LISTEN – Podcasts are next to godliness – Oct. 22, 2020 – There was nothing funny, of course, about the death that motivated Wachs’ podcast, “Last Day,” which premiered its second season Wednesday. Her little brother, Harris Wittels — a comedian, writer and guest performer on “Parks and Recreation” — died from an accidental heroin overdose on Feb. 19, 2015. He was 30. Wittels’ death shocked and rattled the Los Angeles comedy community. His entertainment tenure was short but indelible: He coined the term “humblebrag,” and his chill, off-color, Phish-loving persona endeared him to podcast listeners as well as…
Author: Leonard Buschel
It takes what it takes – 2020 – After two decades of substance abuse, the final straw came when he returned home from a drug- and alcohol-fueled Vegas trip. He said:“I never slept. I missed my first two flights back home and reeked of alcohol when I got home. My wife and I had always had this agreement, which was, if I smelled like alcohol, I wasn’t allowed to play with my kids — I couldn’t be around my kids. But what really hit me was the moment, my youngest daughter Lyric said to me that night, ‘You don’t smell…
Think Feel Act – Oct. 20, 2020 – Hearing racist and homophobic insults were a standard part of life in Waco. So common that I didn’t think much about it. I, too, even engaged in ignorant dialogue and derogatory slurs “as a joke.” Now I can see that the joke was on me. You know how they say if you hang out in a bar long enough, you’ll end up ordering a drink? My version of that is: If you live in Texas long enough, you’ll end up voting Republican. I voted Republican in the 2008 election — despite my…
Who hasn’t? Raw deal – Oct. 22, 2020 – Now the Democrat, who also goes by “Doc” and who has worked to fight drug abuse in Suffolk County, N.Y., could face up to nine years in prison. Spencer pleaded not guilty Wednesday to felony charges of third-degree sale of a controlled substance and third-degree possession of a controlled substance, Newsday reported. A judge released him without bond after he surrendered his passport and gun. Suffolk County District Attorney Timothy Sini told the newspaper that Spencer “essentially confessed” to the incident. Sini called the incident “obviously troubling” for someone of…
WATCH – The son also rises! – Oct. 24, 2020 – In a new interview on Netflix’s My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman, the now-sober Iron Man actor recalls being in a “near-coma” at points before being revived in order to start working. He confirmed to Letterman that he used heroin and cocaine and drank heavily, as well. He claims this substance abuse issues began when he was 8 years old and did not stop until age 38. “Back then, when I was a kid, doing that, you could say that it was ‘fun’, but it…
Father knows best? – Oct. 22, 2020 – MY RESPONSE to some of Amy’s ‘situations’ was that I would pretend to have a heart attack and go into hospital, thinking that would shock her into going straight. “At the end of the day though, that stuff doesn’t work. Amy stopped taking drugs when she wanted to stop taking drugs…” Mitch Winehouse, father of the late singer Amy Winehouse, is reflecting on some of his attempts to intervene when his daughter was struggling with addiction. As one of the most discussed singer-songwriters of her generation, Amy’s lasting legacy is a tale…
Come for the Recovery, Stay for the Films – October 21, 2020 – It’s no secret that 2020 pummeled some industries—particularly those where people gather close together—and social distancing rules are almost impossible to follow. Concerts, conferences, musicals and plays, film and music festivals were postponed indefinitely or canceled. Alcoholics Anonymous and the other Anonymous programs quickly moved to video conferencing formats. We adapted by transforming the REEL Recovery Film Festival into a virtual experience. On November 6th, The Virtual Reel Recovery Film Festival, presented by Recovery Centers of America, launches its global online streaming channel in partnership with…
WATCH – Web Series Host: William Cope MoyersEpisode 3: Rebels“Maintaining sobriety through 2020 and beyond”Sober artists discuss the pandemic, creativity and Zoom rooms.
