USING TECH FOR GOOD – Feb. 26, 2021 – Gabriella Augello is an open book when it comes to her struggle with substance abuse. When she graduated high school, she suffered a family loss that would change the course of her life. “I didn’t have proper coping skills to deal with that. This was the first time I had experienced depression that was this severe so I turned to alcohol,” said Augello. Augello says a large part of her mission is making sure people don’t feel like they’re the only one going through. “It really is more people than you…
Author: Leonard Buschel
STICK WITH THE WINNERS! – Feb. 24, 2021 – Kevin is probably best known for his 20-year portrayal as “sex symbol” Norman (Curly) Watts in Coronation Street, the world’s longest running soap. Since leaving the cobbles, Kevin has found success starring in several West End productions, as well as travelling the world in theatre shows. Kevin currently lives on the south coast of England in Brighton, with his wife, and co-founder of Kennedy St CiO, Clare, and their two little girls, Katy May and Grace. Kevin had a very public battle with his alcohol addiction until he entered active recovery…
GETTING BACK UP – Feb. 24, 2021 – “I have completed treatment for alcohol addiction; something I’ve dealt with in the past and will continue to confront,” Affleck wrote via Facebook in March 2017 after his second rehab stint. “I want to live life to the fullest and be the best father I can be. I want my kids to know there is no shame in getting help when you need it, and to be a source of strength for anyone out there who needs help but is afraid to take the first step.” He added: “I’m lucky to have…
IT MUST BE 2021 – Feb. 25, 2021 – As a Hazelden Betty Ford Trustee, Susan Ford Bales, daughter of former First Lady Betty Ford, is proud to have Dr. Lee taking the esteemed institution’s helm. Discussing his appointment, she says with conviction, “Humility, empathy, grace and love—those are the values that define Dr. Lee the most. They’re also values that were important to my mother during her 33 years of recovery… Dr. Lee is a deeply thoughtful and insightful person who understands the human condition, the needs of the human spirit, and the power of community and connection.” As the…
ONE KNIGHT AT A TIME – Feb 27, 2021 – You recently marked forty-five years of sobriety. Was it difficult to give up drinking? No. I’m not an evangelist—I know people who drink and they’re fine with it. They don’t have to destroy the furniture. I was not a good drinker. It wasn’t so much the amount; it was what it would do to my brain and my body. And to drive a car when you’re drunk is insanity—I could have killed somebody. So I thought, Stop it! And it was over and done with. I’m flabbergasted that I’m here…
12 STEPS FROM CORONATION STREET – Feb. 2021 – ‘It was the end of the 90s and although I didn’t realise it at the time, I was coming to the end of my run in the Street when I sent a demo tape to some record companies,’ recalls Kevin. ‘I have always written stuff, and people have always told me it was decent material, so I chanced my arm and sent it down to London to see if anyone would bite. But I didn’t send it as Kevin Kennedy. I thought I would have no chance if I said who…
REEL RECOVERY MOVIES FOR ALL – Feb. 25, 2021 – And while mental illness still holds far too significant of a stigma in modern society, that stigma is decreasing; mainstream depiction in films seen and loved by many can be a major factor in continuing to break down that wall. Movies either centering on or touching upon mental illness aren’t a new concept, but the range of genres doing so is wider than ever before. From romantic comedies to action blockbusters, a discussion on mental illness—and mental health—can be found almost anywhere. In fact, a movie doesn’t even need to…
ECLECTIC GUESTS – March 7, 2021 – INSPIRATION FOR THE SOUL Presents: Finding Your Way OM … The Keys to Emergence. more@Zoom
WORTH LIVING – Feb. 25, 2021 – Most of the roughly 13 million in that group who have been prescribed opioids are not struggling with addiction — but too many are. Medicare beneficiaries have become addicted to the drugs at a faster rate than any other age group. One analysis found that the diagnosis for opioid use disorder (OUD) among Medicare prescription drug beneficiaries grew by 377% between 2008 and 2017 to more than 900,000 patients. “When older adults suffer in addiction they are often suffering in the solitude of their own home away from our eyes,” said Dr. John…
STRANGE FRUIT – Feb. 25, 2021 – To millions in America and around the world, Billie Holiday – or Lady Day, as she was known – was merely a musical legend, a woman as effortlessly graceful as she was inspirational. To the US government, however, she was yet another casualty in the often racist war on drugs that first found its footing in 1930, when the Federal Bureau of Narcotics was established. This public-versus-private tension is explored in Lee Daniels’s new Hulu biopic The United States vs. Billie Holiday, and the story that Daniels tells is one that holds relevance…
ONLY IF YOU CARE TOO MUCH? – Feb. 21, 2021 – “While a source of joy, these pathways in the brain also motivate us to engage in certain behaviours. And addiction is simply taking that to a maladaptive level – it’s where this circuitry hijacks the brain,” says Professor Zoe Donaldson, a behavioural neuroscientist. Love normally does not reach this ‘maladaptive level’ – and it isn’t as detrimental to your health as many recreational drugs. However, Dr Sandra Langeslag, a behavioural neuroscientist at the University of Missouri–St Louis has found a major neurological drawback of being in love: it distracts…
