: We do have quite a lot…
THREE HOTS AND A FEW STEPS – Sept. 16, 2022 – The CARE Act, in short, runs counter to the evidence-based, person-centered care that activists have been fighting for. Many have cited peer-reviewed studies that show people remanded into court-ordered treatment facing high mortality risks. Supporters of the legislation, like Newsom, contend that it will help the 100,000 or so unhoused people currently living in California, by allowing loved ones, first responders and judges to draw up one-year treatment plans that could be extended for two years. There will be penalties, including the possibility of a conservatorship, for those who…
AND CLEAN HOUSE – Sept. 21, 2022 – The city of Huntington argues that it is a municipal corporation of the State of West Virginia and has specific statutory jurisdiction over matters such as zoning and building and fire codes. Huntington zoning codes limits the number of unrelated persons in a family/household unit to not more than five unrelated people; however, Lifehouse referred to at least one property as a single-family dwelling and stated it “would not be rational to classify the property as something other than a single-family use.” Lifehouse requested the city waive any limitation on the…
AUDIO – STREET OF DREAMS – Sept. 23, 2022 – But since turning his life around following a stint in The Priory rehab centre in 1998 he says his life has been full of “wonderful things”, including the fact his two daughters have never seen him drink. And he’s enjoying being able to act out on stage “all the excesses” of his nightclub owner character in the musical Rock of Ages “without any of the consequences”. Kevin says of the part: “I play Dennis Dupree, who owns the club and he’s a very lovable reprobate. He is the master…
DOES CASH EVER MAKE A DIFFERENCE? – Sept. 23, 2022 – The Biden administration is keen to show it is taking action on a worsening nationwide opioid crisis, which according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data fueled more than 107,000 drug overdose deaths in 2021, a nearly 15% increase from the previous year. “Our nation is facing 108,000 overdose deaths in just 12 months. That’s one life lost every five minutes around the clock,” said Dr. Rahul Gupta, director of National Drug Control Policy at the White House. “The Biden-Harris administration is announcing several key investments…
IS EVERYBODY CRAZY? – Sept. 23, 2022 – It’s a startling passage in the prologue of “Strangers to Ourselves,” but like so many of the stories in this intimate and revelatory book, the truth of it is real but incomplete. As an adult, having written a number of stories about people in extremis for The New Yorker, Aviv has come to “question whatever basic feelings existed in me before they were called anorexia.” Her medical records failed to present a “coherent picture” of why she stopped eating and drinking, but that didn’t stop the doctors from issuing diagnostic proclamations. “The…
MIRRORED BALLS STILL A MUST – Sept. 22, 2022 – Moran, now 23, has been signed to new management and has a new perspective on life. She just released her latest single, “Too Hot to Be Hungover” — which she called a “universal anthem” that reminds her of that morning last August — and is ready to be the pop star she’s wanted to be since she began making YouTube videos as a child over a decade ago. “I knew what I had to do to make my life better — I had the key, but for some reason I…
VIDEO – ONLY SOLUTION TO REDUCE OVERDOSE DEATHS – Sept. 21, 2022 – In his speech before the UN’s General Assembly, Petro said definitively that the “War on Drugs has failed,” according to a translation. He added that another one million Latin Americans will die as a consequence of this policy, and that “they will fill our lives with blood.” “The War on Drugs has lasted 40 years. If we do not correct the course, and this continues another 40 years, the United States will see 2.8 million die of overdoses [from fentanyl], which is not produced in our Latin…
THE DRAMA KING – Sept. 16, 2022 – “The very values of a society are traumatizing for a lot of people,” says Maté, who argues in his book that “psychological trauma, woundedness, underlies much of what we call disease.” He says healing requires a reconnection between the mind and the body, which can be achieved through cultivating a sense of community, meaning, belonging and purpose. Maté also discusses how the healthcare system has harmfully promoted the “mechanization of birth,” how the lack of social services for parents has led to “a massive abandonment of infants,” and how capitalism has fueled…
VIDEO – I THOUGHT GOD’S DIDN’T DIE – Sept. 24, 2022 – The sound Mr. Sanders drew from his tenor saxophone was a force of nature: burly, throbbing and encompassing, steeped in deep blues and drawing on extended technique to create shrieking harmonics and imposing multiphonics. He could sound fierce or anguished; he could also sound kindly and welcoming. He gained wide recognition as a member of John Coltrane’s groups from 1965 to 1967 and went on to a fertile, prolific career, with dozens of albums and decades of performances. more@NYTimes
