WORTH A TRY? – Dec. 9, 2025 – Results showed meaningful gains across the board. Depression scores fell by an average of 4.6 points, shifting participants from moderate to mild severity. Anxiety dropped by 4.8 points and well-being rose by 10.7 points. No serious adverse events occurred during sessions, A new study has found notable improvements in mental health among participants who underwent legal, supervised sessions with psychedelics in Oregon, the first state to legalize such services for adults. Published by Osmind, a mental health research and electronic health record company, the study analyzed treatment outcomes from individuals seeking relief…
Author: Leonard Buschel
BUT YOU CAN’T HIDE – Dec. 5, 2025 – Recently I ran the New York City Marathon. It was my seventh marathon in the four years that I have been in recovery from alcoholism. Running is not a byproduct of my recovery; it is one of the main reasons I’ve stayed sober. Many people need clinical rehabilitation to stop drinking, but it wasn’t enough for me. Once my treatment ended, I was thrown back into the same lonely environment that caused me to drink in the first place. I needed something more, a community that provided support, accountability and goals.…
STAY HEALTHY – Dec. 11, 2025 – While cancer risk depends on many factors beyond specific foods, small dietary shifts can help us enjoy our favorite meals without nudging our risk upward. We spoke with two experts to share which foods may raise cancer risk 1. Processed Meats 2. Sugar-Sweetened Beverages 3. Red Meat – You may not think of food as a primary factor in cancer risk, but research shows that our dietary choices can play a quiet yet powerful role in shaping long-term health. The typical Western diet—high in processed foods, red meats, refined grains and sugar-sweetened beverages—has…
SCIENCE MATTERS – Dec. 5, 2025 – “Because the vaccine is safe, affordable, and already widely available, this finding could have major implications for public health,” says epidemiologist Haroon Ahmed. “More research is needed to test our work and understand more about the potential protective effect the vaccine offers against dementia, particularly how and why it works.” The Welsh vaccination program rolled out more than a decade ago by the UK National Health Service gave researchers the opportunity to analyze a randomized clinical trial, without actually running one: to ration vaccines, those aged 79 could get it, while those aged…
OVER-SERVED AT SEA – December 9, 2025 – The family of a man who died on a cruise ship after allegedly being served 33 alcoholic drinks in a day have launched a lawsuit and are seeking a trial. Michael Virgil died on board the Royal Caribbean vessel Navigator of the Seas while on a cruise from Los Angeles to Mexico in December 2024. His fiancée, Connie Aguilar, has filed a complaint accusing the cruise line of being responsible for his death, claiming that on the day he died he was served a lot of alcohol and physically subdued by cruise…
DRUNK IS PASSÈ – Dec. 8. 2025 – Thrive Market is officially going dry.The online health and grocery marketplace will become the first major online grocer to remove all alcohol products when it takes them off its subscription service. The company plans to replace the category entirely with a lineup of more than 20 brands spanning nonalcoholic beer, wine and mocktails. “It’s time to really double down on nonalcohol and take a stand that is aligned with where science and where we think attitudes among health and wellness consumers is shifting,” Thrive CEO Nick Green told CNBC. “Alcohol is not…
GO FOR IT – Dec. 4, 2025 – The study, published in the American Journal of Psychiatry in November, is one of the first to isolate how an individual’s alcohol consumption is acutely affected by their consumption of cannabis. Using a randomized, double-blind, crossover design, each participant smoked cannabis cigarettes with varying levels of THC — the main psychoactive compound in marijuana — across different sessions. The study also distributed placebo cigarettes in some sessions. In other research designs, “you don’t have a placebo control,” Metrik said, adding that performing a randomized clinical trial was necessary to say for sure…
IT SHOULDN’T! – Dec. 12, 2025 – Stigma remains deeply rooted in society. Historically, substance dependence was viewed through a moral lens. It was a sign of weakness, irresponsibility or lack of self-control. These outdated ideas still influence public thinking today. The word stigma itself comes from Ancient Greece. It was a visible branding inflicted on those deemed socially undesirable. Think: traitors, criminals and slaves. These physical marks signalled to others that they were people to avoid. The Greek term began to be used in its current form around 1963. Essentially, it refers to any prejudice or negative attitude towards…
HELP ABIDES – Dec, 9, 2025 – To reach others who may be struggling this holiday season, Marine Corps Veteran Michael O’Dell, now Warriors Heart Command Center COO, is publicly sharing his story of pain, redemption, and purpose. Before dedicating his life to helping others break free from addiction, O’Dell spent years battling a personal darkness, especially during the holidays. While the holidays are often framed as the most joyful season of the year, it can be one of the most emotionally difficult periods for individuals struggling with addiction and mental health challenges. Relapses, alcohol misuse, trauma triggers, and overdose…
