Author: Leonard Buschel

THE FUTURE IS RIGHT NOW – July 9, 2021 – It’s a strange, barely fathomable fact that our lives are lived through this small, moving window. Practitioners of mindfulness meditation often strive to rest their consciousness within it. The rest of us might encounter something similar during certain present-tense moments—perhaps while rock climbing, improvising music, making love. Thoughts of the future are often associated with anxiety and dread, and thoughts of the past can be colored by regret, embarrassment, and shame. Still, mental time travel is essential. In one of Aesop’s fables, ants chastise a grasshopper for not collecting food for…

MEETINGS, MEALS AND FELLOWSHIP –    July 7, 2021 – We took her to school in the morning and tried to be a good influence. I think we were kind and loving, and it felt good to do. “You try to do stuff, and you’re not sure how it’s going to work out, I think that one worked out. I think she became a responsible human being and is a nice person.” When asked if he tried to take on the role of a surrogate father to Barrymore during that time, Crosby said: “No, it didn’t work like that at…

…AND PERCH INTO PUSHERS –    July 6, 2021 – Previous surveys have revealed low levels of methamphetamines and other illicit substances in urban waterways. “Whether illicit drugs alter fish behavior at levels increasingly observed in surface water bodies was [previously] unclear,” lead study author Pavel Horký, researcher at the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague, said in a press release. To find out, Horký and his colleagues exposed several brown trout to small traces of methamphetamine. After spending two months in the drug-laced holding tanks, the fish were released into tanks of clean water. Scientists hypothesized that if…

ONE DAY AT A TIME –    July 9, 2021 – The blunt binaries of “Just say no” that have held sway for so long have kept us from having this conversation and from appreciating how different one illicit drug is from another. That conversation begins with the recognition that humans like to change consciousness and that cultures have been using psychoactive plants and fungi to do so for as long as there have been cultures. Something about us is just not satisfied with ordinary consciousness and seeks to transcend it in various ways, some of them disruptive (as psychedelics…

THE BARBARIC DRUG LAWS OF AMERICA – July 8, 2021 – I have a million stories about my older brother, Billy, that exemplify the harms of the United States criminal justice system. I spent years trying to shepherd him through it, as a person who was dual-diagnosed with bipolar disorder and substance use disorder. His arrests in the last several years of his life reflect how stigma and a system of punishment lead to detrimental public health outcomes. Billy had been a person in recovery for over 20 years until he lost his job—and, therefore, his health insurance. Losing access…

“The conscious feminine gives us the courage to love an acorn without knowing what an oak tree is.” —Marion Woodman

NOT BETTER APP –    July 7, 2021 – Despite the vast reach and sensitive nature of these services, the research found that the majority of the apps accessed unique identifiers about the user’s device and, in some cases, shared that data with third parties. Of the 10 apps studied, seven access the Android Advertising ID (AAID), a user-generated identifier that can be linked to other information to provide insights into identifiable individuals. Five of the apps also access the devices’ phone number; three access the device’s unique IMEI and IMSI numbers, which can also be used to uniquely identify…

A MAN OF HIS TIME, A MAN AHEAD OF HIS TIME, A MAN FOR ALL TIME – July 7, 2021 – The film, though probably a financial success by Mr. Downey’s standards, made only about $2.7 million. (By comparison, “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” that same year made more than $100 million.) Yet its reputation was such that in 2016 the Library of Congress selected it for the National Film Registry, an exclusive group of movies deemed to have cultural or historical significance. Also much admired in some circles was “Greaser’s Palace” (1972), in which a Christlike figure in…

FOLLOWING THE LAWS OF RECOVERY – July 5, 2021 – To me, law enforcement is about people and building relationships where trust can be established. When there is trust, anything can happen. I could tell you countless stories from my almost 30 years in law enforcement where that was proven true. Wavelengths is not much different from law enforcement in my opinion. Our clients are at a point in their lives where they are here because they cannot do it on their own. They need help. When they get to Wavelengths, they do not have much trust in anyone. They…

WATCH – A NEW HERO – July 1, 2021 – “Drinking was destroying my body, it was damaging me and my relationships in so many other ways,” he said, adding he used alcohol to escape and give up on life. Carden said his family supported him and friends “quite literally saved my life”, but that it took Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, psychotherapy and counselling to get to the point where he was healthy, loved life and had a wonderful partner. “I’ve gone from not recognising addiction in myself for so, so long to seeing it everywhere and doing its worst damage…

BOYS TO MEN –  June 29, 2021 – Diverse in age and race, the group is assembled for a monthly Birthday Night, which will celebrate three residents whose birthdays fall in May as well as 18 men who are marking sobriety anniversaries of one month to 14 years. Executive director Brent Burmaster, who marked 14 years of recovery from alcoholism in June, stands behind a vintage wood lectern exuberantly dispensing gold-plated sobriety coins along with personal praise for each recipient. Many of the residents have cycled in and out of rehabilitation programs. Most have been in jail — some prison…

