COLOR MY WORLD – Oct. 31, 2021 – During low points in my life I could count on alcohol to tame the battles raging in my mind and lessen the anxiety that gripped my chest. However, as time went on I started to understand that alcohol was not treating my anxiety and depression, it was compounding the intensity of the symptoms and lessening the effect of any possible solutions, such as medication, exercise, meditation. The balance had shifted- what alcohol was taking from me was far outweighing what it was giving to me. The golden-hued moments were fewer and…
Author: Leonard Buschel
WATCH – GET THEM CRAZY BALD HEADS OUT OF TOWN – Nov. 4, 2021 – Prosecutors said the brothers found patients through recruiters who offered illegal kickbacks to patients, including airline tickets, illegal drugs, and cash. The patients would be shuffled between the two facilities so the brothers could fraudulently bill for as much as possible. Recruiters gave patients illegal drugs prior to admission to Compass Detox to ensure they’d be admitted for detox, which was the most expensive kind of treatment offered by the defendants’ facilities, prosecutors said. Therapy sessions were billed for but not regularly provided or…
WATCH – IT’S NOT EASY HAVING 1.6 MILLION FOLLOWERS – Nov. 2, 2021 – “My body got dependent on Xanax number one, and number two, I overdosed — I didn’t mean to at all — I overdosed on this one medication called propranolol,” Hamlin said during a 28-minute Instagram Live video early Tuesday. “I took Benadryl with it and for some reason, I ended up in the hospital. “He overprescribed me with one medication that one of my friends takes like 10 milligrams, and he gave me like 20 milligrams three times a day and then he gave me…
WATCH – OLD TIMER’S ADVICE! – Nov. 3, 2021 – Rob gives a fan advice about staying sober while socializing and shares why sobriety is “the best thing” he ever did. Listen to the Full Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast… more@YouTube
MOST REPULSIVE AND HEARTBREAKING STORY OF THE YEAR – Nov. 3, 2021 – After her death, the Department of Children and Families started their own investigation into what happened. The Deputy Affidavit states that Davis was not cooperative and refused to take a drug test. She was also previously involved with DCF in 2019 after Miya tested positive for THC. While waiting for the autopsy report on Miya’s death, Lake County Sheriff’s Deputies were doing a separate investigation on an overdose death in which Davis was a suspect. According to the Affidavit, Davis has been indicted for murder in…
IT JUST KEEPS GETTING BETTER – Nov. 4, 2021 – ‘I tried to stop on my own and it was nothing but a lesson in futility. And if you want to stop and you don’t know who to reach out to, you can even reach out to me on Twitter or Instagram. ‘I’ll help connect you to people who can help you, no matter where you are there is help for you nearby. But you have to have the courage to reach out!’ Kenny lost a lot of weight early on in his recovery when he switched to a…
NO MORE CHINA WHITE WEDDINGS – Nov. 5, 2021 – “I’d had the motorcycle accident because I was a drug addict, and I had to cure that. And it took a long time”, Idol told Zane Low. He also added, “I mean, I’m not 100 percent. I stopped the hard stuff, and I don’t drink much – things like that. I had to solve this problem about myself with the drug addiction, and that’s what was happening to me in the hospital bed – I was kind of realizing I was going to face up to the thing that…
“Every Time I Go to a Movie, It’s Magic, No Matter What the Movie’s About.” —Steven Spielberg
MORE HARM REDUCTION – Oct. 19, 2021 – PAIN now calls attention to syringe service programs under siege, and legislation to decriminalize syringes. Rather than focus its energies on deplatforming wealthy art institutions, the group has been increasingly drawn to the movement for decriminalization and safe supply. PAIN is often described as an “anti-opioid” organization, a label Goldin rejects. “We have never been anti-opioid,” she told Filter, citing the fact that she takes buprenorphine for opioid use disorder (OUD) and does not believe in abstinence-based treatment. “I love drugs and I believe in drug use.” In 2019, PAIN joined…
NOW HIS GOAL IS THE TRUTH – Oct. 25, 2021 – I texted his dad and his wife, Kristen, the morning that article came out, and I let them know how powerful it was — how brave they were to share what they did. I’ve known Jimmy since I was 16, and he was a great, great person. Everyone cared about him so much. I can’t speak highly enough of the Hayes family. They are all great people. And I know they want to help, just like I do. Because we’re in the middle of a massive opioid and…
PAGING DR. SACKLER – Oct. 21, 2021 – In all, 84% of the 269 respondents said NSAID-acetaminophen combos are as effective as opioids or even more so, but 43% also said they regularly prescribe opioid medications. The findings were published Oct. 21 in the Journal of the American Dental Association. “These results suggest that dentists are familiar with the evidence about the effectiveness of NSAID-acetaminophen medications, but their self-reported prescribing patterns demonstrate a disconnect,” said first author Matthew Heron, who conducted the study as an undergraduate at Georgetown University’s School of Nursing and Health Studies in Washington, D.C. He…
