I would too if someone OD’d in my hotel room – March 15, 2020 – Mr. Gillum apologized to his family, friends “and the people of Florida who have supported me and put their faith in me over the years.” I also know that alcoholism is often a symptom of deeper struggles. I am committed to doing the personal work to heal fully and show up in the world as a more compete person.” Since the 2018 election, Mr. Gillum has been a commentator for CNN and leads a Florida voter registration organization. @NYTimes
Author: Leonard Buschel
MEDIA: Book Feature – MARCH 11, 2020 – The timeline bounces back and forth between his childhood, starting at age seven, to his adult life in Venice, California. Growing up, he writes, his father was gone a lot, his mother rarely said ‘I love you,’ and his brother and nanny were his best friends. As a preteen, he experimented with alcohol and marijuana but eventually developed an eating disorder. “I forced myself to throw up with a simple contraction of my stomach muscles. It was easy for me,” he writes. “I had learned to purge my system at age 12,…
What Me Worry? – March 12, 2020 – We might not notice it during the first few days, but slowly our sleep patterns change, our eating habits shift, and we start experiencing negative thoughts and cynicism a little more often. Here’s how to hack into keeping a positive state of mind. Boost your dopamine more often. Be extra intentional about breaking your goals into small achievable milestones (especially while you work from home and are in isolation). Then celebrate the goals you’ve achieved every day. Dopamine is associated with our motivation to keep ourselves on track, be proactive, and…
At Your Attention – March 11, 2020 – No matter your addiction, Brewer doesn’t want you to quit cold turkey. Rather, he wants you to go about your regular routine, just be completely conscious while you do it. The solution? Pay attention to what you’re doing or eating, and be curious about it. For example, if you’re going to indulge in a piece of cake, truly savor the experience. Eat slow, and be mindful of how you feel during the experience. “That’s what mindfulness is all about,” Brewer says. Brewer says you should also be curious about when…
Lois Lane & Clark Kent? – Mar. 11, 2020 – Ryan Hampton is an author and activist. He is the author of the book American Fix: Inside the Opioid Addiction Crisis-and How to End It. Ryan opens up about his addiction to heroin, and the challenges he encountered with the nation’s treatment system. Ryan’s experiences have led him to be at the forefront of advocating for addiction recovery reform. @KTLA
MEDIA: Film Review – March 12, 2020 – We first meet our heroine, Saki Tadokoro, as a young girl running down a steep river bank to greet her soused father (Kiyohiko Shibukawa) who is partying with his baseball teammates. Midway she launches into the air and flies in slow motion toward his arms. This dreamlike image becomes the film’s central metaphor: Saki trusts her dad to catch her, which he does, but the look on his face is one of distress, not delight. Drinking, we soon see, is his Get Out Of Fatherhood card. It’s also a bonding ritual…
And Love Them – FEB. 26, 2020 – Towers didn’t need a drug test to confirm Lenderman, 14 weeks pregnant, was in the throes of opioid addiction, and this morning still showed the effects of having used the drug the day before. That was why Lenderman had driven 70 miles to see Towers, one of the few physicians who specializes in treating drug-addicted pregnant women. Over the last decade, Towers has helped hundreds of patients wean off highly addictive opioids before giving birth — a surprisingly controversial approach to treating addiction. His methods have sparked backlash from the medical establishment…
One Minute at a Time – March 13, 2020 – When one has negative feelings and experiences, their natural instinct is to escape the situation with an addiction. Mindfulness teaches us how to interrupt ourselves and take a break. When cravings come, we are able to mindfully observe it and recognise the craving for what it really is; a momentary, transient thing that passes in time. There’s no need to act on a craving. It’s going to pass and we know this, because they always pass in time. A craving commonly occurs when something has gone wrong. Mindfulness teaches…
It’s Complicated – March 13, 2020 – You mention Luke Perry, who died a few months after that match. How did that loss impact your life? It was so shocking. I miss him so much. I’m really grateful to wrestling for letting me do this at a time when he and I connected again. I hadn’t seen Luke in a while so for that I’ll be forever grateful. I was just talking about this with my wife, who is a bit of a hypochondriac and freaked out about coronavirus.…
Stay Connected – March 13, 2020 – “I do think it’s important to just normalize people’s experience of what’s happening,” said Lewis. “Everyone is going to feel some level of discomfort and anxiety right now, and it’s normal.” But for some, the anxiety can rise to a clinical level during an outbreak. Lewis said people should be aware of symptoms including difficulty sleeping, changes in eating patterns, rapid changes in mood, inability to carry out required or necessary tasks, self-medication using alcohol and drugs and prolonged self-isolation. “For…