BACK FROM THE LAND OF NOD – June 29, 2021 – “In some ways, this is very personal and I can totally respect somebody’s feeling like, ‘this is my business, it doesn’t affect what I do.’ I feel about it differently,” Perice said. “My congregants trust me. Who am I to not trust them? I feel like I’m honoring that trust by telling them something like this about myself, and I think that’s a very important part of this, honoring the trust people have put in me.” Using to ‘feel normal’ Perice’s addiction began as many do: with a…

ONE DREADFUL FILM – June 30, 2021 – Jarecki’s densely plotted thriller could just as well have been titled “Déjà vu,” given how tragically familiar it will probably feel to innumerable grieving families. While “Crisis” can fairly be criticized as emotionally cold, with its heavy and humorless story generating more sympathy for its characters than empathy, there’s no denying its timeliness, offering a compelling look at what will certainly be remembered as one of the most underplayed tragedies of our time. Ironically, Jarecki’s efforts to paint that picture for audiences has had to weather other crises on its way to…

MORE HELP IS NEEDED – June 24, 2021 – The duchess said she was “delighted” the two charities had taken “this bold step to join forces and help more people, families and children to overcome addiction”. She added: “I have had the privilege of being patron of Action on Addiction for nine years, and have seen the work of The Forward Trust at HMP Send on several occasions. “I am continually struck by the passion, expertise and commitment of the staff and volunteers, and indeed it was the conversations I had with individuals and families affected by addiction that…

WATCH – IT TAKES ONE TO KNOW ONE – June 28, 2021 – Olivia Bender and Scott Sample chose recovery years ago. Now, they’re helping others choose it, too. “We’re doing our part to bring it to our community that there is another way of life and it’s fun,” said Bender. It is making a difference for the hundreds of people who interact with their videos every day. “That is a blessing. It really is life-changing. We wake up with a purpose every day. It’s saving lives, it’s saving children, it’s saving parents,” said Bender. The two post videos weekly,…

BIG PHARMA SKIMPS ON KICKBACKS? – June 30, 2021 – Disulfiram, sold under the trade name Antabuse, is the longest-known one. Its anti-alcohol properties were discovered by accident between the ‘40s and ‘50s, Einstein says. “People came in contact with disulfiram, and then they consumed alcohol and got horribly sick,” she says. “It creates a physical reaction in your body that just makes the consumption of alcohol really aversive.’ Naltrexone, sold under brand names including Vivitrol, is used in treating opioid use disorder in addition to AUD. Naltrexone blocks the brain’s new opioid receptors—the very receptors that make opioid drugs,…

WATCH – WHO RUNS WHO? – June 21, 2021 – Though the WHO responded to the outcry by stressing that it “does not recommend abstinence of all women who are of an age at which they could become pregnant,” it continued by saying that “it does seek to raise awareness of the serious consequences that can result from drinking alcohol while pregnant, even when the pregnancy is not yet known.” Yet men who drink can damage fetuses — known or unknown — as well, but they aren’t mentioned in the WHO guidance. Unintentional though it might be, the implied message…

DRIVING YOUNG PEOPLE IN OLD CARS TO MEETINGS? – June 30, 2021 – He was fortunate that he has no lasting health or legal repercussions from those years, though he had terrible credit for a while, and he has four kids by four different women (he only has a relationship with one of his children, he said). “I was in that cycle for 30 years,” he said. “I’m an idiot. Actually, I’m hard-headed.” But periodically over those years, Sewell was in recovery and became familiar with recovery houses, which is the more professional term for homes (many privately owned)…

SAFETY FIRST – July 1, 2021 – “If we are truly going to rein in the drug overdose epidemic, we must recognize drug addiction as the health problem it is, rather than as merely a crime,” Sen. Josh Miller, who chairs the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services said. “People who are addicted need help and protection from the most dangerous possibilities of addiction. Having a place where someone can save them from an overdose and where there are people offering them the resources they need for treatment is a much better alternative to people dying alone in their…

WATCH – WE WERE SAVING HER A SEAT –    July 2, 2021 – On YouTube, Cheryl told viewers that rather then check into rehab or participate in a 12-step program she quit drinking nearly three years ago with the support of her long-time therapist. I needed help, I knew that if I didn’t take that step forward to be a part of Alcoholics Anonymous, I don’t know … I don’t know if I’d be sitting here today with you,’ she told GMA. Adding: ‘The thought of having to be with a new group of strangers in a way really…

