AND LOOKS AT THE END OF THE WORLD – Aug. 26, 2022 – “Once we kicked the drugs and the alcohol, we started to see a different way of life, of living in a different life,” the “Bad Lieutenant” director said in an interview in his new hometown of Rome. “I think it’s more just trying to get our game right.” The film chronicles a particular moment in the 20th century history of Italy and Padre Pio, the mystic Capuchin monk best known for having displayed the “stigmata” wounds of Christ: He bled from his hands, feet and sides.…
Author: Leonard Buschel
AVAILABLE NOW: 1984 – 1903-1950 – After the war ended, Orwell joined the libertarian Freedom Defence Committee and contributed to the anarchist journal Freedom. But alongside his natural left-wing allegiance was something which was regarded, at the time, as somehow in contradiction with all that – a deep love for traditional ways, for old England and above all for nature. Bernard Crick describes how Orwell was both “tender towards nature” and alarmed at “the suburban sprawl over the countryside”. (6) He adds: “Orwell thought that man should be as one with natural objects. Like Rousseau, he disliked the artificiality of…
AND HOW YOU CAN HELP – Aug. 25, 2022 – Back in the day, when my husband Oleg Vidov and I owned Malibu Beach Recovery Center (“MBRC”)we, like others in the addiction community were “stalked” by Dr. Timothy Jack, an Anthem psychiatrist known as “Dr. ‘No.’” The purpose of SB 999 is to stop insurance companies from hiring unqualified doctors who know nothing about addiction to deny required addiction treatment. Senate Bill 999, sponsored by State Senator Dave Cortese, has passed the Senate Health Committee, Senate Appropriations Committee, and a vote of the entire State Senate. It has passed the…
NO CLEAN NEEDLES FOR YOU – Aug. 22, 2022 – Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed legislation on Monday that would have allowed some California cities to open supervised drug-injection sites as part of a pilot program meant to stem a rushing tide of fatal overdoses. “I have long supported the cutting edge of harm reduction strategies,” he said in a veto letter. “However, I am acutely concerned about the operations of safe injection sites without strong, engaged local leadership and well-documented, vetted, and thoughtful operational and sustainability plans.” Mr. Newsom added that he was worried about “a world of unintended…
VIDEO – PLEASE DON’T – Aug. 26, 2022 – While honoring her vape-free journey, Doja added, “I would love to have a smoke. In the name of love… I would love to have a f***ing smoke. Motherf****er. I’m going to peel my f***ng skin off.” Known for having a pull or two from her vape during public events, the “Need To Know” singer announced back in May that she would be quitting vaping, sharing on Twitter, “nah im too scared to hit it cuz my throat hurts so bad. I cried for hours. its not worth it, then its like…
JUST HOPE IT STICKS – Aug. 26, 2022 – LaBeouf has been open about his history in rehab and has been arrested multiple times in relation to alcohol, including in October 2015 for public intoxication. While in rehab, he attended therapy sessions and was told that writing was a great way to get through his childhood trauma. He ended up writing the script for Honey Boy, based on his childhood and his turbulent relationship with his father. Aside from his arrests and struggles with addiction, LaBeouf is also currently embroiled in a court battle with ex FKA Twigs, who…
VIDEO – BE AWARE – Aug 25, 2022 – “It’s a remembrance of my son’s life,” Mario Tamayo said. Tamayo lost his 25-year-old son to an overdose.”He was a person who was much more, much bigger than what his problems were with alcohol. He was an alcoholic. He unfortunately was killed by fentanyl poisoning the night before he was going to rehab,” she said.. more@CBS8
#1 WHAT? – Aug. 23, 2022 – “When people come to us, they are suffering,” Vernig says. “We want them to find relief. In a lot of the same ways that substance use disorder impacts the community, mental health disorders do as well.” RCA has long been a provider of treatment for co-occurring substance abuse and mental health disorders, but has expanded to offer mental health treatment with or without a substance use disorder to meet the growing need for services. Outpatient hubs to treat mental illness are being established to serve each state where RCA exists. The newest…
ISN’T THAT THEIR JOB? – Aug. 24, 2022 – It’s easy to mistake mental health and addiction treatment centers for actual medical facilities in California. But they are not staffed 24/7 by doctors (and are not allowed to be). They’re typically situated in tract houses in residential neighborhoods, and the most stringent medical requirement may be the full-time presence of someone who knows CPR. Enter Senate Bill 1665 by Sen. Pat Bates, R-Laguna Niguel — an attempt to untangle the pretzel logic of non-medical facilities crowing about their medical services, or exaggerating staffers’ credentials, or promising prescription-drug-level services when no…
ANOTHER WIN – Aug. 25, 2022 – “The intentional implementation of an illegal ‘product hopping’ scheme to block or delay generic versions of a medication used to help individuals recover from opioid addiction is despicable exploitation of the opioid epidemic. more@OAG