LISTEN – LOVE AND PAIN – Feb. 2021 – Zach — and the complicated relationship War has with him — is the inspiration behind “Deployed and Destroyed,” the newest release from the singer’s upcoming album, Simple Syrup. When she met Zach, War explains, he had recently been discharged from the Navy, though she adds that the end of his military service may have been hastened by “something with his mental [state] — I think they kind of kicked him out, because he’s kind of crazy.” Unfortunately, the tepid support Zach received from the local Veterans Affairs office and the fact…
HEALING EMOTIONAL BOO BOOS – Feb. 27, 2021 – Pediatricians and adolescent health experts have cautioned for months that the uncertainty and anxiety spurred by the pandemic, coupled with the lack of social contact, may have lasting effects on the mental health of children and teens, though they are significantly less likely than adults to experience serious physical illness from COVID-19. And while declining case counts and the new vaccines may have adults feeling more optimistic, vaccines are not yet approved for those younger than 16. That means kids may still be feeling a lot of uncertainty and stress about…
FATHER, DAUGHTER DANCE – Feb. 19, 2021 – She and her friend, Ian S Grant, were later arrested and charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance and illegal possession of marijuana. The charges were dropped under the Good Samaritan law, which dissolves charges when someone has a potentially lethal amount of drugs inside them. “She’s good. She’s getting through it,” Bon Jovi told Metro. “She’s healthy. The greatest gift that I have is that I have her. We’ll get through this. It was a shock for everybody and hopefully, we learn from these life lessons.” “It wasn’t what you…
“Everything the Beats stood for was the opposite of the dominant culture today.” —Lawrence Ferlinghetti
JEWS AREN’T ALCOHOLICS? – Feb. 18, 2021 – Being Jewish, having family members in addiction recovery, and now working for a treatment center for alcoholism and addiction, I wanted to learn more about Purim, and the commandment to drink. I had the opportunity to (virtually) sit down and learn with Rabbi Dr. Chaim Meyer Tureff to learn about the roots of Purim, how serious is this commandment, and what does it mean for the recovery community and their and loved ones? While earning his Ed.D in Jewish Education from Gratz College, Rabbi Dr. Chaim Meyer Tureff focused on the role Judaism and spirituality play…
LET MY PEOPLE GROW – Feb. 16, 2021 – Egyptian Minister of Social Solidarity Nevine el-Qabbaj announced that a total of 400,000 citizens benefited from the state’s addiction recovery programs during the past three year. She made her statements during the inauguration ceremony of a number of heath projects in Ismailia on Tuesday. The minister further said that there is a network connection between both ministries of solidarity and health to follow up on the Egyptians’ conditions. She further stated that a total of 300,000 state administrative employees were examined for drug abuse in 29 governorates, citing Minya and Sohag…
GETTING OFF – Feb. 17, 2021 – Lee revealed his anxiety developed during Born Of Orisis’ grueling touring schedule. “It was probably the peak of our touring schedule. We were on ‘Mayhem’ [festival] with Rob Zombie and Children of Bodom and Five Finger Death Punch, huge tour, and it was like our biggest meet and greets every day and probably our biggest partying every day too, so it was just all on 100%. So many people, so many drinks, drugs, everything full force, like women, whatever. And I don’t say that to sound cool, but that’s just what it was.…
FENTANYL FOREVER? – Feb. 18, 2021 – Fentanyl isn’t a new substance, having first been synthesized in a lab in 1960 by the Belgian company Janssen Pharmaceuticals. The drug has important medical uses, including for COVID-19 patients in critical condition. Some also theorize that fentanyl reached illicit North American markets long before the modern overdose crisis. In the 1990s, a powerful substance known as ”China White,” sold as heroin, came onto the scene, and was linked with thousands of overdoses. Some modern researchers and harm reduction advocates suggest that this substance may have contained fentanyl, or one of its analogs.…
A BETTER LIFE – Feb. 14, 2021- And then in college, I drank so much, I drank everything and from much earlier it was all about alcohol. “It’s not trouble, but it’s not funny either. There’s compassion for myself because I hadn’t a clue. I hadn’t a clue how to be in the world, I hadn’t a clue how to manage my own feelings, I hadn’t a clue how to manage relationships, I was just lost.” The Watermelon writer explained that she drank at such extremities because it helped her feel normal. “So, when I started drinking I thought this…
NEVER TOO YOUNG – Feb. 16, 2021 – My drinking started properly in 2001 at age 16. I’d recently moved high schools and although I’d begun to make new friends, I felt anxious. The instant relief drinking gave me felt amazing. Although I was quite a social and active teenager, when I would drink, there was no off-switch – I was convinced the more I drank the better I would feel. Instead, I would often black-out. This pattern progressed over the next eight years. By 21, I was studying for a communications degree, living in university halls, and drinking alone…
