Graduating to Oblivion U. – Oct. 20, 2020 – “There was an increase in opioid prescribing in the 1990s and 2000s that contributed to the opioid epidemic,” he said. “Health professionals and the larger public health community owe it to these individuals to understand the downstream effects of overprescribing and develop effective interventions.” The researchers were surprised by the large uptick in heroin use among the more recent cohorts, and the findings partially explain why opioid overdoses have skyrocketed, Veliz said. “These prevalence estimates of heroin use are very high, considering the general population annual estimates are less than…
Author: Leonard Buschel
Dying to be free – Nov. 18, 2020 – “I do think it’s a combination of those things,” said Dr. Taylor Ochalek, a research scientist at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine. “Social isolation can obviously increase feelings of depression and other mental health symptoms. So people are feeling really alone during this time. That might put them at a higher risk of relapsing. They don’t have their normal social support.” Drug fatalities have been rising steadily for the past decade in Virginia. In 2013, they surpassed guns and motor vehicles as the leading cause of unnatural death in…
WATCH – Man in Black – Nov. 22, 2020 – John Carter Cash admitted candidly: “It was the fact that he thought he was going to die. “He saw his whole life falling apart. His relationship with his first wife was destroyed. He hit rock bottom and crawled out of a cave.” In 1967, he was arrested once again for possession of amphetamines and knew he had to turn his life around. Lucky for Johnny Cash, his future wife June Carter – who he won a Grammy with for the duet Jackson that year – was there to help…
LISTEN – Exporting Death – Nov. 17, 2020 – Chen is one of more than 100 vendors who market fentanyl or related chemicals out of facilities across China, and his story illustrates how networks are getting around international efforts to crack down on the supply chain of lethal synthetic opioids. In an interview with NPR, however, Chen categorically denied that he manufactures or sells any illegal substances. For years, China has been a primary source of fentanyl trafficked into the United States. It is a powerful prescription drug for severe pain that’s made and sold illegally. It led to…
WATCH – Drink in the inspiration – Nov. 19, 2020 – Adam Chodak: The detox facility you initially went to was not a romanticized version of a detox facility, but it appeared to be the best fit for you at the time. Lisa Smith: I totally agree with that. Detox was where I learned some humility about this whole thing. Like I’m not different than anyone else that has a substance abuse problem, no better, no worse and no one treated me other than a person who needed to get detoxed. I wasn’t getting a massage. I wasn’t getting great…
Next it’s the “Kids” – November 21, 2020 – Mothers are also facing a financial reality that becomes more strained by the day. It is important to remember that most women are in the labor force—in 2016, 74.5% of women between the ages of 24-44 were working outside the home. That includes 70.8% of women with at least one child under the age of 18. Households rely on the income that women provide; for many families, it is a necessity, with mothers now being the primary or sole earners for 40% of households with children (as compared to 11% in…
A Short in The Arm – November 20, 2020 – There is a thrill to discovering an excellent film, a brilliant director, a magnificent performance, and a cinematic story that touches you as if social distancing were an illusion. Those of us who love movies are romantically enamored with film festivals. We seek them out, track them down, and surrender to their seamless images on the silver screen even if the silver screen is now a cathode ray tube or an LED image on an iPad. Film festivals are a tremendous source of discovery for film lovers, and a rewarding…
WATCH – Lack of traditional AA meetings? – Nov. 12, 2020- A lot has changed for people in recovery as the coronavirus pandemic continues to limit in-person meetings and access to treatment. Crisis coach, Scott Silverman, joined Good Morning San Diego to give an update on what has changed during the COVID-19 for people in Recovery. Silverman discussed changes to access to treatment, attending recovery meetings. Silverman also said that there has been an increase in Alcohol Consumption During and overdoses during the pandemic. more@KUSI
Plant Medicine Magic? – Nov. 21, 2020 – Rory’s ayahuasca experience reflects broader research on ayahuasca and addiction. A 2010 study published in the Journal of Drug and Alcohol Dependence reported that ayahuasca users had more success in quitting drugs and alcohol (except cannabis) than non-ayahuasca users. A 2013 study from conducted by the University of British Columbia found statistically significant reductions in use of alcohol, cocaine and other addictive drugs after an ayahuasca-assisted therapy in a sample of Canadians with no prior experience with ayahuasca. Participants also reported improvements in mindfulness, empowerment, hopefulness, quality of life-outlook. One study…
“Wisdom tends to grow in proportion to one’s awareness of one’s ignorance.” —Anthony de Mello
WATCH – Sobriety, creativity, serenity and laughter in the Coronaverse. A conversation with Paul Williams, Ester Nicholson, Ricky Byrd, John Taylor, Johnny Solomon, with fabulous host Stevie Mack. more@YouTube