DEATH DELIVERED – Oct. 26, 2021 – These sites exist on the dark web or darknet, an area of the internet accessed through a specialized browser called Tor. Tor offers additional levels of privacy by obscuring the user’s IP address and encrypting information. But the markets themselves look like standard e-commerce sites, complete with pictures, customer reviews, and listings for not only drugs like cocaine and methamphetamine but what sellers claim are brand name prescription medications. “These markets give an illusion that what you’re looking at is from the supply chain or it’s from a professional in some…
MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS – Oct. 26, 2021 – “We are delighted to welcome to our faculty Dr. Jordan, an exceptional clinician and researcher whose critically important work in addiction and mental health disparities is changing the lives of many patients,” says Charles R. Marmar, MD, the Lucius N. Littauer Professor of Psychiatry and Chair of the Department of Psychiatry at NYU Langone Health. “She will serve as an outstanding addition to the department, providing new insights in how we think about and approach community-based mental health care.” As the principal investigator of a five-year grant from the National Institute…
ONE GOOD DEED… – Oct. 26, 2021 – She is a devoted grandmother, a children’s church director and a regional overdose prevention specialist, giving out the same hope she once needed. The ROPS program in Tennessee started in 2017 to train the public on opioid overdoses and help prevent overdoses through distribution of naloxone, an overdose-reversing drug. From October 2017 through June 2021, the ROPS distributed more than 206,000 units of naloxone to those unable to afford it or access it through insurance at their local pharmacy. “You’d rather have it and not need it than need it and…
ME EITHER, BUT HE HAS OVER 110 MILLION YOU TUBE SUBSCRIBERS – Oct. 28, 2021 – PewDiePie recently opened up about his struggles with whiskey, which first started as a hobby and turned into something much more dangerous, in a YouTube video on his channel titled “I can quit whenever honestly.” While some fans thought the title meant that PewDiePie was planning to stop producing content, he really just wanted to share his experiences with drinking, and to explain why he won’t be drinking alone again. In a moment of frank honesty, PewDiePie ended up sharing one of the…
MAGICAL HISTORY TOUR – Oct. 25, 2021 – . The Young Lords worked as the doctors’ assistants and translators for the Spanish-speaking patients. “So we have to explain to them, ‘When you get acupuncture, you’re not going to get a rush, but you’re gonna feel so relaxed that you think you’re gonna feel you’re naturally high,’” Walter Bosque, a former Young Lord and nursing student at the time, recalls. “And people started liking it, they wanted more, and we got very popular.” The clinic opened at 9 a.m., but people would start lining up at 7 in the morning.…
THE HOOP YOU HAVE TO JUMP THROUGH IS WIDER THAN YOU THINK – Oct. 28, 2021 – Preliminary research has shown an association between mental health disorders and hospitalization and severe sickness from Covid. A study published in January in JAMA Psychiatry found that Covid patients with schizophrenia were nearly three times more likely to die from the virus, although people with mood and anxiety disorders were not at an increased risk of death from coronavirus infection. Research published in The Lancet Psychiatry last November suggested that “a psychiatric diagnosis might be an independent risk factor” for contracting the…
WATCH HER – IT’S WHAT WE DO? – Oct. 27, 2021 – Investigators said Misty Gilley was selling fentanyl out of Simply Recovery Clinic and her home on Second Street in Altamonte Springs to her own rehab clients. Gilley, 50, left jail after she posted the nearly $50,000 bond. Della Wiggins was handing out Narcan to people in Seminole County. As part of Advocates for Angels, a group for parents who lost a child to substance use disorder. She lost her son in 2018. more@WFTV
WATCH – THERE IS ALWAYS HELP, SOMEWHERE – Oct. 29, 2021 – Daniel says, “I’m not a doctor, I don’t have a PhD. My expertise is life. I think I’m qualified to help people because I started to drink alcohol at the age of 13. At the age of 17, I started injecting heroin into my veins — brilliant idea I know. Thankfully, I was able to stop that at age 22. I smoked cigarettes for over 30 years and I drank for over 30 years. I stopped all three addictions with (my) method, so I think I have…
DELICIOUS SONG AND STORY – Oct. 30, 2021 – He’s been here ever since, and in August, Fenton’s band Happy Pill released their first album. “Decent Descent” is a chill, catchy mix of rock and pop, and even some jazz and folk, that tends to mask the album’s lyrical themes, which explore, in a way that’s both poetic and understated, not only Fenton’s newfound sobriety but also such time-tested topics as heartbreak, hope and regret. The band hasn’t played out a ton, but on Saturday, Nov. 20, Happy Pill will perform at Bourgie Nights in downtown Wilmington with soul/rock…