Brotherly Love of Money – March 12, 2020 – One of the tenants who spoke to investigators said she did not receive treatment from Okolo, but that he wrote prescriptions for medications in her name without her permission and gave those prescriptions directly to Smith, who was her landlord. Another tenants confronted Smith about not getting the oxycodone Okolo prescribed. She claims Smith threatened to kick her and her family out of their apartment “if she didn’t keep quiet,” according to the presentment. Several tenants told authorities that Smith had copies of their Medicaid access cards. According to the…
Promises Not Promotion – MARCH 11, 2020 – In fact, the evidence suggests that 42 percent of all study participants engaged in AA remained completely abstinent one year after starting treatment, compared to 35 percent of those receiving other interventions, including cognitive behavioral therapy. This effect is achieved by fostering increased AA participation beyond the end of the 12-step program, the authors said. When compared to the treatment approaches, AA-based programs perform just as well at reducing drinking intensity, negative alcohol-related consequences and addiction severity, they added. In addition, four of the five economics studies identified by researchers showed…
Common Sense and Vigilance – March 13, 2020 – Lowell Cauffiel, a true crime author, screenwriter and producer in Hollywood, attends 12-step support meetings there and said he hasn’t seen a drop in attendance. “I haven’t noticed any difference other than lack of handshakes and people putting their arms around each other during prayer,” Cauffiel said. “I find people have a positive attitude as a big part of recovery is not embracing fear.” … In The Rooms has nearly 600,000 online members who participate in 131 recovery meetings a week. Remote access is available around the world. AA remains…
Zero, nada, zilch, none, nil, gornish – March 12, 2020 – “There is no excuse for their failure to prosecute these cases, particularly when we desperately need an all-hands-on-deck approach to this crisis.” Since state laws against the practice vary so widely from state to state — and since patients are often brokered across state lines — “it is critical that the federal government step in,” they wrote. In the California Legislature, state Sen. Pat Bates, R-Laguna Niguel, introduced a bill forbidding “body brokering” in sober living homes and slapping a $50,000 penalty on each occurrence, but it was…
Sobriety comes first, no matter what – Mar. 13, 2020 – The woman said she would still have phone call check-ins and small pot-luck gatherings with her fellow group members if face-to-face meetings ended, but that it wouldn’t be the same as the structured group meetings … Emily McCombs, an editor in New York City, said she relied heavily on 12-step meetings to maintain her sobriety, attending them weekly. A 36-year-old single mom, she has been in recovery since she was 25. … “Knowing at any given time I can go somewhere at any time where people can offer support…
“There is a realm where the goal is not to have but to be, not to own but to give, not to control but to share, not to subdue but to be in accord.” —Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel
It Works If You Work It – March 11, 2020 – One study found that compared with Alcoholics Anonymous participants, those who received cognitive behavioral treatments had about twice as many outpatient visits — as well as more inpatient care — that cost just over $7,000 per year more in 2018 dollars. (Cognitive behavioral treatments help people analyze, understand and modify their drinking behavior and its context.) Another study found that for each additional A.A. meeting attended, health care costs fell by almost 5 percent, mostly a result of fewer days spent in the hospital and fewer psychiatric visits. A.A.…
War On The Wounded – March 3, 2020 – The Controlled Substance Act distinguished five different “schedules” for drugs to huddle underneath. Ignorance was on full display: schedule one drugs — the most “dangerous” — included marijuana, LSD, ecstasy, and heroin. Marijuana is still categorized as more dangerous than methamphetamine. The war on drugs is a misguided bureaucratic failure that added restrictions to a fundamental right: the ability to explore the depths of one’s mind. Jailing individuals for the “crime” of ingesting nonlife-threatening drugs is a moral failing. Given hallucinogens are perception-altering substances, their illegality is naturally totalitarian. Society is…
MEDIA: Book Review – February 28, 2020 – In her new memoir, Strung Out: One Last Hit and Other Lies That Nearly Killed Me, essayist and advice columnist Erin Khar writes candidly and at length about this particular difficulty: “Shame is a gatekeeper. Shame takes old shame and turns it into a new shame. The heroin helped push the guilt to the side. The grief I couldn’t acknowledge stayed buried underneath, pulsating but muzzled, like a drugged dog. The high coated me with enough apathy to make it through the night.” This shame, clearly compounded by the stigma surrounding her…
Who Decides? – February 29th 2020 – “It depends on how potent the dope is. And around here, ain’t pretty. It ain’t potent. People who OD and stuff that like, they’re reckless.” Life for Lagenna has been tough. Speaking with producer Matt Spurrier for The Core documentary, she said that addiction has been a part of her life even when she was unaware of it, “my mom used to do drugs, but we didn’t know. We didn’t know until we was grown, and realized like, oh, our mom did dope.” She describes her journey with addiction bluntly. “I’ve been using…
