“When opportunity presents itself, grab it. Hold on tight and don’t let go.” —Celia Cruz
Author: Leonard Buschel
Chasing the News …stone cold sober Webinar hosted by William Cope Moyers“Maintaining sobriety in an era of uncertainty”A conversation discussing the pandemic, resilience and Zoom rooms! August 26, 6pmPDT, 9pmEDTFree: Click to Register More information here.
WATCH – Trading Places – August 4, 2020 – Actress Jamie Lee Curtis has succeeded in many genres, from horror movies to TV dramas to children’s books. But now she’s tackling a new medium, producing and starring in “Letters from Camp,” a scripted mystery podcast for families that she calls “TV for your ears.” She also talks her new website offering comfort objects for people in crisis. more@Today
You gotta have heART – July 26, 2020 – “‘Now I see in color’ means now I’m able to live my life fully, without being under the influence of a substance,” she said. “There is hope out there, they can find so much more meaning when they’re able to find that recovery. And that they’re not alone.” The message of hope is meant for anyone touched by addiction. “I think this message is specifically for those in addiction recovery, but it’s also for family members that have been through this too, that they may see within their loved ones, this…
Testimonial – July 25, 2020 – Zoloft I was stunned. An anti-depressant? Zoloft? I had seen the commercials before and I even knew a couple of friends who took these drugs. I did not know what to feel, but a large part of me was excited about the possibility of relief. “You can take these drugs for up to six months,” she added. “After six months, you can slowly come off and be back to normal. This medication should kick in soon! You’ll be back to your old self in no time!”’ In my vulnerability, I accepted her statement…
A killing for a living – July 30, 2020 – The pills flowed freely for at least a decade starting in the early 2000s, according to Wolf Necklace and several other members of the tribe who spoke with VICE News for our podcast “Painkiller: America’s Fentanyl Crisis.”They said it was normal for tribe members to visit the pharmacy to get prescriptions for powerful opioid painkillers, then swap those pills for alcohol, illicit drugs such as methamphetamine, or cash. “People really weren’t even looking at it like it was a bad thing that they were selling their pills,” said Wolf Necklace.…
Mind Over Matter – July 25, 2020 – At the end of 2019, I was back in an outpatient treatment program to get sober. While there, I was diagnosed with anxiety and depression. But by December 2019, I also had lost 70 pounds. Post-treatment, I was so inspired to finish what I started with my current weight-loss journey. (I am now just shy of nine months sober!) My current journey isn’t my first time losing weight—so I stuck to an eating method that previously worked for me. In 2013, I lost 70 pounds, although I gained it all back plus…
Sweet Sobriety – JULY, 25 2020 – In the future, how do you hope to give a platform to others? First, is just to really listen to people and hear them. With the moment that’s going on right now, I want to be available to speak about Black Lives Matter and have an open conversation about trans lives because if they become voiceless, what’s going to happen to us? What would you do with the prize money? I would buy my cats a whole lot of treats. It was so meaningful to see you share your journey with sobriety…
Business as usual – July 27, 2020 – RNP entered into contracts with the State of Connecticut Department of Social Services (“DSS”) to provide behavioral health and substance use disorder services to Medicaid beneficiaries. Medicaid reimburses methadone clinics, such as RNP, utilizing a weekly rate payment for each Medicaid patient provided methadone treatment. Regulations issued by the State of Connecticut in 2013 made it clear that the weekly payment was a “bundled” rate that included intake evaluation; initial physical examination; on-site drug abuse testing and monitoring; and individual, group and family counseling services. On September 3, 2014, Medicaid issued a…
Back on the boards … soon – JULY 27, 2020 – He slowly began to rebuild, surrounded by family members who didn’t care how many Broadway shows he’d done, and he started teaching dance. Last fall, Leffler joined the national tour of My Fair Lady—but with a whole new approach to life as a performer. He’s restructured his days, getting up early to go to the gym and start being productive right away so that after the curtain comes down, he’s tired enough to go to sleep and recover for the next day. He’s also surrounded himself with a…
METHod to the madness? – JULY 28, 2020 – For alcohol dependency, medical intervention may be necessary. Detoxing from alcohol is dangerous and may require a trip to the hospital. Opiates may require treatment that involves medical evaluation, medication and ongoing oversight and counseling. For those abusing meth, opiates or alcohol, they all have some things in common. They all require a stable, sober living environment to have a chance at being successful. A person must be able to rest, eat and hydrate. They must have counseling and case management, and these activities must all be a part of one…
