“Notes on an All-American Family” – March 4, 2019 – The room smelled like what they were doing, but again, with no priors, I had little clue. A friend of Mom’s, was in the bathroom … her hair a spiky mess and she was dressed in somebody else’s oversized shabby gear. This vision was all I needed to see the urgency in persuading Mom to leave, to get to Burger Barn, where my empty stomach would get its fill, and she and I would be safe. Full Story @ NewYorker.com
Author: Leonard Buschel
Who’s Minding The Rehab? – March 7, 2019 – The abuse allegations began to surface last summer, but Timberline officials waited at least three weeks to contact law enforcement, police reports show. In the meantime, Timberline staff conducted internal investigations, twice suspending and reinstating Jacksa, police records show. In early July, when Timberline staff discovered journal entries by a patient that described her sexual encounters with Jacksa, they confronted the woman in his presence, police reports show. Afterward, the woman “went back to her lodge and broke a mirror, intending to hurt herself or commit suicide over the embarrassment and…
Hath God Forsaken Me? – MARCH/APRIL 2019 ISSUE – It was early 2017, and Brianne, a 20-year-old from a woody Atlanta suburb, had come to South Florida to leave her heroin addiction behind. At a residential facility called Recovery Villas of the Treasure Coast, she was approached by a charismatic guy I’ll call Daniel, a Pennsylvania native six years her elder. He could relate to her troubles—he’d struggled with addiction himself—and he could get her into another rehab after Recovery Villas. He would even pay her: $1,000 for the first week of her stay and $500 each week thereafter. That…
Blood Money – March 5, 2019 – American Addiction Centers, an industry behemoth, owns Solutions Recovery, Resolutions and Desert Hope in Las Vegas, popular destinations for Americans seeking to “get clean.” March 5, 2019 – It’s a long way from Las Vegas to Tennessee — about 1600 miles by air. Yet each week, despite the presence of nearby labs in Las Vegas that charge about $130 for drugs screens, hundreds of vials of urine are shipped from American Addiction Centers’ drug and alcohol rehabilitation facilities in Southern Nevada to labs in Tennessee or Louisiana, both owned by AAC. It’s the…
Staff and Program – February 28, 2019 – While it might seem that with addiction, the consumption of substances is the problem, there are typically underlying problems that compel individuals to seek out these substances as a form of escapism. Mental health issues are the primary driver for addictive behavior, such as unresolved childhood traumas or issues such as depression or anxiety. A good rehab center will focus on these issues, instead of just trying to keep people away from their drug or drugs of choice. Devoted Staff Staff members who are accredited and dedicated to their patients fare much…
Spinning Out of Control – February 20, 2019 – Yet the state has failed to address the issue of gambling addiction in any meaningful way … brain imaging studies show that, much like drugs or alcohol, gambling triggers spikes in the chemical dopamine, which activates the brain’s reward system and influences human behavior. Researchers have found that gambling addiction is often accompanied by other forms of addiction. Those who are susceptible wager beyond their means or spend inordinate amounts of time gambling … they may find themselves lying to loved ones, turning to crime to cover their losses or becoming…
Music Heals – March 1, 2019 – Mayer calls the show Current Mood and says it “started as a goof” with a backdrop of a foam-core board that “looks like a science-fair presentation” but has become a way for fans to gather on Sunday evening and, as Mayer says, “use the buddy system.” The Dead & Company guitarist now likens Current Mood to “Mister Rogers [Neighborhood] for hungover adults,” noting that he loves comedic bits, the most recent one being his fake Vanity Fair Oscars party set constructed inside his living room, complete with Dave Chappelle, Diplo and Halsey. Mayer…
Goodbye JCAHO? – February 28, 2019 – According Melissa Alsoszatai-Petheo, Bing’s Advertising Policy Manager, the company decided on this policy change as part of its ongoing efforts to ensure a safe and engaging experience for users. “Drug and alcohol addiction are serious and sensitive topics, especially for those affected by the addiction either directly, or indirectly,” Alsoszatai-Petheo wrote on Bing’s blog. “Our users deserve the most helpful results we can offer when they are searching for addiction recovery assistance for themselves or a loved one. To help protect our users from being misled or taken advantage of during such a…
Bridge to Serenity – Google House Sober Living? – March 2, 2019 – The state-of-the-art “recovery campus” will treat about 1,000 people in the first year. Clients can refer themselves or come from referrals made by health care providers, family members or drug courts. Some residents say they are worried the new outpatient and sober living facilities will lead to more crime in the area and could harm property values in the west side neighborhood. “The biggest concern is safety and security, and again, how is this going to impact the stabilization of our neighborhood?” said Gwendolyn Buchanan, president of…