GENERATION OF GUINEA PIGS – Aug. 27, 2022 – A study published in 2020 in the journal Pediatrics found that 40.7 percent of people ages 2 to 24 who were prescribed a drug for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder were also prescribed at least one other medication for depression, anxiety, or another mood or behavioral disorder. The study found more than 50 different psychotropic medicines prescribed in such combinations, and a review by The New York Times found that roughly half of the drugs were not approved for use in adolescents, although doctors have discretion to prescribe as they see fit.…
IT’S THE KEYS TO THE KINGDOM – Aug. 25, 2022 – “Forgiveness is simply about understanding that every one of us is both inherently good and inherently flawed.” —Desmond Tutu Forgiveness can show up in stunning ways and in unexpected situations. We expect people who are the victims of violence or trauma to be angry; we don’t expect them to forgive the perpetrator. But it happens: For example, women who have been brutally raped sometimes speak of forgiving the attacker to free themselves from anger and pain. Forgiveness does not mean you condone whatever situation happened. It does not…
VIDEO – THINK BRAIN FOOD – Aug 24, 2022 – As with vitamin C, deficits in other vitamins and minerals can also precipitate nutritional diseases that adversely impact the brain in humans. For example, low dietary levels of vitamin B3/niacin – typically found in meat and fish – cause pellagra, a disease in which people develop dementia. Niacin is essential to turn food into energy and building blocks, protect the genetic blueprint from environmental damage and control how much of certain gene products are made. In the absence of these critical processes, brain cells, also known as neurons, malfunction and…
MENTAL HEALTH CARE IS HEALTH CARE – Aug. 25, 2022 – “He had no support system,” Carter’s high school friend Ray Robinson told The City. “He just had to really rely on himself and those close to him.” This kind of negligence is all too common and a direct consequence of the criminal legal system often acting as the principal intervention point for people’s mental health needs. In the United States, people with serious mental health conditions are more likely to have contact with law enforcement than receive any form of treatment. Additionally, ten times more people are held in…
RED TAPE or BOTTOM LINE? – Aug. 24, 2022 – In its latest request for postponement, the plaintiffs made the same or similar arguments for postponement as in previous requests, which include: The rule would cause the plaintiffs irreparable harm, including substantial compliance costs.The plaintiffs would need to redesign packaging, modify the printing process, purchase and engrave printing cylinders, print compliant packages, and redesign, modify, and replace point-of-sale advertisements at hundreds of thousands of retailers.The actions required to comply would cost millions of dollars and thousands of employee hours, which the plaintiffs would not be able to recover or…
CONSULT YOUR LOCAL PHARMACY – Aug. 10, 2022 – ‘And I am sorry to have kept you waiting but we contacted your clinic in Ireland to double check things and your prescription checks out. So, here you are. However, rather than give you a two-month supply, there is enough here for one.’ Please come back to see me in one month’s time, I would like to see how you are getting on before giving you more.’ I left the clinic gobsmacked. I was trying to digest the fact that a clinician had openly told me that I was being given…
THE COLOR OF MONEY – Aug. 22, 2022 – Experts have differing theories as to why illicit drug manufacturers are producing brightly colored fentanyl. Some officials, including Michael W. Humphries, area director for the US Customs and Border Protection Port of Nogales, Arizona, and Placer County, California, District Attorney Morgan Gire have suggested in public statements that the appearance of rainbow fentanyl is designed to appeal to young people. “To be clear, all fentanyl purchased on the street is deadly, no matter the color, shape, size, or form,” Gire wrote in a statement published on the Placer County District…
WHEN TALK ISN’T ENOUGH – THERE’S ALWAYS REHAB – Aug 25, 2022 – As your children get older, you should talk to them about the risks of using substances, in a concerned manner rather than as a scare tactic. However, the best thing parents can do is lead by example. Kids look to you as their model for adulthood. Ideally, parents should avoid or limit using substances around children. Don’t talk about the benefits or “joys” of using substances and avoid glorifying “war stories.” If you do use substances around your children, use responsibly and limit intake. Emphasize that substances…
VIDEO – AN OFFER YOU SHOULDN’T REFUSE – Aug. 24, 2022 – Actor Richie Stephens discusses the power of the human spirit and his new book, “The Gangster’s Guide to Sobriety.” more@YouTube
“Insanity—a perfectly rational adjustment to an insane world.” – R.D. Laing
SHARING HEALS – Aug. 18, 2022 – Lovato, who recently added back the pronouns she/her, suffered an overdose in 2018. Following the near-fatal moment, the former Disney star woke up in an intensive care unit with an extensive recovery process in front of her. Lovato suffered “three strokes, a heart attack and organ failure” and was legally blind at first. “I’ve made friends of all ages. I’ve lost friends of – I’ve lost friends that were around my age and those hurt so deeply because we’ve been in the trenches together,” she told Lowe. “You addressed this on ‘Dead…
