Take a SUBER – April 30, 2018 – ON A BREEZY evening this past weekend, I sat out on my patio, lit a sizable joint, and took little drags from it til the burn line singed my fingertips. When I stood up I was stoned, and I knew it; I rarely smoke pot, so when I do I really feel it. But how high was I, really? I reached for my phone, logged into an app called Druid, and took a five minute test. When I finished it gave me my results, which appeared in red: Your DRUID impairment score…
Author: Leonard Buschel
Perfect! Then a Sober Execution? – May 02, 2018 – A woman accused of murdering an elderly woman will enter a drug treatment program while she’s locked up. Craig Smith and his girlfriend Evonne Jaramillo are charged with murdering 86-year-old Josephina Ortega insider her home last May. Ortega was Smith’s Aunt. Jaramillo, who has been a no-show for several hearings did appear in court Wednesday. Judge Briana Zamora waived her detention hearing for now. Jaramillo will also stay in custody while she goes through a drug treatment program. Full Story @ KRQE.com
Doctor Feel Good & Die – May 1, 2018 – A 71-year-old California doctor was arrested last week after he allegedly prescribed opioids to four undercover agents. The arrest of Sawtantra Kumar Chopra, M.D., of Modesto, was the result of a yearlong investigation involving both state and federal law enforcement agencies that began when pharmacies in the Sacramento area called in tips about his suspicious prescribing practices. Chopra, a pulmonary and sleep medicine specialist, was arrested April 26 and charged with prescribing opioids to patients outside the usual course of professional practice and without a legitimate medical purpose, according to…
Why? – May 1, 2018 – Overdose deaths involving dangerous synthetic opioids like fentanyl have skyrocketed in recent years, surpassing deaths from prescription painkillers, a new U.S. study reveals. Synthetic opioids – primarily fentanyl – were involved in more than 30 percent of fatal overdoses in 2016, up from roughly 8 percent in 2010, the researchers reported. Overall, drug overdose deaths involving fentanyl-type drugs in the United States rose from about 3,000 in 2010 to more than 19,400 in 2016. “This is very consistent with data from the [U.S.] Drug Enforcement Administration that shows a great increase in the trafficking…
What a Deal! – May 5, 2018 – “I’ve held it. I’ve looked through it. It is absolutely mind-blowing,” he said. “It was just a miracle to see this thing live.” Irsay, who was clearly excited about obtaining the manuscript during a telephone interview, said he considered remaining anonymous about purchasing the manuscript, but wanted to go public to try to relieve the stigma of alcoholism and addiction. “The only way we stay sober is to give it away,” Irsay said. “I think it’ll help a lot of people,” he said. “That’s the reason I’m doing it.” He said he…
And Limit Cravings? – May 3, 2018 – Preventing mental illness is just as important as preventing other chronic conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer. As with these chronic conditions, regular physical activity plays a key role. A recent meta-analysis (a large study combining other studies together) with a total of 266,939 participants reported that being active for 150 minutes or more per week was associated with a 20 per cent reduction in risk for depression. Mental health week in Canada —which runs from May 7-13, 2018 —offers us an opportunity to consider what science says about the…
Creative Nonfiction – May 3, 2018 – Finding one’s path to sobriety can have a similar “make it your own” quality. During my previous attempts to quit drinking I learned that there was a limit for how long I could white-knuckle my way through sobriety. I’ve tried a lot of things to curb my drinking: denial, self-improvement, personal discovery, new hobbies—you name it. I eventually forced myself to go to an AA meeting. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I found myself listening to impassioned tales from transformed people. There were equal doses of warm camaraderie and grating personalities;…
Pipe-Dream Come True – May 2, 2018 – Transparency Market Research (TMR) has published a new report titled “Addiction Treatment Market – Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast, 2017–2025”. According to the report, the global addiction treatment market was valued at approximately US$ 4.0 Bn in 2016 is projected to expand at a CAGR of over 6.0% from 2017 to 2025. The report suggests that growing abuse of prescription drugs and favorable reimbursements for smoking cessation therapy are likely to spur demand for addiction treatment market in the near future (2017 to 2025). North America and Western…
Compassion and Acceptance – May 3, 2018 – Mayor Bill de Blasio is championing a plan that would make New York City a pioneer in creating supervised injection sites for illegal drug users, part of a novel but contentious strategy to combat the epidemic of fatal overdoses caused by the use of heroin and other opioids. Safe injection sites have been considered successful in cities in Canada and Europe, but do not yet exist in the United States. Leaders in San Francisco, Philadelphia and Seattle have declared their intention to create supervised sites, although none have yet done so because…
The Saints Go Marching Inn – May 4, 2018 – A sprawling 44-bedroom house surrounded by towering brick walls that was the home base for polygamous sect leader Warren Jeffs has been converted into a sober living center by Evangelical missionaries. It’s the latest sign of his group’s dwindling control of the small community on the Utah-Arizona border. Jeffs hasn’t lived in the three-story home known as the “Big House” for years because he’s serving a life sentence in Texas for sexually assaulting underage girls he considered brides. In his absence, his religious group known as the Fundamentalist Church of…
