BETTER LATE THAN NEVER – March 26, 2021 – Violent crime, meanwhile, has declined about 20% so far this year compared to the same three months of last year, largely before the coronavirus pandemic, according to police statistics. Similarly, property crime declined 35% when comparing those time periods. “Clearly, the data suggests that there is no public safety value in prosecuting these low-level offenses,” Mosby said. She made her announcement Friday outside the Clarence M. Mitchell Jr. Courthouse in her first public appearance since The Baltimore Sun reported last week of a federal criminal tax investigation into the state’s attorney…
Author: Leonard Buschel
NEW WASHINGTONIAN? – March 24, 2021 – I have little doubt that the White House has seen its share of people with alcoholism up and down the chain of command; maybe a few even darkened the door of a meeting or two. But until now, the most famous recovering person in the White House was a character on “The West Wing.” In the real world, until now, no one in that upper echelon had introduced themselves to the public the way Walsh did at the 2016 Democratic National Convention: “My name is Marty Walsh, and I’m an alcoholic.” While our…
CAN ANYTHING BE DONE? – Mach 24, 2021 – The latest overdose statistics sparked debate in the legislature, with the Opposition Liberals demanding the government take vigorous action in next month’s budget to address mental health and addiction services. “The loss of 155 lives in February represents a 107 per cent increase over the same month in 2020,” said interim Liberal Leader Shirley Bond. “This is a situation that continues to get worse. It’s taking people from all age groups and economic situations.” She called on Horgan to take measures to prevent the deaths. “Perhaps the premier can step up…
SHOP ’TIL YOU CAN’T STOP – March 25, 2021 – The pleasure of acquiring superfluous shoes and kitchenware is, predictably, fleeting. “Shortly after they make a purchase, they often feel really bad,” Norberg says. This shame and disappointment is another hallmark of an unhealthy habit, and it feeds the habit. “It’s this reinforcing cycle,” she adds. “You feel good, then you feel bad, so then you want to feel good again.” A spree of compulsive buying often begins, as it ends, with negative emotions: loneliness, depression, anxiety. A person may turn to shopping because they are unable to deal with…
A NEW GOAL – March 25, 2021 – ‘I would have to fight very hard sitting in the house. I was struggling with it because I didn’t know what I could do, then Dungannon came in for me. I never thought I would be back playing again after being out for so long. ‘I’m lucky. We watch football every night on TV and these professionals don’t realise how lucky they are to still be playing. I feel sorry for the thousands of kids, men and women who can’t play sport. I know how serious that is for mental health. ‘You…
WATCH – CHOICES CHOICES – March 24, 2021 – The House of Pain member said that he was able to get temporarily clean in 2000 and stay off drugs for the next three years. But he was hooked again and by 2005 and was reduced to sleeping on a couch in a warehouse after burning though millions of dollars spent on drugs. He was even dodging a warrant for his arrest before he decided to get clean again, he said. “By the time I got sober the second time in 2005, I was sick and tired of being sick and…
WOMEN SHOULD BE WARY – March 25, 2021 – Women tend to have worse outcomes from increased drinking — worse outcomes in health issues, psychological consequences, and progression to an alcohol use disorder. Increased drinking is especially evident in women 30 years of age and older in the U.S. Research also indicates that women over 60 are binge-drinking more often. A nationwide study showed that between 2006 and 2014, emergency room visits due to excessive alcohol rose by 61.6%, with a staggering 272% increase in related costs. Another study showed that between 1993 and 2010, alcohol-related hospital diagnoses increased by…
CAUGHT SPEEDING – March 26, 2021 – Irish jockey Adrian McCarthy was suspended for six months after testing 1,000 times above the cocaine limit. McCarthy, who said an addiction to drugs left him in a rut, was suspended on Thursday after the disciplinary panel of the British Horseracing Authority was told at a hearing that he tested positive for benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine, in a urine sample at Chelmsford on Oct. 15 last year. He gave a reading of 150,300 nanograms per millilitre, with the threshold for riding set at 150 ng/ml. The 42-year-old said he was “in a…
WAGER THIS! – March 26, 2021 – People like Lewis, a 25-year-old from Hampshire who requested anonymity because few people know about a compulsion he is still struggling to control. He won about $77,000 at age 16 with an online betting account and chased the high of that original hit for years. Since 2016, he said, he has toggled between total abstinence and flat-out mania. To him, bet365 is the most insidious of the many online gambling sites, because it outpaces the rest at catering to the always-on impulse of people who want to wager, day and night, on games…
BOOK REVIEW – March 12, 2021 – Obviously, it is preposterous to consider potato chips less fattening than walnuts — because potato chips are among the most addictive foods on the planet, along with French fries, pizza, cheeseburgers and Oreos. Too many of us can’t help eating too much of this stuff. And that’s the chief motivation for “Hooked,” which is in many ways a sequel to the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist’s 2013 tour de force, “Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us.” That book exposed how multinational food companies churn out processed foods that are both cheap and…