Nothing to see here folks, move along… – Nov. 17, 2020 – But after General Cienfuegos’ arrest, the federal authorities in Mexico opened an investigation into him and the United States would now defer to the Mexican government on the matter, Mr. Barr said in a joint statement with the attorney general of Mexico, Alejandro Gertz Manero. The statement stopped short of promising any charges in Mexico. “In recognition of the strong law enforcement partnership between Mexico and the United States, and in the interests of demonstrating our united front against all forms of criminality, the U.S. Department of Justice…
The accident that led to a Film Festival November 12, 2020 – For the past twelve years, Leonard Buschel has been an instrumental force in adding flavor and culture to the recovery community by filling a creative and intellectual void while helping those in need…For the past twelve years, the REEL Recovery Film Festival & Symposium has focused on increasing awareness about the prevalence of substance abuse and mental illness in society. more@TheFix
Home is where the Love is – November 13, 2020 – An opera singer who also studied public relations is struggling to find work. His new roommate, released from prison a year ago, is trying to find his footing, too. A neighbor is focused on his sobriety. All three men live at the Lucerne Hotel, which used to offer spa services and valet parking to tourists on the Upper West Side. “I don’t want to leave because of the love that we experienced,” said a resident of the Lucerne who goes by Shams DaBaron. That pause could end on Monday…
Mommy Merlot and Daddy Doobie – Nov. 9, 2020 – In a May survey conducted by the Research Triangle Institute International, researchers polled 993 people from across the United States about their drinking habits before the pandemic hit and after. It found an average person’s drinks per day increased 27 percent; the frequency of a person’s drinking that “exceeds drinking guidelines” increased 21 percent; and binge drinking increased 26 percent. Researchers also found that being female or Black was associated with significant increases in at least one measure, and respondents with children in the household had greater-than-average increases in…
LISTEN – Check their phones daily – Nov. 9, 2020 – Screen Addiction While almost every parent stresses over the amount of time their kids spend on electronic devices every day, you wouldn’t think that it could be an addiction. It can, however, easily become one. Spending too much time in front of a screen has been linked to kids developing poor social skills and a lack of sleep. If your teen has any of the following symptoms, you may need to get them help. Loss of interest in things that don’t require a screenIt’s starting to interfere with…
WATCH – ‘Relentless Love’ says it all – Nov. 9, 2020 – A cafe in Charlotte, North Carolina, is giving people recovering from addiction a fresh start. The Community Matters Cafe partners with the Charlotte Rescue Mission to offer jobs and life skills to people leaving its treatment program. The café’s chief operating officer, Ed Price, joined LX News to discuss how the business is putting purpose over profit. more@NBCWashington
Another reason to “just say no” – November 10, 2020 – In terms of complications, the hospitalization rate for people with substance use disorder was 41%, compared to about 30% for those without it. The death rate was 9.6% for people with substance abuse disorder and 6.6% for those without. Why the disparity? “The lungs and cardiovascular system are often compromised in people with (substance use disorder), which may partially explain their heightened susceptibility to COVID-19,” Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, said in a prepared statement. “Another contributing factor is the marginalization of…
WATCH – When suicide is off the table – Nov. 9, 2020 – hey completed seven rounds of IVF, before they realised their reality: their story wasn’t going to end in children. “I would’ve been happy to put up with the tens of thousands of dollars it cost, the unflattering changes in my body and appearance from the hormones, along with the huge mood swings I encountered, if I were able to have a child,” Sarah tells Mamamia. “The rollercoaster of emotions is almost unfathomable. It took a gigantic toll on me mentally, emotionally and physically.” Sarah, 41, fell…
Not The Onion (or, Climbing the pole of success?) – Oct. 29, 2020 – The newly appointed Chief of Medical Services at the Rhode Island state hospital system was previously arrested for repeatedly exposing himself and masturbating in front of children. Now, the State of Rhode Island has put Dr. Andrew Stone in charge of the most vulnerable population in the state’s care. These patients are served at two locations Eleanor Slater in Cranston and the Zambarano facility in Burrillville. In 2006, the Rhode Island Department of Health suspended Stone’s license for five years and the then-Director of Health…
MEDIA: Book recommendation – Published 2011 – Hazelden proudly presents this engaging multimedia retrospective of the Fellowship that has brought the miracle of recovery to countless family members and loved ones of alcoholics and addicts. With its roots in the early days of Alcoholics Anonymous, when wives joined their husbands at the AA meetings and found refuge and understanding in one another, Al-Anon Family Groups has grown into a robust worldwide fellowship of men and women healing from the impact of addiction. Through colorful firsthand accounts told through rare recordings of interviews and speeches, diary entries, and other documents dating from…
