Author: Leonard Buschel

Freeing the Slave Within – July 12, 2019 – William Wilberforce, the parliamentarian known for leading the legislative fight to end the British slave trade, struggled with opioid use over 45 years. That biographers resist calling it an addiction has less to do with a lack of historical evidence than a misunderstanding of addiction itself. Full Story @ WSJ.com

Left right, left right, left right… – July 11, 2019 – The sting of the memory quickly faded, and the student, Francine Shapiro, glimpsed her future. In the ensuing years she developed a popular, if controversial, therapy for trauma that has attracted devotees worldwide: eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, or E.M.D.R. “I noticed that when disturbing thoughts came into my mind, my eyes spontaneously started moving very rapidly back and forth,” Dr. Shapiro wrote in her textbook on the therapy. “The thoughts disappeared, and when I brought them back to mind, their negative charge was greatly reduced.” Dr. Shapiro…

Udderly Effective – July 12, 2019 – From a lush, secluded pasture on the Mountain Horse Farm, a 33-acre bed-and-breakfast in the Finger Lakes region of New York, 3-year-old Bella and 2-year-old Bonnie are the highlander-angus crossbred cows that provide animal-based therapy. Cow cuddling, as the practice is called, invites interaction with the farm animals via brushing, petting or heartfelt chats with the bovines. The experience is similar to equine therapy, with one game-changing difference: Horses tend to stand, but cows spontaneously lie down in the grass while chewing their cud, allowing humans to get even more up close and…

We’re Geniuses – June 30, 2019 – When Ronald Graham, a concerned friend and fellow mathematician, bet him $500 that he couldn’t stay off his drug of choice for a month, Erdos accepted and easily won the challenge. When the 30 days was up, Erdos said to Graham, “You’ve showed me I’m not an addict. But I didn’t get any work done. I’d get up in the morning and stare at a blank piece of paper. I’d have no ideas, just like an ordinary person. You’ve set mathematics back a month.” Erdos resumed taking amphetamines and did so for…

“Smile from your heart; nothing is more beautiful than a woman who is happy to be herself.” —Kubra Sait

Medication Assisted Conspiracy – July 11, 2019 – “Opioid withdrawal is difficult, painful, and sometimes dangerous; people struggling to overcome addiction face challenges that can often seem insurmountable,” the Assistant Attorney General Jody Hunt for the Department of Justice’s Civil Division said in a statement. “Drug manufacturers marketing products to help opioid addicts are expected to do so honestly and responsibly … Suboxone, which proved to be a blockbuster-selling drug for Indivior, is an addiction-fighting medication that also contains opioids. Indivior was spun off into a separate company from the RB Group in December 2014, but the exposure and…

Amazing Grace – JULY 11, 2019 -A study of more than 1,300 injecting drug users in Baltimore from 1988 to 2000 examined this problem. Researchers exam­ined demographic factors, drug use patterns, and even whether the person sought drug treatment. The authors write, “Of great interest is that only a history of incarceration differentiated persons who successfully stopped using drugs from those who continued to use injection drugs over a 12-year period.” This bears repeating. The only factor that distinguished those who successfully stopped using drugs from those who continued to use was this: Those who stopped had not gone to…

End of the Line – July 1, 2019 – It creates a euphoric high, but this is short-lived, lasting between 20 to 30 minutes – leaving users desperately chasing the same high. The more you use it, the more your brain will adapt to it, meaning you need a stronger dose to feel the same euphoria the next time around. In the long-term, this can cause changes in the brain’s chemistry as the body comes to rely on the Class A drug. So, what exactly is going on in the body from the moment cocaine is taken? As part…

Clean and Serene – July 2, 2019 – “We evolved as social creatures. This is a good trend if you want the experience of companionship and social culture but don’t want the negatives,” said William Stoops, a University of Kentucky professor who studies drug and alcohol addiction. “It can help people make better choices.” A federal survey shows nearly 67 million Americans binge drink at least monthly, meaning women down four drinks during a single occasion, men five. Midwestern states have some of the highest binge-drinking rates in terms of both prevalence and intensity, putting millions of people at risk. …

Orderly Obituary – July 2, 2019 – Mitchell J. Feigenbaum, a mathematical physicist whose groundbreaking work on deterministic chaos influenced fields ranging from cardiology to cartography, died in New York City on June 30 at the age of 74. Feigenbaum was the Toyota Professor and director of the Center for Studies in Physics and Biology at Rockefeller. Among his many accomplishments, he was the first to discover that many different physical systems follow a common “periodic doubling” path to chaos, paving the way for the emergence of the discipline known today as chaos theory. In physics and mathematics, deterministic chaos…

