A + for Advocacy – Sept. 12, 2018 – Last year, more than 70,000 people died from drug overdoses, mostly from opioids, including prescription painkillers such as OxyContin, Vicodin, and Fentanyl. Drug overdoses have become the number one cause of death for Americans under age 50. Many more people are struggling with addiction and recovery. One of those is former White House staffer Ryan Hampton. He spent 10 years as an addict. He’s now in long-term recovery. Full Story @ KCRW.com
Author: Leonard Buschel
MEDIA: New Book – SEPTEMBER 15, 2018 -Lisa McCubbin is the author of new book: “Betty Ford: First Lady, Women’s Advocate, Survivor, Trailblazer.” Full Story @ WGNTV.com
Human Greed – System Failure – Sept. 14, 2018 – The latest scandal marks an especially sad failure to meet those ideals. In statements to industry analysts and the American Association for Cancer Research, Dr. Baselga praised two drug trials that many of his peers considered failures, without mentioning that the trials’ sponsor, Roche, had paid him millions of dollars. He also withheld his financial conflicts from dozens of publications, including at least one journal that he edited. Those conflicts touched his own institution directly, in that several of the companies he advises have business with Memorial Sloan Kettering. Both…
AND STILL DOES – Sept. 13, 2018 – Lisa McCubbin’s biography, “Betty Ford: First Lady, Women’s Advocate, Survivor, Trailblazer,” is also celebratory. But it begins on a painful note: the Ford family’s confrontation with “Mother” over her dependence on painkillers and alcohol, and her need for treatment. Though the shadow of those addictions hovers over this book, what we read here is mostly a much lighter tale of a happy family thrust unexpectedly into the glare of the presidency. Only once do we get a sense of how scary Ford’s episodes could be. When she announced that she was leaving…
Super Size Me Some More – Sept. 13, 2018 – Six states in particular—Iowa, Ohio, Oklahoma, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and South Carolina—had their adult obesity rate increase from 2016 to 2017. Seven states—Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and West Virginia—had an adult obesity rate over 35 percent, while 22 states had a rate hovering between 30 and 35 percent. West Virginia had the highest obesity rate among adults, at 38.1 percent. Only two states, Hawaii and Colorado, had an adult obesity rate lower than 25 percent of adults. Full Story @ Gizmodo.com
One pirouette at a time – 2018 – Which brings me to self-care. Like any other hard job working nights, rest, hydrating, eating well, getting a massage and relaxing are very important things to inject into my recovery. When I worked late nights, I attended noon meetings or early evening meetings to keep my seat and stay connected to the rooms of AA. It’s a challenge to keep a strong self-care routine and take time off when needed. Most strip clubs don’t adhere to any schedule so it’s easy to fall into bad habits and work too many nights in…
It’s Complicated – Sept. 6, 2018 – Or is the peaceful southwest Oakland County town a perfect setting for once-troubled individuals trying to escape the clutches of a nationwide drug-addiction epidemic? It depends who you ask. The husband-and-wife team of Rhett and Elizabeth Reader, both recovering addicts, owners of Milford Counseling and operators of four of their hometown’s sober-living homes, insist a handful of over-zealous residents are trying to stir up a tsunami of negativity toward the recovery homes (and their occupants) using stigmas and false claims to fuel their crusade. Full Story @ HometownLife.com
Can’t leave home without it? – Sept. 5, 2018 – The researchers found that, regardless of age, culture or gender, “mobile devices loaded with social media, email and news apps, were creating a constant sense of obligation, generating unintended personal stress.” The results showed that this stress was both a result of the addictive nature of the devices, and the apps they carry, as well as the external and social obligation of being perpetually contactable and expected to respond. While planned disconnections from devices were beneficial to mitigating this stress, the study found that when this occurred outside of a…
She Got Game – September 6, 2018 – Wendy Williams didn’t seek treatment for her substance abuse issues because of an intervention — she got help because she was a public figure who would’ve made the news. “I never got busted by the cops. Honestly, I was high-careening around Manhattan and New Jersey high. I come from a two-parent household … I come from a good family and I had never shamed them, and plus I earned my career,” Williams told Page Six over the phone on Thursday. “Look, I was very popular at the time I decided to stop. If…
L.A. Sobriety Rocks – SEPTEMBER 06, 2018 – The Rock to Recovery ICON and Service Awards are given each year to public figures known far and wide, who use their power to influence great masses of people. The awards specifically honor those who have battled addiction to overcome in an industry full of challenges. In doing so, and by sharing their experience while accepting the award, they also give great hope to others. Tommy Vext is being honored with the Service Award for his outstanding influence and dedication in helping others in addiction treatment. Vext’s band, Bad Wolves, has most recently…
