Paint it Pink – Sept. 28, 2018 – Brunning was born in Saskatchewan in the early 1980’s and moved to Edmonton to join the skateboard and hip-hop scene. Brunning’s past looked more like the life of a rock star then a struggling artist filling his time with parties, alcohol and drugs. “When I was high, it was insane … I was just different,” recounts Brunning. “It was just nights in here [his art studio], you know. Alcohol and drugs and cigarettes; loud music, four in the morning, seven in the morning, crazy paintings and prepping for shows and doing all…
Author: Leonard Buschel
She’s Gotta Have It – September 28, 2018 – “My experience with cocaine, that wasn’t something I felt public with where people want to party. It didn’t do none of that for me. It was more of a mental thing. I had a different reaction than most people. I wanted to be alone. It was a personal drug. I wanted to write, play Sudoku, it put me in my head.” According to Nivea, addiction was in her blood thanks to both of her parents. “I come from an addicted family, both of my parents were on crack. My mom got…
Celebrity Sobriety – 09/28/18 – Sheen, who was being awarded with LA Chefs’ Human Rights Hero Award for his work with the homeless in Los Angeles, said that he was proud of his son’s efforts to follow a healthier path and admit to his past indiscretions. “I think all of us are striving to lead honest lives,” said Sheen. “That’s a requirement of every human being.” Sheen, who also battled alcoholism, said that helping others can be beneficial to healing oneself. “The best way to heal is to help healing someone else, and it takes one to know one, so…
Fly Trans-Love Airline – SEPTEMBER 28, 2018 – To be clear: LAX is not saying you can fly pot back to your state where it’s illegal to possess. But if you’re flying from Los Angeles to Colorado (or another state where recreational marijuana possession is legal), you might be okay … If you’re planning on traveling with marijuana, get to the airport early as the process to get through security may not be seamless. There’s a tricky loophole those in possession of marijuana should be aware of. Carrying marijuana is still a federal crime, and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents…
AUDIO Interview – Sept. 29, 2018 – When does drinking become ‘a drinking problem’? Rev. Bill Crews talks with recovering alcoholic Ross Fitzgerald about beating alcoholism. Ross Fitzgerald is the author of: “My Name Is Ross – An Alcoholics Journey” Download this podcast HERE Full Audio @ 2GB.com
Self Knowledge is Important – Sept. 30, 2018 – Paramedics were called to the scene and the passenger, a 36-year-old Chicago man, was taken to the hospital for suspected alcohol poisoning. He was diagnosed with an alcohol overdose at MacNeal Hospital. Austin eventually woke up and was mumbling incoherently, swaying on his feet and had bloodshot eyes. The officer conducted a roadside sobriety test, which Austin failed. Full Story @ DailyMail.co.uk
The Disease did it, not the man? – September 29, 2018 – Alcoholism is a disease. It is a dangerous physical addiction that often results from individuals trying to cope with equally mental health problems, such as depression or anxiety. People suffering from mental health conditions often turn to alcohol or other drugs as a way of self-medicating. Tragically, using any substance to try to subdue a mental illness can backfire: In some cases, individuals may be more susceptible to developing an addiction based on family history or other unrelated health issues. It’s impossible to say who may become addicted,…
Walking the Walk – Sept. 29, 2018 – “My brother, he was the toughest guy I know, and I saw him in tears trying to get better and trying to fight this every day and it’s a struggle,” said Grieb, of South Carolina. “It’s like trying to pick up a million pieces of glass that have broken and you’re trying to put it together and it’s overwhelming.” Jessica and Mike cover about 15 to 20 miles a day on their journey. Full Story @ Connecticut.News12.com
Food for Thought – Sept 30, 2018 – I’m drawn to their intentionality because I like to set goals for myself. I give myself personal challenges, many too minor to discuss. Here are three larger ones, goals you might share: · Fitness – I surround myself with better athletes than I am so I’m always running with the swift. I find a guy in my workout group who dusts me in runs, and try to gain ground on him over time. It’s even better when he knows he’s my mark. Then we both push harder. · Diet – I try…
180 Days and Feeling it – Sept. 2018 – John cried during the final tonight as he spoke about his demons before going on to win the title. Through tears, the actor opened up about how he spiralled into addiction after his mum lost her battle with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Jon explained: “Mum had Alzheimer’s, it was rough. It had a profound effect on me. “I will carry that with me my entire life. Mum passed away and I completely broke down. Full Story @ TheSun.co.uk
Clergy to the Rescue – Sept. 29, 2018 – He turned to ministry after recovering from his own addiction and now is bringing pastors, students, parishioners and other faith leaders from across the country together to learn how to address addiction in their own communities. “I heard Amy Klobuchar speak and I heard Sheriff Rich Stanek speak,” he said when asked how he got the idea to bring more than 200 faith leaders together. “They said, ‘Here’s the problem, it’s getting worse, everything we’re doing is making it worse but we need everyone to step up and do something.’ And…
