Sometimes It’s Hard to be A Woman – March 22, 2020 – Physical pain from starving, plucking, injecting and cutting; emotional pain when we finally realize that no matter what we do (or don’t do), we are never enough. The proverbial prize at the end of the feminine rainbow for the most womanly or beautiful always eludes us because no matter how much we highlight, shade, cover, nip, tuck, contort or slice, we are never just right for gender parity. The “right” woman for the most powerful positions and offices in our society simply does not exist. College-aged women…
Author: Leonard Buschel
Get Moving – MARCH 20, 2020 – No matter where you live, whether walking, running, or cycling, if you come upon another person on your path, move away to maintain a distance of at least six feet as you pass. Avoid touching things like jungle gyms, parcourse equipment, or gates that could have come into contact with someone carrying the novel coronavirus. first, to avoid contact with others. And second, to adjust your workout routine to ensure that it boosts, rather than suppresses, your immune system. @ElementalMedium
eBulletin Original – As a news anchor and reporter on television, Courtney Friel currently works for KTLA-TV in Los Angeles. She previously reported on entertainment news for the Fox News Channel. Sober for over a decade, Friel gives an uncensored look at her life of partying and eventual recovery in her new memoir, Tonight At 10: Kicking Booze and Breaking News. Her struggle to succeed in the news business paled in comparison to the battle against alcoholism and drug addiction she was secretly fighting. Courtney Friel also hosts the podcast “Keeping It Friel: Conversations On Recovery” Addiction/Recovery eBulletin: Would you compare being sober to freedom from…
Through Prayer and Meditation – March 20, 2020 – Alcoholism hunts without discrimination. Whether it’s an individual stuck in poverty or a privileged teenager, suffering from isolation, alcoholism can find its roots anywhere. Daughter of a successful member of the Chicago Board of Trade, Jane Zarse, was born and raised in Lake Forest, Illinois. Her family was well-off, and she was privileged enough to receive a quality education. Her family resided in a ninety-two-hundred-square-foot lakefront estate. Even in her school, she was a very popular student as she was one of the top performers. Moreover, she graduated from Boston…
Addiction Never Sleeps – March 22, 2020 – Most group meetings have only been suspended in the past week, but coronavirus concerns have been a part of the recovery discussion for longer than that. Price has noted the phenomenon, saying it is a common topic in process groups for patients at Desert Hope. In addition to unstructured discussion about the pandemic, he says the center has daily “town hall meetings” with the entire patient population where they are given up-to-date information and education. Price said that patients have limited media access, but that what they do see regarding limited supplies…
Like Yelling “Fire” in a Crowded Theater – March 23, 2020 – When the World Health Organization reported a 3.4% death rate for Coronavirus, it could not simply be wished away as being less than 1%. This a real crisis, both in terms of Trump’s presidency and in terms of his psyche. At first Trump tried to manage the coronavirus in his mind by pretending that it was nothing. It was something that would go away in no time; the virus would somehow magically disappear. That is Trump’s fantasy world. When that wasn’t happening, and the stock market was in…
How Many Died?– March 21, 2020 – We will continue to zealously pursue doctors who write opioid or other prescriptions that are plainly outside their professional practice and without a legitimate medical purpose,” said U.S. Attorney Robert Brewer in a press release after Salerno pleaded guilty. “Even a medical degree does not put one above the law,” said Brewer, who praised Drug Enforcement Administration agents and prosecutors who worked on the case. “Because of pill mills operated by doctors like Egisto Salerno, our…
Even More Deadly – MARCH 22, 2020 – “When someone’s lungs are exposed to flu or other infections the adverse effects of smoking or vaping are much more serious than among people who do not smoke or vape,” Stanton Glantz, professor of medicine and director of the Center for Tobacco Research Control & Education at University of California, San Francisco, wrote in a blog post updated Tuesday. “Vaping affects your lungs at every level. It affects the immune function in your nasal cavity by affecting cilia which push foreign things out … the ability of your upper airways to clear…
Star Still Shining – March 19, 2020 – “This world is not like it was in ‘Home Improvement,’” said Allen, noting the show’s significance. “In ‘Home Improvement,’ I believe 24 million viewers on a Tuesday night.” On the subject, Allen reminisced about live simulcasting an episode on the Space Shuttle Endeavour. “It looked like it was phony,” he recalled. “It looked like it was floating around in there, doing a tool time. I’ve got all the stuff at my shop, I’m a space freak. I just love that stuff and I said ‘What kind…
