VIDEO – FEEDING THE POOR – Feb. 12, 2026 – Members of The Joshua Project, a faith-based outreach organization, set up tables offering clothes, warm drinks and information about recovery resources. Organizers said what they are really providing, though, is connection. The Joshua Project connects with homeless individuals, offering support amid an overdose crisis, aiming to foster trust.A small road in Shelby Oaks Corporate Park might not look like much at first glance, but at the end of the quiet stretch, volunteers are gathering each week with a clear purpose: to meet people struggling with homelessness and addiction where they…
Author: Leonard Buschel
WHO NEEDS AA? – Feb. 25, 2026 – Like millions of Americans, I wanted to quit or dramatically cut my drinking. But I didn’t want to “surrender” to anything, nor to spend my whole life making amends and walking a path of eternal deprivation and self-denial like I saw in popular recovery communities. I needed agency, a plan of action to see booze as the enemy of the better, healthier, more optimized me—and, apparently, routine reminders in video form that drinking sucks. YouTube had my back. The more videos I watched, the more YouTube surfaced content from the kind of…
BUSTED – Feb. 13, 2026 – Dr. Shomir Banerjee and six others have been arrested on multiple felony charges for hospice fraud, California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced on Feb. 5. The seven are accused of stealing more than $3.2 million from Medi-Cal and Medicare over a period of eight years by enrolling people in hospice, some of whom were not ill and in some cases weren’t aware they had been enrolled. The Doctor was listed in a felony complaint filed in Monterey County Superior Court on Jan. 16, along with two other doctors based in Southern California, a nurse…
THINK ABOUT IT – Feb. 12, 2026 – Addiction is one of the most common and consequential chronic medical conditions in the United States. Nationwide, more than 46 million people met the criteria for a substance abuse disorder as of 2021, the most recent data available. Decades of evidence show that addiction is a chronic, relapsing disease of the brain. Nonetheless, there’s still widespread public misunderstanding of what constitutes “treatment” for addiction, not to mention heavy stigma associated with it. …Addiction has causes that are neurobiological, psychological and structural. Treating these drivers is as important as managing the initial withdrawal.…
VIDEO – MUSICAL INTERLUDE – 7,442,116 views since Oct 27, 2021 – The official music video for David Bowie. I’m Afraid of Americans is from Bowie’s 21st studio album ‘Earthling’ released in 1997, which featured the singles ‘Telling Lies’, ‘Little Wonder’, ‘Dead Man Walking’, ‘Seven Years In Tibet’ & ‘I’m Afraid Of Americans’. The song has received positive responses from critics and biographers. Rolling Stone named it one of the 30 most essential songs of Bowie’s catalogue. See More
STICK WITH THE WINNERS! – Feb. 24, 2026 – In 1985, Wendy Liebman took a class called “How to Be a Stand-Up Comedian” at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education. She had been planning on becoming a therapist, but decided she’d rather make a hundred people laugh than make one person cry. She has appeared on late-night television with Carson, Leno, Letterman, Fallon, and Kimmel, won the American Comedy Award, and recorded specials for HBO, Comedy Central, and Showtime. Q. If you are in recovery, what was your drug(s) of choice and when is your sobriety date?A. I was addicted…
MAN WITH A PLAN – Feb. 11, 2026 -A hiking accident in 2003 almost cost Ryan Hampton his life—not because of the injury he sustained, but because of the addiction he developed to the opioid OxyContin, which was prescribed for his pain, and eventually led to a heroin addiction. That harrowing journey led to Hampton getting sober in 2015 and being named victim co-chair in the 2019 class-action lawsuit against OxyContin-maker Purdue Pharma and its owners, the Sackler family. Hampton represented 130,000 other victims, ultimately winning an $850 million payout—close to three times the settlement the company initially offered—last year. …
