HALF A CENTURY – December 30, 2025 – Double Oscar-winner Sir Anthony Hopkins has urged anyone struggling with addiction to “choose life” and seek help as he celebrated 50 years of sobriety. Hopkins has spoken about how he realized he needed help after he was “nearly killed” driving in a “drunken blackout” on 29 December 1975. “I got help and 50 years ago today was the end. Without being a killjoy I just wish you all choose life instead of the opposite.” Hopkins added: “I realised at that point that I was having too much fun. It was called alcoholism.…
Author: Leonard Buschel
DOING THE RIGHT THING – Dec. 16, 2025 – No fanfare. No ribbon-cutting. Simply an opening at 5 am. Jelly Roll stood in the quiet Tennessee dawn and unlocked Jelly Roll Haven, a 200-bed, completely free medical and recovery center built exclusively for the homeless in Nashville – the first of its kind in American music history. Cancer screening area. Emergency medical wing. Mental health and trauma counseling center. Addiction recovery and detox unit. Dental and primary care clinic. 100 permanent transitional housing units on the upper floors. All free, forever. $118 million was raised quietly over 20 months, funded…
FEARLESS WOMAN – Apr. 10, 2024 – The tide comes in, the tide goes out, and when you are older, around the time when you stop feeling like you’ve crawled into somebody else’s shell, old friends begin to die with appalling regularity. If life made sense, they would all be older when they went. How did they get old enough to die? My father’s death feels like it was twenty years ago but it was more than forty-five. It races, like scrolling through microfiche, zzzzzip, and nothing anyone says can make this less awful. Well, maybe one thing: Kitty Carlisle’s…
IT’S ALL IN YOUR HEAD, OR IS IT? – Dec. 28, 2025 – (Image Credit: Leon-Pascal Jc/Unsplash) Questions about the nature of consciousness remain among the most perplexing areas of modern scientific research, with implications for neuroscience and the human mind, as well as our broader concept of reality. In 2025, many new thresholds in this complex area of study were crossed, with empirical inquiry into our questions about the nature of consciousness occurring within fields such as neuroscience, psychology, and medicine. Many advancements in this area over the last year have also challenged long-held assumptions about where and how…
A RIDDLE CAN DETERMINE IF YOU ARE – Jan. 1, 2026 – Jacob Skidmore, who is diagnosed as a narcissist, uses social media as a way to shed light on the condition. In one of his videos, he posted an interesting riddle that he alleged can determine if someone is a psychopath or not. Skidmore posts on TikTok under the username “The Nameless Narcissist.” He uses his clinical diagnosis of Narcissistic Personality Disorder as an entry point to creating content about the various nuances of narcissism. He explains how he enters and experiences the world, focusing mostly on how his…
VIDEO – IT’S A START – Jan. 1, 2026 – Many people are setting new goals for the new year, with one popular resolution focusing on cutting back on alcohol consumption after the holiday season through ‘Dry January.’ “It’s a good trend for people to try and to see what is their relationship with alcohol. Are they better without it?” said Dr. Neeral Shah, professor of medicine and gastroenterology at UVA. She said the month-long sobriety stint can make a big difference for participants’ well being. “They may have better sleep patterns, they may actually have more energy, their acne…
“I gave my beauty and my youth to men. I am going to give my wisdom and experience to animals.” – Brigitte Bardot, b. 1934 – d. 2025
LIFE’S BIGGEST MOMENT – Dec. 22, 2025 – David Bromstad’s new HGTV special tells the story of him building his dream home, he says it’s been the “biggest moment of my life” for another reason. “When I said this is the biggest moment of my life, it really didn’t have anything to do with the house,” Bromstad, 52, tells podcast host Ross Mathews during an Instagram Live. “It had me talking about what this whole process was about and that’s about my mental health and it’s about my drug addiction.” He adds: “It was about moving through it, but also…
NOT SO CHEEKY ANYMORE – Dec. 18, 2025 – While the rest of the year I’d typically get through a bottle of a wine a night, during December that easily doubled. I was always either drunk or hungover. But last year, far from knocking back morning glasses of prosecco under the excuse of ‘Go on, it’s Christmas’, I began December sat in a circle at a rehab centre, having finally accepted that I had a drinking problem. Now 53, I’ve been sober for 13 months. But many women like me – with children and successful careers – will still be…
VIDEO – STAY SOBER – Dec. 18, 2025 – For those struggling with sobriety, the holiday season can be triggering, but experts say you do not have to face those struggles alone. The holidays can be a stressful time for anyone, with parties, families, and perhaps even loneliness. But for those in recovery, the experts say it can also be a tipping point. Dec. 18, 2025 – For those struggling with sobriety, the holiday season can be triggering, but experts say you do not have to face those struggles alone. The holidays can be a stressful time for anyone, with…