WATCH – Big star, without the booze – July 28, 2020 – “I’ve had bouts of like everything. I think the lowest I’ve ever been was 2015,” the Grammy winner began. “It was down to bad diet, drinking and then not seeing sunlight at all … and I wasn’t exercising. Exercise, I think, is a really f–king important thing to keep people happy. I was touring and I would stay up and drink all night and then … the buses would park underneath the arenas and I’d sleep on the bus all day and then wake up and then come…
Interview with author – July 27, 2020 – A: My new book, “Reclaiming My Life,” is a poignant and triumphant journey through the loss of my child to addiction. The book resonates with families who have lost loved ones or who suffer through the pain of addiction. It shows families the way to get help so that they do not have to experience what I went through. My book is an inspirational story about surviving and overcoming tragedy and finding a way back to a meaningful life. I have always used writing as a tool to help me to…
Get High – Support Local Police – July 23, 2020 – The organizations Youth Forward and Getting It Right From the Start co-produced a report on 28 Californian cities that legalized recreational marijuana sales since 2016. (Roughly two-thirds of cities and towns still ban sales, despite state-level legalization.) Released back in April, the report’s importance has been amplified by intervening events, and the ensuing debates around policing and its funding. It found that in three years, 23 of the 28 cities increased their police budgets by at least 10 percent, as of the 2019-2020 fiscal year. Eight cities saw…
WATCH – Opinion – July 31, 2020 – Prior Authorization. Despite medical society and patient advocacy, only 21 states and the District of Columbia have enacted laws limiting public and private insurers from imposing prior authorization requirements on services or medication for substance-use disorders (SUDs). In fact, the report cites a survey from the American Board of Pain Medicine that found 92% of pain medicine physicians said they have been required to submit a prior authorization for non-opioid pain care. Parity law noncompliance. Even fewer states have taken meaningful action to enforce mental health and SUD parity laws. Barriers to…
Stay Resolute – July 31, 2020 – Brogan was an addiction recovery specialist who had worked closely with former Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph Coronato in efforts to stem the county’s opioid crisis. That work followed his own close call with a heroin overdose about 10 years ago. In an interview with the Asbury Park Press in 2015, Brogan recalled being brought back to consciousness with a shot of Naloxone nasal spray, the opioid reversal drug, after shooting up heroin in a bathroom in a drug-infested area of Philadelphia five years earlier. Brogan told The Press that despite coming within “inches…
LISTEN – Back from the dead – July 31, 2020 – Following his coworker’s advice, Jason sought out the doctor but he knew something was very wrong the first time he walked into his office. “I gave the lady at the front my insurance card and she gave me a packet of information and she also gave me some instructions on how to fill out the packet. The instructions … were having me write down symptoms I didn’t have to build a case, on paper, for a herniated disc with severe pain,” Jason described. Falsifying prescriptions Jason’s father and…
WATCH – Still in the ring – July 29, 2020 – The memoir will take readers through Mia’s journey of surviving the loss of her beloved son, ex-husband, and 30 years of sobriety. Additionally, Mia will reflect on her abusive childhood — which included poverty, domestic violence and alcoholism — and explain why it unknowingly thrusted her into a lifelong survival mode. The book will dig deep into how drugs, alcohol, mental illness and a failed mental health system took the lives of her son and his father and thrust her into the hardest fight of her life. “I’ve…
Reflections – July 29, 2020 – As Moore explains, Schumacher was able to tap into her passion for the work, inspiring her to sobriety in a way that concerns about her own health and safety hadn’t. “Work was the only thing that meant anything to me,” the actress shared. “I didn’t have any value, I wasn’t enough to have kept myself sober. But doing the film was.” As Moore went on to face multiple strained marriages, she became an expert in the art of fighting for her relationship — but realized that her continual belief that she “didn’t have any…
Dr. Frankenstein – July 27, 2020 – A disheveled Rosen sat in the jury box at his preliminary hearing of Monday, July 20, black glasses perched crookedly atop his white face mask, unruly salt-and-pepper stubble blanketing his cheeks. Beneath his orange jail uniform, a chain snaked around his waist. His handcuffs were attached. That image of the mighty doctor brought low is small comfort to parents like Debbie Berry of Ashland, Missouri, who wants to make sure Rosen never practices medicine again. “My first question was, ‘Is he going to be charged with manslaughter?’ ” asked Berry, whose son Brennen…