THE 11th COMMANDMENT – Spring 2022 – I’m in my room consistently. “I just want to be left alone on my iPad and it makes me moody and angry for some reason.” Kokoda Youth Foundation CEO Johllene Elson said, “young people are engaging more with technology and disengaging with their families.” Digital dependence has become so prevalent, the Kokoda Youth Foundation has designed the program to help both children and their parents. Ms Elson said they’re hoping the program will improve the participants’ social skills so they are less reliant on technology, have more of an appreciation for nature and…
ALL ROADS LEAD TO HOME – Aug. 19, 2022 – “They send us to different kind of meetings and they send us to a SMART Recovery meeting as well. And I really enjoyed it. I liked how it was facilitated and how it was more, not quite like AA and NA. It’s more emotional, focusing on emotions and group talk.” MacLean’s recovery had some road bumps, and she relapsed in 2019 before re-entering Mount Herbert in September of that year. Again, she went to SMART meetings and enjoyed them. “The transition unit, they teach you more about addiction and…
MORE BEETS LESS BOOZE – Aug. 12, 2022 – As a doctor of clinical nutrition, I’ve spent many years unearthing new and innovative ways of healing. As an expert in functional nutrition and functional medicine, I specialize in understanding the root cause of our symptoms and what is driving the health concerns we experience on a deeper level—and then how to heal them using food and supplementation. When I talk to clients about changing their drinking habits, they’re often reluctant to give up their beloved glass of wine or favorite cocktail. It can be hard to change our habits.…
EVEN IN NEW JERSEY – Aug. 12, 2022 – The “Celebrity Fear Factor” alum, who noted that he’s had “basically full-time” custody of his and ex Jen Harley’s 4-year-old daughter, Ariana, added that he has been in a “state of depression” but focusing on “improving.” “I’ve been through some s–t,” Ortiz-Magro said. “I f–ked up. I understand and that’s part of recovery, as well. What matters is I got through it and I’m going to continue to get through it.” Sorrentino, for his part, got sober in 2016, and he encouraged his friend to also stay on “the road to…
BEFORE ALGEBRA – August 11, 2022 – I’m not being alarmist: During that same spring break, four students in Florida overdosed on cocaine laced with fentanyl; when two friends began to perform CPR, they were exposed as well. Two students at Ohio State University died in May from an overdose; right after, school officials warned students about circulating fake Adderall pills that contained fentanyl. Drug use is a fact of life on college campuses. More than one in five college students report using an illicit drug in the past month. With drug use comes the unfortunate chance of overdose, which…
LIKE A SNOWFLAKE – Aug. 14, 2022 – Peter is a client that often comes to mind. He is a 39-year-old man who works as an accountant in a small business. He has been married to Amara for 10 years and they have two children, 9-year-old Maya and 7-year-old James. Peter had been referred to my clinic by his GP for assistance with his alcohol and cocaine use, and low mood. This had caused significant marital problems and a recent police charge of driving under the influence and the loss of his license for three months. Despite heavy drinking…
VIDEO – THE LEADERS OF THE PACK – Aug. 12, 2022 – Nee says he wants people to know that how they help themselves is there choice and he just wants people to know that they’re out there. “We have people that, you know, we don’t necessarily consider them alcoholics or recovering drug addicts, but they chose to have a clean and sober lifestyle. And we have members from all walks of the disease of alcohol,” Nee said. There are members within a year of their sobriety while others have up to 40. Ron Miller, a member of the…
CAN IT HURT? – Aug. 2022 – The probes were connected to wires that ran under Fisher’s skin, beneath his scalp, behind his ear and down his neck, then into a pulse generator sewn into his chest below his collarbone. Imagine a pacemaker, but for the brain. Once the generator’s battery was switched on, low-voltage electricity began traveling up the wires and out of the electrodes resting in the nucleus accumbens. Rezai, the executive chair of the institute and the head of its DBS experiments, hypothesized that stimulating this region of Fisher’s brain would reduce his cravings and help him…
REMEMBER SEPT. 15 – Aug. 2022 – The D.A.R.E. program was developed by the Los Angeles Police Department to educate people. As it proved successful, other cities adopted similar approaches, and soon enough, D.A.R.E. programs became a national standard applied in schools across the U.S. The program caught the attention of then-president Ronald Reagan, who announced the first national celebration of D.A.R.E. Day. At the height of their existence, D.A.R.E. programs were funded by the federal government and commissioned by the Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act. Many schools still organize D.A.R.E. programs, but as of today, several studies on…