THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS – Dec. 29, 2021 – The Satanic Temple (no relation to the Church of Satan) is a nontheistic organization that rejects superstition as a prerequisite for religion. It describes its Satanism as one of compassion, bodily autonomy and anti-authoritarianism. TST members don’t worship a literal supernatural Devil, but view Satan as a symbol of resistance—the “Eternal Rebel” fighting unjust power. Sober Faction is TST’s peer support program for addiction recovery, hosting the type of group meetings broadly associated with Alcoholics Anonymous. It first met in June 2020, and was popular enough to become…
Author: Leonard Buschel
WATCH – IT’S A JOURNEY – Jan. 8, 2022 – “I think the term that I best identify with is California sober,” they said in March during an interview with CBS Sunday Morning. “I really don’t feel comfortable explaining the parameters of my recovery to people, because I don’t want anyone to look at my parameters of safety and think that’s what works for them, because it might not.” Lovato, who showed off their completely shaved buzz cut last month, took to their Instagram Story hours after the story of their latest rehab stint broke, and posted a picture…
ANOTHER VACCINE? – Jan. 5, 2022 – It’s been nearly 50 years since a group of researchers in Chicago reported an extraordinary finding: They’d created a vaccine against drug addiction and an early test showed it might work. The scientists provided a rhesus monkey with drugs like heroin and cocaine; it became addicted. But when they injected the monkey with a compound they’d developed — one designed to coax the immune system into fighting addictive drugs as if they were pathogenic invaders — the animal stopped seeking drugs. Their finding, published in the top scientific journal Nature in 1974,…
DON’T FORGET TO WRITE – Jan. 3, 2021 – Two of the men were pronounced dead at the scene, but one was revived with Narcan, a drug that helps reverse opioid overdoses, Carringer said. The man who survived was rushed to a hospital in critical condition, Carringer said. Police suspect they were opioid overdoses based on the type of drug paraphernalia left at the scenes of the deaths, Carringer said. Investigators were working to determine if it was a case of tainted Fentanyl, which also can sometimes be sold on the street with concentrations high enough to be fatal…
$63 MILLION to $5 BILLION – Jan. 4, 2022 – Amerisource Bergen and McKesson declined to comment. Cardinal Health did not respond to requests for comment. More than 3,300 lawsuits largely by state and local governments are pending seeking to hold those and other companies responsible for an opioid abuse crisis that led to hundreds of thousands of overdose deaths over two decades. The companies deny wrongdoing. The distributors said in September that 42 states, five territories and Washington, D.C., had agreed to participate in their $21 billion settlement. A similar number backed J&J’s proposal. more@Reuters
ORDER, DESIGN, TENSION, BALANCE, HARMONY – Dec. 30, 2021 – Some people use the breath as a physiological tether to the present, particularly as they meditate. Rhythmic breathing calms the nervous system and makes it easier to focus on what’s within our control. But mindfulness doesn’t require breathwork or meditation. Mindfulness can be practiced during activities like walking, washing dishes, gardening, exercising, playing, or driving. When a thought, good or bad, barges in, mindfulness means observing it with curiosity and openness, then returning back to the present moment, where we note the musty smell of leaves in winter or…
EDUCATION IS NOW A LUXURY ITEM – Jan. 3, 2022 – Others, like Ruby, were booted out when they became pregnant. “Since coming to Covenant House six months ago, they’ve helped me with food, clothing, diapers for my son and post-natal care,” she says. “They even helped me finish high school.” Not surprisingly, all three say that they are extremely grateful to have a roof over their heads, regular meals, and counseling and other services — supports they know many homeless teens are unable to access. The National Conference of State Legislatures estimates that 700,000 of the nation’s 4.2…
TRUTH AND COMPASSION – Dec. 29, 2021 – It has been seven years since my son passed away from an accidental opioid overdose. He would have been 31 now. I thought that at this point, it would get easier. But as my cousin who lost a child told me at Isaac’s funeral, “It doesn’t get easier. It just gets different.” I tell other parents who have lost their children that there was nothing they could have done. Al-anon taught me that it was out of my control. I know and believe that, but still, the doubts and the guilt…
WAY AHEAD OF THEIR TIME – Jan. 5, 2022 – While the federal government does not recognize a medical use for most of these drugs and says they have potential for abuse, some of the most prominent universities in the world are studying four substances in particular: psilocybin, ketamine, MDMA and LSD. The bulk of available research suggests that these substances hold promise as part of larger treatment plans. There is also growing evidence that psychedelic drugs operate differently in the brain than addictive drugs, and advocates have been consistently calling for legalization. But psychedelics remain expensive and difficult…