Implementing a Solution – May 3, 2018 – “Opioid addiction is an illness, one that requires specialized treatment by trained and licensed professionals and a lifetime of careful management,” says Dr. Joseph Garbely, FASAM, Vice President of Medical Services and Medical Director at Caron. “Caron’s multi-pronged, comprehensive treatment program is designed with the unique challenges of opioid addiction in mind. It addresses the disease with evidence-based, proven modalities.” Sophistication and specialization are key components of Caron’s Opioid Program. The medically driven program employs specialty-trained, certified medical professionals managing all aspects of patient treatment plans. The program’s foundation includes: Integrated medical…
GRADUATE HEROES – May 4, 2018 – Marriage is a difficult journey for any couple, but when you throw in homelessness, drug addiction, and child protective services in the mix; the breaking point is closer than you think. Like most fairytales, this couple’s beginning started out pretty rough. “We were addicted to meth, but we’ll be clean for 20 months this month,” Ashley Lee said. With a few plot twists and bumps in the road. “We were told we had 24 hours to vacate where we were living, we were living in a trailer in Henderson with no electricity or…
Why Not? – May 4, 2018 – The story line sounds familiar: a popular pain drug becomes a new way to get high as prescribing by doctors soars. But the latest drug raising red flags is not part of the opioid family at the center of the nation’s drug epidemic. It’s a 25-year-old generic pill long seen as a low risk way to treat seizures, nerve pain and other ailments. The drug, called gabapentin, is one of the most prescribed medications in the U.S., ranking ninth over the last year, according to prescription tracker GoodRx. Researchers attribute the recent surge…
Spreading the Love – May 4, 2018 – Former Major League Baseball right-fielder Darryl Strawberry had a phenomenal, 17-year career in the majors. Known for his copious home run tally, the intimidating presence of his 6-foot-6 frame in the batter’s box and his long, looping swing often compared to Ted Williams, he was en route to crafting an inestimable legacy when drugs came along — and messed up his personal and professional life. He was suspended three times from the MLB for drug accusations. He bounced from team to team. His career suffered, despite efforts to improve. Today, a renewed…
Crime of the Century – MAY 2, 2018 – Selling drugs is a relationship business. It’s best to do it in person. That is why, on a summer evening in 2012, Alec Burlakoff was out for dinner with Steven Chun, the owner of Sarasota Pain Associates. Burlakoff was a sales manager for Insys Therapeutics, an Arizona-based pharmaceutical company with only one branded product, a new and highly potent opioid painkiller called Subsys. Chun was a doctor who prescribed a lot of opioids. The location was a moderately expensive seafood restaurant in Sarasota, Fla., with linen tablecloths and large windows overlooking…
Greed Knows No Age – May 4. 2018 – An 80-year-old Manhattan doctor and his 82-year-old wife were convicted Friday of running a $77 million prescription “pill mill.” Dr. Rogelio Lucas and his wife of 55 years, Lydia, sat quietly together at the defense table as a jury found them guilty of 30 counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance. The doctor and his wife worked with several major drug rings to distribute some 23,600 prescriptions for a whopping 3 million tablets of oxycodone, according to prosecutors with the Special Narcotics office. During their years-long racket, the couple flooded…
Mile High City Hosts Rehab Renaissance – DENVER (PRWEB) MAY 08, 2018 – The National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers (NAATP), the nation’s trade and professional membership society for addiction treatment programs, will hold its 40th Annual Meeting and National Conference at the Omni Interlocken Hotel in Denver (Broomfield), CO from May 20-22 amidst a national addiction crisis that currently kills hundreds of Americans each day. The conference will focus on industry-wide Quality Assurance measures that must be implemented to respond to the crisis including the problem of corrupting influences that have arisen as addiction treatment is perceived as a…
Astounding – May 3, 2018 – “He was very easygoing, easy to be with, happy,” she said. He also led a secret life. To deal with depression, he started using heroin. “He didn’t see himself as an addict,” Jen Couzins said. “He didn’t see that there was anything wrong. He could stop anytime.” But he didn’t. His heroin use eventually led to his death. His wife found him and called 911. “And I stopped at the apartment, and he’s dead,” she said in the call. “He’s laying on the couch, and he’s cold and he’s dead.” His story didn’t end…
The Healing is the Same – April 28, 2018 – Rehab can be a frightening place when you first arrive. With any luck, you’ve already had some sort of “come to Jesus” moment with yourself and you’ve realized that you need to be there or else you’re going to die. I had had no such moment and was fully convinced that this was all a big mistake. Once I got through the door into the facility, I heard it lock electronically with a loud buzz and a finality that shook my bones. I immediately regretted it. There is no lonelier…
Maybe – April 26, 2018 – Clinical trials for the use of MDMA as a potential treatment for alcoholism have begun in the U.K. The study is the first of its kind, and may usher in the age of effective medicinal treatments for alcohol disorders. The drug study is led by researchers from Imperial College London in the U.K. and consists of 20 volunteers attending eight therapy sessions, two of which where they will be administered MDMA, The Guardian reported. All volunteers are heavy drinkers. Although the study has already begun, the first of the MDMA assisted therapy sessions are…
