Creative Recovery – May 18, 2018 – BJ Barham is headed into a new era of American Aquarium with his latest album, Things Change. And the track “One Day At A Time,” premiering exclusively below, is drawn from a fresh chapter in his own life that began nearly five years ago. “That song is about my sobriety,” says Barham, who gave up drinking after a shot of Cold Turkey on Aug. 31, 2013 and, going cold turkey, became officially sober a year later. “’One Day At A Time’ is kind of my self-analyzation – ‘OK, I had a drinking problem.…
Author: Leonard Buschel
Experienced Point of View – May 14, 2018 – Prescribing methadone does nothing to address addiction. To replace one highly addictive substance with another (heroin addicts often end up taking both in tandem) does not decrease dependency. And the criminalisation of drug use has not proven a successful deterrent. I know from experience that the need for the relief offered by drugs far outweighs the fear of the legal or health consequences. I was fully aware of the threat of prison, the potential for overdose and the dangers of sharing needles, but none proved even the slightest deterrent. It was…
Struggle with Alcoholism – May 19, 2018 – Carter has been open about her struggle with alcoholism and checked into rehab several times during her 40s and early 50s. “Alcoholism is an abyss,” Lynda told the Express. “You are terrified of the addiction. You just can’t stop. The disease has taken over, and it is not a matter of having willpower. It happened over a period of time. It’s not like methamphetamine or heroin, where you get hooked and that’s it..” … Lynda Carter, the original Wonder Woman, is an ageless beauty at 66. Lynda Carter, who starred on the…
Block by Block – May 17, 2018 – San Francisco’s mayor wants to create a special medical team — the first of its kind in the nation — to spread out onto the city’s streets and give homeless people a drug that one expert calls “blindingly effective” at abruptly stopping heroin cravings. Mayor Mark Farrell is set to announce Thursday that he is including $6 million in his current budget proposal to fund the 10-person team over the next two years, with the aim of prescribing the medication buprenorphine to at least 250 street addicts. Buprenorphine, widely available only in…
Step, Ropes and Belay – May 17, 2018 – Robin Agricola lives in Massachusetts but spends nearly every weekend scaling the craggy cliffs found in central New Hampshire. Her life today is a far cry from what it was five years ago, when heroin addiction was ruling over her. “I was one of those addicts that looked like I had it all together from the outside, but but inside my life was crumbling,” she said. She found a 12-step program that helped her to get sober, it was climbing, she said, that has helped her stay sober. Agricola isn’t alone.…
Made In China – May 15, 2018 – “The moment people find out that these products largely come from China and India, they want to know why they’re not cheaper,” he told me. “The industry’s motivation in hiding this is to maintain very high prices.” On Friday, President Trump outlined steps he said would result in lower drug prices. “Under this administration,” Trump declared, “we are putting American patients first.” In fact, the measures he presented were so half-hearted that the stocks of major drug companies immediately went higher. Peter Magnusson, an associate professor of international business at the University…
Looking Good – May 17, 2018 – Some special makeovers happened at Douglas J Aveda Institute in Grand Rapids Thursday, helping women who are battling addiction. The women changed their lives over the past few months or years and now they’re changing their look. Nancy Akahi and Charlena Taylor are two of the five women taking part in the event, receiving a facial cleansing, massage, and a new hair-do, a welcome relief after a lifetime of struggle. “I am so excited,” said Akahi. “Totally grateful too.” … “This day is a blessing, it’s been a long time,” said Taylor. “I…
Fox in the Hen House – May 17, 2018 – The National Institutes of Health has ordered a halt to a $100 million, 10-year study of moderate drinking that’s being funded in large part by the alcoholic-beverage industry. Thursday morning’s announcement by NIH Director Francis Collins reflects the seriousness of allegations that surfaced in news reports in recent months, including a story in March in the New York Times that described two scientists and a federal health official pitching the idea for the study to liquor company executives at a 2014 gathering in Palm Beach, Fla. The alcohol industry agreed…
NYT OPINION – May 19, 2018 – Around the same time, I was helping my 22-year-old daughter, who struggled with alcohol and drug addiction. The contrast between the two experiences was stark. While my stepbrother received a doctor’s diagnosis, underwent a clearly defined treatment protocol and had his expenses covered by insurance, there was no road map for my daughter. She had gone undiagnosed for several years, despite my reaching out to her health care providers, who either minimized my concerns or weren’t sure what to do. I had to hire an expensive interventionist — a professional who helps families…
It Gets Shorter? – May 14, 2018 – Sex can be an incredibly vulnerable experience. For people who struggle with alcoholism, the desire to dull some of the more uncomfortable feelings associated with sex – like fear, anxiety and insecurity – can be even greater. But once you get sober and stop using alcohol as a crutch, you’re forced to feel everything a bit more deeply and clearly – the good feelings and the bad. “Sex has become a much more conscious process [since I got sober],” Seamus Kirst, author of Shitfaced: Musings of a Former Drunk, told HuffPost. “Before,…