I’LL TOAST TO THAT – Dec. 20, 2021 – “H2O is the perfect drink when you’re not drinking,” Zanganas said, adding, “H2O is an elegant, health-inspired, fun, hydrating, vitamin-enriched sparkling drink that can be savored everywhere, from lunch on the run, to a picnic at the beach, to rush hour – or pour it into a wine glass to savor with an elegant dinner.” A Morning Consult poll conducted in January 2021 found that 13 percent of U.S. adults said they were avoiding alcohol that month, up from 11 percent the previous year. Reasons varied, but the most common…
“I always wanted to be someone better the next day than I was the day before.” —Sidney Poitier (1927-2022)
MODERATION IS THE KEY – Dec. 28, 2021 – Every year from 2002 to 2018, people who reported using cannabis were more likely to also report using alcohol, frequent alcohol use, and heavy alcohol use, compared to non-cannabis users. This finding, implying complementary use, was impervious to demographic factors. In 2018, 16 percent of survey respondents had used cannabis in the past month; they were more than six times as likely as non-users to report recent drinking. The association between recent cannabis use and drinking was stronger among women than men, among White participants than Black, and among teens…
EVOLVING – Dec. 2021 – Over the past year, I slowly but radically changed my mind about alcohol’s place in my life, ultimately deciding to become a non-drinker. This was an unexpected development to both myself and the people around me ― not because I had a drinking problem, but because I didn’t. My belief that only alcoholics need to quit drinking was the barrier that kept me from ever analyzing my relationship with alcohol. Instead, I drank socially for more than a decade, bolstered by everyone around me doing the exact same thing. I never questioned the strong…
SOBRIETY: THE BEST GIFT OF ALL – Dec. 28, 2021 – The officer was called to the area after gunshots were heard but it would be the gas station clerk who pointed the officer in the direction of Joshua’s car that hadn’t moved in hours. “I tried to lie my way out of it but the officer was pretty sharp, he didn’t believe any story I said and at one point was like cut the crap, please tell me the truth, and I did,” said Joshua. Joshua revealed he’d come from a good, supportive family but fell into the…
NARCAN KEPT HER ALIVE – Dec. 27, 2021 – “I said if I could just quit, I would of just quit. I would of quit before jail came. I would of quit before they took my kid,” said Arvin. Arvin said while on her path to recovery – it was rough. She said her life spun out of control. “I spent many many holidays in jail, in treatment, homeless and on the run from the law,” said Arvin. Now Arvin is now 36-years-old with two and a half years of recovery under her belt. Thanks to her loving family…
MAKING A DIFFERENCE – Dec. 28, 2021 – The road to recovery was riddled with several obstacles, according to Huntley, including another episode with a different form of opioids: methadone. Used as a medicine to treat drug addiction, methadone is what Huntley turned to. “To get you off the meds, they give you more meds,” said Huntley. “Sometimes you end up being on methadone longer than you were on oxy. We have a problem.” Slowly, but surely, Huntley said he started noticing the decrease in the effectiveness of the methadone. What also worried him was his increasing dependency. Every…
WATCH – WORKS FAST TOO – Dec. 27, 2021 – The new review, published recently in the British Journal of Psychiatry Open, pulls together all published research on ketamine as a treatment for psychiatric disorders. And it found that for treatment-resistant depression and suicidal thoughts, the drug can have quick, “robust” effects — albeit short-lived. “It is important to emphasize the drug doesn’t work for everyone,” said senior researcher Celia Morgan, a professor at the University of Exeter in England. Nor is ketamine simple to take. It has to be given under medical supervision, Morgan noted, so doctors can…
A GPS TO FIND YOUR WAY HOME – Dec. 14, 2021 – “Everyday Trauma is an engaging book that informs the reader about the brain and bodily processes underlying emotional trauma, as well as effective treatments for the consequences of trauma. Tracey Shors, a highly recognized neuroscientist, presents the scientific evidence clearly and crisply and buttresses the findings with fascinating personal stories. Anyone interested in understanding emotional trauma should have this book.”―James L. McGaugh, author of Memory and Emotions “An accessible, exciting and valuable description of a complex and important issue in mental health: the effects of trauma/stress on…
FOR NORMIES ONLY – Dec. 23, 2021 – Mindful drinking, by contrast, means “bringing awareness to your behaviors in terms of your decision to drink alcohol”: for example, tallying how many cocktails you consume in a given night, or paying close attention to why, where and when you’re drawn to drinking. This moderation mind-set might particularly appeal to people searching for ways to scale back on troubling habits they developed during the pandemic. Studies have shown a dramatic increase in problematic drinking over the last year, especially among women. As the pandemic slogged on, “We had a real spike…
EVERY DAY IS FOR REJOICING – Dec. 30, 2021 – After 15 years of sobriety, Cold Feet’s John Thomson has been inundated with support. After celebrating a major milestone, COLD FEET star John Thomson was showered with love. John Thomson is a British comedian and actor who has appeared in shows such as The Fast Show, Men Behaving Badly, Cold Feet, and Coronation Street. After reaching a special milestone, the small-screen star wrote a touching message. After defeating his alcoholism, the 52-year-old celebrated 15 years of sobriety today. When the actor took to Twitter to discuss his lifestyle change,…