WATCH – FAMILY GROWTH – Feb. 15, 2021 -Ranch House Recovery was good distraction for Dylon, and was a way to channel his energies. But two weeks before the farm was to set to open, Dylon relapsed. “The underlying drive was this was going to keep my son sober. Here we are opening our doors … and it’s just like a gut-punch,” said Brandon. It was a difficult moment for Dylon and for his father. Ranch House Recovery would have to start without Dylon. More than 105 clients have come through the program at 30, 60 and 90-day stays.…
MARVELS OF MEDICINE – Feb. 15, 2021 – One of the earliest “shot” mentions Jon found was in the San Francisco Chronicle of March 2, 1889. A story headlined “The Hypo-Gun. How Morphine Victims Are Fed” describes the scene inside a drug house. The quotation marks and explanations suggest the writer thought much of this would be new to the reader: “The morphine victim is cared for there — as long as he has money. In all the houses frequented by the ‘fiends’ is a man or a woman who sells the drug and injects it for a small sum.…
SOBER LIVING FOR GOOD – Feb. 22, 2021 – Flanagan believes that the five months he spent living in a sober house on St. Paul’s Summit Avenue cemented his commitment to sobriety. “I lived with 14 guys who were between the ages of 20 and 55. I stayed in real structured living between inpatient treatment for 40 days and sober living for five months. The structured living saved my life.” This realization that living in community with other people working toward long-term sobriety was key to his survival ultimately led Flanagan, a former private wealth manager, to make major changes…
SOON FOR BABIES TOO? – Feb. 18, 2021 – The Texas startup was founded in Houston in 2018, but is now headquartered in Dallas where it develops medical devices such as the system. Spark received clearance from the FDA on January 5, 2021, for its Sparrow Therapy System, a wearable neurostimulation device for drug-free opioid withdrawal relief for adults. Dr. Anjum Bux was the first in the U.S. to successfully treat commercial patients using the system, with his initial patient tapering from high-dose oral opioids in seven days with no reported withdrawal symptoms, according to a statement. “The ability to…
ALIVE AND WELL, REMARKABLY – Feb. 20, 2021 – Nicole sobered up and soon began filming the first season of her hit reality show, The Simple Life, in which she and real-life best friend Paris Hilton starred as two socialites hilariously attempting menial jobs. With her quick-wit and down-to-earth personality, Richie quickly became a household name, but with fame came more problems. Her friendship with Hilton began to turn toxic. “Paris was considered the star of the show and the big name, but Nicole was the one who drove it. That seemed to bug Paris,” dishes the insider, noting that…
TAKING A TRIP, NOT TAKING A TRIP – Feb. 19, 2021 – A 2016 study in the Journal of Psychopharmacology found that a single dose of psilocybin mushrooms “produced substantial and enduring decreases in depressed mood and anxiety… in patients with a life-threatening cancer diagnosis.” More than half, 54.2 percent, of participants with PTSD in a 2019 study no longer qualified as having PTSD after two doses of MDMA. The FDA classified MDMA as a “breakthrough therapy” in 2017. The bill is co-sponsored by two veterans groups, Heroic Hearts Project and Veterans Exploring Treatment Solutions, which work to provide veterans…
NOT IN MY CALIFORNIA NEIGHBORHOOD – Fab.19, 2021 – The project was proposed in December to the city planning commission, but Smith says she wasn’t made aware of it until weeks later. “I feel like the transparency about this project wasn’t there from the start in terms of letting the rest of the city know,” Smith said. Brian Der Vartanian, the owner of Rodeway Inn Motel, said the detox facility is far enough away from downtown, easily accessible to those in need, and will be professionally staffed. “There will be licensed individuals and it will be tightly monitored, same as…
WATCH – NOT IN OUR FLORIDA NEIGHBORHOOD – Feb. 18, 2021 – “Our neighborhood is concerned about issues that many times surround these types of organizations and homes. There are issues that are not good,” long-time resident Clyde Mills said. Mills said their neighborhood is coded for single-family dwellings. Mills said having roughly nine women in the four-bedroom, two and a half bath house violates code, among other concerns. Other neighbors say with the new Oxford House being a corner house, they’re worried it will bring in more traffic, lower property values, and raise safety concerns. “I’d be concerned for…
WATCH – TRADING ELECTRONS – Feb. 19, 2021 – His parents lay the blame squarely on the investing company, pointing out Kearns tried multiple times to get help on a customer service line, to no avail. Kearns’ family has since filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Robinhood. At a House Financial Services Committee hearing Thursday, Robinhood’s CEO, Vlad Tenev, said, “The passing of Mr. Kearns was deeply troubling to me and to the entire company, and we have vowed to take a series of steps, very aggressive steps to make our options product safer for our customers.” Tenev disputed the…