VIDEO – MUSICAL INTERLUDE – 58,176 views – Jan 14, 2020 – Music video by Charles Lloyd performing Requiem. “Requiem” refers to a significant live track and video from his acclaimed 2020 album 8: Kindred Spirits (Live from the Lobero), a retrospective celebrating his 80th birthday, featuring younger jazz stars like Gerald Clayton, Julian Lage, and Eric Harland. See Website
STICK WITH THE WINNERS! – December 16, 2025 – I’m a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with advanced training in clinical psychology and business. Drawing on years of individual and family therapy—and my own experience navigating addiction and loss— today my daughter Lyle (who is also a therapist) help families and individuals who are in the trenches with family addiction. We help families and individuals who are in the trenches with family addiction. We have a monthly membership and also an Instagram platform @helpwithfamilyaddiction. Q. If you are in recovery, what was your drug(s) of choice and when is your…
A STAR IS REBORN – Dec. 11, 2025 – Now sober with his first child on the way, the comedian just wants to drive around. “I feel like I’ve been trapped in a 47-year-old guy’s body for at least eight years.” “Usually when you do drugs, it’s to go party. I was just alone watching Family Guy. I was like, ‘I got to get right.’ So I got sober and then I moved to, ‘Oh, I hate everyone. I don’t want to be around anyone ever unless there’s a reason.’ I like chilling. I like conserving energy and then giving…
A BOUNTY ON EVERY ADDICT – Dec. 3, 2025 – Aetna filed a $40 million civil lawsuit against Nathan Young and Co. in 2023, saying Young’s sober living homes throughout Southern California were little more than drug dens that weaponized addiction for profit by cycling patients from one entity to another and encouraging relapse so that billing cycles could start anew. Separately, federal investigators have been poking around Young’s operations for years, according to former patients or employees, though the feds would neither confirm or deny a criminal probe, as is their custom. Now, however, that criminal probe is on…
INSANE? – Dec, 9, 2025 – Now there’s more evidence that no matter how young or healthy you are, pounding energy drinks can lead to serious health issues. Energy drinks can contain from 70 mg to 300 mg of caffeine. A standard 8-ounce cup of coffee has roughly 100 mg.It’s not just the caffeine that’s causing problems. The study authors say that the combination of caffeine, high sugar and stimulants like guarana significantly raises heart rate and blood pressure. “The hypothesis is that the interaction of these other ingredients, including taurine, guarana and ginseng, potentiates the effects of caffeine heightening…
NBC VIDEO – MUST WATCH – Nov. 8, 2025 – Nearly 30 million Americans are diagnosed with alcohol use disorder, but the amount of funding to research what causes alcoholism tends to be less than funding allocated to research other well-known diseases like cancer. But now, one man is trying to change that. NBC News’ Kate Snow has more. See Website
ONE HOT MEAL AT A TIME – Dec. 3, 2025 – WHEN EVAN CARVER shuffled into the chapel of Salvation Army’s rehab center looking frail and steadying himself with a walker, he wasn’t sure he could quit fentanyl for good. But after a 10-year opioid addiction and five years homeless on the streets of San Francisco, he knew he wanted to “stop hurting.” It wasn’t just the throbbing pain of swollen legs with open sores. It was also the guilt and shame that shadowed his addiction. So when a Salvation Army leader told rehab participants that “the only thing you…
TIME TO EXERCISE – Dec. 1, 2025 – While 69% of men and 56% women were overweight or obese those numbers were 91% and 64%, respectively, when using WHR. Overall, participants with a high WHR were associated with multiple heart changes only visible when reviewing advanced cardiac MRI results. This included a thickening of the heart muscle and smaller heart chamber volumes. These risks were especially high in male participants. Researchers believe this is an early sign of cardiac stress, providing a helpful look at how abdominal fat impacts a person’s breathing and their lungs. “The sex-specific differences suggest that…
ABOUT TIME – December 9, 2025 – Australia has enacted a world-first ban on social media for users aged under 16, causing millions of children and teenagers to lose access to their accounts. Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, YouTube, Snapchat, Reddit, Kick, Twitch and TikTok are expected to have taken steps from Wednesday to remove accounts held by users under 16 years of age in Australia, and prevent those teens from registering new accounts. Platforms that do not comply risk fines of up to $49.5m. Hand on phone with many social media icons including X, Snapchat, Instagram and TikTok. There have…
FAMILY TRAGEDY – Dec. 3, 2025 – In 2015, Nick revealed how living on the streets shaped him, telling People, “When I was out there, I could’ve died. It’s all luck. There were a lot of dark years there.” Nick recalled 17 visits to rehab before he was able to get clean. See Website
UPDATE – DEC. 12, 2025 – After Andy Dick’s drug overdose this week provoked panicked concern among friends, he’s checked himself into rehab … Andy tells TMZ he is currently entering a rehabilitation facility in the Palm Springs, California area.”Jenny Gimenez is my sister who saved me with Tim” … Tim Ryan is Jen’s husband. They’re both sober. Jennifer was on “Celebrity Rehab” with Andy. They’ve been friends for 20 years. Jenny and Tim tell TMZ they got Andy a “full ride scholarship offer” because of their connections to the center … meaning his stay won’t be on his own dime.…
