Mommy Dearest – Jan. 19, 2018 – The threat of jail may already be having harmful effects by discouraging pregnant Big Horn County women from seeking prenatal medical care … Harris announced last week that he will begin seeking court restraining orders against pregnant women who are reported to be using alcohol and other drugs, not including prescription medicines, and that he would jail women who disobey such an order. Full Story @ BillingsGazette.com
Author: Leonard Buschel
Megyn Kelly Show – Jan. 24, 2018 – Continuing our Run for TODAY series, Megyn Kelly TODAY welcomes Shelley Leone, who shares her struggles with alcohol and drug addiction and overeating, and reveals that she has lost 70 pounds and now runs 19 to 20 miles a week as she trains for the SHAPE Women’s Half-Marathon in Central Park this April. Full Story @ Today.com
She had been shot twice. – JAN. 26, 2018 – She had been shot twice. The door to the house had been left unlocked. In Linwood, an affluent suburb outside Atlantic City, some had to strain to remember the last time there had been a murder. Ms. Kauffman’s killing alarmed the community. She was well-known. She appeared regularly on a local radio station, and had owned businesses, including a cafe and a hair salon. She was an advocate for military veterans and involved in several charities. Her husband was a prominent doctor … It quickly grew into something more complicated…
Humans Being – January 26, 2018 – PHOTO ESSAY Full Story @ NYPost.com
Black Tar Goes Suburban – January 25, 2018 – “It’s not a ghetto drug. It’s happening to doctors’ kids,” the Brooklyn Republican and ex-NYPD cop told the Brooklyn Daily Eagle in an article published Tuesday … That rankled drug-policy reformers and even Golden’s colleagues in the Senate. “Sen. Golden’s comments regarding the opioid epidemic are racist, disturbing, and inaccurate,” said state Sen. Gustavo Rivera (D-Bronx), a ranking member of the Health Committee. Added Kassandra Frederique of the Drug Policy Alliance, “I think Marty Golden is reinforcing this idea that some lives are more important than others. It’s this idea that…
What’s the Emergency? – Jan. 23, 2018 – The I-Team reported how River Oaks Residential Treatment Center in Riverview billed patients’ insurance policies tens-of-thousands of dollars for frequent drug tests, potentially driving up insurance costs. But that’s not the only issue there. A former patient and a former manager says there are concerns about staffing levels, that can affect patient safety there. “We don’t have any fences. No fences. They can come and go as they please,”… Full Story @ ABCActionNews.com
EXPERTS In Conversation – Jan. 22, 2018 – Southern California is a mecca for drug and alcohol treatment centers – coastal retreats that cater to the rich and famous fighting addiction, but also a haven for insurance scams that victimize addicts and taxpayers. The scandal of rehab is examined by OC Register investigative reporter Teri Sforza, addiction doctor Daniel Headrick and Hillside Laguna rehab center operator Omar Turbi. Full Story @ PBSsoCal.org
The Hero’s Journey – January 22, 2018 – After a 17-year major league career that featured a much-publicized battle with substance abuse, Strawberry said he’s been clean for “over 14 years.’’ … “It has nothing to do with what I went through,” he told reporters about his dislike for the game that made him a star. “It’s just a game. That’s all it is. There’s nothing great about it. Somebody’s going to win, somebody’s going to lose, and you’re going to retire and what do you do? … That was a career, and I [have a] purpose now of life,…
To Replace the Customers Who Died? – Jan. 23, 2018 – The new report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine is the most comprehensive analysis of existing research on e-cigarettes. It concluded the devices are safer than traditional smoking products and that they do help smokers quit, citing conclusive proof that switching can reduce smokers’ exposure to deadly tar, numerous dangerous chemicals and other carcinogens … The vaping industry, as well as traditional tobacco companies, are also gearing up for a lengthy fight with the F.D.A. over the campaign by the agency’s commissioner, Dr. Scott Gottlieb… Full…
Roil Model – Jan. 26, 2018 – Mr. Azimi had texted her just that morning: “These next few months will probably be difficult because I know you’re sick. Everything is going to work out and we’re going to have a good future.” By nightfall that day, she would be frantic, calling her husband 37 times with no response. A strange car would pull up to the house as midnight approached. Police detectives. “It can’t be him!” she shouted. Some addicts die in plain view, their years of drug use ravaging their bodies and upending their lives, like a long siege.…
Big Pharma KILLS, and She knows it! – Jan. 22, 2018 – The celebrated photographer was sitting in the press room of the Manhattan Criminal Courts Building, a spot that she suggested because of her love of crime dramas and, perhaps, out of a long interest in bearing witness to parts of life often relegated to the shadowy margins … Nan Goldin shuddered as she recalled her anguish in early 2017 while kicking a three-year OxyContin habit. She pulled the long sleeves of her black shirt down to her wrists, then wrung her hands. “Your own skin revolts against you,”…