Time to Come Clean – SEPT. 6, 2018 – Recovering alcoholic Kev Baddeley recently marked 16 months sober – after turning his life around and kicking his habit. Kev, of Stoke, found himself drinking 12 to 18 cans a day, and regularly slipped alcohol in his work bag before leaving for his job as a cleaner in the morning. But after a stint in rehab the 35-year-old found himself at a crossroads, where he felt he could have either turned back to alcohol or find the help he needed to finally kick the habit once and for all. Kev decided…
Staying In Focus – September 7, 2018 – Ever wonder why some people seem to feel less pain than others? A study conducted at Wake Forest School of Medicine may have found one of the answers—mindfulness. “Mindfulness is related to being aware of the present moment without too much emotional reaction or judgment,” said the study’s lead author, Fadel Zeidan, Ph.D., assistant professor of neurobiology and anatomy at the medical school, part of Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. “We now know that some people are more mindful than others, and those people seemingly feel less pain.” The researchers analyzed data…
Opinion – Sept. 4, 2018 – In 2014, one of my heroin dealers supplied drugs to someone who would later overdose and die. I wasn’t involved and only heard about it second-hand, but he would be sentenced to five years in federal prison for providing drugs that resulted in a death. “Drug-induced homicide” is a criminal offense where the sale, distribution, or delivery of a controlled substance that causes death. This federal law allows those who supply the lethal dose, directly or indirectly, to be charged with manslaughter or murder. This federal law was passed in 1986 as part of…
Bring on the balloons – Sept. 6, 2018 – Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee, the largest health insurer in the state, will not cover the addictive OxyContin painkiller next year and instead will cover two alternative pills that are more expensive but deemed less likely to be abused, the Tennessean reports. Why it matters: The insurer’s decision is a direct response to the state and national opioid epidemic. Most people who misuse painkillers get the drugs through family or friends, not through their own prescriptions, according to federal data. Full Story @ Axios.com
Such a Loss – September 07, 2018 – Miller was found at his home in San Fernando Valley, California, around noon on Friday and was pronounced dead at the scene, the outlet reported. The Los Angeles Corner’s Office, as well as a rep for Miller, did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment. Months earlier, on May 14 Miller was arrested for drunk driving. Early that morning, the rapper was arrested for DUI and hit and run after he struck a power pole in the San Fernando Valley with his Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon and fled the scene; after law enforcement officers…
Loving Drugs is Not a Crime – Sept. 10, 2018 – Most people who use drugs don’t have a drug problem. Rather, they have a fear of prosecution problem. When possession of drugs is a crime, it creates giant barriers to harm reduction and treatment. First and foremost, it means drugs will be supplied by criminals, and the supply will be unregulated, potentially unsafe and over-priced. This, in turn, means more overdoses, more deaths and more hospitalizations. It also means more crime because those who are addicted and constantly chasing a high will take whatever means they have to get their…
Awkward Al-anon – Sept. 4, 2018 – I’m a recovering alcoholic, and got sober with the help of my family at a time when it threatened my life. It’s been nearly nine years. My sobriety birthday is coming up. I have an Alcoholics Anonymous home group. I have a lot of friends in the group, and I’m looking forward to my birthday meeting. I really want her to come with me, but she refuses. She doesn’t think she’ll be comfortable. The fact that she won’t spend an hour on something this important to me has me wondering what other land…
Most Corrupt Doctor Ever? – Sept. 8, 2018 – The researcher, Dr. José Baselga, a towering figure in the cancer world, is the chief medical officer at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. He has held board memberships or advisory roles with Roche and Bristol-Myers Squibb, among other corporations, has had a stake in start-ups testing cancer therapies, and played a key role in the development of breakthrough drugs that have revolutionized treatments for breast cancer. According to an analysis by The New York Times and ProPublica, Dr. Baselga did not follow financial disclosure rules set by the…
Public Heartbreak – September 7, 2018 – Angela Kennecke, an investigative reporter for CBS affiliate KELO, chose to share her story about daughter Emily Groth in hopes of raising awareness about the opioid crisis. “Because if just one person hears me, if just one person does one thing to save a life, then I don’t care about a million naysayers or people who don’t understand,” Kennecke said in a special segment that aired on the network Wednesday. “I just care about that one mother that I can stop from experiencing the pain that I have.” In the weeks leading up…
Making Progress – Sep 5, 2018 – Listening to the governor and First Lady were those who have battled addiction, and have found recovery. Some just for days, others years. But news from the governor that a new survey of North Dakotans is revealing startling numbers that will now be used for action. “60 percent of North Dakotans have been impacted by addiction,” North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum said. “The other core reasons for the survey was to understand stigma, do people think this is a brain disease or moral failing. 63 percent of North Dakotans believe addiction is a…