FILM REVIEW – March 25, 2021 – As opening credits roll, we hear the sound of a drink being mixed and the first thing we see are cherubic teens participating in a beer bottle rally race. It generates a lot of camaraderie and vomit. A quartet of old friends who teach at the school view these ecstatic youths as a repudiation of their staid lives and decide to jump straight into their mid-life crises. The pack leader is melancholy history professor Martin (Mads Mikkelsen), whose wife Anika (Maria Bonnevie) and two sons are unimpressed with his permanent air of hungover…
LISTEN! – THE TRACKS OF OUR TEARS – March 24, 2021 – We wanted to look at two songs from the 1970s that dove deeply into the morass of drug addiction. The first is “Home is Where the Hatred Is,” a Gil Scott-Heron composition. It appeared on Scott-Heron’s first studio album, Pieces of a Man, and second recording (the live Small Talk at 125th and Lenox marked his debut). It was also the first of his collaborations with pianist Brian Jackson. The group included Scott Heron, guitar, piano, vocals; Hubert Laws, flute, saxophone; Brian Jackson, piano; Burt Jones, electric guitar;…
CENTRAL PARK TO LEVITATE IN 2022 – March 25, 2021 – The legislation sets a goal of having 50 percent of marijuana business licenses for distribution and retail issued to social equity applicants, including people with past marijuana convictions or who have relatives with such records as well as those living in economically distressed areas or places where cannabis criminalization has been enforced in a discriminatory manner. Equity applicants would also include minority- and women-owned businesses, disabled veterans and financially distressed farmers. *Cannabis products would be subject to a state tax of nine percent, plus an additional four percent local…
“The hardest thing on earth is choosing what matters.”—Larry McMurtry, Author, 1936-2021
ONE TOKE OVER THE LINE? – March 22, 2021 – Lovato has endured two highly publicized relapses and suffered “three strokes and a heart attack” during that time — details of which will be shared in her forthcoming YouTube documentary “Dancing With the Devil.” Lovato also talked about her current stage of recovery, when CBS’s Smith asked her to elaborate on the “moderation” approach to recovery. “So, you’re doing what they call moderation, I guess, right? So, you’re drinking, smoking a little bit of weed, is that fair to say?” Smith asked. “Yeah. I think the term that I best…
SAFE INJECTION SITES UNLIKELY – March 17, 2021 – President Joe Biden is planning to announce Dr. Rahul Guptaas his pick for the director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), otherwise known as the nation’s drug czar, sources close to the White House tell Filter. Dr. Gupta, an internal medicine physician, led Biden’s drug policy transition team, and is currently the senior vice president and chief medical and health officer at March of Dimes, a nonprofit that focuses on improving the health of mothers and their children. But Dr. Gupta previously led West Virginia’s response to the…
DO BEARS COME IN THE MAIL? – March 4, 2021 – The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) issued a statewide standing order for free naloxone to help curb out the mortality rate from opioid overdoses. California colleges and universities are able to qualify to receive naloxone for distribution after completing an online application process for CDPH. The bill’s fact sheet explains that the CDPH program, “Is open to any community organization or entity in California that can provide naloxone to those at risk of overdose.” Additionally, instructional videos are provided by CDPH on how to properly administer the naloxone.…
SPEED IS FOR STEALING BASES – March 20, 2021 – Deputies discovered a Cubs duffel bag that contained “several baseball gloves, cleats, several neatly packaged bags of a white substance, two green packages and a bag that was suspected of being doused with essential oils that had $1,000 cash in it.” Per the arrest affidavit obtained by Whitehead, there were a total of three people in the car when Eagle County sheriff’s deputy Evan Jaramillo made contact with Camargo. Camargo is still being held in jail under a $75,000 bond. The Cubs signed Camargo as an undrafted free agent in…
RECOVERY EXPERTS RULE – March 18, 2021 – Substance abuse is not one person’s problem alone— it impacts families, communities, and society as a whole. Recovery, too, does not happen in isolation. It involves coordination and cooperation by individuals, families, communities, and systems working toward a common goal … Her own growth story fuels her passion and empathy, only matched by her knowledge and expertise. Roxanne keeps her patient’s mental health a top priority. She is a forceful advocate for the patient community. As an expert in crisis intervention, she has helped hundreds of individuals and families find the path…
MOUNTAIN HIGH – March 17, 2021 – Delaware, Tennessee, Louisiana and Maryland followed next, rounding out the top five states that the epidemic has hit. Kansas, meanwhile, was the least affected, and while more than 1,800 out of 100,000 residents were diagnosed with illicit substance use disorder, drug-related arrests were down to about 76 while overdose deaths were just under 14. “The disruption to daily life due to the COVID-19 pandemic has hit those with substance use disorder hard,” said then-CDC Director Robert Redfield in a release from December. “As we continue the fight to end this pandemic, it’s important…