Pusher Woman – Sept. 26, 2018 – But in a new story by Corky Siemaszko at NBC News, Hoover argued she did nothing wrong. “I prescribed narcotics to people in pain. I did everything I could to help people have a better life, which I told the FBI,” Hoover said. “Every prescription I wrote was justified for the person who had gotten it.” That contradicts court records and what others closely involved with Hoover’s clinic told NBC News. According to them, the clinic was basically a for-profit pill mill — charging $450 in cash for first-time appointments, and the doctors…
Money Makes the Courts Go Round – Sept. 28, 2018 – Lawmakers curbed on how much ephedrine a customer can buy in bulk and required signatures and identification in an effort to battle meth addiction, but lawsuits failed – with good reason, Coleman argued at a hearing Friday. “The proximate causation argument is the same,” Coleman said. “Basically it’s a misuse of the drug.” But Davis was skeptical. She noted ephedrine makers weren’t accused of deceit about their product or marketing it to meth addicts. Purdue is. “You’re talking about people going out and buying a product and using it…
Keeping Them Together – September 25, 2018 – Affleck has also been receiving visits from his rumored girlfriend, 22-year-old Playboy model Shauna Sexton, but a source recently told ET that his relationship with Sexton has those closest to him worried. “He has been told to hold off on a relationship … but isn’t heeding that advice,” the source said. “His closest friends hoped he was just dating her and would break it off after going to rehab, but he seems to get closer to her every day. The more time Ben seems to spend with Shauna, the more he seems…
Remorseless Murderer – Sept. 30, 2018 – In the annals of 60 Minutes, we have rarely come across a doctor like Florida physician Barry Schultz. Prosecutors say he wantonly prescribed and sold massive quantities of highly addictive opioids. In July, Schultz was sentenced to 157 years for his role in fueling the most devastating public health crisis of the 21 century. Last year more Americans died of drug overdoses than in the entire Vietnam War. While Schultz ended up in jail, Mallinckrodt, the pharmaceutical company that flooded Florida with hundreds of millions of oxycodone pills, paid a relatively small penalty.…
Narcan in the Lunchroom? – Sept. 21, 2018 – The first time he overdosed on the job, in 2013 at a Virginia construction site, a co-worker who is his cousin stealthily injected a dose of Narcan, an opioid antidote, into Mr. Sullivan’s leg. He woke up and went straight back to work. The second time, in 2014, his cousin revived him again, and after resting for an hour in his car, Mr. Sullivan was back on the job. His boss told him not to let it happen again. But within a month, Mr. Sullivan had again overdosed on the job…
Saving him a seat … on the bench … a park bench – Sept. 28, 2018 – But when it came to alcohol consumption, his answers became vague and his frustration showed. In some instances, when faced with questions related to drinking too much, many noticed that Kavanaugh appeared “defensive” and “evasive,” not providing direct answers or throwing questions back at the senators who asked them. Full Story @ WashingtonPost.com
Worth a Try – Sept. 19, 2018 – A University of Maryland medical research institute has been tapped to test a promising opioid addiction treatment that aims to curb the cravings that are often responsible for relapses but not controlled well by other common therapies. The Institute of Human Virology, a center in the school of medicine that normally focuses on infectious diseases, plans to announce today that it has won a $12 million federal grant to investigate the therapy over the next five or six years. The institute will test the drug for Amygdala Neurosciences Inc., a California-based biopharmaceutical…
Shinning a Light – September 18th 2018 – If ever there was a lost cause, it was Tonier Cain. The 52-year-old native of Annapolis, MD was a crack addict for 19 years. She was living on the streets when she wasn’t in jail. And with 83 arrests and 66 convictions, she was in jail a lot. She recalls her lowest point came in 1989, when she was seven months pregnant. She was a prostitute, and was having sex with a man when her water broke. The baby was on the way. The man paid her $10, and Tonier went on…
Sovereign Health Still in the News – Sept. 24, 2018 – A Palm Desert rehab center is accused of the unthinkable by a former patient. He claims his house manager forced him into sexual acts in exchange for drugs at a time when he was going through severe heroin withdrawals. Now … FOX 11 is tracking that… Full Story @ FoxLA.com
Good News, Bad News – Sept. 20 2018 – According to the Surgeon General’s 2016 report on addiction, 90 percent of people never get medical care of any kind for their substance problem. Bringing that number down by three percent is not a success. Azar wrote an op-ed on Wednesday claiming that “dedicated efforts from the federal government on down to local governments, faith communities, families, and individuals are working. Since President Trump took office, we have seen a 264 percent increase in the prescribing of [overdose antidote] naloxone, and a 16 percent increase in the prescribing of one form…
