AS THE WORLD TURNS NUTTIER – Dec. 17, 2021 – “All the therapists I know have experienced a demand for therapy that is like nothing they have experienced before,” said Tom Lachiusa, a licensed clinical social worker in Longmeadow, Mass. “Every available time slot I can offer is filled.” The New York Times asked 1,320 mental health professionals to tell us how their patients were coping as pandemic restrictions eased. General anxiety and depression are the most common reasons patients seek support, but family and relationship issues also dominate therapy conversations. One in four providers said suicidal thoughts were…
Author: Leonard Buschel
LISTEN – NO SAFE SPACE TO LEARN? – Dec. 23, 2021 – RHITU CHATTERJEE, BYLINE: When Millis Public Schools opened its doors this fall, teachers and staff were happy to have everyone back in classrooms. Bob Mullaney is superintendent for the school district located just southwest of Boston. BOB MULLANEY: You know, we were so excited that everyone was coming back to begin the school year. CHATTERJEE: But, he says, it’s been stressful. MULLANEY: From the beginning, we’ve seen elevated levels of stress, anxiety, different behavioral issues in students. CHATTERJEE: More students acting out, being aggressive – not just…
IT’S LIKE 1984 ON STEROIDS – Dec. 19, 2021 – Today, addiction is more pervasive than it’s ever been. During 2020, the U.S. saw 100,000 fatal overdoses, the highest number ever recorded. On top of that, more than 13% of Americans—or 43 million people—reported starting or ramping up substance use as a way of coping during the pandemic. This data is a tragic representation of individual and collective pain. It is an ominous reflection of a culture so distressed and hollow that citizens would rather numb themselves with quick chemical fixes than actually participate. Yet, despite the statistics, I…
HE’S GOT A SPIRITUAL SOLUTION – Dec. 26, 2021 – It’s about [being] spiritual in life and all those things, and how do you do that? Well, for me, doing annual inventories where I take it out of my head and write it down and tell somebody else about what’s going on with me. I do meditation every day, I work with others, I go to meetings and stuff like that. “Drugs and alcohol is all over the place,” he continued. “If you’re a rich businessman, there’s a lot of that. There’s drugs and alcohol everywhere; it’s not just…
THEN YOUR BANK ACCOUNT DISAPPEARS – Dec. 23, 2021 – Unlike more visible addictions, problem gambling is fairly easy to hide, yet leaves about 2 million Americans annually feeling alone, ashamed and, in many cases, broke. A recent survey from the National Council on Problem Gambling, a Washington-based nonprofit, showed that the risk has doubled since 2018. The survey of 2,000 people nationwide focused on attitudes and experiences gambling both online and at casinos. In addition, the group’s helpline has seen a marked increase in use. Through November this year, the helpline received 238,600 calls, an average of nearly…
EVERYONE IS A DESIGNATED DRIVER – Dec. 23, 2021 – Alcohol is ingrained in our society and socially acceptable at most events. During the holidays, drinking is almost a given. There’s the Christmas cocktails, coquito, spiked hot chocolate and the popping of champagne for the new year. A 2019 Denver Public Health survey showed that more than one in four Denver adults, about 27%, binge drinks. In 2018, about 30,000 people came to Denver Health emergency rooms for a substance-abuse issue and about 36% were due to alcohol abuse. Also in 2018, 38% of fatal crashes in Denver involved…
SUCESS IS SUCCESS, NO MATTER HOW YOU GET THERE – Dec. 26, 2021 – Therefore, many people who are in recovery do not wish to put themselves out in the public and tell the story of their struggle, Hagaman added. “Michelle is one of those rare folks who is willing to be brave and share her story and talk specifically about the shame and stigma she encountered when she first wanted to use medication,” Hagaman said. “I am so thankful she is willing to share and that she is now a person who can not only thrive in her…
WATCH – BEING FRANCO – Dec. 22, 2021 – Among those he hurt was his longtime friend and collaborator Seth Rogen, who declared in an interview back in May that he has no plans to work with Franco again. “I just want to say, I absolutely love Seth Rogen … He was my absolute closest work friend, collaborator, and we just gelled, and what he said is true,” said Franco. “We aren’t working together right now, and we don’t have any plans to work together.” Of course, Franco continued, Rogen’s comments were “hurtful”—but he said he understands them. “Because…
YOU’RE NOT IN JAIL – Dec. 20, 2021 – It’s because people are able to live a seemingly normal life that it can be hard to spot a functioning alcoholic. CEO of Delamere health and addiction specialist Martin Preston said those that suffer from alcoholism are exceptionally good at hiding their condition. He said: “With few apparent negative consequences, a functioning alcoholic is unlikely to want to change whilst they feel they still have time. “Alcohol addiction is at the chronic end of the spectrum of alcohol use disorders for which there is no cure. “It can, however, be successfully treated and the…