Medical Malfeasance? – May 5, 2018 – I treat addiction for a living. My patients are often admitted to the hospital after inadvertently injecting bacteria into their bodies, along with heroin or methamphetamines. They have hot, red infections that become so tender they can’t bear the lightest pressure on the skin. Or worse, infections that have traveled past the site of the initial injury and now lodge in their joints or hearts or near their spines. These are life-threatening conditions. But most of my patients avoid the hospital until it is almost too late. They come only when the pain…
Farm Reduction – April 29, 2018 – Nelson remains focused as he reaches his 85th birthday, which he celebrates on April 29th. He’s still sharp: “Sometimes I forget lyrics to new songs or whatever, but normally I can remember them pretty good,” he says. During a break from recording, he says the Sinatra release is actually a ways off; before that, he will release an album of new songs, Last Man Standing, his 19th new album of the last decade, and the continuation of his most prolific writing kick since the Seventies. After Last Man Standing, he will reissue his…
MEDIA: Book Recommendation – February 19, 2018 – As teachers, authors and women in recovery, Michele L. Dionisio and Tricia N. Ragusa wouldn’t say that the path to recovery is as easy as ABC. Instead, they’ve created a simple, straightforward glossary of ideas to staying recovered from any of life’s challenges and living a spiritually fit life. Ragusa and Dionisio contribute suggestions and insight into how you can incorporate important coping techniques into your life morning, noon, and night. These simple ABCs cover: • the important concept of HUGS (Higher Power, Universe, God, or Spirit), • the many benefits of…
So Many More Tomorrows – April 30, 2018 – People who stick to five healthy habits in adulthood can add more than a decade to their lives, according to a major study into the impact behaviour has on lifespan. Researchers at Harvard University used lifestyle questionnaires and medical records from 123,000 volunteers to understand how much longer people lived if they followed a healthy diet, controlled their weight, took regular exercise, drank in moderation and did not smoke … When the scientists calculated average life expectancy, they noticed a dramatic effect from the healthy habits. Compared with people who adopted…
YES It IS – April 25, 2018 – Opioids are not more effective than non-opioid painkillers at relieving osteoarthritis pain, according to a new study that examined the long-term effects of both types of medications. Medicare has issued new guidelines that place restrictions on high-dose opioid prescriptions. A pain assessment and management tool helped reduce pain in patients receiving cancer treatments, according to a recent analysis. Full Story @ MedPageToday.com
Re.bound for Jail – April 26, 2018 – It’s gotta be the shoes. That’s what the Federal Way man told a Washington State Patrol trooper was making his car smell, documents say. He said he was headed home from some late-night basketball at a local gym. The trooper definitely smelled alcohol. The field sobriety tests and the blood-alcohol tests showed the trooper was right, Pierce County prosecutors said … Eventually, the man acquiesced and exited the vehicle to perform field sobriety tests. He failed all of them. The trooper asked the man to take a breath test, but the man…
What a Nice Gesture – April 30, 2018 – A woman recovering from methamphetamine addiction wants to help show other women in need that they’re still beautiful. Main Street Project will host a spa day for homeless women this May. Michell Ross, community member and volunteer at Main Street, came up with the idea. She pitched it to the administration and started planning the event months ago. She says her battles with addiction initially slowed the process but she’s finally ready to move ahead. Ross will be 90 days sober at the end of April. After more than a decade…
Satire NOT Virginia Satir – April 28, 2018 – Early Twenties (Experimentation) The woman behind the counter raises an eyebrow and scowls as she hands you twelve ounces of syrupy lavender-mocha latte buried under whipped cream. You don’t have time to figure out why baristas are such judgmental jerks. You have a midterm paper to write. You take a sip and think, hey, coffee’s not that bad. Now grab some sugar packets when no one’s looking and cram them into your pockets … Late Twenties (Regular Use). “No sugar,” you declare. “I take it black.” Shoot a side-eyed glance at…
One From the Heart – APRIL 28, 2018 – As a teen he struggled with drug and alcohol addiction. Now nearly a decade later, Chris Reed devotes much of his time to helping others get clean. He also came up with a creative way to serve younger members in recovery. Reed is a founding member of New Directions Addiction and Recovery Services. He and his team work to support victims in recovery by offering treatment services, housing and even a little fun. In his early days of recovery, friends would often come to hang out at the warehouse Reed leased…
Try Everything – April 28, 2018 – The devastating opioid epidemic is one of the largest public health problems facing the U.S. Over 2.5 million people in the U.S. suffer from opioid use disorder. Four in five new heroin users started out misusing prescription painkillers. A 2015 analysis by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found people who are addicted to painkillers are 40 times more likely to be addicted to heroin. The epidemic actually began more than three decades ago. In 1980, crack and cocaine addiction contributed to the thousands of overdose deaths, whereas now people die from…