Movies Make a Difference – Nov. 9, 2019 – Sentenced to community service and one year of probation , LaBeouf was also court-ordered to attend a drug rehab facility. There, through counseling, he was diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder stemming from his troubled childhood with his father. He recorded the sessions he was having with his counselors that forced him to look back on his childhood and transcribed them. Perhaps because he’s been an actor since age 10, that transcription evolved into a script. Suddenly he was molding his painful past into a story about a child actor named…
Author: Leonard Buschel
When Stars Align – November 2019 – Elton John worried that he would never be able to take the stage again after cleaning up. Joe Walsh, famed musician and longtime member of the Eagles, was afraid he would never write another song. “I tried to write, and I’d get frustrated because everything felt like something I’d already done,” Walsh says. “My alcoholic mind said, ‘Well, if you want to write a good one, you’ve got to get a little buzzed.’ But that wasn’t an option. So I had to accept that I might never write another rock ’n’ roll song…
“Panic is the sudden realization that everything around you is alive.” —William S. Burroughs
Lungs For Sale? – Nov. 5, 2019 – The San Francisco startup that invented the groundbreaking Juul e-cigarette had a central goal during its development: captivating users with the first hit. The company had concluded that consumers had largely rejected earlier e-cigarettes, former employees told Reuters, because the devices either failed to deliver enough nicotine or delivered it with a harsh taste. Developers of the Juul tackled both problems with a strategy they found scouring old tobacco-company research and patents: adding organic acids to nicotine, which allowed for a unique combination of smooth taste and a potent dose. Employees tested…
Twins Touch Death – Oct 25, 2019 – Smyrna police spokesman Sgt. Louis Defense said one of the men was found in the restroom and the other was in the lobby. One of the brothers was not breathing while the other had shallow breaths, he added. The officers, Esther Ruiz, Taylor Elliot, Robert Pfeiffer and Jake Prough, used their department-issued Narcan, an antidote used to temporarily reverse an overdose from opioids, to revive both men. “The Smyrna Police Department believes had the officers not had the training or the Narcan packs available to them, the two subjects would have surely…
Sodas for the Suicidal – Oct. 28, 2019 – But critics point out that obesity rates have continued to rise even though consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages in America has fallen in the last 16 years. About half of all adults consume sugary drinks on any given day, down from roughly 62 percent in 2003. Large beverage companies like Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and the Dr Pepper Snapple Group are also offering many more drinks that have low or no calories. More than half of the beverages they sell today contain no sugar, said William Dermody, a spokesman for the American Beverage Association.…
And Lives Too! – OCTOBER 29, 2019 – Researchers from George Washington University found that legal syringe exchange programs in the city, such as Prevention Point Philadelphia, helped to avert 10,592 cases of HIV and as a result saved the city roughly $243 million every year in healthcare costs. That amounts to an estimated $2.4 billion saved over 10 years. When researchers factored in the cost of running SEPs – $390,000 per year on average – and compared that to the lifetime cost of treating someone with HIV, roughly $229,000, Philadelphia saw a one-year return investment of nearly $183 million,…
The Sober Eye – Oct 28, 2019- LGBTQ individuals have a higher likelihood of having a substance use disorder when compared to non-LGBTQ persons during their lifetime. What’s more, their substance use disorders are more severe when entering LGBT addiction treatment centers. Some treatment modalities for SUD have proven to be more effective for bisexual or gay men. These include social support therapy, motivational interviewing, cognitive behavioral therapy, and contingency management. Treatment programs that target specialized groups for bisexual and gay men have better outcomes when compared to bisexual and gay men in non-specialized programs. Currently, there is limited research…
Addicted to Dove – October 29, 2019 – Food addiction is not necessarily the same as liking a particular type of food or wanting to seek it out. An article published in Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, describes a research study from the University of Michigan that examined characteristics of highly processed food that lead to food addiction.1 The investigators reported that processed foods were rated as having a high abuse liability when compared with foods that were not highly processed. However, it is worth mentioning that the study participants did not report enjoying these addictive foods. This divergence between food…
Never On Sabbath – October 29, 2019 – “It was always more variety, more frequency, more hardcore,” Nash said at a benefit for Chabad Lifeline, which was held at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts on Oct. 24. When “an endless more” failed to satisfy him, Nash faced up to what he regards as the disease of sex addiction. Wearing a kippah and T-shirt reading, “Porn Kills Love,” Nash recalled the day in 2013 when that happened. He had started going to recovery meetings, but was overcome with an urge to “reach for the top shelf” one more time…