YOU HAVE A MESSAGE – Feb. 5, 2026 – Dr. Anna Lembke is a Stanford professor of psychiatry who specializes in addiction. Just a few more minutes on Instagram, X, or TikTok turns into hours of doomscrolling, no matter how exhausted you feel or how early you have to work in the morning. Sound familiar? This is your brain on dopamine. It’s a neurotransmitter that drives us to seek out pleasurable behavior, and it can get hijacked over time by instantly gratifying behaviors like social media. If you want to get your life and your focus back under control, an…
THE JAPANESE FIGURED IT OUT – Feb. 13, 2026 – A weakening of a mechanism that produces a sense of satisfaction after drinking could lead to excessive alcohol consumption, a team of Japanese and other researchers has found.The team expects the findings to help improve alcoholism treatment and support the development of drugs and food aimed at reducing alcohol intake. In experiments using mice, the group found that after drinking, FGF-21, a hormone produced by the liver, stimulates brain nerves and generates a feeling of satisfaction. The group confirmed that a sense of satisfaction weakened after drinking in mice with…
EXPLOSIVE – Jan. 28, 2026 – In his searing new book, “Addicted to Failure: Why the Rehab System Doesn’t Work and What Must Change”, author and addiction reform advocate Jimmie Applegate takes aim at a $16 billion industry that profits from relapse and exposes why traditional rehab models fail to deliver real recovery. A longtime observer and critic of the addiction treatment industry, Applegate draws on research, interviews and survivor stories to reveal the shocking truth: America’s rehab system is broken by design, exploiting families while offering outdated one-size-fits-all programs that rarely lead to lasting healing. “Relapse isn’t personal failure…
AUDIO – MONEY MONEY MONEY? – Feb. 13, 2026 – “Antagonist” features the story of St. Louisan Brett Rudloff, who was treated with naltrexone. In his new documentary “Antagonist,” Westhoff explores the evidence of naltrexone’s effectiveness at treating opioid and alcohol misuse. Many of the patients he spoke with called it a lifesaver. Westhoff also investigates how the drug got sidelined by “Big Pharma.” “As corrupt as drug trafficking is, it often seems like the drug treatment industry is almost as corrupt,” he said. By blocking opioid receptors in the brain, naltrexone suppresses cravings and prevents users from experiencing a…
GOOD LUCK – Feb. 3, 2026 – Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced a $100 million federal investment Monday aimed at reducing homelessness, combating opioid addiction and improving public safety through treatment-focused recovery programs. The money will fund the new STREETS Initiative — Safety Through Recovery, Engagement, and Evidence-based Treatment and Supports … “Addiction begins in isolation and ends in reconnection,” Kennedy said in a statement. “Thanks to the leadership of President Trump, we are bringing Americans suffering from addiction out of the shadows and back into community.” In addition to the STREETS Initiative, Kennedy announced…
NO MORE DOUBT? – Feb. 5, 2026 – The University of Cincinnati uses a novel artificial intelligence to predict substance use defining behaviors with up to 83% accuracy and 84% accuracy to predict the severity of the addiction. Researchers say this could allow clinicians to provide treatment faster to patients who need it. The clinical standard for psychiatry defines substance use disorder by four categories of destructive behaviors related to impaired control, physical dependence, social impairments and risky use irrespective of the substance being used. Successful prediction of these can help researchers understand the general processes defining addiction. The study…
IN GOOD COMPANY – Feb. 13, 2026 – Harry Styles has been on quite the journey over the past two years. He’s been spotted all over the world, running a marathon in Tokyo, partying at Berlin’s legendary Berghain nightclub, and celebrating the announcement of a new Pope in Vatican City. And it turns out he’s been on a sobriety journey too. This was revealed by Rizzle Kicks rapper Jordan Stephens, who spoke on the Miss Me podcast about recent conversations he’s had with Styles. “More recently I’d say in the last year, maybe just a bit longer, I feel more…