“The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.” —Aldous Huxley
Crime Pays – Oct. 21, 2020 – The controversial settlement, valued at more than $8.3 billion, would restructure Purdue Pharma, which entered bankruptcy last year. Going forward, the company would operate as a public trust under government control, continuing to manufacture opioid medications. The Justice Department also said much of this settlement will help states and communities, providing them with “extraordinary new resources” for treatment of people suffering addiction. In recent days, critics worked to head off this deal even before it was made public, saying it would entangle the government in a risky drug-making operation without holding the company…
WATCH –A bop from the cop – Oct. 13, 2020 – “I think that’s why I’m so passionate about it because I was that person,” says Hamilton. Every year Hamilton posts on social media about his inspiring recovery. This time his message reached the right person. Phoenix police arranged for Hamilton to meet Carro. “That was pretty heartfelt when I first read that,” says Carro. “You just felt the soul; the gentleman’s soul was just so genuine.” Carro has been with Phoenix police for 13 years. He does not remember Josh and never expected such an interaction to lead to…
More than advice: Action – Oct. 12, 2020 – My company KM Consulting & Coaching provides two levels of services. Consulting, which focuses on helping companies target the right audience, while providing unique skills and methods in building brands and relationships to enhance productivity. Coaching, which focuses on one-on-one professional coaching, and plant-based nutrition coaching that allows for transformation with the people I work with. I take a compassionate holistic approach with a balanced focus on mind, body and spirit because they’re all connected. Last year, after receiving certification in plant-based nutrition from Cornell, I expanded my coaching services…
LISTEN – Death Reduction – Oct. 14, 2020 – While there are many organizations trying to help others overcome substance abuse and addiction, USARA is unique says McMillin. According to McMillin, USARA comes from a place where they’ve been through the struggle because their employees know addiction firsthand. “We are a called a recovery community organization and it is run by people in recovery themselves,” McMillin said. “[We] are people with a lived experience so [we] are individuals who have had a substance abuse disorder, struggled with addiction themselves.” And that’s what makes them so unique says McMillin. It…
WATCH – Rolling Stoned – Oct. 12, 2020 – Mick Jagger, speaking with Rolling Stone, put the band’s prior creative lull in the ’70s down to one thing, “Everyone was using drugs, Keith [Richards] particularly,” said the frontman in 1995. “So I think it suffered a bit from all that. General malaise. I think we got a bit carried away with our own popularity and so on. It was a bit of a holiday period. I mean, we cared, but we didn’t care as much as we had. Not really concentrating on the creative process.” Richards has racked up five…
Talk to the screen – Oct. 12, 2020 – Telemedicine has long been seen as a potential remedy, but pre-pandemic adoption rates were low among addiction treatment providers, according to studies by Lori Uscher-Pines, a senior policy researcher at the RAND Corporation, and Haiden Huskamp, a health economist at Harvard Medical School, who, along with their colleagues, are researching telemedicine care delivery for substance use disorder treatment. Since March, they have watched a treatment paradigm historically centered on strict in-person monitoring and layers of regulation quickly transform into one that relies heavily on virtual care. “Everything has changed since…
Don’t bogart that snake my friend – Oct. 12, 2020 – A Holladay man has been arrested and is facing charges after animal-control officers found 20 Burmese pythons roaming around his residence. According to a probable cause statement filed by a Unified police officer, the man, 64, sold a baby python — which is considered an exotic animal — to an undercover officer. After the sale, Salt Lake County Animal Services verified that the man had no permits for either exotic or dangerous animals since 2017. Officers served a search warrant Friday. In his home, according to the probable cause…
Euphoria & Greed – Oct. 10, 2020 – People who have achieved sobriety from other substances can easily fall into opioid addiction. On Sept. 21, actor and comedian Dax Shepard released to the public that after 16 years of sobriety, he had relapsed with Vicodin. Shepard was prescribed the painkillers after surgery for four broken ribs following a motorcycle accident in August. Like many people who are prescribed opioids, Shepard didn’t initially feel like taking the prescribed medication would be a problem. During the episode of his podcast, “Armchair Expert,” Shepard explained that he was taking eight 30-milligrams pills…
Compassion and Understanding – Oct. 14, 2020 – Dry January, Sober October, no longer full of shame Thursday. I have been in recovery for three years and nearly three months and haven’t had a drink since that last pint of gin. Compared to some of my sober friends, I am a rookie; compared to the person trying to wrap their head around the idea of sobriety while not quite ready to admit to themselves they have a problem, I may seem like an impossibility. Staying sober felt impossible for me too, but I found ways to string 1,171 days together…
WATCH – Paying it forward – Oct. 15, 2020 – As Chris Bilyk pulls a shipping label off the printer he says, “I’m a one man show.” Moments later Bilyk slides a gray t-shirt into a bag and seals the end. “This one is going to Miami Beach,” Bilyk says proudly. “I’ve never done anything like this. I’ve never worked for myself.” Bilyk is the founder of State of Gratitude USA, a t-shirt and apparel company whose corporate headquarters resides in a closet in the spare bedroom of his home. Not bad when you consider the company was started…