I THINK THEREFORE I AM THE I AM – Sept. 23, 2022 – The researchers contrasted people’s estimates of how much they would enjoy just sitting and thinking with their actual experiences of doing so in a series of six tests involving a total of 259 individuals. In the first experiment, participants were asked to estimate how much they would like to spend 20 minutes alone with their thoughts without being permitted to engage in any distracting activities, such as reading, moving about, or glancing at a smartphone. People indicated their enjoyment of it afterward. The researchers discovered that respondents…
BUT THEY WILL ANYWAY – Sept. 20, 2022 – Prescription medications have been making headlines recently, with many common drugs currently facing shortages. Sometimes, however, something other than a supply chain issue makes doctors reluctant to pull out their prescription pads. “The worst thing about being a doctor is having to prescribe medications that really aren’t effective, and have very bad side effects,” Tonny Benjamin, MD, tells Best Life. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved more than 20,000 prescription drugs for marketing, so it stands to reason that not every doctor is a fan of every…
SALESMEN WERE JUST FOLLOWING ORDERS – Sept. 14, 2022 – Bayer is the maker of Aspirin. The popular pain reliever is one of the company’s oldest and most iconic products. MiraLAX, Claritin, Alka-Seltzer, Midol and Aleve are Bayer’s other well-known consumer products. But its prescription pharmaceuticals make up the majority of Bayer’s sales. Some of its popular pharmaceuticals include Levitra, Nexavar, Avelox, Cipro, Mirena and Xarelto. The company also specializes in chemicals and veterinary products. Bayer’s past includes Nazi ties and sales of HIV-tainted blood products. The company has also battled personal injury lawsuits and false marketing claims. Bayer…
NO EFFECT ON OVERDOSE VICTIMS? – Sept. 20, 2022 – Facing an unprecedented public health crisis, law enforcement is under enormous pressure to demonstrate to the public that its efforts are making a difference. That’s where flashy press conferences showing off piles of cash, drugs, and guns come into play: a P.R. strategy for America’s drug war amplified by eager news outlets. The drug trade’s complexity is flattened, and law enforcement’s thinking—that drug seizures will prevent overdose deaths—goes unchallenged. Drug weights are the building blocks of the drug war at both the state and federal level. As the drug war…
VIDEO – WHAT TOOK THEM SO LONG? – Sept. 23, 2022 – Officials are sounding the alarm after at least seven students have overdosed according to police. NBC News’ Miguel Almaguer reports on how the Los Angeles Unified School District is now offering the life-saving drug Narcan at all schools for free to reverse the effects of fentanyl. more@NBCNews
ART CAN HEAL TOO! – Sept. 23, 2022 – “Too often, we see people suffering in silence,” said Emily Norton Ashinhurst, executive director of the Irish Diaspora Center, which organized the one-night display. But on Thursday evening, the 100-plus figures illuminated Dilworth Plaza and were surrounded by people committed to normalizing conversation about and treatment for mental illness. The one-night exhibit, called Lights in the Darkness, was the culmination of a month-long community program to raise awareness about mental health organized by the Irish Diaspora Center of Philadelphia, a Havertown-based immigrant support organization. As part of the initiative, Philadelphia-area residents…
VIDEO – YOU CAN’T FIGHT YOUR WAY OUT OF A PLASTIC BAGGIE – Sept. 19, 2022 – “It was all I cared about. All. Nothing else mattered, I worked in order to get drug money,” said Ashton Hunt explained. She has been sober for three years. However, getting to this point was tough. Drug usage was apart of Hunt’s daily routing for 15 years. There was much pain, not only inflicted on her life but her family lives, too. This mother lost custody of her daughter, who was just one at the time. We asked her if she felt…
BUT HARD TO GET? – Sept. 20, 2022 – “I was so close to death, on my death bed from endocarditis, from fentanyl, that had I not made the move I did, I would be dead today,” Detzel said. “So it was life or death for me.” While some criticize using a drug to wean users off, Hamilton Treatment Services executive director Ivy Voynovich said it is crucial to helping patients think clearly. “Through medication counseling, group counseling, the whole gambit, everything that we offer we can fight this battle out here with people overdosing,” Voynovich said. more@WCPO
“The greatest problem in the world today is intolerance. Everyone is so intolerant of each other.” – Princess Diana (July 1, 1961 – August 31, 1997)
SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY – Sept. 13, 2022 – Another bonus: Dr. Willeumier says you don’t have to pick up a specific genre, like classic literature, to see the benefits. If you prefer a whodunit, go right ahead and enjoy it. Not only are you more likely to focus and actually pay attention if you’re invested in a book, but there’s a better chance you’ll read for longer if you actually like what’s on the page in front of you. Whether romance novels or biographies are your jam, crack open that book and set a timer for 15 minutes…
