DAMNED IF YOU DO… – Nov. 8, 2021 – The ramifications can be particularly acute in rural areas, where a dearth of addiction treatment providers, lack of transportation and stigma against these medications already create barriers. If pharmacies decline to provide buprenorphine too, patients will have few options left, Selby said. The DEA did not respond to requests for comment. Like many other prescription drugs, buprenorphine can be found illegally on the street. There are unscrupulous doctors who hand out prescriptions and pharmacists who fill them. Subutex, which consists of buprenorphine alone, is easier to misuse and typically has…
Author: Leonard Buschel
I WISH IT WAS FICTION – Nov. 2, 2021 – In the 12 months ending in September 2020, that number hit an all-time high of 87,000 deaths by overdose, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Fentanyl can be so deadly that it almost makes heroin look mild. Micrograms can kill. A dart full of fentanyl can quite literally “stop an elephant,” according to the Belgian chemist who invented it in 1959. Meth, though less deadly, is now being churned out in mass quantities through a manufacturing process that frequently includes toxic chemicals. “Meth users dragged themselves…
LISTEN – TRAUMA INTO TELEVISION – Nov. 8, 2021 – On her own mother’s mental health disorder. She was diagnosed with schizophrenia. But I don’t think she was schizophrenic. That’s the problem. I think a lot of times people do these diagnoses because maybe they’re having a psychotic event, but back then — this was in 1958 or ’59 — I don’t even know exactly … It was shortly after I was born, so it could have been hormones involved. But they gave her shock treatments, and she was sent away for about three months to a place in…
WATCH – HEARTS BREAKING ON EVERY SPIN – Nov. 11, 2021 – Police and paramedics are alarmed by a recent surge in fentanyl overdoses, which have nearly doubled in Fort Worth over the past three months compared to last year, according to the ambulance service MedStar. Fentanyl is often mixed in opioids which are sold on the street as pills, and a tiny amount can kill. Rachael Wright of Crowley knows all too well about how dangerous the drug is. Her 16-year-old son Luke died of a fentanyl overdose earlier this year. more@NBCDFW
WE ALL DO RECOVER – 11/02/2021 – Dating sites provided a platform for me and many other trans women to find people who were attracted to us, without the need to laboriously explain we were trans. We were admired and celebrated for our decision to transition and to live in our truth. The majority of people who used the site did so from a place of wholeness and self-empowerment. Friends who also used these sites spoke of healthy interactions and were able to establish clear boundaries. For me though, this continuous stream of praise and validity quickly became addictive…
WATCH AND WEEP – Nov. 10, 2021 – We have the government: Assistant U.S. Attorneys Randy Ramseyer (John Hoogenakker) and Rick Mountcastle (Peter Sarsgaard) and their new boss John Brownlee (Jake McDorman), all based on real people who saw the crisis brewing in Virginia and took steps to stop it; and DEA Agent Bridget Meyer (Rosario Dawson), an amalgamation of several real-life personalities. Working in the Diversion department, Bridget is the tenacious public servant pushing against a corrupt and complacent agency refusing to address a growing crisis. And finally, we have the citizens of one of those vulnerable areas,…
ASK PHILIP MORRIS – Nov. 2021 – The rule—initially slated to take effect June 18, 2021—would require 11 new textual, health warning statements accompanied by color, “photorealistic” images displayed on the top 50% of the front and rear panels of cigarette packs and top 20% of cigarette ads. The rule’s effective date, however, has been extended multiple times by court order and is currently set for October 11, 2022. So when might tobacco manufacturers need to start producing new cigarette packs and ads? Our guess? Not right away. We’d wager the effective date will be extended yet again in…
WATCH – ADDICTION IS NOT MANDATORY – Nov. 12, 2021 – “I wanted no narcotics,” said Seminole County resident Andria Herr. She needed gallbladder surgery in March during the pandemic and she wanted non-narcotic pain relief. “I’ve witnessed over the course of my lifetime firsthand the devastation that opioid addiction can create for our families and friends, and I didn’t want to be a part of that,” Herr said. Dr. Luke Elms is a general minimally invasive surgeon at Orlando Health’s Dr. Phillips Hospital. He says the Covid-19 pandemic made 2020 the deadliest year for overdose deaths. While not…
“Dreams are like letters from God. Isn’t it time you answered your mail?” —Marie-Louise von Franz
WE’RE INNOCENT – Nov. 10, 2021 – This is is a blow to the argument that companies that marketed, sold and distributed opioids created a public nuisance and should abate some of the damage drugs have caused in communities. Oklahoma communities alleged they were inundated by billions of pills while people were becoming addicted and overdosing. A similar claim is being tested in courts by other communities nationwide that are suing companies, arguing they are in part responsible for the public health crisis that has killed more than 500,000 people in two decades. Companies scored a win last week…