Drug Laws Kill! – Mar. 1, 2019 – Because of this his parents, Brian and Brenda Martinek, are now leading the charge for harsher penalties in drug-related convictions. “Currently in the state of Oregon there is no avenue for holding someone accountable for homicide that is caused by selling drugs to somebody else,” Brian told KOIN 6 News. “I don’t want another mom to lose her baby. I don’t want anyone else to lose their baby,” Brenda said. “The only way we can do that is to make sure we are stopping drug dealers in their tracks who are profiting…
Smoking Lox, not freebase – Feb. 26, 2019 – Although McMillan describes himself as an introvert in his personal life, he said he increasingly turned to alcohol to host customers over the years. Eventually, he became unhappy with the way he was doing business, and he started to lose interest in the fine wines and meals he once enjoyed, he said. “I didn’t know or understand how to turn on that other David McMillan at 6 p.m. without, you know, consuming wine,” he said. Full Story @ CBC.ca
In Gods We Trust – March 2, 2019 – A group of recovering alcoholics in Minneapolis founded the Calix Society in 1947, after meeting weekly at the 5:30 a.m. Mass to pray for an alcoholic priest friend. Realizing their Catholic faith was the surest path to serenity without alcohol, they founded the organization and soon affiliated units sprang up in 70 cities, even without a central office, website or literature. Today there are 33 “units,” or chapters, across the U.S., one in Ireland and one in England. Each chapter is established with the permission of the local diocesan bishop. Calix…
Weird Sober Drummer Boy – Nov. 2018 – The musician, who is 78 years old, spoke about how he keeps up with his busy life, including the launch of his coffee table photo book “Another Day in the Life,” and his tour with the All Starr Band, in celebration of its 30th anniversary. “You’re a busy man these days,” Rolling Stone interviewer Rob Sheffield said to the icon, asking him how he maintains the lifestyle. “I think staying active keeps you young,” Starr said, adding that he works out with a trainer. Diet also plays a role; the drummer highlighted that…
And who is asking why? – March 5, 2019 – That number was more than double 1999 levels, according to a chilling new analysis of U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data by the Trust for America’s Health and Well Being Trust, two health policy organizations. Nationwide, the death rate due to alcohol, drugs and suicide rose 6 percent between 2016 and 2017, from nearly 44 to 46.6 deaths per 100,000, the study found. Though that increase was smaller than in the two preceding years, it was higher than the 4 percent average annual increase since 1999… Full Story…
Getting Away with Murder – March 4, 2019 – The potential move shows how Purdue and its wealthy owners, the Sackler family, are under pressure to respond to mounting litigation accusing the drugmaker of misleading doctors and patients about risks associated with prolonged use of its prescription opioids. Purdue denies the allegations, arguing that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved labels for its opioids carried warnings about the risk of abuse and misuse associated with the pain treatments. Filing for Chapter 11 protection would halt the lawsuits and allow Purdue to negotiate legal claims with plaintiffs under the supervision of…
Fantastic Film! – Mar. 4, 2019 – The award ceremony, now in its 10th year, was established by Writers in Treatment, a nonprofit organization that seeks to help writers suffering from alcoholism, drug addiction, and other afflictions. Andy Irons: Kissed By God was recognized alongside TV star Jodie Sweetin, who had a tumultuous journey with addiction after her “Full House” stardom. Now eight years sober, Sweetin uses her personal journey to help others, most notably through her memoir unSweetined. Full Story @ TetonGravity.com
Minutes Matter – Mar. 2, 2019 – Izraylov, 41, joins other tinkerers who have tried to attack overdoses with technology. One app, released in 2016 but apparently no longer available, alerted an emergency contact if users didn’t push a button on their smartphones once a timer elapsed. Another one, still in development, turns a smartphone’s microphone and speaker into a mini-sonar system that can detect a person’s breathing. If respiration appears to slow significantly or stop altogether — hallmarks of an opioid overdose — the phone alerts emergency responders. Izraylov, who runs an Evanston, Ill.-based addiction and mental health counseling…
Promises at Work – FEBRUARY 22, 2019 – Cooper gives a tour de force performance, depicting the aging legend’s mental health and substance abuse struggles so flawlessly, he earned himself a Best Actor nomination at the 91st Academy Awards. However, Cooper didn’t have to rely on method acting to get into character —”The stories that exist in this story, it comes from a very deep personal place and that’s the only way that I know how to communicate with many people,” the 44-year-old recently confessed to The New York Times during an interview about the film, which he also directed.…
Experience, Strength and Hope Awards – March 1, 2019 – Stamos choked back tears while recalling getting sober almost four years ago after hitting “rock bottom.” He turned to Sweetin, who is coming up on eight years of sobriety, for help. “It took me a long time, a long time disappointing everyone who cared about me, culminating in a terrible DUI where I could have killed somebody,” Stamos said. “I hit rock bottom. Jodie lovingly allowed me to walk my own path and when I finally humbled myself to ask for your help, I realized that the perky little blabbermouth…
