Author: Leonard Buschel

Unleashes wild dogs? – April 3, 2020 – • Adult Drug Court and Veterans Treatment Court Discretionary Grant Program, $1.75 million available. This program provides financial and technical assistance to states, state courts, local courts, units of local government, and federally recognized Indian tribal governments to enhance the operations of drug courts or to implement new veterans treatment courts. • Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant and Substance Abuse Site-based Program, $27 million available. The program is to provide financial and technical assistance to states, units of local government, and Indian tribal governments for treatment and support of those abusing drugs. • Enhancing…

Let Sleeping Dogs Lie – April 1, 2020 – “It’s tough enough to be productive in the best of times let alone when we’re in a global crisis,” said Chris Bailey, a productivity consultant and the author of “Hyperfocus: How to Manage Your Attention in a World of Distraction.” “The idea that we have so much time available during the day now is fantastic, but these days it’s the opposite of a luxury. We’re home because we have to be home, and we have much less attention because we’re living through so much.” After her office announced that it would…

What Lies Beneath – April 5, 2020 – On how the six brothers presented differently with schizophrenia — Donald, while he was really erratic and very off putting at a younger age is now very sweet and kind in his 70s, but still quite delusional. He believes he’s the offspring of an octopus. Matthew is grouchier. But with medication, he’s actually far more functional than his other brothers. Peter is a talented musician and extremely loving toward the rest of his family. And then the other three mentally ill brothers who are deceased were all different too — Joseph, saw…

So They Don’t Run Out – April 5, 2020 – UK drug policy and crime experts told CNN they were worried over a growing number of reports of shortages and escalating prices for drugs, as international borders close and supply lines are cut off. “There are reports coming through of people stockpiling their favorite drug or their drug of choice, and of course, that just creates a shortage, which has inevitably led to price increases,” Ian Hamilton, senior lecturer in addiction and mental health at the University of York, told CNN. He said he expected to see heroin “disappearing very,…

Now More Than Ever – No Better Time – The intention of the prayer is so simple and beautiful. It can be applied to any area of your life: wanting a new experience in relationship to yourself and others, a new experience of faith, any new experience of expanding your comfort zone into uncharted territory. The Set Aside Prayer God, Please help me set aside everything I think I know about myself, my disease, the 12 steps, and especially You; So I may have an open mind and a new experience of all these things. Please let me see the…

Tribute to a Pioneer! – Read the history of Betty Ford and the Betty Ford Center. @History

One first down at time – April 3, 2020 – The Ryan Leaf comeback story is one for the ages, and it’s a shining example of what can happen when you put all your efforts into turning your life around. As you can tell in the video above, Ryan Leaf hit rock bottom in a horrible way. He’s lucky to be alive, and he’s very well aware of that fact. Now, he’s working for ESPN, he’s an incredibly talented commentator for the network and he’s sober. You really can’t ask for much more. @DailyCaller

More will be revealed – April 3, 2020 – In 2015 she told Origin Magazine: ‘I feel very blessed that at a young age I was able to navigate my battle with drug and alcohol addiction, and through recovery live a sober life. ‘There is such a stigma attached to addiction and it was hard for me to both confront and overcome it. I am very proud and grateful that with the support of family and friends, I was able to do so.’ n 2015 she told Origin Magazine: ‘I feel very blessed that at a young age I was…

Curbside Meds – April 3, 2020 – The two medications, both narcotics, have been shown to be at least twice as effective at helping people stay in recovery from opioid addiction as therapies that do not include medications. (A third medication approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, naltrexone, sold in injectable form as Vivitrol, is not a controlled substance and doctors do not need a special license to prescribe it.) The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the Drug Enforcement Administration ruled that methadone clinics could allow most patients to take home several days’ or weeks’…

Home is Where the Heartache Is – April 6, 2020 – “We know lockdowns and quarantines are essential to suppressing COVID-19, but they can trap women with abusive partners,” Guterres said. “Over the past weeks, as the economic and social pressures and fear have grown, we have seen a horrifying surge in domestic violence.” The secretary-general said in some countries “the number of women calling support services has doubled” while “healthcare providers and police are overwhelmed and understaffed.” “I urge all governments to make the prevention and redress of violence against women a key part of their national response plan…

Still Feeling No Pain –  April 2, 2020 – I grew up in rural, rust belt Pennsylvania. Although the economy and opportunity may be limited in this part of the country, it was a wonderful place to be raised. Small schools, football, community picnics, and exploring the backwoods of the heartland of America—these are a lot of my memories from my youth. Today I live and work in Hollywood, California and I don’t know that there is even one square inch that is the same in these two settings. But something that remains constant no matter where I live or…