Dramatic Alcoholism – SEP 04, 2018 – Netflix dropped the trailer for Season 5 of BoJack Horseman this morning, teasing the series’ return on September 14. Starring Will Arnett, the Netflix original premiered in 2014, and follows a former TV star’s struggle with addiction and mental illness in a bleak but moving dark comedy about life after fame has passed. Season 4 of the show gave BoJack fans a rare and wonderful catharsis by providing not only a celebration of resilience, but also an uncharacteristically optimistic final note. BoJack sent his half-sister Hollyhock to connect with her estranged mother, and as…
Searching for a Better Life – September 10, 2018 – “I tried to overdose about a week ago,” he says. “And I just woke up like five hours later and the needle was in my arm, and I just woke up and was like, ‘well, didn’t die, so … Now what?’ … “It’s taken about three years for Dextraze to get to this point. He started using prescription painkillers recreationally, then switched to heroin because it was less expensive and easier to get. He lost his car, his job. He left his wife, his three kids. At 36 years old…
Keep Coming Back – September 3, 2018 – According to Brown, one of the hardest parts about dealing with addiction and sobriety when you’re a celebrity or public figure is being in the spotlight and having your every action analyzed by the public. “Unfortunately, having more eyes on you, in the beginning, does not serve or help us,” Brown, 37, explained. “So I would recommend to Demi what she’s doing currently — because we haven’t heard from her — is to stay out of the public eye.” Brown said she should also “allow herself to get into a space where…
Devil Incarnate – Sept. 7, 2018 – Richard Sackler is part of the family that owns Purdue Pharma, the company that is widely blamed for helping cause the opioid epidemic through its marketing of the opioid painkiller OxyContin. But now Sackler, who was previously the president of Purdue, is poised to profit from one of the solutions to the crisis. According to the Financial Times and STAT, Sackler is listed as one of six inventors on the patent for a new formulation of buprenorphine, a highly effective medication for treating opioid addiction. Buprenorphine is already available as a pill and…
True Story – September 10, 2018 – “What a miracle it is that we’re sitting here.” Those are the words of Nic Sheff, one of the subjects of Beautiful Boy, the devastating drama that premiered Friday night at the Toronto International Film Festival. Nic was an excellent student and seemingly model son when he gradually became addicted to drugs—all kinds, but most especially crystal meth—while in his teens. Felix van Groeningen’s film is based on the dual memoirs of that period by Nic and his desperate father David, both of whom were present at a post-screening Q&A, along with the…
Movies Can Enhance Your Life – Sept. 10, 2018 – Prerelease hype often consumes a movie before it’s even out in theaters. Trailer speculation, plot rumors, and awards-season predictions all help fuel the film-journalism industry. But even by that yardstick, the groundswell of interest in A Star Is Born, a rock musical starring Lady Gaga that’s also Bradley Cooper’s debut as a writer and director, has been fascinating to behold. It’s rare that Hollywood churns out an “event” picture that isn’t about superheroes or Star Wars these days—it’s rarer still for such a movie to be a heavy, R-rated drama about…
R.I.P. Christopher Kennedy Lawford – Sept. 5, 2018 – In fact, Lawford, who died Tuesday at age 63, was not the only member of the famed political family to battle addiction. David Kennedy, the son of Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Skakel and a cousin to whom Lawford was closest, died of a drug overdose in a Palm Beach, Florida, hotel room in 1984. “David and I were just best buddies. It’s really hard when you lose someone you care about,” Lawford told PEOPLE in 1991 about David, who had been in and out of drug treatment programs multiple times.David’s…
Christopher Kennedy Lawford (1955-2018) – “Christopher Lawford, an actor, author and member of the Kennedy clan who wrote a memoir about his years of drug addiction and subsequent recovery and later promoted efforts to help people attain sobriety, died Sept. 4 in Vancouver. He was 63. The cause was a heart attack, a cousin, former congressman Patrick J. Kennedy (D-R.I.), told the Associated Press. Mr. Lawford’s parents were Peter Lawford and Patricia Kennedy Lawford, who was the sister of President John F. Kennedy, Sen. Robert F. Kennedy (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.).” Obituaries, despite the personal details, read sadly…
Sharing With And From the Heart – AUGUST 28, 2018 – Recovery Coaches and Peer Advocates are not clinically based or driven. The designed to bridge the gap between clinical treatment and long-term recovery. They’re training is based on these ideals: Meet people where they’re at; there are multiple pathways to recovery; you are in recovery when you say you are; focus on the coachee’s recovery potential, not their pathology, to elevate recovery outcomes. Full Story @ LongIslandPress.com
Children are Dying – August 31, 2018 – The display was organized by Chris Mechem who runs one of the Phoenix Sober Living houses in the Treasure Valley. “These are deaths that are preventable and unless people understand that they can do something to stop that, there is no hope of recovery from them tomorrow,” said Mechem. Two mothers who lost their kids were on hand to share their story and both pointed towards needing more resources to fight this epidemic. Full Story @ KIVITV.com