What About The Love? – Nov. 3, 2019 – While research about drug addiction has been going on worldwide for decades, Thomas and his group are trying to apply new kinds of neuroscience technology to study the brain and learn about the aspects of brain activity that are causing the problem, he said. Thomas said it is important to share the group’s work for multiple reasons. “There’s still a lot of stigma around substance use disorders,” he said. “I think there’s still pervasive thought that (asks) ‘why can’t somebody just stopped doing this?’ They say they want to stop…
With a Corn Flakes back? – Nov. 2, 2019 – “My life was getting more and more chaotic. I was losing friends, respect, self-respect, because I was consistently lying. “I was letting people down and it didn’t matter what anybody could pull me up on, it was nowhere near as bad as the way I used to talk to myself about it…” Melissa found herself in a spiral. The worse her life seemed to her, the more she drank. The more she drank, the more her life fell apart. In a bid to fool her loved ones Melissa would hide…
Let’s Call It: Death Reduction – Oct. 31, 2019 – Since the state-funded project began, the number of patients treated for opioid use disorder at the Center for Family Medicine has grown from 46 to nearly 100. The team has gone from providing team-based care half a day once a month to once a week. In addition, the center has hired a second therapist and a full-time nurse case manager “to provide more consistent care for our patients,” Ball explained. Since the treatment program started, only one patient has died of an overdose. “These are high-risk patients,” she pointed…
BRAND NEW BOOK by Tian Dayton Ph.D. – Nov. 5, 2019 – “Of the many books on trauma, codependency, and children of alcoholics, The Soulful Journey of Recovery stands out as a groundbreaking work. Tian Dayton has synthesized current research, behavioral theory, and her years of experience in creating a must-read not just for those that have grown up in families of trauma but for clinicians who work with these individuals. Her understanding of what happens to a child physically, emotionally, and spiritually and how these experiences manifest in adult relationships is astounding. Dr. Dayton has a true gift for…
Fiddler of the Roofies? – November 3, 2019 – Surely, part of “Freedom Song’s” purpose is to empower those in recovery, whether that recovery be from addiction to drugs, alcohol, gambling or really any of the myriad facets of modern life that we might depend on to our detriment. “We touch upon all the different things that are not necessarily drug addictions but are still disruptive behaviors in families and society in general,” Kaminer said. “One of Beit T’Shuvah’s taglines is ‘You don’t need to be an addict to be in recovery.’” But, perhaps a higher priority for “Freedom Song”…
Resurgence Press Release – November 3, 2019 – Resurgence has launched new residential drug rehabilitation centers in Orange County in order to provide customized care for drug-addicts. The decision to introduce new drug rehabs has been taken after taken into consideration the rising number of drug cases in Orange County. The Orange County drug rehab centers have been launched with an aim to provide personalized care to patients during and after the treatment. All the residential drug rehabilitation centers launched by Resurgence focus on multiple treatment options customized according to the needs of every drug addict. A drug detox…
America’s most enlightened city? – Oct 16, 2019 – The city of Las Vegas is offering those with parking tickets to pay off their tickets with food donations. The Las Vegas City Council unanimously voted in favor of allowing parking tickets issued between Oct. 16 and Nov. 16, 2019, to be paid with donations of food for those in need during the holiday season. Those who have a non-public safety parking infraction in the city of Las Vegas that was issued between the allotted time frame may resolve their tickets by donating non-perishable food items of equal or greater value…
MEDIA: New Book is a Waking Dream – Nov. 3, 2019 – She did so and then completed a recovery program and after some time moved to Texas where, in addition to adhering to the Alcoholics Anonymous 12 steps, she took her first steps in volunteerism. Napier is convinced that, along with her Christian faith, is what saved her. “There is hope for addicts and it lies in giving back,” she said from Tucson. Her own path lay in working with the Jewish Federation in support of Israel. She made friends there who urged her to return to college, which she…
Candid Royalty – OCTOBER 30, 2019- Outwardly, life may have seemed picture perfect, but Douglas began using drugs in his teens. By his 20s, he was injecting cocaine and later, heroin. His increasingly erratic behavior estranged him from his family and derailed his career as an actor and DJ. Eventually, he turned to drug dealing to feed his habits. That ultimately resulted in a seven year stint in federal prison for distributing methamphetamine, two years of which were spent in solitary confinement. Released in 2016 and having kicked his addictions, Douglas is opening up about his struggles in “Long Way…