POLICY OF DEATH? – Dec. 22, 2025 – Under an executive order from Donald Trump, federal substance abuse grants can’t pay for supplies such as cookers and tourniquets that it says “only facilitate illegal drug use.” Needles already couldn’t be purchased with federal money. Some public health experts lament that syringe services programs have become subject to growing politicization and dissent. Republican-led Indiana passed a law allowing exchanges a decade ago after the tiny city of Austin became the epicenter of the worst drug-fueled HIV outbreak in U.S. history. Unless lawmakers extend it, that law is scheduled to sunset next…
AUDIO – FOOD AND HOUSING – Dec. 24, 2025 – Many people who participate in homelessness or crisis services today carry a mix of untreated addiction, chronic health conditions and long periods of instability. Short treatment episodes often end before people regain the skills required for independent living. Communities benefit from programs that offer routine, counseling, peer support and daily engagement so residents can rebuild the foundation needed for long-term stability. Tens of thousands of people leave short-term residential addiction treatment programs each year in the United States, but the period immediately after discharge is where the system often breaks…
FACTS AND STUDIES – Dec. 22, 2025 – Each year, I review the most important addiction science in medical, neuroscience, and public health journals. In 2025, research addressed questions experts grapple with daily: What are realistic goals of treatment? How should we conceptualize recovery in an era of fentanyl? Are addictions neurobiologically reversible? Where do emerging therapies fit into evidence-based care? 1. Rethinking Medication Treatment Goals for Opioid Use Disorder McLellan and Volkow confront one of the most persistent, emotionally-charged addiction questions: What are acceptable treatment outcomes? We have no cures, so what are we trying to achieve with medications…
AND BEST FRIENDS – Dec. 24, 2025 – “It has grown in a way we never anticipated.” When Mickey Bakst and fellow hospitality industry vet Steve Palmer founded Ben’s Friends in Charleston, S.C. nine years ago, they were doing so to honor their late friend Ben Murray, who took his life due to addiction. Today, there are 30 in-person meetings held weekly around the country as well as daily Zoom options that cover the U.S., Canada and parts of Europe. There has been a Richmond group meeting, started by chefs Joe Sparatta and Jason Alley, since 2018. A femmes branch…
VIDEO – A MEDICAL MARVEL? – Dec. 18, 2025 – In an executive order Thursday that could reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug and open new avenues for medical research, a major shift in federal drug policy that inches closer to what many states have done. The switch would move marijuana away from its current classification as a Schedule I drug, alongside heroin and LSD. Cannabis would instead be a Schedule III substance, like ketamine and some anabolic steroids. Reclassification by the Drug Enforcement Administration would not make it legal for recreational use by adults nationwide, but it could…
NO PROCESSED FOOD – Dec. 26, 2025 – Cruciferous Vegetables – Dark Leafy Greens – Fatty Fish – Whole Grains – Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Berries – Fermented Foods – Tree Nuts and Seeds – Dark chocolate – Legumes – Tomatoes – Anyone who wants to live a long and healthy life wants a magic formula for reaching a ripe old age. Unfortunately, it isn’t that easy ― but there are some things you can do to bolster your odds. ″If you want to live longer, improve what you’re eating and start moving your body more,” said Dr. Linda…
LESSONS LEARNED? – Dec. 25, 2025 – Overdose deaths are falling at a pace the United States has not seen in decades. Centers for Disease Control projections show a nearly 25% decline for the twelve months ending in April 2025. But the meaning of that decline shows up long before it appears in national reports. They happen because public policy finally aligns with evidence and because communities were able to use tools we already know save lives. Whether this progress continues depends on the choices we make now. As we head into 2026, the foundational policies that saved lives this…
ALL HEART – Apr. 2024 – Every time I talk with Anne Lamott, I just feel like I’ve been embraced by kindness, humility, love and a whole lot of laughter. Anne is a multi-time New York Times bestselling author whose latest book, Somehow: Thoughts on Love, offers profound yet practical wisdom that can help transform our lives. In our conversation, she shares insights from her seven decades of living, loving, and learning as she turns 70 and releases her 20th book, rich with stories, humor, reverence, love and insights, told in a way only Anne can do. Despite her success,…
VIDEO – MUSCIAL INTERLUDE – DEC. 16, 2025 – 50,000 VIEWS since last Tuesday – In honor of its 50th Anniversary, George Harrison’s Living In The Material World album has been completely remixed from the original tapes for a stunning suite of 50th anniversary releases. Lovingly overseen by Dhani and Olivia Harrison, the album was remixed by triple GRAMMY® Award winner Paul Hicks.Director – Finn WolfhardAnimation Director – Akash Jones Executive Producers – Dhani Harrison & David Zonshine See Website