JASON UNPREDICTABLE – February 18, 2026 – Jason Bateman credits his wife, Amanda Anka, with helping him get sober — largely because his on-and-off partying had gotten “annoyingly unpredictable” — the SmartLess podcaster tells The Hollywood Reporter. “Amanda and I definitely had a few negotiations about the point at which the [partying] spigot was going to completely turn off,” Bateman, 57, tells THR. “She’d be like, ‘This drip, drip, drip is annoyingly unpredictable, Jason.’” The actor, who said that, at the time, Anka was the breadwinner, shared that she “didn’t demand that I completely absolve, but that was sort of…
IT’S ABOUT TIME – Feb. 6, 2026 – Bills to tax alcohol and redirect opioid tax revenue to fund substance use disorder treatment are wending through the state Legislature, As the state opens new avenues for people to drink, lawmakers are proposing to tax those same sales to pay for addiction treatment — an acknowledgment that expanding access will likely create more people who need help. State Sen. Nathalia Fernandez introduced three bills that would establish a 5% excise tax on retail alcohol sales and redirect existing opioid tax revenue into the state Drug Treatment and Public Education Fund. The…
VIDEO – HANDLE WITH CARE – Feb. 13, 2026 – Fentanyl continues to be the primary cause of drug overdose deaths in the United States. Even a very small amount of it can cause a lethal overdose. Last year, synthetic opioids, primarily fentanyl, accounted for 60% of all overdose deaths in the United States. And for seniors, it’s becoming a bigger issue. “The overdose crisis has continually gotten worse,” said Daniel Arendt, PharmD, associate professor of pharmacy practice and administrative sciences at University of Cincinnati. And now deaths from fentanyl mixed with stimulants have skyrocketed among seniors, increasing by 9,000%…
“Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old.” — Franz Kafka, B. Prague, July 4, 1883 – D. Vienna, June 3, 1924
THINGS CHANGE – Dec. 2025 – By gatecrashing our brains, alcohol has shaped human history, from our ancestors’ descent from the trees to the formation of modern cities. Yet because it brings misery and sickness as well as joy and conviviality, our species’ love affair with it is on the rocks. Sales are sliding in rich countries some think global consumption has peaked. Is the greatest party of all time coming to an end? To answer this question one needs to understand a relationship whose molecular fingerprints are first visible millions of years ago. A good place to start is…
REHABS GET REAMED – Jan. 15, 2026 – Benjamin Flaherty discovered some disturbing tendencies in the addiction recovery industry. His documentary is upsetting and revelatory. Their stories are alternatively hopeful and heartbreaking. The subjects who make it out alive do know how lucky they are. While some institutions are legitimate, “Shuffle,” a shocking and confounding new documentary directed by Benjamin Flaherty, lays out in painstaking detail the collusion between moneymaking rehab treatment centers, double-dealing insurance entities and predatory social-media “scouts” who make sure cash flows into corporate pockets while the sick and suffering never get well. Flaherty became aware of…
SEE THIS MOVIE – Jan. 29, 2026 – The film tells the story of a military veteran documenting what he believes may be the final week of his life, capturing the highs and lows he experiences along the way. It explores themes of struggle and hope, with its creators emphasizing the importance of checking in on friends who may be facing mental health challenges. ARC Salt Lake spoke with director Rickey Jewkes and lead actor Paul Anthony Sonnier Jr. about why they chose to tell this story in Utah, the decision to portray raw and honest experiences on screen, and…
NO BRAINER – Feb. 10, 2026 – Found in everything from protein bars to energy drinks, erythritol has long been considered a safe alternative to sugar. Research suggests this widely used sweetener may be undermining one of the body’s most crucial protective barriers – with serious consequences for heart health and stroke risk.A study from the University of Colorado suggests erythritol may damage cells in the blood-brain barrier, the brain’s security system that keeps out harmful substances while letting in nutrients. The findings add troubling new detail to previous observational studies that have linked erythritol consumption to increased rates of…