“Do not whine…Do not complain. Work harder. Spend more time alone.” —Joan Didion (12/5/34–12/23/21) more@Poets&Writers more@NYTimes
REHAB THE REHABS – Beginning January 1, 2022 – California licensed residential substance abuse treatment facilities will be required to disclose certain licensing information to the public. SB 541 adds Health and Safety Code section 11831.12, which requires residential alcohol or drug abuse treatment facilities to undertake the following: Disclose their license number and date of expiration to anyone who inquires in writing, verbally, electronically or any other way. Clearly and conspicuously post on their website that they are licensed by the State Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), and include a link to the DHCS website that contains…
IT’S NOT ALL BLACK AND WHITE – Dec. 17, 2021 – Relaxing on my bed in suburban Detroit, I was absorbed in yet another escapist novel from the library when my mother suddenly barged into my room. Her face was filled with a familiar madness as she grabbed my arm and dragged me toward the full-length mirror in the master bedroom. She had shears in one hand as she screamed hysterically and began hacking away at my waist-long hair. It was the 1970s, I was 13 years old, and like most teenage girls of that time, I had faithfully…
LISTEN – BREAKING THE ICE – Dec. 17, 2021 – For me, and I’m not sure if this is the same for everyone. I didn’t know it at the time, but I really noticed in my personality a couple of things. If I do something, I tend to do it all the way. And I think for me in hindsight. So I played sport very competitively, growing up as a junior. So I was playing pretty much six days a week and training, you know, the other days as well. So I really feel like I missed out on…
AMERICAN NIGHTMARE CONTINUES – Dec. 16, 2021 – Comparatively, between Jan. 1, 2020, and Dec. 15, 2021, there were more than 53,000 COVID-19 deaths among those between the ages of 18 and 49, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “This is a national emergency. America’s young adults — thousands of unsuspecting Americans — are being poisoned,” James Rauh, founder of Families Against Fentanyl, said in a statement. “It is widely known that illicit fentanyl is driving the massive spike in drug-related deaths. A new approach to this catastrophe is needed.” Experts believe there…
LET THEM LIVE – Dec. 17, 2021 – Members of both the House of Representatives and the Senate have introduced bipartisan versions of the Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment Act, legislation that would immediately remove training and licensing barriers and help ensure greater access to buprenorphine treatment for people across the country. The growing support among lawmakers — evidenced by the increasing numbers of legislative co-sponsors — is welcome news, given that public health experts consider these obstacles needless requirements that limit the availability of treatment providers. And the requirements apply to no other prescription drug, including the opioid pain relievers…
WE NEED TO LOOK HARDER – Dec. 17, 2021 – But in recent years, scientists have made inroads. They know more about which psychological treatments work best, and are hoping to devise new types of therapies by exploring how genetic or neurological causes might underlie some of the disorders. Meanwhile, an unexpected silver lining to the Covid-19 pandemic was that pivoting to delivering treatments remotely through video calls was largely successful, reports find. This raises the hope that effective telehealth might broaden therapy access to more people, especially those in rural areas.The three most common eating disorders are anorexia nervosa,…
LISTEN— WHEN DRUGS ARE LOVE – Dec. 16, 2021 – And in a world of fraying social bonds, economic vulnerability and increased isolation due to the pandemic, an addiction-driven feeling of being loved adds to our understanding of why opioid overdose deaths soared 30% last year. But when we say taking opioids can feel like love, what does that really mean? What does it really feel like in your body and soul? KATIE MACK: I have always felt out of my body. I haven’t felt comfortable in my skin for all of my life. This idea that, like when…
WELL DRESSED AND HAPPY TOO – Dec. 17, 2021 -“The advice I like to give to younger queer people is understand that just because a lot of queer spaces, we congregate in nightclubs and event spaces and stuff, it doesn’t necessarily have to go hand-in-hand with substances,” said Kendall Gender, who is almost six years sober and recently competed in the second season of Canada’s Drag Race. She said therapy was the biggest help early in her sobriety journey, and sharing her story of hitting rock bottom was a way to help others that “makes all the heartache seem…
WATCH – I STOPPED MY HEART IN SAN FRANCISCO – Dec. 17, 2021 – San Francisco Mayor London Breed doubled down on efforts to crack down on public drug use and other disturbances in the city’s Tenderloin, announcing an official State of Emergency in the neighborhood Friday. more@YouTube
WATCH – BIG PHARMA SELLS EUPHORIA – Dec. 17, 2021 – Correspondent David Spunt describes pressure the Biden administration is facing from families affected by the opioid crisis… more@MSN