Will Rehabs Have Enough Beds? –  March 30, 2020 – “Social support and active involvement in the program both play a huge role in recovery,” Hulkow said. “In the absence of these, ‘isolation’ and ‘emotional distress’ can be significant ‘triggers’ to relapse. Feelings of depression, anxiety, fear, uncertainty, loneliness and boredom can easily escalate particularly during this time.” But, Hulkow said, there are still ways to lessen the risk, even in the days of social distancing and quarantine. “Recovering individuals can utilize different ‘tools’ to cope during this time such as: staying virtually engaged in the program, reading recovery-oriented literature,…

It Works If You Work It – April 2, 2020 – I caught my breath to see someone so addled, probably still drunk or high, make this disclosure to a crowd of internet strangers who couldn’t, not really, look one another in the eye. In my experience, A.A. is about bodies in space — hugs, pats on backs, a tissue when you need it. “I just need help,” said the troubled person on my laptop. At that, the small streaming videos of members across the top of the Zoom interface burst into applause. It’s our habit in A.A. to heap…

Not Down for the Count – April 2, 2020 – “And that was that,” St. John said. “I was gone from there.” When she regained consciousness, she was in the driver’s seat of her car, parked in the garage of her condominium complex in Marina del Rey. The episode frightened her. She has abstained from drinking in the week or so since. “But,” she said, “it’s difficult.” The problem she encountered when she relapsed remains a major source of anxiety. A county order has prohibited public gatherings and AA isn’t exempt. The ban frustrates St. John, who typically attended six…

Not the Long Commute –  March 27, 2020 – And then came the coronavirus. It took a while — and many confusing press conferences, whether it’s trying to decide if you should visit a sick family member, order delivery, take public transit, or take a trip to the grocery store, we now have to think through the potential implications of many of our totally normal, everyday actions and decisions in a way we never had to before, because of how they could affect others. This is called “moral fatigue,” and it’s exhausting. We’re faced with a lot of the…

Recovery Is Possible – April 5, 2020 – “I am speaking out to answer to the enormous amount of fear being generated by the pandemic, some of it entirely justified, and my heart goes out to everyone who has had to deal with real loss and pain,” he continued. “But I want to let you know that it isn’t always a killer, and we can and will beat this thing.” He concluded on a positive note, telling fans that he “cannot wait to be back onstage again.” The entertainment community has been rocked by the unpredictable virus, which has taken…

Eight hours to salvation – April 2, 2020 – Brain imaging over the past 20 years has taught scientists a lot about how these drugs act on different areas of the brain, says first author David Nutt, a professor and neuropharmacologist at Imperial College London. “There’s mechanistic evidence in humans of how these drugs affect the brain,” he says. “By back-translating from humans to rodent models, we can see how these drugs produce the powerful neuroplastic changes that explain the long-term alterations we see in humans.” Nutt is a prominent proponent of conducting controlled trials to examine the potential benefits…

“You are the sky. Everything else is just the weather.” —Pema Chodron

Day Drinking All Night – March 31, 2020 – …with in-person meetings cancelled, and massive server overloads making the online meetings choppy and unreliable. It’s bad enough that these people have to look through all of our boozebag social media posts, many of which I have thoughtlessly embedded in this article. But Business Insider brings us the absolutely heartbreaking story that online trolls are crashing recovery meetings held on the platform Zoom, and taunting and humiliating the people in recovery. You’d be forgiven for blacking out around sundown and not having even noticed yet that liquor stores across San Francisco…

Drinking the Day Away – March 31 , 2020 – Americans are concocting cocktails to cope with the coronavirus — and lots of them. US sales of alcoholic beverages have risen 55 percent in the week ending March 21, according to Nielsen data. Hard alcohol, such as gin, tequila and premixed cocktails, is on the top of the pour list, and spirits have seen the highest increase with sales jumping 75 percent compared to the same period last year. Wine and beer are heavily flowing also: Wine sales are up 66 percent, and beer sales have risen 42 percent. Alcohol…

No Wine for Passover – March 25, 2020 – In an isolated patch of Sonoran desert north of Phoenix sits a large and unassuming house along with a few outbuildings. Driving by, one would hardly guess that it is a residential treatment facility that its founder, Mitch Prager, hopes might be an answer for those struggling to beat addiction. But had this been an option years ago, this is just the kind of place that might have saved Prager’s brother and dear friend, who both died of their addictions and who are the inspiration for his efforts. After touring roughly…

