PASS THE ELECTRONS – Jan. 15, 2021 – Group therapy helps build up the strength necessary for recovery through the essential process of validation. Coping with addiction is unbelievably challenging — doing so without peers who can relate often feels incredibly isolating. Even though the temptation to use is likely to linger for the foreseeable future, knowing that other people share the same struggles, accomplishments, and goals grounds one’s recovery in reality. If another individual can identify with our mental hardships, it makes the feelings somehow more real. Seeing those who have maintained long-term sobriety continue to prioritize their recovery…
Author: Leonard Buschel
A ROLLING STONE… – Jan. 16, 2021 – The model mum called herself “so emotional” when the teen made her catwalk debut for Miu Miu back in October, days after she turned 18. And throughout lockdown Kate has been helping her only child forge ahead in the modelling world, from covering this month’s British Vogue to shooting campaigns for Fendi. But while the 46-year-old is clearly hoping Lila Grace follows in her footsteps professionally, she will surely hope she does not follow her lead away from the catwalk. From being talent spotted at just 14, to leading the model…
ALIVE AND WELL, MAYBE? – Jan. 21, 2021 – Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, was the cause of 151 deaths in our county in 2019 compared to the 92 deaths reported the year before, said the November report. While 275 deaths occurred in 2019 due to prescription drugs — opioids and non-opioids — up from 245 the year prior. In 2019, San Diego hip-hop heads transitioned from bobbin’ heads to rapper-Juice Wrld’s “Lucid Dreams” to bowing heads and mourning the 21-year-old rapper’s death, which was allegedly caused by ingesting Percocet pain pills. “Some people feel they need to imitate what’s hot…
IS NOTHING SACRED? – Jan. 21, 2120 – 2020 was the deadliest year ever for overdoses in Philadelphia. The surge is being fueled by deaths among methamphetamine and PCP users. The city’s top substance abuse official said fentanyl is now prevalent in illegal drug sales in many neighborhoods. “Until recently…most drug sales involving fentanyl were occurring in Kensington and South Philadelphia. We focused most of our outreach efforts on a subpopulation of drug users in two specific geographic regions,” Dr. Kendra Viner, director of the Health Department’s Substance Use Prevention and Harm Reduction division said. “Now fentanyl is in…
WATCH – ALL-AMERICAN DISEASE – January 21, 2020 – His mother, Pat, 91, of Wauwatosa, agreed. “Sheer torment,” she said of her son’s life. “For him and for us.” Spoerl was born and raised in Wauwatosa, the third of four children in what friends and neighbors described as the all-American family. His older sister Margie is a doctor. His older brother Joe is chairman of the philosophy department at St. Anselm College in New Hampshire. Joan, the youngest, is a literacy specialist. John was diagnosed with schizophrenia as a teenager and turned to street drugs to calm the voices in…
A SAFE BET – January 23, 2021 – Services include: clean needle exchange, wound care, substance abuse rehabilitation, and doses of naloxone, which reverses opioid overdoses. Linkage to Action will also provide referrals for housing, mental health and other medical care, and transportation when the van goes into the field next month. These connections are what Elizabeth Adelman, a health district communicable disease supervisor, calls “warm handoffs.” Data will inform where the van is most needed, including city, flood control tunnel and desert homeless encampments, plus rural Clark County and other areas where overdoses spike. Adelman said she hopes…
WATCH – IT’S A START – Jan. 22, 2021 – Ahead of Legend’s performance on Wednesday as part of the Inauguration Day events in D.C., Teigen shared some beautiful family snaps of the historic sites, writing on Twitter, “Just incredible to be here. sober. I know that’s weird but it’s like … a different world for me. everything is new and better.” more@GMA
OR MAKE YOU A DEADHEAD? – Jan. 22, 2021 – “If this keeps going the way it looks like it’s going, I think it will lead to a large phase 3 trial that could be part of getting psilocybin rescheduled,” NYU psychiatrist and lead investigator Kelley O’Donnell, MD, PhD, told MD Edge/Psychology. Psilocybin is classified by the DEA as a Schedule 1 drug, despite mounting evidence that it’s not addictive. As well, research shows it may have benefits in treating a variety of mental health issues. The 8-week study compared the effects of psilocybin with diphenhydramine, the active ingredient…
PRIMITIVE NEED NOT BEING MET – Jan. 25, 2021 – Nina Smith is 40, and lives alone in south London. She experienced a protracted recovery after a spinal injury in 2018, requiring long periods of bed rest. People visited, but her pain levels meant that being touched was difficult. She felt she had good foresight for how to prepare for the first lockdown. “I thought I knew how it would play out,” she says over Zoom. “For example, I knew how strict I had to be about the routine of going for walks; you always feel slightly better having taken…
TUNE IN AND TURN IT UP – Jan. 24, 2120 – The overweight kid from the suburbs of Philadelphia — who had an identity crisis in second grade where he asked his African-American father and Italian-East Indian mother whether he was white or not — was now living lavishly and working for the hottest celebrities of the 90s. Somers left the Roxbury nightclub in Los Angeles that November night around 2 a.m. to go party after hours at a friend’s place, and as he headed westbound toward Beverly Hills, his tires crossed the yellow lines that separated his car…