WATCH – HEARTBREAKING—LIFE AFFIRMING – Nov. 2, 2021 – “I carry Narcan in my purse in case of situations like this. You can get it from the Student Health Services for free. There are also organizations online you can get it for free. This is two doses just like in the video, so it’s funny you stopped me,” Cox said. On the body cam video you can hear the officer say: “This thing right here saved his life.” “I mean that’s what it’s for. We are on a college campus so a lot of people are using drugs here.…
GENERALLY SPEAKING? – April 23, 2019 – There’s no evidence to suggest that people with the traits mentioned above have a higher risk for addiction. That’s not to say that certain personality traits aren’t related to addiction. For example, traits associated with borderline and antisocial personality disorders may be linked to higher rates of addiction. However, the nature of this link is murky. Addiction can cause changes in the brain. As one 2017 research article points out, it’s not always clear whether the trait developed before or after addiction. At first glance, the concept of an addictive personality might…
PRAYER CAN TOO – Nov. 2, 2021 – Adam Gallenberg, a sports psychologist with Premier Sport Psychology in Edina, Minn, points out that people often turn to exercise when they are feeling stressed. “So, if they’re using it as a way to cope with all the stressors in their lives, they’re very likely to have their mind go to these things while they’re exercising, and really experience the emotional reaction tied to those stressors.” Gallenberg believes that “physical vulnerability leads to emotional vulnerability” and that the more we suppress certain emotions — such as shame, frustration or inferiority —…
SOMETIMES IT TAKES TWO – Nov. 2, 2021 – Nadia replied with a simple heart emoji and the word “always”. Mark’s comment also touched several of Nadia’s fans, and it has since had 469 likes, as well as several replies. One wrote: “You inspire me everyday Mark and I know I say this a lot but it’s true. It’s fellow men like you who give me the lift I need when I’m having a dark day. As a fellow man I’m so proud of you and how far you have come. I have nothing but respect for you my…
LISTEN – CHEECH AND CHONG AGREE – Nov. 4, 2021 – States began passing laws to legalize the medical and recreational use of marijuana in 2012, and in 2013 a majority of Americans supported those initiatives for the first time. However, marijuana use is still illegal under federal law. Several large states recently passed laws allowing some form of use, including Virginia and New Mexico. After years of attempts, New York finally legalized recreational use of marijuana this spring. Dispensaries have yet to set up shop as the state finalizes detailssurrounding the law, and it’s estimated that it could…
WORLDWIDE RISE – Nov. 3, 2021 – People continued to “drink away” until the internal damage was advanced, he explained. The way a liver specialist examined blood samples was different from a GP. Fifty per cent of people with cirrhosis had “normal” liver test results. “It could be normal but there are big problems underneath.” In some cases it was not until the patient was jaundiced that the extent of the liver damage became apparent. He had patients on his ward who were aged from 20 years to 80 years across both genders. Prof Ryan said that in Ireland…
ANONYMOUS – A NEW PARADIGM – Nov. 3, 2021 – Lot’s of photos, and a few surprises. more@USMagazine
HIS COUNTRY FOR OLD SOBER MEN – Nov. 3, 2021 – “After 8 years of sobriety, jumping into your truck for a 6 a.m. call, there’s a card from your wife thanking you for making the decision to lay it down and live instead, accompanied with a collage board of your children – what was created because of that decision,” Brolin wrote. “And sobriety is when your children look at you and believe what they see (it shows in their pupils and how they stand in front of you).” After a series of public outbursts, Brolin sought treatment for…
HARDEST TEST OF ALL – Nov. 3, 2021 – Personal uncertainties involved questions such as: Do I even have a problem, or is this just normal college behavior? How do I stop drinking and then maintain my sobriety? Social uncertainties related to negotiating stigmas associated with not drinking and with being a problem drinker. Most participants sought to reduce uncertainty by seeking social support from friends and other recovering alcoholics. Another strategy was to be open in social situations about the fact that they were in recovery. This served as a way of staying accountable and supporting others in…
ARE YOU IN AL-ANON YET? – Nov. 5, 2021 – First, make sure you are safe. If you are, keep yourself safe — emotionally and physically safe — and if you are not, get help. Immediate help. Legal help. Physical help. Walk out the door and go to a shelter sorta help. Stop lying for your spouse. Stop making excuses for them. Because by lying, you are hurting him. You are hurting yourself. You are feeding his addiction. And you are becoming a part of his sickness. That’s right: Not only is his illness driving you crazy, it is…