Legally Clean – May 18, 2018 – This week Legal Speak focuses on substance abuse and mental health problems plaguing the legal profession. We know from a 2016 breakthrough study that lawyers suffer from alcoholism, depression and anxiety at rates higher than in other professions. In our latest episode you’ll hear from Steven Wall, managing partner at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, about his battle with alcoholism, the problems unique to the profession driving the high rates, and the help available for lawyers. Wall speaks with Law.com columnist Patrick Krill, founder of Krill Strategies, which works with law firms to address…
Sober Chameleon Karma – May 17, 2018 – Reflecting on his sobriety, Boy George said: ‘Obviously when you’re in it, it’s only when you get quality clean time, as you know, you go “oh wow, how did I do that? How the f**k did I do ten years?.” The Culture Club star added: ‘But I would say everything good in my life is because I’m clean and I’m able to really enjoy what I do in a way I couldn’t before.’ Ash told Boy George that he’s looked up to him for years … I’m a recovering addict. I’m three…
Progress Not Perfection – May 19, 2018 – Don’t call Delray Beach the drug relapse capital anymore. The city, once declared Ground Zero for the opioid epidemic, accounted for just four of Palm Beach County’s 168 drug deaths in the first quarter of 2018. And that success is prompting Fort Lauderdale and Pompano Beach to follow its example of imposing tougher sober home regulations. Sober homes, also known as recovery residences, are often the first stop for drug addicts fresh out of treatment. Cities have found that having a high concentration of them in one area leads to havoc. Angry…
Brothers in Recovery – May 18, 2018 – Royce da 5’9” and Eminem have a bond that’s deeper than rap. The Detroit rapper reveals this on “Stay Woke” off his new album Book of Ryan. “Thanks to Marshall I’m sober, doin’ what I enjoy doin’,” he raps on the track. During a recent visit to Rap-Up HQ, Royce opened up about Em’s instrumental role in his sobriety. “Before I even decided to stop drinking,” explains Ryan. “He was like, ‘If you ever feel like you got a problem, you know you can call me, right?’ I was like, ‘What kinda…
“you need to get into a safe environment” – May 18, 2018 – One of the largest addiction treatment companies in the country is on the hook for millions of dollars after a jury found it partly liable for the death of a California man. “Shaun Reyna is a good man,” said attorney Jude Basile. In an interview with 10News, Basile said Reyna was losing his eyesight after 20 years working in a factory. He eventually lost his job, and depression led to drinking and self-medication. Reyna and his family decided treatment was the best option. He ended up going…
Home Sweet & Sour Home – May 17, 2018 – Outspoken Costa Mesa residents are being bullied by representatives of the sober-living industry … Why? Because they are determined to publicly expose how sober living homes are ruining our neighborhoods and whose recovering clients pose a threat to our safety and property when clients are not good neighbors or when they relapse. These residents have been complaining about the proliferation of sober living homes to the Costa Mesa Planning Commission and City Council. They vocally oppose sober living home operators’ applications required by the city. They complain about parking, noise…
The Doctor’s Opinion – May 18, 2018 – Dr. James Thompson leans in as the woman sitting on the couch in his office shares her story. As an addiction specialist, every day he examines why it happens, how to stop it and who it affects. “This epidemic, this opioid epidemic is so huge, it has created a new sub-specialty in medicine, if you will,” Thompson says. Thompson, who founded the Virginia Center for Addiction Medicine (VCAM) in 2016, says getting hooked is about physical and mental health. According to VCAM, it is the first multi-disciplinary clinic in the region to…
Preying Not Praying – May 21, 2018 – When Laurie Couch first joined the Affected by Addiction Support Group, a closed Facebook group with 70,000 members, she felt a sense of belonging. Here were people who understood her struggle to care for a son addicted to drugs, and they were there to support her, any time of the day or night. She began regularly responding to people who were dealing with cravings and comforting parents devastated by their children’s addictions. Private addiction support groups are abundant on Facebook, and Affected by Addiction is one of the most high-profile. Last June,…
Remembrance – May 14, 2018 – While Margot Kidder is best known for her recurring role as Lois Lane in the original Superman films, she will also be remembered for her long and courageous battle with bipolar disorder, once known as manic depression. The actress died at the age of 69 on Sunday at her home in Livingston, Montana, PEOPLE confirmed on Monday. Her cause of death is unknown. “The reality of my life has been grand and wonderful, punctuated by these odd blips and burps of madness,” Kidder told PEOPLE for a cover story in 1996, not long after…
Busted for a DUI – Driving Under Intensity – May 10, 2018 – “Currently, there is a great demand for on-site drug testing,” said Qiaoqiang Gan, associate professor of electrical engineering in the University at Buffalo School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. “The high-performance chip we designed was able to detect cocaine within minutes in our experiments.” Gan and the other developers of the chip hope to use this technology to spot other drugs, including opioids and marijuana, in the future. “The widening legalization of marijuana raises a lot of societal issues, including the need for a system to quickly…