WINTER READING TO KEEP YOU WARM – April, 2020 – Holden’s taste in food is pure postwar American. Bacon, eggs, hamburgers and steak all feature in the book. Mainly, however, this 16-year-old survives on cigarettes and Scotch and sodas. But he has an antidote to debauchery: “When I’m out somewhere, I generally just eat a Swiss cheese sandwich and a malted milk. It isn’t much, but you get quite a lot of vitamins in the malted milk. H.V. Caulfield. Holden Vitamin Caulfield.” All the other food in the book fails to stir the appetite, including the school cafeteria’s take…
STICK WITH THE WINNERS! – January 20, 2021 – An extraordinary basketball player, Chris Herren was a celebrated star in his native Fall River, MA before graduating high school. He went on to play at Boston College and Fresno State, two seasons in the NBA – including one with his hometown team, the Boston Celtics – and seven seasons overseas before losing it all to the disease of addiction. With the unwavering support of his family and friends, Chris has been sober since August 1, 2008, and he now shares his story with the goal of making a positive difference…
INSANITY IN AMERICA – Jan. 15, 2021 – The DOPE Project has also seen an increase in the number of overdoses prevented by Narcan, a medication commonly sprayed up the nose to reverse an opioid overdose. This year, the project recorded 3,470 reversals, compared with 2,610 last year. Of the 2020 overdose fatalities reported by the city, 26% occurred in the Tenderloin, a neighborhood with high drug-dealing rates. The San Francisco Police Department’s Tenderloin station said in its 2020 report posted on Twitter that officers made 2,219 arrests in 2020, including 600 for drug dealing, and removed 18.1 kilos of…
TOO YOUNG, TOO SOON, TOO MANY – January 20, 2021 – The teenager added, “You lit up my world and my heart is full of love for you. a piece of you will remain with me forever. I love you indefinitely harry. you are an angel and you will always be a beautiful person inside and out. Rest in peace.” Lily concluded her post by sharing a quote from Ernest Hemingway’s 1929 book, A Farewell to Arms, that reads, “The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places. But those that will not break it…
NUMBERS CAN’T LIE – Jan. 19, 2021 – The students designed an approach grounded in finding “unobvious and of interest” information. First, they determined what defined a “typical” patient at Hazelden Betty Ford—age, gender, race, profession, etc. Then they looked at how often that patient came to Hazelden Betty Ford, what those visits were like, the diagnoses they received, and the patient’s feelings about the experience. As part of the process, the team built a dashboard to show the data in an easy-to-understand, visual way. Building that tool has provided Hazelden Betty Ford with the ability to continue analyzing its…
THE FIRST LADY OF REHABS – Jan. 21, 2021 – Set in the White House, the political drama is a look at America through the eyes of various first ladies. Season 1 will focus on Eleanor Roosevelt and Michelle Obama, in addition to Betty Ford. Pfeiffer, 62, is known for a wide range of roles in films including the classic “Scarface,” as well as “Batman Returns,” “Dangerous Liaisons” and recent films such as “Murder on the Orient Express” and “Ant-Man and the Wasp.” Since she’s known for her signature blond locks and Ford had a short brunette coif, they’ll…
WASTING AWAY – January 20, 2021 – I have been anorexia’s prey, all while thinking that it was my friend and protector, my arbiter of discipline. When I heard that gyms were going to be closed during the pandemic, I spiralled into paranoia. My mind was plagued with visions of my future obesity, accompanied with delusions that my friends, family and partner would find me repulsive. While I recognised the absurdity of these claims, the power of the illness was overbearing; my rationality did not stand a chance. My fears were validated by the endless barrage of home workouts which…
A.I. ALWAYS WINS – Jan. 20, 2120 – Compared to the national average, ‘problem gambling’ isn’t a huge issue in Michigan right now. But the people who help gambling addicts are worried that’s about to change, as internet gambling and sports betting become legal in the state on Friday. “I started drinking and gambling and hustling the streets of Detroit and eventually it just got out of hand,” said Mike Mooney, a recovering gambling addict. Mooney is now a licensed psychologist and helps people who are battling the same problem. “Legalized gambling is an entertaining way for the state of…
TRY BENDING OVER – January 22, 2021 – …Leah Whigman, associate professor at UTHealth School of Public Health in El Paso, told VICE. “Is there any value in saying, I screwed up big time, I’m going to die earlier now? Or is it better to say, It was a rough year, we had extreme challenges from a mental health perspective, and give ourselves a break so we can embrace healthier goals as we move forward?” Or, in other words, a year of no socializing, no moving, and more drinking should not cause major health issues in the coming years…
WINNING CAPTION BY DEAN H. – “LOST WEEKEND AT BERNIE’S” – Thank you to our winner, Dean H. who receives a $100.00 Global-Sober book for best caption. Contest ended Sunday at 6pm PT. Book courtesy of the Addiction Recovery eBulletin and Global-Sober-Series.com.
