Feels amazing, doesn’t it? – Oct. 12, 2018 – Congratulations are in order for Jason Biggs. The “American Pie” and “Orange Is the New Black” star celebrated one year of sobriety on Thursday in an Instagram post in which he showed off a silver coin reading “To thine own self be true” along with the engraved words “unity, service, recovery.” The actor, 40, also opened up about how he has struggled with alcohol and drugs. (Note that there is profanity in the caption.) Full Story @ Today.com
Author: Leonard Buschel
Romantically – October 13, 2018 – When we first meet Maine, he is a train set to derail at any minute. He’s taking large gulps of gin and swallowing 4-5 pills before taking the stage for a show. When he gets into his ride afterwards, more gin awaits. When he runs out, he is willing to go into a drag bar to get more alcohol. He’s like a continuous drain for bad ideas to be poured into. The arrival of Ally into his life temporarily takes away the need for “some” of those vices, yet he does get drunk and…
Legalize It! – OCT. 13, 2018 – The gossip site reports that Barba was arrested on the morning of October 11 in Norfolk, VA. She’s being charged with heroin distribution of more than 100 grams, a felony in the state that carries a sentence of up to 40 years in prison. Barba’s time on Idol was brief but notable. She made it to the cusp of the show’s top 12 before being eliminated in a season that was ultimately won by Jordin Sparks. Barba’s stint on the show stirred up a bit of controversy after photos of her posing in…
Hard to believe… – Oct. 13, 2018 – “E-Cialis HelloCig E-Liquid” contained sildenafil (active in Viagra) and tadalafil (active in Cialis), and “E-Rimonabant HelloCig E-Liquid” contained sildenafil, the FDA said a lab analysis of the e-liquids confirmed. Both Cialis and Viagra are FDA-approved drugs, but they are not approved to be added to e-cigarette liquids, the FDA said. “Prescription drugs are carefully evaluated and labeled to reflect the risks of the medications and their potential interactions with other medicines, and vaping active drug ingredients is an ineffective route of delivery and can be dangerous,” FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said in…
The City of Brotherly Love is Heartbroken – Oct. 13, 2018 – Philadelphia County has the highest overdose rate of any of the 10 most populous counties in America. The city’s Department of Health estimates that 75,000 residents are addicted to heroin and other opioids, and each day, many of them commute to Kensington to buy drugs. The neighborhood is part of the largest cluster of overdose deaths in the city. In 2017, 236 people fatally overdosed there. “We have not only people from other parts of the state,” Trainor said, “we have people from other parts of the country…
Profits or Population Control? – Oct. 3, 2018 – The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) initially rejected Purdue’s patent request for extended-release oxycodone, citing the combination as “obvious.” But Purdue responded with a statistical falsehood – which the company knew was false – and the patent office made an about-face, granting the 20 year patent for OxyContin. Since then, the cozy relationship between Big Pharma and government has grown, with the pharma industry spending almost a billion dollars in ten years on lobbying federal and state governments and campaign contributions. As the Harvard study notes, “low patenting standards”…
Misguidance Counselors – Oct 11, 2018 – “The study convincingly shows that parenting—and not just genes—contributes to the development of risky callous-unemotional traits,” said Luke Hyde, U-M associate professor of psychology. “Because identical twins have the same DNA, we can be more sure that the differences in parenting the twins received affects the development of these traits.” Parents of the twins completed a 50-item questionnaire about the home environment, establishing their harshness and warmth levels. The work, published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, is the latest in a series of studies from Penn’s…
Do No Harm in PRISON mofo – Oct. 11, 2018 – Five New York doctors were charged Thursday with running illegal prescription drug mills that flooded the state with more than 8.5 million oxycodone pills. The opioid pills resulted in the deaths of several people and multiple overdoses, according to Manhattan federal prosecutors. “We are in the middle of an opioid epidemic of epic proportions,” Geoffrey Berman, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said at a news conference. “These doctors were drug dealers in white coats … They did it for a very specific reason: greed.”…
It’s a Family Affair – OPENS FRIDAY Oct. 12, 2018 – Based on the best-selling pair of memoirs from father and son David and Nic Sheff, Beautiful Boy chronicles the heartbreaking and inspiring experience of survival, relapse, and recovery in a family coping with addiction over many years. Chalamet’s charismatic, maddening Nic is spectacular, and the film’s stubbornly unresolved view of loving an addict – its perception of the experience as a grueling, endless walk beside someone – is brutal but feels honest… Full Reviews @ RottenTomatoes.com
How Impolite – Oct. 2, 2018 – In a statement emailed to Gizmodo, Juul CEO Kevin Burns said his company plans to work with the FDA and other parties to prevent underage vaping and characterized the FDA’s surprise inspection on its headquarters as a “meeting.” … “We are committed to preventing underage use, and we want to engage with FDA, lawmakers, public health advocates and others to keep JUUL out of the hands of young people. The meetings last week with FDA gave us the opportunity to provide information about our business from our marketing practices to our industry-leading online…