VIDEO – ONE HAND, ONE HEART – Jan. 28, 2026 – This month, the CBS6 Together for a Better Tomorrow series is focusing on addiction and its impact on individuals and families. As part of that effort, CBS6 spoke with Dan McAlonen, a Certified Recovery Peer Advocate with the Addiction Care Center of Albany, about how peer advocates support people struggling with substance use disorders. A peer advocate — also known in New York State as a CRPA (Certified Recovery Peer Advocate) — is someone who draws on their own lived experience with addiction, combined with specialized training and certification,…
CORRUPTION DU JOUR – Jan. 29, 2026 – A federal lawsuit accusing Addiction Recovery Care, or ARC, Kentucky’s largest treatment provider, of defaulting on an $8 million loan has a new twist. Just two and a half weeks after Angelica Capital Trust sued the embattled provider, accusing ARC of refusing to repay the $8 mil…a second company is seeking to join the case, arguing it has a prior claim to the money because it was the first to lend ARC a similar amount. In both cases, the loans were secured through about $8 million in federal income tax credits ARC…
IT DOESN’T TAKE A GENIUS – Jan. 29, 2026 – In my 25 years as an academic psychologist, I witnessed negative attitudes toward 12-step programs many times. During informal conversations, at scientific conferences, and in published research, AA was often viewed skeptically, for reasons I elaborate below. These views—now distributed widely across the internet can lead people who need help to decide 12-step programs aren’t worth trying. After all, shouldn’t social scientists know best? A distinguishing feature of science is internal consistency—using the same methods, rules, and standards to address all scientific questions. Without internal consistency, one cannot be objective,…
SCHMUCK – Jan. 29, 2026 – Lottery winner John Eric Spiby gets more than 16 years behind bars. An 80-year-old lottery winner who once took home $3.3 million has been jailed for helping run what a judge called one of the largest fake-pill operations ever uncovered by UK police. Prosecutors said Spiby led a drug network based at his “quiet, rural” home near Wigan that churned out counterfeit tablets of diazepam (aka Valium) on an industrial scale, with a potential street value of up to $398 million, reports the Guardian. The court heard that after his 2010 lottery win, Spiby…
BOOK RECOMMENDATION – Jan. 13, 2026 – Death of an Addict reveals the personal journey of Tio “Mr. CeaseFire” Hardiman’s life and the struggles he endured as a child who grew up in a dysfunctional family and eventually battled drug addiction. The book highlights his determination to break the chains of addiction in his family through determination, treatment, and community activism. Read More
CAN YOU STOMACH THAT? – Jan. 29, 2026 – Just one episode of binge drinking — consuming four alcoholic drinks in two hours (for women) or five (for men) — can cause serious harm to the body. “Our study shows that even short bouts of binge drinking can trigger inflammation and weaken the gut barrier, highlighting a potential early step in alcohol-related gut and liver injury.” In a study aimed to examine alcohol’s impact on gastrointestinal inflammation, researchers examined the results from three days of excessive alcohol consumption in mice — similar to what would be a weekend bender —…
WHY NOT ADD MORPHINE TOO? – Jan, 29, 2026 – Alcohol use is associated with a wide range of health and social harms. Research has linked alcohol consumption to at least seven forms of cancer and nearly 200 diseases and medical conditions. Cannabis generally carries fewer risks, particularly when compared with heavy alcohol use…The study, published in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, is the first to examine cannabis beverages specifically in the context of reducing alcohol-related harm, according to the researchers. Its release coincided with “dry January,” a time when many people attempt to lower their alcohol intake or stop…
WE’LL SEE – Jan. 30, 2026 – The White House issued an executive order Jan. 29 to address substance use and addiction. The order establishes the White House Great American Recovery Initiative, a federal effort tasked with coordinating the administration’s efforts on the matter. The initiative will be led by the Department of Health and Human Services, which will work in conjunction with other federal agencies and officials. The initiative would advise federal agencies on how to implement programs regarding substance use prevention, early intervention, treatment, recovery support and re-entry, among other efforts. Additionally, the program would advise federal agency…