Start Making Sense – November 3, 2019 – At 30, I’d realized my life had become a predictable cycle of detox/retox on the weekends … and it was all completely socially acceptable. There was no one suggesting I needed to control my drinking or take a break. On the contrary, the world around me reinforced that I needed a cocktail to relax on a first date, to celebrate, to take the edge off, to curb social anxiety, to fit in; the list goes on and on. Sometime during my first year in my 30s, something started to tug at me.…
Who Cares? – Oct. 31, 2019 – When Mary’s* grandmother had her leg amputated at the knee, doctors prescribed gabapentin for her phantom leg pain. “I remember thinking that was super weird,” Mary said, because she herself had a prescription for gabapentin too. Mary is 28, and has been taking the drug—a generic medication also sold as Neurontin—for nearly a decade. Her doctor gave it to her to balance out the effects of her ADHD medication, Concerta. “Why was something I was taking to take the edge off an ADHD drug also being given to an amputee?” she wondered. Indeed,…
Back On Top – November 4, 2019 – The singer, 27, opened up Saturday at the Teen Vogue Summit, saying, “I love the person that I am today.” “What I see in the mirror (is) someone that’s overcome a lot,” she told Teen Vogue editor in chief Lindsay Peoples Wagner. “I’ve been through a lot and I genuinely see a fighter. I don’t see a championship winner in there, but I see a fighter and someone who is going to continue to fight no matter (what) challenges are thrown their way.” It was Lovato’s first interview since her apparent drug…
Art for the Living – October 28, 2019 – But locals seeking treatment for drug and alcohol addiction at a nearby Betty Ford clinic said it seemed like a dopey idea, and were skeptical that being greeted by a gargantuan model of drug paraphernalia would help those looking to kick their own habits. “You’re in the beginning of your recovery and the first thing you see in rehab is that? No,” said chef Danny Hobby, 34. “It’s either a trigger or a sign of motivation.” Emile Beniflah, 20, said putting the artwork inside a recovery center was “like showing alcoholics…
Best Practices – Oct. 31, 2019 – It was through her work that she met, and eventually partnered with, Co-Founder John West. Born to actor J.T. Walsh, West found himself initially drawn to the arts and entertainment industries, establishing for himself a life in Hollywood working as a producer. Yet, when his father unexpectedly passed away, the trauma of such a sudden loss sent West into a downward spiral. It was only after the intervention of family and friends—and help from Crane—that he was able to overcome his addictions and find himself back on a path of healthy living. This…
Life Goes On! – November 3, 2019 – “Today marks THREE ENTIRE YEARS of sobriety for me! Y’all already know, but allow me to recap. 3 years ago I was receiving Narcan to bring me back to life after I had overdosed on heroin; all while my son, my mom, and her wife stood and watched. While those are such emotional moments for my family to recall, that’s really not what is MOST important today,” Hurt said in her caption over photos that taken as a collaboration between Ali Elizabeth Photography and Keywords Co. She went on to say, “What…
Prison is for Criminals – Nov. 2, 2019 – Wallace turned to a Massachusetts state law called Section 35, which allows a family member, doctor or law enforcement official to petition a court to involuntarily commit an individual for up to 90 days for substance abuse treatment. Concerned about Sean’s physical and mental health as well as his safety, Wallace said using a “section,” as the tool is colloquially known, seemed like a good idea. She had worked as a clinical director at a Section 35 program for women and believed her son would get similar treatment. But it was…
Legalize It! – October 24, 2019 – “Looking at the difference in costs gives us a sense for how much more complicated is their overall health care picture and what those additional expenses look like for two otherwise comparable people,” Davenport explains. Opioid addiction is linked to other health problems. Patients might have chronic pain or mental illness that underlies their addiction; infectious diseases like HIV and hepatitis C can spread among injection drug users; and there can also be higher costs for other conditions like anemia, liver disease and pulmonary heart disease, according to another Milliman analysis from earlier…
Out the grieving mouths of babes – October 30, 2019 – “Most of the people in my family do drugs. They want to get better but they’re struggling and just can’t get better,” Layla said. It’s a moving an surprisingly matter-of-fact admission from Layla. It comes in a documentary from producers Ken Spooner and Mike Mee. “Life With Layla” tells the story of the 7-year-old New Jersey girl who is surrounded by a family struggling with drug abuse. Layla lost her aunt to a fatal heroin overdose. She and her family try to stop her uncle from going down the…
Heath Care – American Style? – Nov. 1, 2019 – “I felt they should have had more education, pamphlets, the REDLINE number or stuff I had to find myself that they didn’t have. If somebody walks into the ER department reaching for help, I think they should be able to have the resources or phone numbers for people to call saying these people are wanting help now,” she said. How cases like this are handled depends on the hospital and its policy, and in some cases, it relies on what that specific medical professional knows. Gann believes it is an…
“A good film is when the price of the dinner, the theatre admission and the babysitter were worth it.” —Alfred Hitchcock