ReWire – December 15, 2019 – For years, researchers have been working to counteract these changes by tapping into the brain’s ability to adapt and repair itself. Because the brain is “plastic,” or able to adapt and change, it can use other neural circuits to perform functions that have been disabled by damaged cells. Scientists are making progress on treatments to reverse drug-related brain damage. Earlier this year, researchers were able to reverse brain inflammation — and even damage to nerve cells — in rats who were given alcohol as adolescents. Full Story @Discover
Author: Leonard Buschel
Suffer The Little Children – December 15, 2019 – Studies indicate more than 30,000 babies with the condition are born every year in the U.S. — about one every 15 minutes. Although their plight is mentioned in opioid-related litigation, there are growing concerns that those children will be left out of financial settlements being negotiated now. Robbie Nicholson, of Eagleville, tried to comfort her second child while the baby slowly underwent withdrawal from drugs Nicholson had taken during pregnancy.“The whole experience is just traumatizing, really,” Nicholson said. Nicholson’s ordeal began right after her first pregnancy. To help with postpartum recovery,…
A Strong Recovery – DEC. 8, 2019 – Shortly after, Fraser met a guy called Nate who was going through something similar, and they became close friends. “I really just secluded myself, I started working out like crazy,” he said. “I was in the gym one day, and [Nate] came up… He’s like ‘dude, what is going on’, and I’m like, ‘I quit drinking two weeks ago and I just don’t know how to do it’. And he’s like, ‘oh, easy, start coming to meetings with us’. At 17 you link up very quickly, so we became very close, we…
Lowers tolerance, raises profits – DECEMBER 11, 2019 – “Vivitrol is being promoted in a way that does not adequately present important risk information in a truthful and non-misleading manner,” Thomas Abrams, director of the FDA’s Office of Prescription Drug Promotion, said in a statement. “This is concerning from a public health perspective because of the potential for fatal opioid overdose in this vulnerable patient population.” … Some marketing campaigns for Vivitrol, a monthly injection that works to prevent opioid cravings and block opioids’ euphoric effects, have branded the drug as “non-addictive” in an attempt to distinguish it from two…
TED Radio Hour – LISTEN with others – Dec. 13, 2019 – So far on the show, we’ve explored how external factors can impact our ability to be healthy, from where we live to what we do for work and even how our doctors treat us. But what about what’s going on internally? RACHEL WURZMAN: We believe treatment starts with being aware of what is happening in your own body and the way that your own internal physical experience is related to your emotion. RAZ: This is Rachel Wurzman. WURZMAN: So my name is Rachel Wurzman. I have a Ph.D.…
Getting Away With Mass Murder – DEC 9 2019 – Arizona alleged in its petition to the top court that the Sacklers, who have become embroiled in the nation’s opioid epidemic over their signature drug OxyContin, unlawfully transferred billions of dollars out of their company in order to avoid liabilities stemming from thousands of lawsuits filed against them. The state accused the Sacklers of transferring $4 billion to themselves since 2008, and at least another $2 billion to companies under their control, in violation of a fraud statute on the books in 43 states. The Sackler family has denied Arizona’s…
Tipping Point? – December 10, 2019 – “And while New York has taken the most aggressive actions to combat the opioid crisis of any other state in the country, the opioid epidemic continues to devastate too many families and we will not rest until we put an end to it once and for all.” We spoke with Allison Weingarten, the director of policy for Friends of Recovery New York. “I think that its positive but its also not a big enough shift i feel, where we’re not going to pack up and go home,” she said. The numbers are almost…
Hard Won. Easy Does It. – December 12, 2019 – Charlie Sheen is marking a major milestone. On Tuesday, Dec. 10, the actor celebrated two years of sobriety, and his family and friends were quick to take to social media to mark the occasion, sending him messages of support and congratulations. “Congratulations to my brother of over 45 years [Charlie] for celebrating his 2nd year of sobriety,” the Two and a Half Men alum’s friend and fellow actor, Tony Todd, wrote on Instagram, according to The Blast. “So proud of your commitment and determination 2 live a healthy lifestyle.” While…
A Public Tragedy – December 15, 2019 – Then it became evident to many moms of addicted children that they had to speak out, bluntly. There seemed to be no other way to stop this massive public health crisis. This was the precursor to my current heroin beat, in 2012 and 2013. Yes, the opioid epidemic had been snaking through our communities for about a dozen years, but this was when accidental overdose deaths started outnumbering traffic fatalities. Many simply could not believe it was happening here. A young man overdosed in his girlfriend’s bedroom in a lavish home in…
Everyone Was In On It – Dec. 6, 2019 – As the marketing campaigns unfolded, representatives from industry-funded groups that advocate for pain patients fanned out across the country to speak on TV shows, at conferences and dinners and to doctors at continuing medical education seminars, the court documents show. The groups included the American Pain Foundation and the American Pain Society, which have since gone out of business. Drug manufacturers have rejected the plaintiffs’ arguments. They said that their sales and marketing teams did not misrepresent the safety of opioids. A spokesman for Johnson & Johnson, and its opioid-manufacturing…