LIVING ON THE EDGE, OR DYING, WHATEVER – July 2, 2021 – On average, emergency responders receive roughly 14 calls per day. Despite the high number of drug-related calls, TPH said paramedics didn’t get any for fatal overdoses. These calls came from across the city, TPH said in a July 2 drug alert. While the city’s public health agency said they don’t know exactly what caused the overdoses, they did say that there “appears to be a range of substances from the unregulated drug supply involved.” “While specific details are not yet known, Toronto’s drug checking service has reported…

BRIBERY SOUNDS SO QUAINT – July 3, 2021 – Two Philadelphia addiction treatment providers face criminal charges for allegedly bribing recovery homes for referrals and forcing patients into substandard care. “I know we’re not providing the public with the information that they need to make the right choices in terms of treatment and facilities,” state Sen. Judy Schwank (D., Berks) told Spotlight PA. more@LevitTownNow

IS NO PLACE SAFE? July 3, 2021 – Eleven people, two adults and nine juveniles, were taken to a hospital Sunday following overdoses at a behavioral center near Orlando, officials said. Orange County Fire Rescue said paramedics responded to a call about a girl possibly overdosing Sunday night… more@Orlando

STAYING ALIVE and WELL – July 2, 2021 – Baseball was his best ticket out of Vallejo, “a place where young Black kids did not get second chances,” he writes. Mr. Sabathia would have liked to have gone to college, but he couldn’t afford it even with a full scholarship. He earned a $1.3 million signing bonus as a first-draft pick for the Cleveland Indians in 1998, but he didn’t know how to take care of himself. Instead of cleaning his clothes, he bought more. He called his mother every day and Amber, his high-school sweetheart, most nights. Twenty years…

MOTLEY NO MORE – July 2, 2021 – And do you know what you’re gonna do? YOU’RE GONNA STAY SOBER ONE DAY AT A TIME. You are the miracle, the one that breaks the addiction chain, the one who is a living amens. The one who has altered your family history. You will live in gratitude for those that never thought you’d stay sober or make it out alive BECAUSE THEY MADE YOU STRONGER and you know how to forgive assholes. And when you see people who are still suffering / treading water or gasping for air, be sure to…

FEAR OF UNMASKING –    June 30, 2021 – That’s not all. Violent crime is up, historic heat waves are devastating areas of the country not prepared to cope, and mental health practitioners can’t keep up with the demand for services. “I think for many people this ‘return to normal’ feels awfully abrupt and jarring,” Carpenter said, adding that the pandemic has been an incredibly difficult period, “with lots of opportunity for confusion, for disagreement, and for discord.” She continued, “It’s a real mixed bag. While many will experience much of this reopening as positive, there is a subset of…

DESPERATELY SEEKING DOPAMINE – June 19, 2020 – The assembly line, processing power, and Amazon Prime have not only met the minimum thresholds for survival but created a new threat to our species: superabundance. Diabetes, income inequality, and fake news — all are a function of our belief that more is better. Jeff Bezos capturing and hoarding the GDP of Norway doesn’t make sense for the species, but his instincts (fear of starvation, wielding power) reign supreme. Survival, propagation, and consumption should result in a next generation that’s smarter, faster, and stronger. Where things have come off the rails…

WATCH – NO PUN INTENDED – June 29, 2021 – The comedian’s girlfriend, Elisa Jordana, opened up about the arrest via her YouTube show, “Kermit and Friends” on Tuesday, detailing what she knew about the alleged incident. “That is true. I’ve been speaking to a lot of people about this,” she said, noting she had no plans to pay Dick’s bail. “It was the worst week with him. Every day there was some sort of problem. There were signs something was going to happen.” Jordana, 32, alleged that Dick was arrested after assaulting his lover Lucas Crawford “with a metal…

WATCH – RIGOROUS HONESTY – June 30, 2021 – Before posting the full video, Burke shared a teaser on Instagram. “To say that my sobriety has been easy would be a lie. I’ve decided to make sure I hold myself accountable by sharing with you how hard it has been to maintain my sobriety,” she wrote in the caption. In the full video, Burke said she quit drinking nearly three years ago, calling it a “huge turning point” in her life. And part of staying sober for her is being open and honest with her fans. “I’m here to…

IT’S COMPLICATED – June 30, 2021 – On November 21, 2017, Ashley was at Joshi’s office for a telehealth therapy appointment with her psychologist when Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) agents arrived with a search warrant. At the time, Joshi was unaware that an undercover DEA agent had posed as a patient at his office to build a drug trafficking case against him. Agents took Joshi to a local police station for hours of questioning, where Joshi surrendered his DEA registration that allowed him to prescribe controlled substances — including buprenorphine. When he returned from the police station, Joshi said…