This is How It Works – March 4, 2019 – While introducing the former “Full House,” and current “Fuller House,” star, Variety reports that Stamos choked back tears as he described the impact that Sweetin had on his own journey of sobriety. “It took me a long time, a long time disappointing everyone who cared about me, culminating in a terrible DUI where I could have killed somebody,” Stamos said. “I hit rock bottom. Jodie lovingly allowed me to walk my own path and when I finally humbled myself to ask for your help, I realized that the perky little…
Accountable – March 04, 2019 – In a candid interview alongside his Triple Frontier costar Charlie Hunnam on Monday’s Today, Affleck told Hoda Kotb “being an alcoholic, it’s part of my life, it’s something that I deal with.” … “It doesn’t have to subsume my whole identity and be everything but it is something that you have to work at,” continued Affleck, 46. “I had a problem and I really want to address it and I take some pride in that,” he added. “It’s about yourself, your life, your family … we encounter these kinds of hurdles and we have…
Synanon: The Untold Story – April 22, 2018 – April 22, 2018 – Bill Lane was a 20-year-old junkie living in Brooklyn when his mother heard about Synanon on TV. “There was no such thing as a drug rehab in those days,” says Lane today. “There was no help. You got busted, you went to prison.” But there was nothing quite like Synanon. Launched in a dingy Santa Monica storefront in 1958 by Charles Dederich, it eventually operated centers up and down California, morphing into a utopian community, then a religion and a cult with more than $30 million in…
It’s Complicated! – February 26, 2019 – Distinguishing the Impact of MAT and Other Drugs One problem with examining the prevalence of MAT-related sexual dysfunction is that it’s difficult to separate the effects of the methadone or buprenorphine from the effects of what the person was taking before, said Ling. Ling knows—and quotes—the world’s top opioid researchers, past and present (and many would say that he is the dean of them all). David Smith, the founder of the Haight-Ashbury Free Clinic, believed that “the addict will always blame whatever he or she is feeling or experience on the last thing…
End of the line? Or new beginning? – March 2, 2019 – ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) – Fourteen new recovery centers intended to help those struggling with drug addiction are set to open thanks to a New York state investment. The state’s Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services announced Friday that it would award more than $5 million to support the new centers. The centers will be located throughout the state and operated by local recovery organizations. Funds will also go to expansion projects at two existing recovery centers. The centers offer various services and programs to help people in…
It’s Not About Money – March 2, 2019 – According to his LinkedIn profile, O’Tierney held positions at Yahoo!, Brand Logic and Apple before starting at Square in 2009. He spent nearly four and a half years at Square, where he worked on the company’s first iPhone and iPad apps. Most recently, he was a freelance photographer in Los Angeles. Full Story @ CNBC.com
What Goes Around… – March 1, 2019 – The insurance giant is accused of sending more than $1.3 million in payments to patients — money, the suit claims, that is owed to the facilities that treated people with addiction and mental health problems. The suit by Sovereign Health highlights part of an ongoing war between insurance companies and providers over payment and billing issues, one that puts the patient right in the middle of the fighting by sending payments straight to patients after they seek out-of-network care. Patients are supposed to send the money on to providers. Many times, they…
AMAZING VIDEO EXPOSE – February 22, 2019 – The state sent several letters ordering the program to stop taking clients – all but one triggered by a fatal drug overdose at the facility. Full Story @ 11Alive.com
Killers? – Feb. 20, 2019 – Mount Carmel Health System fired Dr. William Husel from his job on Nov. 21, 2018, accusing him of prescribing excessive pain medicine to 34 patients in the intensive care unit. All of the patients died over the period of 2015-2018, the Columbus Dispatch reports. “We are sorry for this tragedy, and we will continue to investigate how we responded to this report and whether there is any other information that should have led us to investigate sooner into Dr. Husel’s practices,” Edward Lamb, president and CEO of Mount Carmel Health System, said Jan. 24.…
Men Suffer Too – February 22, 2019 – If you struggle with depression, we’d encourage you to do so as well—and, like these guys, come out the other side better for it. Rapper. Eminen has a long history of mental health and addiction issues—you may be able to tell from his album titles. Recovery, Relapse and the like. “I was already depressed and with the drugs it just became a vicious cycle of depression.” He also has OCD, as he told Rolling Stone: “[My OCD is] self-diagnosed. I could cop out and say it’s from music, but it’s not that.…
Intensely Vile, Deeply Detested – February 22, 2019 – In the deposition, Sackler repeatedly defends his actions. He claims he was motivated by an interest in making the best possible medications for patients in pain. He also dismisses as simply misunderstood or innocuous any evidence that might be perceived as damaging. His remark that it was almost as though he had dedicated his life to the OxyContin franchise? That was his way of nudging an employee to focus more on the painkiller than on sales of an older Purdue drug. “This was in the spirit of motivating her,” he said.…