Mind Over Morphine – Dec. 10, 2019 – Micro-dosing is a growing phenomenon that sees people use tiny amounts of drugs such as LSD to keep their addictions at bay during day-to-day life. This is illegal and can often lead to inadvertent trips. But the developers of 18-MC claim the modified drug has the ability to manipulate a person’s brain into hitting the reset button and turning off the sections responsible for cravings without these side-effects. Private funding and animal testing has revealed it has the potential to offer hope for people battling with addiction to opiates, alcohol and nicotine.…
Sacklers of Sh*t – Dec. 16, 2019 – The new report, a 350-page forensic accounting prepared by Alix Partners, a consulting firm that Purdue has hired to help guide the company through Chapter 11 restructuring, was filed in bankruptcy court in White Plains, N.Y., Monday evening. Ultimately, it does not answer a key question for investigators — how much the Sacklers are actually worth and where their money is located. “The fact that the Sackler family removed more than $10 billion when Purdue’s OxyContin was directly causing countless addictions, hundreds of thousands of deaths, and tearing apart millions of families…
Waiting for a high fly – Dec. 12, 2019 – The change will go into effect beginning in 2020 spring training, according to the organizations. The statement also said players who test positive for opioids, fentanyl, cocaine and synthetic THC, among other “drugs of abuse,” will be referred to the MLB and the MLB Players Association Joint Treatment Board, which the statement explained is made up of medical professionals “specializing in substance abuse and representatives from the Office of the Commissioner and the Players Association.” The player and board will formulate “a personalized treatment plan for that player going forward.”…
She’s Gotta Have It – Dec. 9, 2019 – Dr. Volkow came away with a strong impression. Indeed, it seems that she received an earful, which she described in a blog at the NIDA web site titled: “Addressing the Socioeconomic Complexities of Addiction—Lessons From the Kensington Neighborhood in Philadelphia.” First, the director noted: Philadelphia’s rate of overdose deaths skyrocketed this past decade, tripling the city’s number of homicide deaths and greatly exceeding the peak number of deaths from AIDS in 1994. Volkow then went on to reveal her takeaway lesson: Whenever I ask people on the front lines of America’s…
Addicted to Greed – December 15, 2019 – Here they were cashing in on a cure. “You’re in the business of selling medicine that causes addiction and overdoses, and now you’re in the business of selling medicine that treats addiction and overdoses?” asked Dr. Andrew Kolodny, an outspoken critic of Purdue who has testified against the company in court. “That’s pretty clever, isn’t it?” As Purdue Pharma buckles under a mountain of litigation and public protest in the United States, its foreign affiliate, Mundipharma, has expanded abroad, using some of the same tactics to sell the addictive opioids that made…
Folk singers are like you and me – Dec. 13, 2019 – PN: You’ve got a new album coming out, called Pipe Dream. Tell me a little bit about it, and why its different than your first album? Well, we are coming up on like our fifth year of playing together. This City was released in 2016, and it was when I was freshly out of rehab, pretty much in my first year of being sober, and I think most of it is very representative of that period. They were all pretty much written in that first year, and like…
“The further a society drifts from the truth the more it will hate those who speak it.” —George Orwell
Group Effort – November 30, 2019 – After teasing a reunion on Instagram earlier this week, Scherzinger, 41, confirmed to The SunThursday the group is coming together for a huge tour. “The Masked Singer” judge also opened up about secret battles with bulimia and alcoholism that tore PCD apart in the first place. They have also promised a more inclusive Pussycat Dolls experience, which is a stark contrast from the Scherzinger-dominated feel of the group at its peak in the 1990s. “I hope it’s different because WE are different,” Nicole told the outlet. “It is ten years on now. We…
All Roads Lead to Abstinence? – December 2, 2019 – Plus, not everyone who struggles with alcohol use is clinically addicted: Anyone, regardless of their drinking habits, can feel like alcohol takes a toll on their mental and physical health, work life, relationships and more. Because there’s no one-size-fits-all treatment for alcohol addiction, a handful of companies, many of them startups, have recognized that and developed different methods for achieving sobriety. If you’re looking for new support group or an additional program to complement one you’re already in, take a look at these five sober living communities that aren’t AA…
A Helping Hand – December 5, 2019 – He knows a thing or two about it. “I was going to make an effort to be of maximum service and help other people as I’d been helped because people gave me a helping hand when I really needed it … and walked along side of me… and cared for me. I wanted to make that available for others,” says Greg. He’s doing so by teaming up with other local organizations in the construction of Pathways Family Shelter to help specifically those struggling with addiction. They’re hoping to make next year’s holidays…