WATCH – IT’S BAD ALL OVER – Nov. 5, 2021 – Opium production and drug addiction flourished in the 20 years of US military involvement in Afghanistan. The Taliban say they’re going to put an end to that. Our correspondent Danial Khan visits a rehabilitation center in Ghazni city. more@YouTube
WINTER IN AMERICA? – Nov. 5, 2021 – But according to Dr. Chinazo Cunningham, New York City’s Executive Deputy Commissioner of Mental Hygiene, more services are the answer, in the form of overdose prevention sites, where users can inject their drugs under nurse supervision. “This is bringing people inside, giving them a safe environment and then linking them to other treatment,” said Cunningham. “Treating people with dignity and respect, reducing their harms and then ultimately linking them to care.” New York City reports that, in 2020, more people died from overdoses than any other year in history. January to…
EVERYONE ELSE LOSES – Nov. 2, 2021 – “Any adverse downstream consequences flowing from medically appropriate prescriptions cannot constitute an actionable public nuisance,” the ruling said. Los Angeles, Orange and Santa Clara counties and the city of Oakland argued that the pharmaceutical companies misled both doctors and patients by downplaying the risks of addictions, overdoses, deaths and other health complications while overstating the benefits for long-term health conditions. The plaintiffs said they were disappointed by the ruling but planned to appeal to “ensure no opioid manufacturer can engage in reckless corporate practices that compromise public health in the state…
HUMANS FOR SALE – Oct. 29, 2021 – Consumers have seen those downfalls before. They remember John DeLorean promising to create the coolest car in history, instead ending up bankrupt and in court defending himself against cocaine trafficking charges. They know about Coca-Cola launching its “New Coke” with such a big publicity blitz that 80% of consumers heard about it within days . . . and started protesting with so much anger that the company’s own bottlers launched a lawsuit. And there are still a few people alive who remember Ford’s fiasco with the Edsel car. Is Zuckerberg risking…
BILL W. & DR. BOB HAD TO MEET, YOU CAN CALL – Oct. 2021 – Some people who are struggling with their addiction may be so situated that they cannot get to a meeting, or they may be nervous about making the leap to actually going to a meeting in person. For people of either of these categories there are a number of 12 Step meetings that are offered over the Internet. You can attend these meetings by using Skype and the links below are to the meeting times and login information for both online Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and…
MALIBU TELL ALL? – Oct. 29, 2021 – “I was on ‘Friends’ from age 24 to 34. I was in the white-hot flame of fame,” he told People magazine in 2013. “The six of us were just everywhere all the time. From an outsider’s perspective, it would seem like I had it all. It was actually a very lonely time for me because I was suffering from alcoholism.” That year, he converted his Malibu, California, home into a sober living center called Perry House, but it later shuttered. In 2018, he spent three months in the hospital after a…
NOW SHE LIKES WHAT SHE SEES – NOV. 4, 2021 – “There is so much stigma around the word alcoholism,” Simpson wrote. She noted that her drinking was masking the real work she had to do: to allow herself to accept “failure, pain, brokenness, and self sabotage.” At the end of the day, Simpson said, the drinking wasn’t actually her real issue. “I was. I didn’t love myself. I didn’t respect my own power. Today I do.” more@YahooStyle
GETTING TO KNOW YOU – Nov. 4, 2021 – Stahl said he found solace from his inner demons in acting. “I was always playing moodier characters,” he said, “which was how I was feeling.” “I don’t look back on my childhood with real fond memories, but for some reason, when I did plays, that stuff shut off and I had this ability to just be very comfortable,” Stahl added. By age 11, Stahl was already being approached by Hollywood figures like Mel Gibson, who invited him to Los Angeles for a lunch meeting. It resulted in Stahl landing a…
WATCH – MUCH WORSE – Nov. 1, 2021 – “It became a lot harder for some people, for example, to get access to their methadone and things like that, although a lot of cities have taken great pains to try to make sure that people still have access,” she continued. “There are a lot of needle exchange programs, for example, that have tried to remain open. Some cities like New York had methadone delivery programs, so there have been efforts to try and make sure people still get the services that they need at the same time.” Not every…
ERICA SPIEGELMAN CAN CHANGE YOUR MIND – Nov. 5, 2021 – Fifty percent of teens have used drugs at least once. Forty-three percent of college students report frequently abusing drugs and alcohol. These teens who experiment early could be setting the groundwork for decades of abuse. In fact, kids who start drinking before the age of 15 are seven times more likely to develop alcohol use disorders as adults than those who wait until after age 18. Now, one woman is using her own experience to help young people rewire their brains and break the habit. “It was first…