DEPENDS ON WHAT YOU ARE DRINKING – Dec. 30, 2021 – Especially when wellness is diminished, whether through disease, age or addiction, we come to see the importance of the gifts of life and health. As beings who God created, we recognize that our lives are entrusted to us by Him. And with this comes an obligation to care for our bodies. The virtuous life, which God calls us to cultivate through our attitudes and actions, requires us to practice temperance as a matter of justice, self-care and concern for others. As the Catechism defines temperance, it is the…
THIS IS A SIN – Dec. 30, 2021 – Absent evidence of abuse, says Senator Mark Warner, D-Va., telehealth should continue for medically-assisted opioid treatment. “We’ve now had 18 months to have telehealth expand dramatically; it would be a huge mistake to roll back that progress,” Warner says. “If you cut off that ability to deliver those substances with appropriate protections, you’re really cutting back on the path to recovery for a lot of folks.” Yet of the estimated 1,000 telehealth bills pending before state and federal lawmakers now, very few mention controlled medications. That’s partly because Congress already…
HE WON’T BE ABLE TO HIDE IN PRISON – Dec. 28, 2021 – An affidavit shows Erik L. Averbeck, 44, has been charged with Hiding a Corpse in Winnebago County. On Dec. 15, a Fox Crossing detective was contacted by the Department of Corrections about word going around about the overdose death of a woman on Fatima St. The DOC and police conducted a visit to a home in the Village of Fox Crossing where they found a body wrapped in a tarp in the basement. Averbeck was at the home. He told the DOC officers that he found…
LOVED to LOATHED – Jan. 1, 2022 – I’ve seen most of these in the theater, a couple at home. Missed last year’s list. You can imagine why. (Ratings based on personal reaction, opinion, enjoyability and my delight for the art. Not a critic’s critique. A LOVED to LOATHED list, not Best and Worst. Also a WHATEVER category. All titles and IMAGES are HOT-LINKED. Feedback welcomed. Suggest films you loved or movies to avoid. See you at the movies. more@ChoiceFilms 2021
STICK WITH THE WINNERS! – Dec. 31, 2021 – Jackie Lapin is a leader in helping leaders, authors, coaches, speakers and entrepreneurs connect with their next followers around the globe. An expert at aiding them to GET BOOKED, she provides strategies, guidance and leads through her SpeakerTunity® programs … We urge treatment centers that welcome speakers to click on this link: www.speakertunity.com/treatment to register with us, so we can match you with empowering speakers, leaders and authors. …tip sheets and regional and niche specialty directories that get changemakers booked for speaking engagements, radio shows, podcasts, virtual summits, TEDx events and virtual networking across…
REAL LIFE EDUCATION – Dec. 31, 2021 – It’s hard to imagine that this talented, hardworking actor ever struggled with alcohol abuse. But Falco shared with The Guardian that she’s battled addiction since her college days at SUNY Purchase in New York. Unlike other aspiring actors in her class, like Stanly Tucci and Ving Rhames, Edie was shy. Alcohol made her less shy. She also said, despite it solving one of her problems, it soon became the cause of many problems, too. Now 58, Falco did not see her career take off until she achieved sobriety at 29 years…
GOOD ON SALADS TOO – Dec. 24, 2021 – “She believed the colour yellow made her look ‘washed out’ due to being caucasian,” Dr Karen says. “She then reported back that the colour not only lifted her spirits, but her living patient’s spirits as well.” So how exactly can dopamine dressing impact your mood? “The chemical dopamine is released within the brain, triggering the nervous system,” she explains. “Dopamine kicks in when we reward ourselves, perform self-care and achieve a goal. It can also evoke feelings of happiness, joy and supreme elation.” “According to my research, brighter colours can…
MONEY WILL NOT BRING THE DEAD BACK TO LIFE! Dec. 30, 2021 – Teva Pharmaceuticals, an Israeli-based company that produces generic and branded opioids, and a handful of subsidiary companies were found liable in a sprawling, six-month trial that sought to reckon with the role the pharmaceutical industry played in the opioid epidemic.. more@NewYorkTimes
AND WE LOVE IT – Dec. 27, 2021 – It’s a behaviour that seeks to medicate fear, sorrow, boredom, regret, anomie, heartbreak, or the existential heebie-jeebies: take your pick. That desire — the desire to take your eye off the ball for a bit — is not unique to people we think of as addicts. You can call it a spiritual condition, or a neurological one, or a psychological one … or you could see it as, in one form or another, a universal. Looked at that way, the difficulty isn’t finding a wide enough definition of addiction to…
WATCH – NO ONE SCORES – Dec. 28, 2021 – When sports betting was legalized last week in Ohio, 2 percent of all sports betting tax money was also allocated toward problem sports gamblers. That will be about $200,000 a year on top of the $4 million a year generated from the 2 percent on casino gambling. One area gambling addiction experts would like that money to be spent on is in-patient, residential programs dedicated only to gambling addictions. Michael Burke is the author of “Never Enough: One Lawyer’s True Story of How He Gambled His Career Away.” more@WYTV