MEDIA: BOOK REVIEW – JULY 2019 – REVIEW: “I have never read a more heartfelt account of a women’s battle with alcohol and its devastation. Karla is deeply blunt and brutally honest in her account of addiction and recovery. The book doesn’t skip a beat in portraying the ravages of this disease. She has risen like a phoenix from the ashes and is working to fly higher each day.” Full Story @ Amazon.com

Diver’s License Suspended – July 6, 2019 – Meanwhile, deputies say the boat’s owner 31-year-old Rylie Hogue was too intoxicated to care for his own safety or operate the boat and was was arrested for being intoxicated in public. Both Callahan and Hogue were transported and booked into Shasta County Jail. The Shasta County Sheriff Boating Safety Unit would like to remind people to not drink and drive a vessel. Full Story @ KRCRTV.com

MEDIA: BOOK REVIEW – July 6, 2019 – I also learned a ton about the numbers of addicted individuals in New Hampshire as well as other states. This is an epidemic. The so-called War on Drugs is a failure because it is designed to offer addicted people punitive criminal justice sentences. It does not help or dish out hope for a life without addiction. I learned that love is the answer and hope for a brighter future. You really need to get this book and read it, cover to cover. “Addiction, both personal and communal, can be transformed into a…

Platform Bullshi* – July 5, 2019 – Addiction doesn’t discriminate. No matter the race, gender, age or political stance, anyone is susceptible to the pull opioids have. That’s why the candidates running for president have plans to tackle the crisis head on … Candidate Andrew Yang is proposing decriminalizing heroin altogether … She’s proposing $100 billion over the next 10 years, paid for by a tax on the ultra-wealthy. “Some of the funding would go toward Naloxone. Some of the funding would go towards prevention efforts. Some of the money would go towards law enforcement initiatives,” Sullivan said. Full Story…

ADVERTISEMENT – July 6, 2019 – The global Addiction Treatment market belongs to one of the sectors that contribute to the highest shares in international economic development. The market is witnessing rapid growth fueled by strengthening coverage, services, adept workforce availability, a rise in disposable income, increasing product awareness, and growing expenditures by leading competitors. Moreover, technological adoptions, rapid innovations, and research activities are also boosting Addiction Treatment market growth. Full Story @ IndustryJournal.info

Wisdom The Hard Way – July 3, 2019 – “Brooke’s House,” which opens its doors soon Hagerstown, Md., is named after his late daughter, who after a years-long battle with drug addiction, ended up dying from a drug overdose. The program he opened with his wife offers counseling, medically assisted treatment and career training. “I’m hoping they leave here with a purpose, live a sober life, and are ready to conquer the world,” Simmers said. He said his views on drugs and addiction changed in 2013, when his then-18-year-old daughter, Brooke, admitted she was hooked on Percocet, an opioid pain…

MEDIA: NEW YORK Theater Review – July 3, 2019 – David’s father is described as being the polar opposite of his mother: Ron’s alcoholism is entrenched. One sequence describes a disastrous evening when father and son were out together, ending in a violent, embarrassing scene. Cale sings some lovely original songs, such as “Canada Geese,” co-written by himself and Matthew Dean Marsh. Though Cale’s singing voice is unremarkable, his acting talent gives the songs impact, and he gets good support from the darkly lit musical combo that accompanies him. (Lighting design is by the talented Jennifer Tipton.) Full Story @…

Not So Simple, Until It’s Too Late – July 3, 2019 – Conclusion. The best part of rehab is that you do not need to know anything about rehab. You do not need to know how it works, and you should make sure to go to a place that will help you recover the best. The best thing that you can do is to talk with your family, figure out how you can come up with plans that will be best for you, and avoid issues that tend to come up. You need to know how sobriety works for…

Speed Kills! – July 7, 2019 – Fears of this violence have helped galvanize public support in favour of action on the meth crisis. So has data about the strain meth is putting on public services. Winnipeg police saw a 900 per cent increase in meth possession charges laid between 2013 and 2017, while the city’s hospitals saw a 1,700 per cent increase in patients coming in under the influence of meth during the same period. “We have a crisis in communities across Canada, including Winnipeg, regarding meth,” Mayor Brian Bowman said. Bowman wants help from the provincial and…

Not Hip Anymore – July 9, 2019 – Thirty-three states have passed medical marijuana laws and 11 have legalized recreational use — generally for ages 21 and up, many during the study years. The researchers looked at overall changes nationwide, but not at individual states. There was no change linked with medical marijuana legislation but odds of teen use declined almost 10% after recreational marijuana laws were enacted. The study was published Monday in JAMA Pediatrics. Full Story @ ABCNews.com