SECRET OF LIFE – December 9, 2025 – Dick Van Dyke says that changing his lifestyle all those decades ago is likely the reason he may make it to 100. “I got rid of booze and cigarettes and all that stuff, which is probably why I’m still here.” In 1972, the beloved actor checked into a hospital to address his alcoholism, he also combatted his smoking habits. See Website
VIDEO – NO COMPLACENECY – Dec. 5, 2025 – The holidays are often portrayed as joyful, warm, and filled with togetherness — but for those in addiction recovery or struggling with mental health challenges, the season can look very different. Many experience a spike in loneliness, grief, and emotional triggers. Dr. David Campbell, Clinic and Program Director at Recover Together Bend Treatment Center, says the “holiday ideal” doesn’t match reality for many families. “The holidays can certainly be a wonderful time for warmth, happiness, togetherness,” Dr. Campbell said Thursday. “But this idealized fantasy of the holidays can actually amplify vulnerabilities…
Rasta Mon NOT Gimmick Man – Dec. 3, 2025 – Studies have indicated that the side effects and health risks from cannabis are different depending on whether you smoke or vape it. … vaping might sound like the safer option, but a study into the side effects of the drug found some concerning discoveries. Between vapers and smokers taking the same dose of cannabis, vapers were more likely to experience short-term anxiety, paranoia, memory loss and distraction. Dr Ryan Vandrey, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioural sciences at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, warned that people should be careful…
“A single candle can light a thousand more without extinguishing itself.” – Hillel the Elder
FORGIVE ME – Dec. 2, 2025 – It’s the day of Bronwyn’s “Spill the Boston Tea Party.” Angie is the first to arrive at the loading dock and waits for the other women. Britani, Heather, and Whitney chat in the car on the way there. Britani shares that she met with Meredith in a park (borderline sketchy) and they both apologized … but Meredith only apologized for hurting Britani’s feelings. Although they may never be friends, Britani and Meredith agreed to treat each other with civility. When Lisa and Meredith arrive, it’s clear that Lisa did not get the memo,…
KEEP COMING BACK – Nov. 30, 2025 – In March, Gallagher tweeted that he’s “not interested in the booze at the moment I’ve had enough.” He reiterated as much earlier this month, when he revealed he quit imbibing ahead of his and brother Noel Gallagher’s reunion tour. “Oasis saved my life it’s about time I sorted my nappa [head] out,” Gallagher tweeted. “I know how much this means to people so stopping drinking and smoking and snorting Gary baldies are sacrifices that needed to be made.” That changed at the end of the tour, though. Gallagher wrote on X that,…
NOBODY’S PERFECT – Dec. 1, 2025 – Patricia “Patty” Ann Schuh, 67, was arrested after causing a wreck at Veterans Parkway. The incident happened around 11:30 p.m. on Nov. 1. In a report obtained by The State Journal-Register, Schuh admitted to a Springfield Police officer that she had consumed approximately three to four glasses of wine at a wedding. The officer described Schuh’s eyes as “glossy” and her speech as “slowed.” Schuch refused to complete a standardized field sobriety test at the scene, according to the report. According to the report, Schuh was westbound on Old Jacksonville Road when she…
STOP DYING SO MUCH! – Dec. 1, 2025 – Department Epidemiologist Megan Hanley said the report used 2023 Illinois Department of Public Health data, which showed a concerning trend. Hanley said that although substance abuse rates and related deaths have remained steady over the past few years, they are becoming more prominent, with three out of four deaths in the age group tied to substance use. … Hanley said more drugs are being identified as polysubstances, meaning they are mixed with other drugs like fentanyl or xylazine, which increases the likelihood of overdose or death. “Specifically, 70% of the deaths…
REAL HUMAN RESOURCE – Nov. 30, 2025 – Addiction doesn’t always show up in the way that society likes to portray it. Many people are able to maintain their lifestyles without subscribing to what the media tells us addiction looks like. Especially in white collar settings, it doesn’t show up like absenteeism or poor performance. On Wall Street, it often hides behind over-performance. It might be, you know, the analyst who’s the first one in, the last one out, the VP who never misses a target; but they might be quietly unraveling after hours. We partnered with the National Safety…
BRAIN DISTORTIONS? – Dec. 1, 2025 – The study published Monday in the peer-reviewed journal Pediatrics found that owning a smartphone during early adolescence is associated with increased risks of mental health issues and obesity. As far as psychological impacts, it pinpointed higher incidences of depression and insufficient sleep among children who owned smartphones by ages 12 or younger, compared with others kids without the devices. Researchers at Children’s Hospital Philadelphia, the University of California at Berkeley, and Columbia University arrived at those conclusions after analyzing data from more than 10,000 adolescents around the United States who participated in the…