28 Days – Oct. 3, 2018 – Addiction doesn’t care about class, race, status or age. As some completed their programme and others arrived, new associations and possibilities emerged. Those who left for secondary or tertiary care — designed to offer gradual reintegration into society or who went home — left gaps that were soon filled with new people and new stories. In this crucible, we formed strong bonds. I believe that the imperative to be completely honest, with the support provided, is the first thing that sets you free and on the path to recovery. Holding each other accountable…
We Can All Use Some AUDIO – Oct. 6, 2018 – In spite of what you may believe, not all the news surrounding substance abuse is grim. In fact there is the good news of recovery. Millions of people are living in long term successful sobriety and Nick Antos is one of those millions. Nick joins us this week with his story of battling the disease of addiction and his now 6 years of sobriety. Content provided by Retreat at Lancaster County. Full AUDIO @ 1210WPHT.Radio.com
Faster Faster – Oct. 7, 2018 – Its authors say the findings could be a ‘public health warning’ and that junk food, lack of exercise and pollution may be fuelling the crisis. Only last year experts warned that the human species could face extinction, after it emerged that the average sperm count in Western countries had more than halved in a generation. The new findings are to be presented this week at the annual meeting of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine in Denver, Colorado. Full Story @ DailyMail.co.uk
And running for office – October 4, 2018 – Police say the reason behind this is the fact that certain berries in the area have fermented earlier than usual due to an early frost. That, plus the fact that many birds have yet to migrate south, means more birds are feeling the effects than in past years. Also, younger birds’ livers cannot handle the fermented berries as well as older birds. Police say there’s no need to call law enforcement about the birds, as they should sober up in a short period of time. Police did, however, offer up a…
News You Can Use? – OCTOBER 05, 2018 – “We are pleased by the unprecedented response to this year’s report,” said NAATP Executive Director, Marvin Ventrell. “Participants significant contribution of time and data have allowed us to produce a valuable resource that aids our members in attracting and retaining qualified, professional staff, and enhances the quality of addiction treatment services across the field.” Greater participation in the 2018 survey was due to improvements in the survey platform, a longer data collection window, and the use of both phone and email participation reminders. The next NAATP Salary Survey of Addiction Treatment…
Neighborly Shove – Oct. 4, 2108 – “It’s crazy; people are afraid. And they should be,” she said. So when details began trickling out about plans by Mount Sinai Health System to build a facility one block north on West 124th Street that would serve patients with substance-use disorders and mental illness, area residents reached their tipping point. Already this block between Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard and Lenox Avenue has homeless shelters, methadone clinics, transitional housing and services for people with mental illness and HIV/AIDS, according to residents and public records. “We are oversaturated,” said Ms. Asberry-Chresfield. “We don’t…
We Live in Sadness, America – Oct. 6, 2018 – On Saturday, friends and some family gathered at Woodley Avenue Park in Van Nuys to celebrate the joy she brought into their lives. It seemed fitting that Baker’s friends called her Giggles, because that was what she was always doing. “She would always come up with little jokes,” said Lacci Vanhorn, 32, of Lake View Terrace. “There was always light around her.” A table nearby was crammed with photographs of Baker’s smiling face, which was often shown surrounded by the just-as-bright expressions of her friends. Traci McAdams, who is a…
He Got Game – October 5, 2018 – “At 13 years old I would be drinking my father’s beer with my friends, thinking I was tougher than you,” Herren said. He said that he had originally tried some of his father’s beer because he “wanted to know what his father liked so much about it.” When his mother came home that day, Herren ran away, “she had been around the scent of beer every day for years. She could smell it a mile away and I didn’t want her to smell it on her baby boy’s breath.” By the time…
Seek Professional Help – Oct. 5, 2018 – Almost 63,000 people in England will die over the next five years from liver problems linked to heavy drinking unless ministers tackle the scourge of cheap alcohol, some doctors are warning. Senior members of the medical profession and health charities want the government to bring in minimum unit pricing of alcohol and a crackdown on drink advertising to avert what they claim is the “public health crisis” of liver disease deaths. Research from some of Britain’s leading academic experts on alcohol has found that alcohol misuse will lead to 62,905 deaths between…
Like a Champ – Oct. 5, 2018 – Aside from this, the Golden Globe-winning actress was extremely frank about her addiction to opioids, how she’s not interested in what she looks like, and the parallels between her character’s story in the Halloween movies and the women who have spoken out as part of the Me Too movement. As you can see below, her discussion about opioids and drug addiction is excellent. Full Story @ Joe.ie