STICK WITH THE WINNERS! – December 30, 2025 – Anne Lamott is a mother, grandmother, wife and activist. She is also the author of these best-sellers: Traveling Mercies, Bird by Bird, and Somehow: Thoughts on Love. Q. If you are in recovery, what was your drug(s) of choice and when is your sobriety date?A. Alcohol, weed, meth. Sobriety date is July 7, 1986.Q. Is there anything special in your sobriety toolkit that helps keep you sober?A. A lot of meetings!Q. Do you think addiction is an illness, disease, a choice, or a wicked twist of fate?A. A genetic predisposition and a disease. See…
CELEBRITY SOBRIETY – Dec. 18, 2025 – by Mary-Kate Harrington – I don’t remember my first drink as anything profound. It was a shot of schnapps on a ski holiday when I was 12, and it tasted like a bad decision, nothing less, nothing more. Alcohol ambivalence is rare, and most drinkers have to be careful; it’s a substance designed for consumption above all else. Alcohol doesn’t respect boundaries … I never drank with commitments in mind. I think I knew very early on that once the bottle was uncorked, I couldn’t contain it. Alcohol was the driver, and I…
AUDIO – DOUBLE WINNER – Dec. 26, 2025 – Theobromine, an alkaloid found in dark chocolate and coffee slows cellular aging. If you enjoy dark chocolate or coffee, or both, you may be benefiting from a substance found in these products that is linked to a reduction in cellular aging. Most abundant in cocoa, theobromine is also found in coffee. But before you start eating more dark chocolate and drinking more cups of coffee, know that the study found an association, not a causal link, and that it didn’t suggest how much you would have to eat or drink…
WITHOUT WHIPPED CREAM – Dec. 23, 2025 – As a recovering addict, she says in the past the festive season meant trying to make sure she had enough drugs to last until Boxing Day. “There were no drug dealers on Christmas Day.” Now, she is one of a group of people who work at cafe Chocolate & Co – a charity that creates employment opportunities for people who struggle with addiction and offending. The organisation was founded by York mum and daughter, Linda Barrie and Mariah Pape, after they lost two close friends to addiction. Some of the people who…
NEW INFORMATION – Dec. 23, 2025 – Dr. Kelly Peck is the lead author on a recent article looking at the prevalence of current posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) than in the general population. This study demonstrates that participants receiving MOUD who receive Prolonged Exposure (PE) tend to experience improvements in their PTSD.Among individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD), the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is higher than in the general population. Prolonged exposure (PE) therapy is highly efficacious for improving PTSD symptoms. However, few studies have evaluated PE in individuals receiving medications…
AUDIO – YOU SAY YOU WANT A REVOLUTION? – Dec. 24, 2025 – WBUR’s Deborah Becker visits a community in the north of Italy, thought to be a model for these kinds of addiction treatment centers. See Website
RELIEVES ADDICTION – Dec. 25, 2025 – The moment I switched, I no longer felt an urgent need to look at my iPhone — an urge that I hadn’t known was so strong until it was gone. I experienced a full- bodied sense of relief when the colors faded to gray. I would leave my phone in my room when I walked from my home office to the kitchen. I would forget to check it for hours instead of minutes. When I did check it, I put it down quickly as soon as the task was done. The number of…
VIDEO – GOING TO ANY LENGTHS – Dec. 24, 2025 – The Sheriff’s Office says it found about 40 people inside the building, who told deputies they did not believe they were allowed to leave. The Sheriff’s Office said 11 people eventually left after deputies clarified that the group was allowed to leave if they wanted to. An investigation is ongoing. See Website
OH SHIT – Dec, 24, 2025 – Brain areas affected by the drugs control reward and wakefulness, not attention. In the U.S., about 3.5 million kids ages 3 to 17 take an ADHD medication, a number that has increased as more children have been diagnosed with the neurodevelopmental disorder. Stimulant medications have long been thought to treat ADHD by acting upon regions of the brain that control attention, but a new study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis casts doubt on that thinking. Led by Benjamin Kay, MD, PhD, an assistant professor of neurology, and…
VIDEO – GRUESOME – Dec. 25, 2025 – Tylor Chase has been struggling with addiction since he was diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder in 2015, Former Nickelodeon child star Tylor Chase, who was found disheveled and homeless on the streets of Los Angeles, struggles with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia — but refuses to get help, according to his father. “For over a decade, the family has sought treatment options for Tylor, including support for substance use as well as mental health care. After the failed recovery, Mendez explained that Chase returned to California to be closer to his mother,…
HAPPIER ON THE BOARDWALK – Dec. 24, 2025 – “10 years ago, I made a decision that changed everything. A decision to stop running, stop numbing, and finally face my life head-on,” the Jersey Shore star, 43, wrote via the Instagram page for his recovery organization, The Archangel Centers. “It wasn’t easy. There were moments I doubted myself, moments I felt broken beyond repair. But one day at a time, I chose recovery, and those days added up.” See Website