However Fellowship Continues! – March 26, 2020 – On March 13, a dozen people gathered at a Cleveland outpatient clinic for their daily therapy group. They represented a patchwork of addictions: to alcohol, crack cocaine, methamphetamine, marijuana, heroin. They were freshly out of jail, out of marriages, out of work. The newest member had enrolled just a week earlier. The three-hour morning session that Friday, reinforced with continually brewing coffee and snacks everyone brought to share (mini doughnuts, chips, cookies, pretzels) began with lights dimmed and a meditation. Shortly after noon, they locked arms, recited the Serenity Prayer, and…

You Call That An Epidemic? – March 27, 2020 – With countries closing their borders and movement restricted, recovery advocates are worried that opioid use will become more dangerous. If supplies diminish, opioid dealers will likely be tempted to cut drugs with more dangerous substances, like fentanyl, even more than they do already. In an ideal world, this would lead to more people seeking treatment — but for many, the cost of the medication is prohibitive. “The people who were getting help aren’t really getting any help right now at all. Put that on top of trying to stay…

Seabrook House, did you see this? – March 24, 2020 – “Our nation is facing the difficult challenge of curbing substance addiction, which threatens public safety and is among the Administration’s top domestic priorities,” Katharine T. Sullivan, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs (OJP), said. “The Department of Justice is front and center in the fight to meet this challenge. OJP is making historic amounts of grant funding available to ensure that our communities have access to innovative and diverse solutions.” The funding is available through OJP, the federal government’s leading source of public…

Damed if you do… – March 24, 2020 – “We have people who do not have a home to go back to,” said Paul Bacharach, president and CEO of Gateway Rehab, which owns 14 treatment facilities across Western Pennsylvania. “We would never just put them on the street. We’d have to find an alternative location. But I don’t think anyone has a clear answer on where that is.” As of March 23, the state Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs said it had no reports of COVID-19 cases within treatment facilities. But many providers say it’s only a matter of…

Let Your Fingers Do the Walking – March 26, 2020 – The coronavirus pandemic has put severe stress on millions of people in recovery for substance use issues, as well as on friends and family who are trying to stand by them. Apps, like Zoom , Google Meet and Skype can help people struggling with alcohol or substance abuse find a community of peers. Here are some options, almost all of which are free. Apps help people track their habits, meditate and find a community of peers. Here are some options, almost all of which are free. @NYTimes

Still Working Hard – March 25, 2020 – More recently, overdose deaths from stimulants have surged, potentially representing the next phase of the drug crisis. Overdoses from psychostimulants like cocaine and methamphetamine spiked 22 percent from 2017 to 2018. In Los Angeles, gay men carry the heaviest burden of meth addiction. It’s a medical emergency of the highest order, so rehab centers remained open and are adjusting to the realities of operating an essential business during a pandemic. “One of the most difficult challenges that we faced in the last two weeks is trying to very rapidly adapt to…

Helping the Helpers – March 27, 2020 – “In every crisis that has occurred in this country, whether it’s earthquakes or hurricanes or floods, people have abused more substances,” said Dekker, an addiction and pain management specialist. To limit face-to-face contact and the need for daily dosing at clinics, the federal government has relaxed rules on when and how medications can be dispensed. Previously, practitioners were required to evaluate patients in person before prescribing medication; they can now prescribe following a telemedicine appointment. Opioid treatment programs can now request a blanket exemption to provide 28 days of take-home medication…

America’s Medicine – March 23, 2020 – Advocacy groups have pushed governors and state officials to ensure that medical marijuana patients in particular can maintain access to the cannabis they need. But because many people who use marijuana for therapeutic purposes don’t necessarily jump through the hoops needed in order to become officially certified as patients, recreational businesses are also seen as crucial access points that need to stay open. “Most of the American public and an increasing number of government leaders stopped buying into the demonization of cannabis years ago,” Karen O’Keefe, state policies director for the Marijuana Policy…

I hope you have a computer! – MARCH 25, 2020 – For recovering alcoholics, “Go to a meeting,” is the answer to most problems. Want to drink? Go to a meeting. Lost your job? Go to a meeting. Getting a divorce? Go to a meeting. Understandably, many of us wondered how Alcoholics Anonymous would manage without the benefit of in-person meetings. One writer predicted many would relapse and lives would be forever ruined. As the coronavirus pandemic approached and it became clear that in-person meetings were no longer advisable, scores of A.A. meetings in the Baltimore area and across…