Doctor Thug – Dec. 4, 2019 – A New Jersey doctor whose license was suspended after a patient died of an opioid overdose is now facing drug dealing charges. Authorities in Burlington County say Morris “Moishe” Starkman overprescribed opioids at his Bordentown practice, giving cursory examinations to patients before prescribing them large amounts of the drugs, prosecutor Scott Coffina said in a news statement.Starkman, 60, of Cinnaminson, is charged with eight criminal counts, including drug distribution, healthcare claims fraud and insurance fraud. Full Story @NJ
Good Decision – Dec. 1, 2019 – “That said, given how much I normally drank – a bottle and a half of whisky a day at one stage – a few glasses of wine was a mere hors d’oeuvre for me.” Having been asked to leave the family home due to his alcoholism, Gene had found himself having to stay round a friend’s house at the time. “I was given the spare room, which had a bunk bed in it, and I must have sunk into a heavy sleep,” he adds. “But when I awoke in the night needing a…
Occupational Hazard – DECEMBER 3, 2019 – Some of the survey’s findings point to gender and racial disparities within the industry. (Around 70% of the assistants surveyed were women, in contrast with the upper echelons of the industry, and 78.21% were white.) Meanwhile, other statistics point to issues which haven’t been as widely discussed. #PayUpHollywood previously shared with Variety that 72 assistants reported that a boss or supervisory colleague had thrown an object at them at work. (Most often a stapler.) That number is now 104. Equally troubling is that more than half felt anxious about reporting workplace violations for…
MEDIA: Book Recommendation – Review: This is one of the best books I have ever read because it’s a real story of a common, and heartbreaking epidemic. Pamela D. Pesta takes you on her journey through alcoholism, not leaving any gritty detail out. This makes her story completely relatable to those who have suffered from addiction. I highly recommend this book because it paints a clear picture of how alcoholism can affect someone’s life, which makes the disease a little more understandable to all. This book completely changed my perspective on alcoholism and addiction in general, so I think it…
Swine, Sleaze or Slimy? – Dec. 6, 2019 – And it largely worked. Eric Snyder, the owner of a Delray Beach halfway house and a treatment center who was the mastermind of the operation, was handed a 10-year sentence by U.S. District Judge Robin Rosenberg. But because the 32-year-old father of a newborn has agreed to testify against others involved in the county’s illicit drug treatment industry, a federal prosecutor said it is likely he will recommend that Rosenberg shave time off Snyder’s sentence at a future hearing. … The three others — Paul Materia, Christopher Fuller and Joseph Lubowitz…
Doomed to Repeat Itself – DECEMBER 3, 2019 – Below is a timeline of Purdue’s activities as revealed by the newly released documents (and some that were already public), and excerpts from those records. Click on the links to read the full documents. June 15, 1993 to April 15, 1994: Purdue conducted a clinical trial in elderly patients with osteoarthritis to test the safety and efficacy of OxyContin. It enrolled 133 patients, but only 63 completed the trial. About 82% of the patients had some sort of adverse event related to the treatment. Yet Purdue concluded that the study “demonstrated…
Available At Now Your Local 7-11 – December 7, 2019 – Kratom is a plant that grows naturally in southeast Asian countries such as Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. A relative of the coffee plant, kratom affects the same brain receptors as opiates. It is typically taken in a powder, pill or liquid form.In low doses, kratom users report feeling increased energy, sociability and alertness, and in higher doses, they claim it acts as a sedative and pain reliever. There are no U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved uses for kratom, and the agency warns consumers not to use kratom because it…
Back To Basics – Dec. 8, 2019 – The Hurdalsjøen Recovery Center can be seen as both part of that initiative, and distinct from it. But with “medication-free” offerings within the public sector surviving and growing, and the Hurdalsjøen Recovery Center doing so as well, it’s fair to conclude that this type of care is finding a foothold in Norwegian psychiatry. … All of this tells of an initiative that is still very much a “work in progress.” Yet, while the public mental hospitals may be proceeding cautiously, the patient demand for such care is growing at a rapid…
NEVER unless they committed a real Crime? – Dec. 7, 2019 – The threat of incarceration as an incentive for the addict to remain substance free is a nation-wide criminal justice practice that affects thousands of addicts and is endorsed by the National Association of Drug Court Professionals. But pending legislation in the Commonwealth would limit judges’ options as they respond to addicted offenders who violate their condition of release by testing positive for substances. If passed, judges would categorically be prohibited from incarcerating the addict and must instead order more treatment, even in cases in which incarceration might be…
At Least You Won’t Be Hungry – DECEMBER 9, 2019 – Proponents, including lots of tech startup types, go to different extremes as far as what they eliminate on a dopamine fast. Some simply treat it like a digital or social media detox while others cast a wider pleasure net and won’t even talk unless absolutely necessary. The proposed scientific rationale for dopamine fasting, typically given by people who dopamine fast, often goes something like this: Frequent release of dopamine via pleasurable activities ups your baseline for dopamine—in other words, it overloads your brain’s dopamine receptors, causing your brain to…