Challenging – Oct. 10, 2020 – Getting through those months was tough. I came up with every excuse I could think of to go back to drinking. I considered throwing in the towel and resigning myself to a life as a drunk. The one thing that kept me going was hearing that tons of other recovering alcoholics had experienced the same thing. Although there’s still a dearth of academic research on the topic, Post-Acute Withdrawal Syndrome (PAWS) is a common experience among people in their first two years of sobriety. PAWS is characterized by feelings of depression, a lack of…
Here’s to the ladies who lunch – Oct. 15, 2020 – “If you look at the footage of the premiere, you can see my hands shaking because I knew if I said, ‘I’m an alcoholic,” I couldn’t take it back,’” she told the publication. “When I first got sober, I was scared I wouldn’t be fun anymore, that my life was going to be boring,” she said. “I really thought alcohol made life enjoyable, and that’s sad. Now, nine months later, I realize that’s not at all true. Honestly, I dance even more now because I can stay awake.…
A Vow – Oct. 15, 2020 – Alcohol had long been a respite for me. During high school and into college, I drank heavily to cope with anxiety. Part of me knew this wasn’t a healthy approach, but it seemed to work. When I discovered a love of geochemistry, I eased up on my drinking. On weekdays, I chose to study rather than go to the bars. I still enjoyed drinking on weekends, but it was social drinking—nothing I was concerned about. Throughout grad school and my early years as a professor, I still sometimes drank too much. But…
Be Careful!!! – Oct. 15, 2020 – She said: ‘Loss of addiction psychiatry expertise through lack of training places and community services often being split from the NHS are only making things worse, with patients with multiple health needs no longer getting joined-up care. ‘The tragic number of drug-related deaths should be all the evidence the Government needs to substantially invest in addiction services, before more lives are needlessly lost.’ Laura Bunt, from drugs charity We Are With You, said: ‘Issues such as rising homelessness, poor mental health and a lack of economic opportunities in some areas all lead to…
Here are 15 suggestions – Oct. 5, 2020 – I used a lot of strategies to get through my cravings successfully. I’ve listed the best below. Some techniques merely postponed the cravings for a few minutes, while others helped make lasting changes in the way that I think. Even with these strategies, it was still difficult to get through the cravings. These tools didn’t make quitting easy, they just made it possible. The only thing that ever made the cravings disappear completely was time. As I remained sober and smoke-free week after week, the cravings slowly subsided. If you’re still…
No Prize Winners Here – Oct. 17, 2020 – Chicago, Illinois Chicago is known as The Windy City, but it’s also becoming known as a place where the drug issues of those that live there is getting out of hand. People that inhabit this area find themselves working in management or tech companies with an unemployment rate of 15.0%. Some of the drugs that find themselves being commonly used in Chicago would include: HeroinMethamphetamineMarijuanaCocaine These are just a few of the chosen drugs by users in this area. If the crisis isn’t controlled, there are going to be more…
LISTEN – Trouble in Shangri-La – 2020 – She noted that “it was a totally non-time. I just existed. It took away all my wonderful drama, my tempestuousness, my compassion, my empathy – all those things that drove me to my piano. I say to myself now: ‘How did you survive eight years without your wonderful drama?’” Nicks added that she “always look back and think: What could I have done during that time? Made a Fleetwood Mac album or a solo record. I could have gotten married or had a baby or adopted one. Let me tell you, if…
It all comes down to the steps – Oct. 12, 2020 – The star revealed that drinking started becoming an everyday habit for her. Her addition might have been brought on by her upbringing as she also shared that her family had a history of alcoholism. Burke revealed how her father had been an alcoholic before. She admitted that she wasn’t sure if the illness was genetic but she knew that it ran in her family and she didn’t want to go down that same path. Two years ago, the DWTS dancer made the tough decision to finally get…
Big Shot Busted at LAX – Oct. 16, 2020 – Cienfuegos, arrested at Los Angeles airport on Thursday, took bribes in return for protection that included warning cartel members about U.S. investigations, according to prosecutors in New York who have charged the 72-year-old with four counts of drug trafficking and money laundering. “In exchange for bribe payments, he permitted the H-2 Cartel – a cartel that routinely engaged in wholesale violence, including torture and murder – to operate with impunity in Mexico,” prosecutors said in a court filing. The H-2 Cartel is a name for a remnant of the Beltran-Leyva…
Leader Leaving – Oct. 12, 2020 – DASPOP’s decision to select Tieman as this year’s honoree was unanimous, Deb Beck, president, said in a news release. “His insight and skill developed Caron into a leading provider of services in the addiction treatment field that has paved the way for first steps to recovery for thousands of those suffering with the disease of addiction,” Beck said. “Doug’s 25 years of guidance and leadership in the field has made all of us stronger and better.” Tieman advocated for substance use disorder to be regarded as a chronic, treatable disease. Under his…
Going to any length – Oct. 14, 2020 – According to The Daily Telegraph, the 57-year-old’s struggle got so bad that when alcohol was unavailable as she competed in the South African jungle, she resorted to drinking hand sanitizer. Fiona is set to reveal new candid details about her battle with the booze in her book, Truths From An Unreliable Witness – Finding Darkness In the Darkest Of Places, which is set for release next month. “I freaked and planned to do it. In the middle of the night I just f**king did it. I waited until everyone was…