DRUGS ON FILM – Sept. 17, 2022 – Evil Incarnate: Purdue Pharma & Oxycontin Review of the Hulu Drama Series DopesickChapter Excerpted from the Upcoming BookADDICTED IN FILMMovies We Love About the Habits We Hateby Ted PerkinsReserve Your Advance Copy at:www.addictedinfilm.comNo Payment RequiredAvailable for Purchase October 21, 2022 I’m the first guy to tell you that movies and TV shows are a business first and foremost, which is why most screenwriters and producers like me strive to make them as provocative, romantic, comedic, horrifying, and/or thrilling as possible. Unfortunately, many media critics bemoan the negative impact of commercial imperatives on…
SHAME ON YOU WALT! – Sept. 16, 2022 – “I have my own body image issues that I work on, and a major way that I do that is through my art,” Wyethe told Bored Panda. “So as a therapeutic exercise I wanted to alter some characters I really loved growing up.” But what started as a personal project has already touched hundreds of thousands of people—after Wyethe shared her works on social media, they quickly went viral, receiving tons of praise from people who really appreciate such a refreshing take on their beloved characters. “Growing up as a…
AUDIO – GIVE AND LET LIVE – Sept. 15, 2022 – Yeah. Addiction care has gotten better in the U.S. – better therapies, better medications. But getting that kind of quality treatment is still super hard in most of the country. It’s also really expensive. And what we’ve seen with research is that there are tens of millions of people in the U.S. who use drugs every year, and many of them just aren’t ready or able to quit. And, again, because those street drugs now are so toxic, a devastating number of people are dying. I spoke about this…
SO MANY MOUTHS TO DRUG – Sept. 14, 2022 – “It has been documented in adults that Black patients with mental illness are more likely to receive substance care and more likely to be diagnosed with psychotic disorders than with depression and anxiety,” Dr. Ross stated. “The lack of access and availability of therapeutic options to treat mental illness and the lack of understanding and acknowledgment that mental illness in teens and children may have their roots in trauma. “Medication will not fix the brain changes caused by childhood trauma experiences and may not even fix the symptoms. Beyond…
SOBRIETY IS THE REWARD – Sept. 13, 2022 – Since 2011, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has used the method with 5,700 veterans. Rewards are vouchers the vets redeem at their local canteen. Over the years, 92% of the urine tests done on these veterans have been negative for drugs, said Dominick DePhilippis of the VA’s substance use disorders program. When done right, reward programs can be a bridge from the difficult days of early recovery to a better life, said Carla Rash, associate professor of medicine at UConn Health, who studies the method. It helps people make better…
WELL DONE – Sept. 13, 2022 – Speer described it as a “hazy cycle” of working and partying that was encouraged by restaurant managers and owners because of how it kept staff tight-knit and locked in. A hard day’s work was often rewarded with free alcohol. Then, Speer and his colleagues would head to nearby industry bars to carouse with other restaurant folks. The merry-go-round would come to a halt only when someone got hurt or arrested, Speer said, but it never stopped for long. Over the years, Speer got a number of wake-up calls that his behavior was…
FERMENT THIS! – Sept. 15, 2022 – Millipore Sigma provided the 200-proof ethanol standard and pure t-butanol internal standard (IS) (Burlington, MA). A filtration system within the laboratory was used to produce a deionized water diluent. By diluting 1.0 ml of ethanol in DI water volumetrically, the stock ethanol standard was prepared. In a similar method, t-butanol IS was prepared by volumetrically diluting 20.0 ul of pure t-butanol into 100 ml of DI water. When measuring, weights were used, and using the density of ethanol at room temperature (0.789 g/ml), these values were converted to volume. Therefore, stock standards of…
GRACE IS EVERYWHERE – Sept. 9, 2022 – old. Although it started out innocently enough, he found alcohol to be a crutch that he couldn’t live without. Well into his twenties, Kenan appeared to be a functioning husband and father of a newborn son, but underneath it was clear that he had very serious problem. “My wife caught me drinking I don’t know how many times,” Kenan recalls. “It didn’t stop me. Something kept dragging me back out there. By this point, I was pretty physically dependent on alcohol. …
IS TRUMP THE GOVERNOR? – Sept. 15, 2022 – She’s not the only one. Another woman, Hali Burns, was taken to the Etowah county jail just six days after giving birth to her son, with police saying that she had tested positive for a drug used by pregnant women with opioid addictions to help manage cravings and withdrawal. When she was thrown in jail, Burns was still physically recovering from giving birth. But the jail had no facilities for her to pump or tend to her wounds. Her partner tried to bring pads and underwear to her, so that she…