Zoom Zoom Zoom – March 20, 2020 – Alcoholics Anonymous said Thursday that groups are following social distancing guidelines while still helping members maintain their sobriety. “By attending digital meetings, groups can focus on A.A.’s primary purpose: to carry its message of recovery to the alcoholic who still suffers,” the group wrote. Actress Ashley Tisdale was among those who praised Alcoholics Anonymous for offering online meetings. “My husband was able to stream his favorite meeting,” she wrote. “Anyone else who doesn’t feel great about leaving the house, check out the Zoom app,” she wrote. Narcotics Anonymous also said groups unable…
Piling On – March 15, 2020 – “They made it seem like I’m at West Point selling cocaine,” Rogers said. “I was just addicted to opioids.” He struck a deal to resign from the academy to avoid the prospect of a military trial — and potential incarceration. But there were other consequences. Rogers was given an other than honorable discharge, which, in the words of his lawyer, “follows you like herpes for the rest of your life.” He was also ordered to repay the U.S. government $256,000 — the value of his education at West Point, which cadets attend free…
When Titans Collide – @YouTube
Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy – March 23, 2020 – The course went online for free about two years ago under the name “The Science of Well Being,” according to the Yale Daily News. Anyone can audit the course for free, and $49 lets you complete assignments, submit them for a grade and earn a certificate of completion. As you’re spending more time at home and working to stay sane during the coronavirus pandemic, you might be able to find solace in Yale University’s mega-popular “happiness” course, which is available for free online through Coursera. “We’re in a particularly challenging…
No Better Time for Mindfullness – March 21, 2020 – “We are starting to become aware of our alcohol intake and the effect it is having on our overall equilibrium and questioning ‘is it really worth it?’. “From not sleeping as well, feeling de-motivated, not eating healthy and not being the versions of ourselves on a hangover, it makes sense that more people than ever are choosing to significantly cut down or completely cut out the booze.” To mark the new trend, with Emily’s help, we’ve rounded up the best Instagram accounts to follow that will keep you inspired on…
Mr. Brand, welcome to ZOOM – Mar 19, 2020 – Russell has instead been having online meetings, where he can chat to his peers from the comfort of his home. He added: “Thankfully there are online hookup groups – not hookup groups, that’s a different thing, that’s the old life – meetup groups, that’s much more my speed.” The ‘Get Him To The Greek’ star also explained he’s currently stuck in Mullumbimby, a small country town in New South Wales, Australia, after cancelling a string of concerts in the country amid the outbreak of the virus, which is also…
“Only when human beings are able to perceive and acknowledge the Self in each other can there be real peace.”—Amma (the Hugging Saint)
Excellent Advice! – March 19, 2020 – Though the centers are primarily closing, the hotlines are still open. There are volunteers available to talk to you over the phone if you are having a difficult time. The beauty of the hotline is that, unlike with some friends or family, you don’t need to explain why you’re calling and there is no pressure to pretend you’re doing better than you are. The volunteers on these lines are prepared for whatever you’re dealing with, and know why you’re calling. Call your sponsor regularly This is an important time to stay in touch…
49 States to Go – March 2, 2020 – If the bill passes and small-scale possession of all drugs is decriminalized, it would be a historic first for the nation. The legality of drugs would then resemble the situation established since 2001 in Portugal. And it makes sense that Oregon should blaze the trail. “Oregonians have always been early adopters of drug policies that shift the emphasis towards health and away from punishment,” said Theshia Naidoo, managing director of Criminal Justice Law and Policy at Drug Policy Action, in the press release. Oregon legalized marijuana through a ballot measure back…
False Positive – March 11, 2020 – It is the second such lawsuit filed against the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center since 2014 and one of a few legal actions or ethical complaints filed around the country over false positives on quick-screening urine drug tests that triggered child abuse investigations and turned the joy of giving birth into a nightmare of custody concerns. Cherell Harrington, the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit filed in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court, gave birth to her third child at UPMC’s Magee-Women’s Hospital in November 2017.…
New York, New York – March 9, 2020 – Politicians promised the property would never be sold to a drug treatment facility. But months later, one Bronx resident learned, the deal was done anyway. On Monday, CBS2’s Lisa Rozner demanded answers. @CBSLocalNY