It’s a musical love story – Oct. 8, 2018 – But back to the beginning. Jack (Bradley Cooper) discovers Ally (Lady Gaga) in a drag bar, where she performs live vocals that upstage the lip-synching drag queens. Her literally head-turning performance gets Jack’s attention, and it is hard not to be enchanted by this moment. But that’s followed by a goofy backstage bit where he asks about her fake eyebrows, followed by a scene in a bar where reassures her about singing her own songs. His encouragement here, and in a lovely subsequent scene in a parking lot where she…
Sink or Swim? – October 6, 2018 – Lochte made international headlines in 2016 for fabricating a story about a robbery that happened in Rio. He apologized on Instagram for that incident, but lost endorsements with companies like Ralph Lauren and Speedo. After that incident, he was suspended from the team for 10 months and was not allowed to participate in the 2017 world championship. Full Story @ CBSLocal.com
Disgraceful – Oct. 3, 2018-Madison Cross, 22, traveled from her home outside Columbus, Ohio, last Oct. 7 to check into Serenity Care Center, a state-licensed drug detoxification center in suburban Phoenix. Her family said she wanted to kick her addiction to opioids and other drugs for her 2-year-old daughter. Once at the center, she showed escalating signs of distress. She had trouble breathing. Her pulse raced. She was wheezing, and her lungs sounded “crackly,” staff members told investigators. Full Story @ USAToday.com
Remember to Remember – October 5, 2018 – Miller tells Addiction Professional, a sister brand of Psych Congress Network, that among the many potential triggers to relapse to drug use, memories associated with use are particularly potent. “The brain is really good at maintaining salient memories,” she says. Efforts of her research team, therefore, have sought to identify ways to disrupt those memories while leaving other brain processes intact, thus not interfering with other memories. Five years ago, Miller and her colleagues discovered a unique aspect of memory storage as it applies to methamphetamine and amphetamine. The protein actin, which…
Getting Off! – October 5, 2018 – But about a year ago, Daryl had an experience that made him realize he might be able to stay away from heroin and opioids. For several days, he says, he couldn’t find drugs. He spent that time in withdrawal. “It hurts all over. You puke, you get diarrhea,” Daryl says. His friend offered him part of a strip of Suboxone, a brand-name version of the addiction medication buprenorphine that is combined with naloxone. Buprenorphineis a long-acting opioid that is generally used to treat opioid addiction. It reduces cravings for the stronger opioids he…
Smoke Gets in Your IQs – Oct. 6, 2018 – The study found some of marijuana’s negative effects were short-term, while others were lasting. A particularly troubling finding: Young cannabis users may cause long-term damage to a brain function associated with substance abuse. When studying response inhibition — that’s an individual’s ability to change their actions to help meet a goal — researchers found that teens using marijuana caused long-term damage to their brains. Conrod said that finding may help explain a previously “perplexing” phenomenon: Young cannabis users have been shown to be at a greater risk for addiction later…
The Music will never die – Oct. 5, 2108 – Petty, then 66, slipped during a rehearsal and cracked his hip just as the Heartbreakers’ tour was getting under way last spring. He went out anyway. “He was very stubborn,” Dana said. “His feeling was, ‘I can’t do that to my crew. I can’t do that to the fans. I can’t do that to my band.’” On one level, the takeaway from Petty’s death is painfully simple. “The most important thing is taking care of your health,” said Elliot Roberts, Neil Young’s longtime manager who also once was part of…
Teacher Snorts, Students Report – October 2, 2018 – The young children then allegedly saw her make a line with a substance, which she snorted before slumping over her desk, according to officials. The students also said “it appeared that it was hard for her to stay awake,” according to the police report. Officers investigating the case found a white residue on Rednour’s desk and a tampon applicator in her bra that “resembled a very small, cut straw,”… Full Story @ NYPost.com
It’s Simple – Sept. 26, 2018 – With 72,000 overdose deaths in 2017, including nearly 50,000 involving opioids, members of Congress are eager to wield the bill as a substantive policy achievement amid the drama surrounding the fates of Judge Brett Kavanaugh, President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, and Rod Rosenstein, his deputy attorney general. Both chambers still need to vote on the compromise bill. The House could vote as soon as Wednesday night, before its members adjourn to hit the campaign trail, and the Senate could take it up next week. Full Story @ NYTimes.com
Lock Them Up – SEPTEMBER 26, 2018 – A task force crackdown on insurance fraud in the sober living home industry resulted in criminal charges against five doctors, two executives and four others accused in a scheme to recruit patients for risky opioid-blocking surgery, Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas announced Wednesday. The physicians charged in the case are: — Dr. David Michael Scarpino, 53, of Huntington Beach, who faces one count of conspiring in aiding and abetting the unauthorized practice of medicine and 19 counts of insurance fraud, with sentencing enhancement allegations of aggravated white collar crime exceeding $100,000……