“We lay down our arms so we can reach out our arms to one another, we seek harm to none and harmony for all.” —Amanda Gorman
Great new movie on Amazon Prime – Jan. 9, 2021 – She calls Hector, Ruben’s sobriety mentor, who gives Lou directions to a deaf community for recovering drug addicts. The community is run by Joe (Paul Raci), an impassioned sage who can help Ruben mitigate his fall into the abyss. But Ruben must first accept his deafness and learn to be still. At one point, Joe asks a rebellious Ruben, “I wonder, all these mornings you’ve been in my study, sitting, have you had any moments of stillness? Because you’re right Ruben, the world does keep moving and it can…
WATCH – Despair and Addiction – Jan. 8, 2021 – “She was staying with a mutual friend.” It’s still very fresh in Danielle Owen’s mind as she recounts a tragic story of personal loss. Owen says her friend’s husband found her friend unconscious on the kitchen floor and immediately called 911, but then, she received a phone call with the worst news. “I got a call that within the hour she had passed.” Owen’s friend had died from a drug overdose. The loss of her friend made her feel helpless. “What do I do? Run to her rescue? There…
She was like nun other – Jan. 9, 2021 – That patient would be the first of millions to participate in the 20-step programme of recovery, the beginning of Alcoholic Anonymous (AA), which she founded with Dr. Bob in St. Thomas Hospital. Many of the ideas of AA – including the use of tokens to mark milestones in sobriety – were introduced by Gavin. She would give alcoholics leaving St. Thomas Hospital a medallion of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, instructing them that the acceptance of the medallion represented commitment to God, to AA, and to recovery. She added that…
WATCH – One good turn at a time – Jan. 8, 2021 – “There’s trash everywhere, there’s people everywhere, like, I was sleeping in abandoned buildings,” she said. “It’s so out of control that they can’t really get any law and order out there. So, it’s like a free-for-all.” Cohen skated by with the lifelong support of her single mother, Jennifer Shablin. In fact, it was her mother’s tough decision that set Megan on a course to recovery. “Her addiction was so bad that she should be dead,” said Shablin. “I had two choices. Either visit her grave or…
Or Does It? – Jan. 10, 2020 – Trying to prevent that is Porn Addiction Coach Tim Reigle, and his summation of the condition is surprising. “Porn addiction has nothing to do with sex, it’s to do with how we cope with pain and emotions that we can’t handle – it’s an escape.” Tim, 34, is from Pennsylvania and knows what he’s talking about. He became hooked on porn as a teenager and struggled to deal with it all the way through his adult life. It culminated in him having multiple affairs, nearly destroying his marriage and his relationship with…
UNFAIR – Jan. 12, 2021 – The psychiatrist, Dr. Naomi Jones, reportedly said she was unable to determine whether Williams was fit for duty, according to the document. School officials determined that Williams would need to complete a specific treatment program with Jones – which the lawsuit alleges was contrary to treatment she was already receiving from her own doctors. Jones’ treatment plan ‘insisted that Dr. Williams sign a contract stating that she would be given monthly injections of Vivitrol for one year,’ according to the document. Williams’ doctors, however, did not believe that the injections would be necessary…
It takes all kinds – Jan. 10, 2021 – Stopped at the gate by Zuzana Poláčková, one of the staff at Hope Farm, Ainsley bleated her disapproval then trotted by the chickens in their coop across the field from two large greenhouses. Along with the farm portion on the Point Edward property is Hope House, a live-in recovery home for women healing from substance abuse disorders. It opened almost three years ago and since then it has grown to include a farm and small business that makes products, including goat milk soap. “The goats were given to us when we…
What goes around… – Jan. 10, 2021 – For years, Cohen lived in a perpetual state of hunger, trauma and pain. Eventually, she landed on the streets of Kensington, the largest open-air drug market on the East Coast. Not long after Santiago offered her a ride, two other “angels” stepped into her path — one gave her a hot meal and a place to shower; another offered her cold water and encouraging words. Today, the power of those moments fuels Cohen’s faith in humankind and strengthens her resolve to save others who feel trapped, as she once did, in…
Barbaric prison system victim – Jan. 9, 2021 – “He is a living example of the inequities in the system that existed due to the Rockefeller-era drug laws and has spent more than a decade working in the pursuit of justice for others,” Cuomo said. “The power of clemency is one I take very seriously, and Tony Papa’s work and deeds made it clear to me he was deserving of a pardon.” Papa was convicted on drug sale and possession charges after he was caught holding just over 4 ounces of cocaine a friend paid him $500 to take…