Law and Disorder – July 3, 2019 – Another witness called this week, Drue Diesselhorst, was a sales representative for Janssen from 2003 to 2012. She testified that she was not aware, despite calling on doctors dozens of times, that some had patients who had died of opioid overdose. One she called on 57 times had seven patients who died of opioid toxicity, documents submitted by the state showed. A doctor she visited at least 90 times was reprimanded for pre-signing prescriptions for pain medications. Another she called on repeatedly was reprimanded for his own use of opioids. An attorney…

Reading, Writing and Rehab – June 12, 2019 – In Minford, the toll has been exacting: Last academic year, four kindergartners lost parents to fatal overdoses and a fifth had a parent killed in a drug-related homicide. Some of the children were in the same room with their parents when they died. “We have all these kids who are in survival mode,” Ms. Cram said. Minford Elementary is not like typical schools. At this small campus in rural southern Ohio, there is a dedicated sensory room stocked with weighted blankets, chewable toys and exercise balls. Children who were born dependent…

Who Paid for This Research? –   July 7, 2019 – According to the National Institute of Mental Health, almost 50 million adults in the U.S. live with a mental illness. These illnesses include many different conditions, such as depression and anxiety, which vary from mild to severe. Many people experience emotional turmoil during these life stages, and this, rather than technology use specifically, could influence research findings. “Taking a snapshot of the anxiety felt by young people today and concluding that a whole generation is at risk because of social media ignores more noteworthy social changes, such as the…

For a Change – July 3, 2019 – But the drug czar’s office, with its misleading suggestion that being prescribed opioids leads to heroin addiction, tips the pendulum too far in the other direction. There are real-world consequences to using such faulty information. The Drug Enforcement Administration cited that 80 percent figure last year when it ordered steep decreases in the supply of prescription opioids, and it claimed in the Federal Register that patients got addicted “after first obtaining these drugs from their health care providers.” “The 80% statistic is misleading and encourages faulty assumptions about the overdose crisis and…

On the Border –  July 5, 2019 – Why the label is such a problem – Labelling people with BPD as having a personality disorder can exacerbate their poor self-esteem. “Personality disorder” translates in many people’s minds as a personality flaw, and this can lead to or exacerbate an ingrained sense of worthlessness and self-loathing. This means people with BPD may view themselves more negatively, but can also lead other people – including those closest to them – to do the same. Clinicians, too, often harbour negative attitudes towards people with BPD, viewing them as manipulative or unwilling to help…

SobrieTea – July 3, 2019 – You might have safely detoxed in hospital or a rehab centre, but maintaining your new-found sobriety can often be the most difficult part. It can take a long time to secure a place in rehab via the NHS – as drug and alcohol services have continually seen extensive funding cuts. Those with disposable income might be able to get a place in a plush private treatment centre within days, but it’s not an option for most. Either way, even after a spell in rehab, life must go on. And having a safe and supportive…

A Despedida – July 6, 2019 – João Gilberto introduced bossa nova to the world in 1958: he created a new beat, with his unique guitar style, mixing traditional samba music with modern jazz influences. His music depicted a period of huge optimism in Brazil: an urban, industrialised country that was building a new capital and dreaming of better His versions of songs like Quiet Nights and The Girl from Ipanema became standards in world music. For the past decade, João Gilberto lived alone in Rio, struggling with mental health and financial issues … The influential musician had not been…

Mad Dogs and Englishmen – July 6, 2019 – The GBGB’s findings were part of a worrying trend. A month earlier, two Scottish trainers, Andrew Meek and James Cairns, had been disqualified indefinitely after cocaine positives. (Being disqualified forbids you from even attending a greyhound race.) “We’re finding more and more greyhounds testing positive for cocaine and its metabolites,” says Duncan Gibson, the GBGB’s welfare and integrity manager. Fifteen years ago, one cocaine positive a year would be a lot. These days they are finding six to ten. Cocaine is banned in the world of greyhound racing for the same…

Red, White or Rehab? –   July 7, 2019 – Studies show that women — especially women in their 30s and 40s — are drinking more than ever before. The cheeky ‘wine mom’ trope isn’t just dumb. It’s dangerous.] Now, with more Americans embracing wellness as an existential ideal — replacing Instagram pictures of brimming wineglasses with photos of artisanal, lime-garnished mocktails — some moms say they feel more empowered to go against the grain and pass on the booze, and less isolated in their choice to abstain. Harmony Hobbs, 39, a mom of three in Baton Rouge, and creator…

Good Advice – July 6, 2019 – 1. Vitamins You might have never taken a vitamin, and you certainly were not concerned with vitamins during your alcohol withdrawal. The only way to solve this problem is to start with a multivitamin that is good for your body. These vitamins are easy to use, and they will provide you with the different minerals and nutrients that you need. The multivitamin is just one step in the process, but you can continue to do other things that are good for you. 2. Supplement You can take any vitamin supplement that is best…