And Higher DUI Scores – March 12, 2020 – This study analyzed 3021 participants aged 72 years and older, who were free of dementia. Each participant underwent a comprehensive neuropsychological battery of 10 tests, during the study screening. Between 2000 and 2008, the Modified Mini-Mental State Examination (3MSE) and the Clinical Dementia Rating scale were administered every 6 months through the end of follow-up, death, or dementia diagnosis, whichever occurred first. Relative to older adults, the researchers determined that, “the association of self-reported alcohol consumption with dementia risk appeared to cluster into 3 separate dimensions—baseline cognition, dose, and pattern.” For…
The Last Straw – March 11, 2020 – So, at 16, while in her junior year at Oxbridge Academy, Benarde invented a product, cleverly titled the NightCap, to protect against drink spiking. It’s a covering that wraps around most glasses and Solo Cups, with a hole just large enough for a straw. When it’s not protecting a drinking vessel, the product doubles as a hair tie or wristband, increasing the likelihood that its owners will remember to take it with them. When researching her invention, Benarde found “different kinds of lids” on…
Leave it in Park – March 13, 2020 – This hypothesis is the unifying theme of Rat Park, a documentary examining three vastly different approaches to drug policy: in the U.S., Portugal and the Philippines. Today, amid an opioid epidemic, the contrasts offer important insights. How did opioid use become so widespread? The film pinpoints the epidemic’s epicentre as Florida in the 2010s. Ubiquitous, unregulated pain-management clinics dotted the sunshine-and-Geritol state, staffed by retired doctors seeking a profitable side hustle. Clients could walk in to a “pill mill” with an MRI scan and walk out with a prescription for hundreds,…
Self Medicating Depression? – March 3, 2020 – In my younger days, I never imagined I’d ever touch the stuff, though I grew up with marijuana at home. My father has suffered all his life from demons he can’t see. He used it to calm himself, open his mind, be rational. I still remember the smell of herb snaking from his room as I tucked into bed. The thick smoke would curl out from under the door and into my room. I found the scent comforting, but my mother disapproved. “Dope is bad for you,” she’d say. “I’m a…
So Is Every Year – March 13, 2020 – Despite the headline on this piece (a reference to the meme from the 1980 disaster-comedy Airplane!), it has been two and a half years since I got sober. The first time I sat down in an Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meeting, a chunk of text from the AA Big Book called “the promises” was being read aloud. “If we are painstaking about this phase of our development,” it began, “we will be amazed before we are halfway through.” I closed…
Edward Sharpe? – March 12, 2020 – “We’ll ask them how much do you crave heroin right now? They’ll give us a score on a 0-100 scale.” James Mahoney, PhD, a neuropsychologist at the WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute, said. “This is the magnet, so this sends the pulses over top of the skull here. We will push this button, and then at that point, it will deliver the stimulation. They might feel a tingling. They could also hear a slight clicking sound as well.” The prefrontal cortex is superficial enough that the magnetic waves can easily reach it. And stimulating…
Drinks for all my friends… – March 10, 2020 – “We give where you swig,” he described. “That idea is very simple. You drink clean in northern California, the funds go back based on the volume generated in sales there. So we were able to give where you swig, and so it was a really cool concept of sorts where it was a national company with a local give-back.” CLEAN Cause is helping others get clean – a struggle that again is personal. “Within a couple of years, I went from popping a single Vicodin to roughly 30 to…
They Change Lives. – March 13, 2020 – The 12 steps have been adapted by other support groups, such as Gamblers Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous to help people recover from various addictions, and the term “12-step program” is often used to describe mutual aid societies that use this recovery technique. Some people might feel initially uncomfortable with the religious aspect of the AA program. AA does not support any specific religion, but recognizes that helping people access the positive emotions of a higher power can facilitate recovery. Members insist that the focus is “spiritual and not religious,” and an individual…
Back from the Edge – March 14, 2020 – Ten years ago, I took this photo. It was the first day I woke up and said “That’s it. I can never drink like that again” and meant it,’ Osher explained. I’d been trying to stop drinking over the past weeks, months and years but it would never stick. Every time I promised myself I wouldn’t get plastered, I failed. ‘I started by opening the first beer, but no matter what I tried, no matter how many different ways I tried to behave, it was inevitable that by the time the…
Grace – March 14, 2020 – He cried, “God, why won’t you let me die?” God whispered back, “Because you haven’t done what I sent you there to do yet.” Slack was among several recovering addicts to speak during a Feb. 18 Hawkins County Recovery Court event in Rogersville called “Faces of Addiction.” He was 42-years-old the day he heard God’s voice. Up to that point his addictions had cost him everything. His family. His children. His freedom during three stints in prison and more times than he could count in county jails. And his free will. But everything changed…