I SEE LIVE PEOPLE – March 11, 2021 – Outreach specialists with Wisconsin Voices for Recovery have now put up 12 opioid recovery kits at places like gas stations, hotels, and multiple healthcare locations across the state. “People can just come in, grab a dose if they know somebody who needs it, and just have it on hand with them,” said Wes Van Epps with Wisconsin Voices for Recovery. “If we can get out there and get these boxes installed, it kind of helps to de-stigmatize opioid addiction,” said Jessica Geschke with Wisconsin Voices for Recovery. “It helps people be…
SINSEMILLA FOR SENIORS – INDICA FOR ADULTS – March 21, 2021 – Last spring, an analysis based on the National Survey of Drug Use and Health found that marijuana use in the prior year among people over 65 had jumped 75 percent from 2015 to 2018, from 2.4 percent of that group to 4.2 percent. By 2019, use had reached 5 percent. “I would expect it to continue to increase sharply,” said Dr. Benjamin H. Han, the lead author of the analysis. The data showed use rising particularly among women and among people with higher education and income. A team…
TO THE END? – March 15, 2021 – According to Hengartner et al., the last meta-analysis that included observational studies was published in 2009, included only eight studies with about 200,000 participants, and did not include non-SSRI antidepressants like venlafaxine, bupropion, and mirtazapine. That study was also unable to control for publication bias and the bias of studies funded by the pharmaceutical industry (fCOI). That 2009 study concluded that the risk of suicide was nearly doubled in adolescents taking SSRIs but that the drugs do reduce suicide risk in adults. However, that study was limited by smaller size, not controlling…
MORE THAN JUST THE 12 STEPS – MAR. 16, 2021 – Red Oak Recovery® and The Willows at Red Oak Recovery® have completed their sixth year of partnership with the Center for Research, Assessment, and Treatment Efficacy (CReATE; Asheville, NC) and the Arkansas Interdisciplinary Sciences Laboratory (University of Arkansas) in collaboration on an all-inclusive dual diagnosis outcome study. This research study investigated the effectiveness of the integration of clinical and experiential modalities utilized with young adults, ages 18-35, that are struggling with trauma, mental health, and substance use issues. This is an IRB approved study. The research team has collected…
SUPER WEALTHY CON JOB? – March 16, 2021 – By Associated Press | March 16, 2021 at 11:53 AM EDT – Updated March 16 at 6:08 PM (AP) – Some state attorneys general and opioid addiction activists pushed back Tuesday against a settlement offer from OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma, saying it didn’t include enough money and goes too far in protecting the company and family members who own it from future liability. A group of nearly half the state attorneys general said it was disappointed in the plan Purdue filed late Monday night in federal bankruptcy court and some said…
OVERDOSE OF GREED – March 18, 2021 – A Michigan pharmacist and pharmacy technician have been charged in a conspiracy in which they are accused of illegally distributing more than $1.2 million worth of prescription drugs. Cosmos George, 46, of Southfield and Tarielle Dixon, 33, of Detroit have both been charged in the scheme, Acting U.S. Attorney Saima Mohsin announced Thursday. Both George and Dixon dispensed addictive and highly diverted prescriptions, including oxycodone and oxymorphone, for the same opioid distribution ring, according to the indictment. Those specific drugs are two of the most addictive opioids that have high black market…
GOOD DE‘TOKE’TIVE WORK – March 19, 2021 – Although adults can buy and consume marijuana legally under Maine law, like alcohol, should they be getting behind the wheel after toking on a joint? And if they do, can they be busted for driving under the influence? While law enforcement officers in Maine have been equipped for years with the tools necessary to gauge whether a drinking driver is over the legal limit, they appear to lack that same toolbox to detect the level of impairment of pot-smoking or edible-nibbling drivers. On Friday, police officers, sheriff’s deputies and game wardens, largely…
WATCH – ROTTEN TOMATOES 44% – March 18, 2021 – According to E! News, Kunis’s new role has her playing Molly, a character that’s battling drug addiction in the film. Four days refers to the time that she has before she can get an opiate antagonist shot, which keeps her body from being able to get high. The film also stars Glenn Close, who plays Molly’s mother. The trailer shows Kunis’s grown-out blonde hair and dark roots. She’s going through withdrawal symptoms, struggling with her family and kids, and dealing with the consequences of her own addiction. It’s not quite…
BOOK REVIEW – Feb. 23, 2021 – Hahn starts at the beginning. Emil Fischer of the University of Strasbourg synthesized iproniazid in 1875, which was used later by the Nazis for V-2 rocket fuel during World War II. There was a lot of it left over after the war so the search was on to find a use. It was discovered to be effective against the tuberculosis bacillus, but found unsuitable because fifty to seventy percent of patients suffered serious side effects. This later proved no impediment to its use as an antidepressant, though (the sarcasm is mine). He goes…
TRADITION #? – March 19, 2021 – He also added that Alcoholics Anonymous’ 12-step program “can be related to any addiction or substance” and is a program of “fellowship, and changing perspective and perception.” “I went to a meeting every day, I did treatment for close to a year, I got a sponsor, and I started working the steps,” Mike, who has been candid about his past prescription drug abuse, said. “These suggestions put me on the path to recovery and helped make the man that stands before you with 5 years clean and sober.” The MTV star, 38, shared…