BETTER WATCH – ALL THUMBS. ONLY THUMBS? – Oct. 29, 2021 – If you’re concerned about teens who seem glued to their phones, well, join the club. But Jimmy Rhoades found ways to help them kick the digital habit. more@YouTube
BOOK REVIEW: SIT DOWN TO RISE UP: HOW RADICAL SELF-CARE CAN CHANGE THE WORLD by Shelly Tygielski – Oct. 28, 2021 – “In emergencies like when there’s a death or a hurricane, everyone steps up,” says Shelly. “But we need to normalize that kind of community care even when there isn’t a disaster. Social media isn’t going to show you what might be happening on your street. You don’t know if your neighbor is struggling with mental illness or if they just lost their job because we just don’t talk about it. We need to create forums for these…
KEPT COMING BACK! – Oct. 28, 2021 – The newly single star also noted that the day was extra meaningful because it’s a sobriety milestone. “Today marks my 37th birthday and I’m 5 months sober!!!” she wrote. “I am filled with so much gratitude it’s almost overwhelming! he Fashion Police fixture wore a polkadot top and had her purple hair up in braids as she posed with her strawberry-topped cake. The comments were supportive with many noting they were “proud” of her for being sober. In April, Osbourne revealed she had relapsed after four years of sobriety. She said…
LISTEN – DON’T TAKE THE FIFTH – Oct. 26, 2021 – Plate Spinning As the head of a law firm, I had hundreds of plates spinning up in the air, maybe thousands. It was all way too much, especially on a daily ration of alcohol and prescription opioids. Incredibly, I was still able to show up for work, show up for clients, and become even more successful—until I wasn’t. I became burned out and exhausted, ravaged by over a decade of abuse. But I couldn’t find an elegant way out of my situation. Lesson learned: Things did not get…
SO MUCH SADNESS IN THE WORLD – Oct. 30, 2021 – “Sam is the reason why I started running and he will be with me in spirit every step of the way during the marathon,” said Wohltjen, who is participating in the 26.2-mile race for the second time since she first crossed the finish line in 2017. “Every time I want to quit, I’ll think about all the good times that we had.“Running helps me so much to deal with my grief. Sam is my only sibling and I miss him every minute of every day.”During the marathon, Wohltjen…
AND SOMETIMES IT DOES – Oct. 19, 2021 – She added that it is crucial to recognize “what lies beneath addiction” so “we can help remove the taboo and shame that sadly surrounds it.” The duchess was joined by popular UK television presenters Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly in launching the campaign, which strives to “reframe existing perceptions of addiction and build awareness of the causes and nature of addiction.” She highlighted the toll the pandemic has taken on families and children hit by addiction issues. “We know that over one and a half million people across the UK…
MUSIC MAKES A DIFFERENCE – Oct. 27, 2021 – Wolf’s songs exude such joy so much that at first listen you would never assume that she is discussing such serious and personal topics. She proves that there is no singular way to cope with issues. While many musicians use somber tones and slow tempos to analyze events in their lives in a more serious manner, Wolf proves that not everything needs to be serious. Sometimes the best way to mentally navigate through one’s emotions is to laugh about them and turn an intense subject into light hearted discourse. Latesha…
WATCH – WILL SHE DO HARD TIME? – Oct. 26, 2021 – “When he shared with us that he had relapsed — the most recent location where he was buying was from this person (Gilley) who was operating and running this facility — you can imagine it didn’t take long for us to be; one, incredibly frustrated and two, to act swiftly to do all that we can to make sure that we got her into custody and held her accountable for what is going on,” Lemma said. Lemma said deputies found Gilley with fentanyl and cocaine. When deputies…
PLEASE WATCH – IT’S GETTING WORSE – Oct. 27, 2021 – “All of a sudden, [women] become every single role of the family. They had to become the sole provider; they had to become the teacher; they had to be everything.” From 2020 to 2021, Reese said the Shreveport Fire Department has not seen an uptick in the use of Narcan. “Roughly last year, we’ve given 200 doses of Narcan; right now, 2021, we’re at about 158,” he explained. Reese said the fire department has responded to 26 overdose cases. It is important to note the department may use…
BODIES ON THE SHORE OF DESPAIR – Oct. 28, 2021 – Quinones has been on this beat for years. In 2015′s “Dreamland: The True Tale of America’s Opiate Epidemic,” Quinones outlined an innovative heroin distribution system run by a not-quite-affiliated group of independent franchisees who mostly hailed from a region of the tiny Mexican state of Nayarit. He called them the Xalisco Boys. All across the country, they delivered heroin “like pizza” — on demand, in tiny little balls carried in balloons they held inside their mouths. You might have seen their names on art museum wings and medical…