MEDIA: Book review – Nov. 10, 2020 – In part, writing the book was healing for Lord – “an exorcism,” he calls it – allowing him to work through those experiences while finding humour and levity. “I made myself laugh,” he says. “I gave myself a lot of liberty when writing, so there’s a lot of wordplay.” Ultimately, he says, it’s meant to be a study of humanity and how we connect to one another. Lord has since moved back to his home province of Quebec but remains connected to his northern community. Asked to describe the French literary…
Writers In Treatment LOVES books! – Oct. 29, 2020 – Unfortunately, with the Covid-19 pandemic reducing crucial foot-traffic, store proprietor Nancy Bass Wyden, granddaughter of the store’s original owner, was faced with an awful prospect of having to close the Strand’s doors for good. In a last-ditch effort to save her beloved family business, Bass Wyden reached out to her customer base with a plea for help. “I’m going to pull out all the stops,” she tweeted, “to keep sharing our mutual love of the printed word. But for the first time in the Strand’s 93-year history, we need to…
War on drugs, peace on drugs – Nov. 14, 2020 – But despite the crisis growing so much more dire, the discussions at City Hall and in San Francisco’s criminal justice system sound like the same old scratchy broken records. There’s a lot of blame, bickering and endless debate. And on the rare occasion a new, worthwhile idea is agreed upon, it often leads nowhere. The model, as I’ve written before, is Portugal, where small amounts of drugs are decriminalized, but people addicted to them are urged into treatment and people who sell them face real consequences. Neither of…
Because it tastes good? – Nov. 9, 2020 – Susannah Gerber is a chef, nutritionist, and food behaviorist. By food behaviorist, she means that she is a behaviorist that works on health behavior change and relationships to food. “When we’re talking about food behavior, food behavior can mean things like disordered eating or it can simply be dispositional,” says Gerber in an interview with The Temper. “Almost all of the behavioral theories that can be used for addiction can also be applied to food.” A big part of sugar addiction in early recovery is also the idea of replacing…
Kindness is a Virtue – Nov. 7, 2020 – Kindness has become difficult, and politeness is beginning to seem like a quaint relic of pre-pandemic life – along the lines of blowing out birthday candles or sharing appetizers at bars. Nov. 7, 2020 – Luckily, we can look to ancient disciplines for guidance. Loving kindness meditation, which traces its roots to early Buddhism, helps us find compassion for one another even during trying times. The meditation prompts us to send thoughts of loving kindness first to loved ones, then to neutral persons and finally to challenging persons. Over time, our…
Mushroom soup for the mind? – Oct. 22, 2020 – In two prior deals, Cybin raised $10 million from investors. In June, Cybin announced a deal to complete a reverse takeover of Canadian mining company Clarmin Explorations Inc. After the reverse takeover is complete, Cybin plans to apply to the NEO Exchange. Founded in 2019 by a group of bankers, cannabis entrepreneurs and investors, Eric So, Paul Glavine and John Kanakis, Cybin has partnered with pharmaceutical drug delivery manufacturer IntelGenx to make its psilocybin transmucosal films. Cybin decided to make its product Psilotonin a sublingual film so it would…
Vigilance! – Nov. 14, 2020 – Avoid tempting scenarios. We’ve often heard people share that they wanted to prove to others or themselves that they could be around substances and not use them – which is a dangerous trap. While you may be able to prevent temptation at that moment, this may not always be the case, especially if you’re early in recovery. If possible, back off from any situations that may place you in the way of temptation. You can simply avoid going places and events where there will be substance abuse or where there will be reminders of…
Stick with the Winners! – Nov. 17, 2020 – I am so Grateful to be Clean and Sober! Through the darkness of my addictions I finally found the Surrender that has allowed me to access a Power outside of myself that gives my life purpose, direction, and passion! My dream of helping those that suffer from addiction started 20 plus years ago when I was working with the indigenous people in the villages of Alaska. I feel blessed to have come Full Circle through God’s Divine Intervention. My husband and I opened Hower Lodge in August of 2017. We stand…
WATCH – Sober Like A Fox – November 9, 2020 – With the love and support of his wife of more than 30 years, Tracy Pollan, Fox found sobriety: “The tools that worked for quitting drinking work even better for [Parkinson’s], which are: acceptance and surrender. Not like, ‘I give up, ‘I quit,’ but you just say, ‘OK, I cede you the big points.’” “There’s the stuff you plan — the stuff you work towards … And then there’s things that just happen,” he added. “And the things that just happen are usually of a more intricate design and a…