IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT GANJA – Feb. 19, 2021 – What can’t be doubted is without his singularly musical way with a lyric, toasting in the recording studio might have ended in 1970. U-Roy rode the rhythms with such a playful, tuneful and compulsive energy that it voided any argument that toasting was nothing but somebody shouting over a perfectly good song. He so effortlessly took record buyers across the jump from singing that studios immediately opened their doors to other talents. U-Roy’s importance in reggae’s bloodline cannot be overestimated. When U-Roy was still known as Ewart Beckford, he would…
Author: Leonard Buschel
ARS GRATIA ARTIS – Feb. 21, 2021 – Mr. Franco’s production company, Rabbit Bandini, and his partners, who include Vince Jolivette and Jay Davis, are also named as defendants. The two parties had been discussing a settlement for several months, according to the filing, and the lawsuit’s progress had been paused while they did so. Lawyers for Mr. Jolivette did not respond to an email seeking comment. The claims of other plaintiffs in the class-action filing will be dismissed without prejudice under the terms of the settlement, according to the report, which means they could be refiled at a later…
THE UPS AND DOWNS OF STARDOM – Feb. 18,2021 – In the early 2000s, Novak was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Since then, she has spent time trying to normalise it, telling people it is just another illness that can be treated (in her case with antipsychotics) and not one to be stigmatised. She says she didn’t like lithium, another medication, because it made her put on weight. “I don’t want anything that makes me put on a lot of weight. I don’t feel good. My horse doesn’t appreciate it!” How much does she weigh? “You’re asking a lot of intimate…
MORE BAD NEWS – Feb. 20. 2021 – Drug overdoses of all kinds killed nearly 84,000 people in the U.S. from August 2019 to July 2020. That’s 23% more than in the previous 12-month period, and the highest number of overdose deaths ever recorded in a single year. Opioids accounted for more than 61,000, or 73%, of those deaths. Chelsi Cheatom, program manager at Trac-B Exchange, a Las Vegas-based safe-needle program, says she expected to see demand drop during the pandemic because of public transportation cuts and calls for people to shelter in place. The reality was the opposite: “We…
WATCH – TOO TRAGIC – FEB. 17, 2021 – The whole situation was bizarre considering Jackson made more than $70 million in his NFL career and was widely loved in the community by family, friends and law enforcement. So, why was he at that hotel alone? Sheriff Chronister has a theory… “Well this is true speculation but what the family is telling me is that he suffered from CTE. They believe he had a lot of concussion problems and when you suffer from that, you’re not yourself.” Sheriff Chronister continued, “[The family believes] wholeheartedly all of these actions are the…
WATCH – 4-20-51-50 HIIIGH-KE – Feb. 17, 2021 – The NFL finally loosened its cannabis testing policy last offseason, amid mounting public sentiment in favor of decriminalization and, in some states, full legalization for both medical and recreational purposes — including states that are home to several NFL franchises. Suspensions for positive cannabis tests no longer exist, while the threshold for positive tests was significantly raised. The league’s old regulations treated a cannabis infraction roughly as seriously as performance-enhancers or hard drugs like cocaine, loosely mirroring the federal government’s continued listing of pot as a Schedule I drug. The draconian…
BLOWING SMOKE – Feb. 20, 2021 – According to a wide-ranging report by The Bureau of Investigative Journalism, it has also attracted younger adults, non-smokers and even reached the eyes of children. An employee of a public relations firm engaged by BAT in Kenya was so concerned about the bureau’s report into its marketing practices that they offered a reporter a bribe for inside information about it. BAT has cut ties with the company concerned and is investigating the incident. But it stands by the marketing practices that it hopes will capture the fast-growing stream of revenue from e-cigarettes and…
WATCH – IT’S A MOVIE, NOT A DOCUMENTARY – Feb. 18, 2021 – “Body Brokers” opens in Ohio, where the unfortunately named Utah (Jack Kilmer, son of Val Kilmer and Joanne Whalley) and his girlfriend Opal (Alice Englert) have robbed a convenience store to fund their latest fix. They both look to be about one day away from an arrest or an overdose — and that’s when a mysterious stranger named Wood (Michael Kenneth Williams) seemingly shows up out of nowhere and offers them a ticket to redemption, in the form of a trip to a posh rehab facility in…
PLEASE COME BACK, IT’S OK NOW – Feb. 19, 2021 – Scotland’s one of the most celebrated television host, comedian, author and actor, Craig Ferguson, is celebrating 29 years of being sober. Taking to microblogging website, the social media star and famed TV host said, “I got sober when I was 29. 29 years ago today.” “My heartfelt gratitude to all of you who made this possible.” The long-sober comedian is known for his thoughtful words on alcoholism and sobriety. For him, the feeling of being sober for so long is nothing short of an opportunity to hold celebration. And…