It’s a very funny disease – March 2, 2020 – “I had a lot of fun in sobriety,” Holbert said. “I got to do shows like this.” For eight years, his alcoholism pulled experiences away from him. Trapped by his addiction, alcohol stripped away all chances of achieving his dreams and made him turn into an “ass,” he said. “I became a different mammal,” Holbert joked. From getting arrested three times on his college campus to stripping naked in public at night, Holbert let alcohol take over his life. While Holbert began to overuse alcohol by himself, it was peer…
WARNING – MARCH 2, 2020 – Low bone density is common among people living with HIV, even those who have successfully suppressed their viral loads with antiretroviral therapy. “Our finding highlights an under-recognized circumstance in which people with HIV infection often find themselves: Their viral load can be well controlled by efficacious, now easier-to-take medications, while other health conditions and risks that commonly co-occur — like substance use and other medical conditions — are less well-addressed,” says Dr. Richard Saitz, professor of community health sciences at BUSPH and…
Super Size Me – Mar. 3, 2020 – Traditional 12-Step-based treatment centers are incredibly successful and valuable for many, but for those still in a precontemplation stage of change or in denial of the seriousness of their substance use, a 12-Step only approach can deter them from seeking treatment and prevent them from engaging in any recovery behaviors. Family members and professionals can continue to convey the seriousness of the addictive behavior while also encouraging their loved one to choose their own pathway to health. The best recovery pathway is one that an individual is willing to pursue. If the…
Growing Up! – Mar. 4, 2020 – Speaking to MTV News, Michael said: “I think the conversations about the more difficult times in his life were cathartic. At one point, he thought the cameras were off and he goes, ‘You know, this feels so good. I didn’t think I was mature enough to share,’ and I said, ‘Have you talked about this?’ and he said, ‘No, not really. I just wasn’t there yet.’ “For a long time he was cooped up in his mind and in this echo chamber. He’s human and he’s living a real life, whether having Lyme…
Not the worst film of the year – April 24 2020 – The template is too familiar: a star athlete of yore, Affleck’s careworn Jack Cunningham gets a second shot at glory when he is asked to coach his alma mater’s hopeless team out of their losing streak. He halfheartedly accepts, building up the squad with a growing enthusiasm (and an amusingly unwelcome foul mouth), like ‘The Damned United’s vigorous Brian Clough. Except his non-stop drinking persists, confirming the worst fears of the school’s well-meaning staff, Jack’s critical sister and gently concerned ex (Michaela Watkins and Janina Gavankar, both underused).…
Hypocrite Not Hippocrates – Mar 6, 2020 – “Myra Mabry’s disgraceful conduct demonstrates that she has no business practicing medicine,” Jaquith said. “She betrayed her patients, violated her Hippocratic Oath, and orchestrated an elaborate scheme to avoid accountability for her crimes by bribing someone else to take the fall for her. I commend the DEA for its excellent work in this case. The message here is clear: those who criminally violate their professional oaths will be arrested, prosecuted and imprisoned.” “This investigation ends with Myra Mabry’s sentence of over four years in prison, but clearly reinforces law enforcement’s commitment to…
It’s Punjab Jake – Mar. 8, 2020 – De-addiction seems to have become a new addiction in the state. As per a government report, there is widespread addiction of de-addiction drug buprenorphine. At present, about 67,000 addicts seeking treatment in de-addiction centres reported they were addicted to buprenorphine. This figure makes around 17 per cent of the total addicts enrolled for treatment under the state’s de-addiction programme. Buprenorphine is an opioid agonist and its effects mimic that of opium. In medical science, it has been termed as a “high addiction potential” drug. At present, 3.94 lakh patients are enrolled for…
We Are Miracles, Too! – MARCH 2, 2020 – I just don’t think the labels are very helpful. Nobody hears the word “addict” or “alcoholic” and thinks something positive, or even neutral. Those words carry with them an entire story, and usually a lot of judgment and shame. To me, addiction is something I have experienced, but it’s not who I am. Also, the labels make it seem like addiction is something that belongs to only a few people, when in reality, it’s a built-in part of the human condition. While not everyone will experience alcohol addiction like I did,…
Stick with theWinners! – March 8, 2020 – Elizabeth Narayan is an aspiring makeup artist and filmmaker. She freelanced for 4 years in the short film and film industry. After producing her CSUN senior thesis, Courage, the Western neo-noir 15 minute short film was selected to screen at the REEL Recovery Film Festival. Narayan found herself working with the REEL Recovery Film Festival shortly after. Currently, she works for an Emmy nominated show Home and Family on the Universal Studios backlot. Q. At which classes or workshops did you learn the most?A. Working for REEL Recovery Film Festival opened…
Come Together – MAR 5, 2020 – As the United States struggled with a crisis of addiction to opioids and other drugs over the past few years, scientists began to learn how addiction and loneliness can feed one another. That was true for the Kansas City women in recovery whose stories support researchers’ findings about how loneliness and addiction work together to create a downward spiral. “It isolated me from my family,” Monica says of her addiction. “They did not want to be bothered with me because of my behaviors.…