Can Pink Clouds Last Forever? – SEPTEMBER 22, 2018 – Ant responded to the sweet photo by retweeting and repling with: “Thanks pal. Really appreciate it. Lovely seeing you too. It really was long overdue. #weloveagoodlunch Hope you’re using your Jcrew tote bag! A” The photo was shared just after Holly Willoughby revealed what Ant’s response was to her replacing him as a presenter on I’m A Celebrity. The mum-of-three told the Daily Mail’s Weekend magazine: “He was part of the discussion from the off. He’s happy that I’m looking after it until he gets back. It does help that we…
And the solution is…? – September 22, 2018 – Bruce Boardman, the organization’s CEO shared, “Social Model Healing Systems, devoted to helping those with alcohol and drug problems, looks at this effort as one way to raise awareness about opioid addiction and overdose deaths plaguing communities throughout the United States.” The Main Goal is to unify leading addiction-medicine specialists and doctors; parent and public advocates; stakeholders who understand the dangers and losses associated with Opioid Usage Condition; distressed families who are, or and have actually been, afflicted by addiction. County and public health specialists; police personnel; worried legislators and policymakers;…
Prison and Beyond… – Sep. 23, 2018 – ‘On the path to destroying my own life’ Crystal methamphetamine had been Ramos’ crutch. But like many experiencing homelessness, Ramos mixed vices in between bouts in jail. He was charged and convicted at least three times in recent years, mostly on drug and theft violations, according to court records. That’s on top of a drug-related prison term and a dozen other run-ins with police. Ramos said he thought of jail as a joke, never something to be taken seriously. Then came the six-month Mosaic sentence in October. That, he said, changed his…
There Might Be a Pill For That – Sept. 12, 2018 – Hospitals That Offer Buprenorphine Buprenorphine initiation and other addiction services are offered in: Baltimore at Bon Secours Hospital, Mercy Hospital, MedStar Harbor Hospital, MedStar Union Memorial, MedStar Good Samaritan, University of Maryland Medical System, University of Maryland Medical Center Midtown, Johns Hopkins Bayview and St. Agnes Hospital Baltimore County at MedStar Franklin Square and Greater Baltimore Medical Center Boston at Massachusetts General Hospital Brunswick, ME, at Mid Coast Hospital Camden, NJ, at Cooper University Health Care Charleston, SC, at the Medical University of South Carolina University Hospital and…
And what would make that stop? – Sept. 23, 2018 – Those on the front lines say that despite an increase in the number of addicts getting treatment, the death toll is rising because fentanyl is being mixed not only with heroin but also with a variety of other illegal drugs. According to a recent state report on drug trends, “drug cartels have flooded Ohio” with fentanyl, making it widely available statewide. Demand continues to increase because users say the highly potent drug produces a superior high. At the same time, many users don’t realize that they’ve taken fentanyl because…
The Grim Reality – Sept. 24, 2018 – Though he knows few details about his donor, he was told the 21-year-old man died of an opioid overdose. And it weighs on him. “It’s kind of a quagmire, to be honest with you,” he says. “I can’t imagine a family losing a child in that way.” While the number of opioid overdose deaths nationwide has doubled since 2008, the number of those victims who have become organ donors has quadrupled. Partially as a result of the newly available organs from overdose deaths, the list of people waiting for transplants — nearly…
Preventable Deaths – Sept. 24, 2018 – The report says types of cancer linked to smoking include acute myeloid leukaemia, lung, bladder, bowel, cervical, pancreatic and stomach. Cancers linked to being overweight or obese include bowel, gall bladder, kidney, liver, breast, ovarian and thyroid. Professor Linda Bauld, Cancer Research UK’s prevention expert, said the government must build on the lessons of smoking prevention to reduce the number of weight-related cancers. She said those who were overweight in childhood were five times more likely to be carrying excess weight as an adult. Full Story @ BBC.com
On the Beam – Sept. 16, 2018 – A decade into his journey with sobriety, Steve-O is living his best healthy, active life. The Jackass star competed in the celebrity division of the 32nd annual Nautica Malibu Triathlon in Los Angeles, California, this weekend to raise money for childhood cancer research. Stars raced to finish a half-mile swim, bike 17-miles, and finish out a four-mile run along the beach. Steve-O commemorated his first triathlon with a selfie and celebratory tweet announcing that he placed tenth in the division. Full Story @ MensHealth.com
We’ll take any help we can get – Sept. 23, 2018 – There is the daughter he lost more than a decade ago in a crash involving drugs and a stolen SUV. And recently, there were the deals he said he made with God as he faced the possibility he might lose his wife and longtime partner to cancer. Chapman, 65, said it isn’t enough to assure the captivity of fleeing felons. “You got to go a step farther … I hate to just put them in jail and leave them anymore. I got to know: Did they make it?…