Workers Hard To Find … Clean – May 7, 2018 – Walmart is making its opioid policy more strict, limiting the duration of such prescriptions and requiring that they be filled electronically. The company announced on Monday that within 60 days, it will only fill first-time acute opioid prescriptions for seven days or less nationwide, and it will limit the dosage to 50 morphine milligram equivalents, or MMEs, per day. The CDC publishes MME conversion guides to help pharmacists figure out the right dosage for each type of prescribed opioid. There are more than 5,300 Walmart (WMT) and Sam’s Club…
Drug Addiction Good for Business – April 28, 2018 – The biggest beneficiaries of private prisons’ political donations have been Republican politicians in Florida, Tennessee, and border states with high populations of undocumented immigrants. The Republic Party of Florida PAC has received nearly $2.5 million from GEO and CCA since 1989. In 2010, GEO and its affiliates pumped $33,500 into political action committees benefiting Florida Republicans, including the Marco Rubio for U.S. Senate PAC. Since 2009, GEO Group’s co-founder and chief executive, George Zoley, has personally donated $6,480 to Rubio. A 2011 investigative report published by The Center for Media…
Choice, Chance or Fate? – May 7, 2018 – Those are contradictory beliefs if you play them out logically, addiction experts say. A person’s early decision to use opioids may have been a choice, they say. But the repeated use of such substances can alter a person’s brain chemistry so that the “choice” becomes hard-wired. Once addicted, stopping the drug can cause aches, sweats, vomiting, diarrhea, depression and extreme agitation, which further reinforce the brain’s new wiring. “There is still a lot of stigma out there and misinformation,” said Dr. Melissa Weimer, medical director of St. Peter’s Health Partners Addiction…
It’s Unanimous – May 8, 2018 – When Americans are asked who they blame most for the opioid addiction problem, people who abuse pain medication top the list (28 percent), followed by pharmaceutical companies who make and sell the pain medication (23 percent), and doctors who prescribe the medication (19 percent). Dealers and gangs who bring drugs into the country (16 percent) rank last on the list of the choices given. A large majority of Americans – 8 in 10 – say the federal government should be doing more to address opioid addiction. This view extends across partisan lines. This…
Patience and Perseverance – May 2018 – This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences. Is depression, as most of us experience it, meaningless suffering? Dr. Lisa Miller presents research that lends meaning to the experience of depression and to our experience on planet Earth. Full Story @ LisaMillerPhD.com
Non-Higher Learning – May 8, 2018 – Addiction advocates made a passionate plea for Delaware to stop dragging its feet when dealing with the opioid epidemic and devote a surplus of state revenues to the creation of a recovery high school. “Why we are procrastinating on this issue, I have no idea,” said Red Clay Consolidated School District Superintendent Merv Daugherty. Daugherty expressed frustration that his efforts to start – along with non-profit atTAcK addiction–a recovery high school in Delaware as first reported by WDEL haven’t moved faster. “It’s almost like having a person in the middle of the street…
AA Obsolete? – May 8, 2018 – Biologists from the University of Texas tested the world’s first drug for alcoholism – JVW-1034. As scholars have noted, alcoholism is not developing due to the fact that a person has a weak will, as a result of mutations in genes that are responsible for the processing of ethanol. In addition, these genes are responsible for the parts of the brain associated with pleasure, self-control and impulsive behavior. The scientists obtained a substance which has been tested on earthworms and rats, affects the chain of neurons, preventing further mutation. Also, the drug eliminates…
The Season of Our Discontent? – May 11, 2018 – He says that’s where the AA program has helped. He can surround himself with people who help him resist the warm weather temptations and stay on the sober path. The challenges of alcohol consumption being normalized, and even encouraged, during the summer are often discussed at meetings. “Their minds start thinking of that rationalization of ‘Well it’s summer, everyone else is doing it, it’s out in plain view, maybe I should start drinking again.’” Colleen says the meetings she attends see an increase in the mantra “Don’t turn your trip…
Stick with the Winners! – May 12, 2018 – Though Orem business owner Tara Gleave came into business ownership in a roundabout way, she is passionate about what she does. This passion led a recent prestigious recognition. Gleave won the Utah Small Business Administration Woman Owned Small Business of the Year award May 3 during the Small Business Week Awards Celebration in Salt Lake City. Gleave owns Pomarri, an outpatient detox and counseling center she started five years ago. Pomarri offers medically managed substance abuse treatment to help people overcome addictions. Gleave said Pomarri is different than other addiction recovery…
Who’s On First? – May 7, 2018 – A few months ago, Kourtnaye Sturgeon helped save someone’s life. She was driving in downtown Indianapolis when she saw people gathered around a car on the side of the road. Sturgeon pulled over and a man told her there was nothing she could do: Two men had overdosed on opioids and appeared to be dead. “I kind of recall saying, ‘No man, I’ve got Narcan,’ “ she says, referring to the brand- name version of the opioid overdose antidote, naloxone. “Which sounds so silly, but I’m pretty sure that’s what came out.”…