WATCH – A STAR IS REBORN – FEB. 17, 2021 – Viewers will see a glimpse at Lovato “during the most trying time of her life as she unearths her prior traumas and discovers the importance of her physical, emotional, and mental health,” per YouTube. “Far deeper than an inside look beyond the celebrity surface, the docuseries is an intimate portrait of addiction, and the process of healing and empowerment.” Today’s trailer doesn’t shy away from Lovato’s public struggles with substance abuse, featuring confessions from the singer — “I don’t even know why I’m sober anymore,” she admits in one…
TOOLS FOR LIVING – Feb. 3, 2021 – Gooch’s debut book acts as a manual for sober and sober-curious females looking to improve their lives. The facts and figures she presents are astounding (for example, did you know the Scotch whisky industry produced 1.6 billion litres of waste liquids per year?), but it’s her personal account – along with those from other members of the tee-total sisterhood – that delve deepest into the reasons for giving up alcohol. My own journey with sobriety really began to take shape in 2018 when I finally walked into an Alcoholic Anonymous meeting. Both…
THE SILENCE OF REAL LIFE – Feb. 16, 2021 – The facility is run by a man named Joe (Paul Raci), a Vietnam veteran who lost his hearing in the war, who tries to help Ruben overcome his frustrations and live as a deaf person. “Deaf culture is incredibly rich and I was aware of the fact it was rich,” Ahmed said in an interview with The Desert Sun. “Stepping toward deaf culture and learning about it was a massive learning journey for me and continues to be. I hope it’s a learning opportunity for lots of people who see…
WATCH – WALKING THE WALK – Feb. 2, 2021 – After a twenty-year career in family practice, Dr. Gabor Maté began working in Vancouver’s Eastside area with patients who were challenged by addiction and mental illness. Dr. Maté is the best-selling author of four books published in over twenty-five languages, including In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction, When the Body Says No: The Cost of Hidden Stress, Scattered Minds: The Origins and Healing of Attention Deficit Disorder and, along with Dr. Gordon Neufeld, Hold On To Your Kids: Why Parents Need to Matter More Than Peers.…
FELLOWSHIP AND FREE WEIGHTS – Feb. 15, 2021 – Jurewicz says it’s the people who don’t believe they are in recovery – those that come for the workout and scurry away before the meeting – that are the most “heartbreaking.” “All of us are in recovery from life, from society, from pressures, from social media, from all of it, just fear for living and surviving,” she says. “We can help to increase awareness in what recovery really looks like and how wonderful and beneficial it is for everyone, and not just for the second-class citizens who didn’t figure it out.…
CATALOG OF THE YEAR – 2021 – We have realized the need to adapt, reevaluate and grow. While many of our solutions are already available on a digital platform, we’re working to expand our virtual library to all. Call 844-469-0010 for free catalog. Most importantly, I want to thank you for your unwavering dedication to your students, communities, patients and clients through these trying times. Together we will overcome addiction. Joe JakshaVP/Publisher more@Hazelden
“My motto was always to keep swinging. Whether I was in a slump or feeling badly or having trouble off the field, the only thing to do was keep swinging.” —Hank Aaron
Episode 7 – The Pros – “Maintaining sobriety through 2021 and beyond” – February 18, 2021 – 11amPT, 2pmET – SPEAKERS INCLUDE: Randy Grimes, Dr. Billy Taylor, James Black, Hollywood Henderson REGISTER NOW!
CRAZY TIME – FEB 12, 2021 – But Finnigan, 53, who lives in Chicago, said things changed for her in 2019. That’s when doctors put her on methadone, a medication that is itself an opioid but curbs the craving for heroin, Vicodin and OxyContin and greatly lowers the likelihood of an overdose. Along with buprenorphine, a similar medication, it is considered the gold standard for opioid addiction treatment by numerous health experts. “It was like black and white,” Finnigan said. “I was back to the person I was before (relapsing).” There’s just one problem. At the end of the month…
WHERE IS THE LIFE RAFT? – February 12, 2021 – Experts warned about a potential increase in eating disorders due to the coronavirus pandemic back in June, noting more barriers to care and less barriers of protection, and it seems they were right. More than 4 in 5 people who self-reported an eating disorder said their symptoms are worsening in a recent survey, facing more stress with fewer available coping mechanisms. The perception of eating disorders as a condition that only affects white women and girls is another reason eating disorders often go unreported, undiagnosed and untreated among other populations.…
DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME … OR ANYWHERE – Feb. 9, 2021 – When Emily, 22, was first prescribed antidepressants at 16, she continued her weekend ritual of binge-drinking at parties. Over time, she realised it wasn’t good for her. “Alcohol used to lead to an increase in suicidal thoughts for me,” she says. “All my suicide attempts were usually after I’d been drinking, or while I was still drunk.” Many people suffering from depression are also likely to drink, but “alcohol will stop a lot of antidepressants working”, says Winstock. He says this is because alcohol alters the ability…
WATCH – NONE TOO SOON – Feb. 8, 2021 – Besides drug addictions including opioids and cocaine, the start-up offers programmes to aid the recovery of those with gambling, smoking and alcohol addictions and chronic pain and eating disorders. The start-up’s model combines FDA-approved medication with the support of therapists to enable lasting behaviour change; it also removes obstacles, like the ‘zipcode lottery’ of access to treatment, to speed up recovery. And it works to reduce the stigma faced by those who relapse.“With addiction, we are usually dealing with narrow windows of time when people are able to outrun their…