FOR LYLE P. – Dec. 17, 2021 – Their goal is to connect people struggling with addiction to local resources. According to High on Hope Founder Tim Craft, the event is called Equip the City, and they’ll be partnered with local leaders and health organizations to get resources to those who need it. “Our hope is to bring the community together, to equip the community to combat the addiction problem we’re facing,” Craft said. “If we empower people, we’re gonna see a bigger turnaround in this problem we’re facing.” Equip the City will take place January 13th at 6:30pm…
NOBODY’S PERFECT – Dec. 18, 2021 – Dr. Don Rocky is Director of the Core Center for Gastroenterological Diseases Research, South Carolina Medical University. Credits: South Carolina Medical College Sarapack. A recent study at the South Carolina Medical College (MUSC) Gastroenterological Disease Research Core Center (DDRCC) found that doctors need to be careful when using specific liver function tests to diagnose alcoholic cirrhosis. Provides insights about. Alcoholism Cirrhosis About 1 in 400 adults in the United States is affected. It is a progressive liver disease that occurs when chronic ethanol use causes inflammation, cirrhosis, or scarring of the liver.…
GENERATIONAL TRAUMA IN SONG – Dec. 2021 – Marvin Gaye video more@YouTube
WATCH – MERRY CHRISTMAS – June 4, 2014 – We started this performance with PFC Band members Titi Tsira and Clarence Bekker while on a trip together in Rio de Janeiro. Wherever we traveled we would add more musicians, strings in Serbia, guitar and bass in Chicago, pandeiro in Brazil and the final piece came together with Sara Bareilles’ vocal performance at Washington Square Park in NYC. The message of this song is as strong as ever and it’s up to us to make the change we want to see. Music can show us the way. more@YouTube
“IT’S THE SNEAKING AROUND THAT’S ADDICTIVE” RDJ – Dec. 17, 2021 – Given the importance of the drug itself in the development and perpetuation of SUD, the research community has understandably focused on the brain’s adaptations in response to exposure to addictive drugs, such as cocaine, leading to a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying the consumption of these drugs. But people with SUD do not just take addictive drugs, they spend a great deal of time foraging for these drugs over long periods of time. During drug foraging, many compulsive behaviors characteristic of SUD manifest themselves, particularly during…
WATCH – HIGH STEPPING – Dec. 13, 2021 – While he said his uplifting words might sound “highfalutin” or “impossible” when working alone, he believes they can be achieved through support. “Collectively, human beings motivated by spirit, willing to change and sacrifice can create wonderful things together,” he shared. Brand thanked his fans and added, “I’d like to say to any of you that are suffering from addiction or know anyone suffering from addiction, there is a way out. It is possible.” He explained, “If someone as crazy and hopeless and lost as I was can become a father…
A DUBIOUS HONOR INDEED – Dec. 16, 2021 – …to find vulnerable addicts with good insurance, then pay those body brokers handsomely so that the rehab can bill the insurance company, often for services that don’t meet a patient’s medical needs or are non-existent. In addition, addicted people are often paid to remain in treatment, and some rehab centers provide drugs to addicts as a way to re-start the lucrative treatment cycle again and again, officials said. Arrested Thursday, Dec. 16, were Nick Roshdieh, 51, of Aliso Viejo, and Vincent Bindi, 66, of Laguna Nigel. They owned Crest Recovery…
EYES WIDE OPEN – Dec. 17, 2021 – Kidmаn is the one Urbаn hаs been looking for his entire life, аnd “everything not only chаnged but hаd to chаnge in me if I wаs going to go down thаt roаd,” he аdded. The singer of “Grаffiti U” sаid he cаme to а crossroаds in his sobriety аnd gаve himself аn ultimаtum. Urbаn аdmitted thаt he hаd to get his аct together аt thаt time or risk never getting it right becаuse it wаs his only chаnce. In terms of his romаnce with the Oscаr winner, the 54-yeаr-old exclаimed with…
MORE HAS BEEN REVEALED – Dec. 16, 2021 – He told Kimmel: “The irony is I was really happy with [the interview], you know. I thought, ‘Wow I should do more honest exploratory, you know, self-evaluating things,’ and I started seeing all this stuff come up on Twitter and I was like ‘What is this?’… I looked on it and they had literally taken the conversation that I had had for two hours and made it seem as if I was saying the exact opposite of what I said.” Affleck continued: “I had gone on and said how much…
ACTUAL GOOD NEWS! – Dec. 16, 2021 – Drug and alcohol use among America’s teens continues to trend downward, according to new numbers released today by the Department of Health and Human Services. From 2002 to 2013, the average American teenager’s odds of regular (at least monthly) tobacco use nearly halved. Recreational use of prescription painkillers saw a similar decline. The rate of regular alcohol use among teens aged 12 to 17 declined from from 17.6 percent to 11.6 percent over the same period. Teen marijuana use, a contentious topic now that several states have legalized marijuana sales, is…