What else is new? – July 31, 2020 – According to the complaint, Ligotti would require patients from these treatment facilities to submit testing and treatments he authorized at Whole Health. Ligotti was then able to bill these patients’ insurance companies for fraudulent tests and treatments. Ligotti also allegedly ordered and conducted urinalysis (UA) tests and blood tests that were never used in patient treatment. Along with the fraudulent tests, Ligotti allegedly billed the companies for psychiatric services and therapy sessions that never occurred, according to the release. Some patients were allegedly billed between $10,000 and $20,000 by Ligotti for…
Putting down the drink – July 31, 2020 – People choose to stop drinking for a number of reasons (a decision made a lot easier by all the great alcohol-free drink options now on offer), from their mental health to medical conditions. Over the years, many celebrities have chosen to bravely speak out about their own choice to ditch booze too – from Kate Moss to Miley Cyrus. Deciding whether or not to abstain from alcohol is a really personal decision, and often it’s not an easy one either (given that so many social occasions revolve around drinking), so…
Yet it did happen – July 28, 2020 – California is one of the last areas of the country where “black tar” heroin remains available. The viscous consistency that characterizes black tar means it is difficult for suppliers to mix in fentanyl, the synthetic opioid responsible for the so-called “third wave” of the overdose crisis. Most of the country’s “China white” heroin—of varying consistency but always sold as a powder—was easily adulterated with fentanyl. But California’s black tar provided a modicum of relative predictability (if not security). At least until 2019, when it appears that began to change. A February…
Called Betty Ford? – July 31, 2020 – I was too frightened to tell her myself. So I told the nurse practitioner instead. Even when I asked her not to, she would always repeat everything to my mother. Of course my mother was enraged, and swiftly made an appointment with my psychiatrist. Both she and the shrink, believing that all drug use is addiction, insisted that I enter rehab as soon as possible. When I explained that my use hadn’t caused me any problems and I could stop whenever I wanted, they ignored me. To them, my careful reasoning…
Wheels Down – July 28, 2020 – About three years ago, he decided he’d had enough. “One day, I just said I needed to clean up and get my head on straight,” said the 49-year-old Brockton man. “But I was getting bored. I found myself not being around anybody. It was kind of like the old saying, ‘If you wanna find out who your real friends are, quit drinking.’” A motorcycle enthusiast, Bullio ultimately founded a motorcycle club exclusively for sober men called the Last Chance Motorcycle Club. Bullio says he was the sole member of the club for…
WATCH – Know your rights! – July 30, 2020 – “The idea that, quote, ‘it’s a lifestyle’ or a choice is just wrong,” said Francis. An employer has to give a person diagnosed with substance use disorder time off to go to recovery meetings or other treatment. A landlord can’t use past substance abuse as a reason not to rent. But, it can be easy to lose these protections. Francis told 2News: You also lose protection if you are deemed a risk to others. Stereotyping has been illegal since the late 1980s, but Francis says discrimination against people dealing with…
Return to sender, address unknown – July 28, 2020 – In some ways, the internet represents “Pandora’s box” for shopping and buying things. Pretty much everything is available to purchase online and the shipping is often included. Online purchasers receive reinforcement or pleasure on multiple levels including the shopping itself, then the purchase, and with internet retail, there is the additional bonus of having your purchase delivered to your doorstep! Every day can be a special occasion as you have the chance to rip open the non-descript boxes to find the surprise inside! Human beings are vulnerable to addictions…
WATCH – Another reason not to drink it – August 1, 2020 – The Food and Drug Administration’s list of hand sanitizers to avoid because they may contain methanol continues to grow. As of Saturday, the FDA’s “do-not-use list of dangerous hand sanitizer products” now includes 101 varieties of hand sanitizer that should be avoided – some that have already been recalled and other products being recommended for recalls – as they may contain methanol, a potentially fatal ingredient. Methanol is a toxic substance when absorbed through skin or ingested. “FDA continues to find issues with certain hand sanitizer…
365 one at a time – July 28, 2020 – “1 year completely sober ! So grateful for my health and happiness,” she wrote alongside the snaps, which showed a glowing Allen in a red and black bikini, contrasted to a paparazzi shot of her before her decision to go sober. Hundreds of friends and fans congratulated the singer on her accomplishment in the comments, wishing her well as she continues her sobriety. You look just gorgeous honey! Glowing glowing from the inside out xxx very proud of you xxx see you soon xxx,” British celebrity chef Andi Oliver wrote.…
“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.” —Anais Nin