$ $ $ $ $ $ – February 12, 2021 – The deductions may deepen public anger toward companies prosecutors say played key roles in a destructive public health crisis that kills tens of thousands of Americans every year. In lawsuits filed by dozens of states and local jurisdictions, public officials have argued that the companies, among other corporate defendants, flooded the country with billions of highly addictive pills and ignored signs they were being steered to people who abused them. Under the terms of the proposed settlement — which is being finalized and will ultimately be subject to federal…
NOT THE BEST MOVE – Feb. 8, 2021 – Socially, the “stress of the pandemic has, in some ways, particularly targeted women,” said Dr. Jessica Mellinger, a hepatologist at the University of Michigan. Lower wages, lower job stability and the burdens of parenting tend to fall more heavily on women’s shoulders, she said. “If you have all of these additional stressors, with all of your forms of support gone — and all you have left is the bottle — that’s what you’ll resort to,” Mellinger said. “But a woman who drinks like a man gets sicker faster.” Nationwide, more adults…
NURSES NOT NIGHTSTICKS – Feb. 6, 2021 – Denver police responded to nearly 95,000 incidents over the same period, suggesting that an expanded STAR program could reduce police calls by nearly 3%, according to the report. “Overall, the first six months has kind of been a proof of concept of what we wanted,” said Vinnie Cervantes, a member of Denver Alliance for Street Health Response, one of the organizations involved with the STAR program. “We’ve continued to try to work to make it something that is truly a community-city partnership.” Data collected during the pilot program found that STAR calls…
CHAMP NOT CHUMP – Feb. 9, 2021 – The documentary, which will air on TG4 next Wednesday, February 10, at 9.30pm, looks at the worst degrees of Kenneth’s alcoholism, his experience as a sportsman and his early childhood. “The documentary covers when I started off as a boxer in Neilstown right up to the Olympic Stadium,” Kenneth told The Echo. When asked if he was nervous about the documentary being released, and covering such intensely personal topics, Kenneth said: “I laid all my cards on the table when I decided to get sober 10 years ago. “The documentary is a…
BECAUSE YOU CAN STOP IT YOURSELF – August 20, 2015 – The prevalent theory in the United States, and to some degree in Australia, is that addiction is a chronic brain disease – a progressive, incurable condition that can be kept at bay only by fearful abstinence. There are variations of this disease model, one of which became the basis of 12-step recovery and the touchstone of the vast majority of rehab programs. Lewis argues that addiction – or dependence, as we would call it in Australia – is the result of “deep learning”, probably triggered by stress or alienation.…
THE COLLEGE RE-EDUCATION – Feb. 10, 2021 – Angela Armstrong-Ingram, a first-year graduate student of anthropology, became a member of Aggies for Recovery at the beginning of this academic year. Armstrong-Ingram stated that the organization’s meetings have had to adjust since moving to an online platform. “Every week a group of students and a counselor meet on Zoom and we check in with one another,” Armstrong-Ingram said. “We are there to support each other through our individual paths of recovery. Everyone has their own goals, and we are a community that share those similar goals and help each other achieve…
WATCH – GET HELP BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE! – Feb. 8, 2021 – Bibby explained the only way to get Juice to go was to stage an intervention. Despite their best efforts, the “Lucid Dreams” rapper allegedly refused to quit his drug of choice completely. “He said, ‘Alright, I’ll go. I’ll go,’” Bibby recalled. “‘But I’m not stopping.’ Like, ‘I’ll lower my dosage … but I like doing it too much.’” The Interscope Records artist went into cardiac arrest at the Chicago Midway International Airport and was pronounced dead at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, Illinois on December…
ANYONE CAN DO IT – Feb. 29, 2021 – “On my 49th birthday, I woke up in Butte County Jail again,” shared Sullivan. “I was clean, there are a lot of drugs in jail I was clean at that moment. That is what started my recovery.” Sullivan explained she had no outside skills to return to a clean life after jail, but that time was different. “AB 109 called me up they put me on an ankle monitor and released me to a rehab to Salvation Army, so that gave me a chance and I decided to run with it,”…
BIG PHARM COMPETITION FOILED – Feb. 12, 2021 – Federal, state and local law enforcement in Adams County announced on Friday the dismantling of a drug trafficking operation that has led to state-level indictments of 64 people, seizure of $931,000 in U.S, currency and 77,000 counterfeit oxycodone pills laced with fentanyl, along with methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine. The Denver DEA’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Strike Force directed the investigation in partnership with Arvada police. Weiser referenced Colorado’s worsening opioid crisis, a key area of focus for him as attorney general, saying the people involved with the operation have…