AN OUTRAGE – Jan. 25, 2018 – Taylor Weyeneth’s only professional experience before assuming the position of Deputy Chief of Staff for the ONDCP was working on the Trump 2016 presidential election campaign. Before that, he had been in college at New York’s St John’s University, where he graduated in May 2016 … The Post had previously detailed inconsistencies and outright inaccuracies on three résumés Weyeneth had submitted to the government. On all three, the 24-year-old had claimed to have a master’s degree from Fordham University, but a university spokesman said he had not completed his course work. Full Story…
Building a Prison on Wall Street? – Jan. 23, 2018, NEW YORK — Mayor Bill de Blasio and First Lady Chirlane McCray announced a the City had filed a lawsuit today in New York State Supreme Court to hold manufacturers and distributors of prescription opioids to account for their part in the City’s ongoing deadly opioid epidemic. The lawsuit aims to recover half a billion dollars in current and future costs the City will incur to combat this epidemic. In 2016, more than 1,000 people in New York City died in a drug overdose which involved an opioid, the highest…
Fooled You! – Jan. 23, 2018 – (CNN) “Trump gave great speech, then did ‘nothing’ The Republican-led Congress has turned the work of the president’s opioid commission into a “charade” and a “sham,” a member of the panel told CNN. “Everyone is willing to tolerate the intolerable – and not do anything about it,” said former Democratic Rep. Patrick Kennedy, who was one of six members appointed to the bipartisan commission in March. “I’m as cynical as I’ve ever been about this stuff.” President Donald Trump declared the opioid epidemic a 90-day public health emergency in October, but did not…
Doctors Prefer Thin Women? – Jan. 19, 2018 – The findings, published today in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, highlight the need for more research to be done on how these medications could potentially affect pregnant women … “Half of all pregnancies in the United States are unplanned, and women may be taking prescription medicine early in pregnancy before they know they are pregnant,” … “Early pregnancy is a critical time for the developing baby,” she added. “We need to better understand the safest ways to treat ADHD before and during pregnancy.” The most commonly filled ADHD prescriptions…
Hooked on Good Advice – Jan. 18, 2018 – Author Clyde Mighells, of Howard, has released a new book called Curbing the Opiate Crisis; A Call to Action, a rallying cry against the systems he says have allowed the crisis to breed, killing almost half a million people in the last decade and destroying families and communities across the country. “Patients, the consumers of healthcare, are dropping dead by the tens of thousands. Never before have we witnessed such an egregious act toward those who sought professional help for personal needs only to end up suffering from addiction and possibly…
That We All Have? – Jan 22, 2018 – Doctors may over-prescribe medications that are known to be addictive, such as Xanax, Valium or opiates in general. Even when choosing to avoid drugs that aren’t prescribed by a professional, “mental illness can lead to addiction with irresponsible treatment from doctors,” said Mat Sewruk, senior statistics major. — At the end of the day, it is important to realize drug addiction is not a sustainable or healthy way of coping with mental illness or the stress of everyday life. Addiction is a “coping mechanism for emotional withdrawal,” said Isaac Ekbert, operations…
Getting Off the Mat – Jan. 17, 2018 – The WWE Diva, 33, who recently celebrated five years of sobriety, has been known to speak candidly on the debilitating disease which she revealed left her at ‘rock bottom’ in her 20s. The bombshell performer and fitness model previously spent time behind bars for her repeated drinking and driving offenses and had trouble holding a steady job. Full Story @ DailyMail.co.uk
Medicine Cabinet Cannon – Jan. 19, 2018 – The Hall of Fame musician had taken several pain medications, including Fentanyl, oxycodone and generic Xanax. Other medications included generic Restoril (a sleep aid) and generic Celexa (which treats depression). The coroner’s office listed Petty’s official cause of death as “multisystem organ failure due to resuscitated cardiopulmonary arrest due to mixed drug toxicity,” noting the singer suffered from coronary artery atherosclerosis and emphysema. Full Story @ RollingStone.com
OBITUARY – Jan. 18, 2018 – Lead Singer of the Cranberries Dolores O’Riordan died of Fentanyl poisoning Monday, said a source in the London Police Department. Authorities found counterfeit fentanyl near the 46 years old rocker’s bed. The source added that an official cause of death will probably have to wait for a toxicology report. He added that suicide and a deliberate overdose are suspected … Irish president Michael D. Higgins was one of the first to pay tribute. Other early tributes came in from across the music world, including Dave Davies (of the Kinks), Hozier and Kodaline. The Taoiseach…
Making a Passages – Jan 18, 2018 – MALIBU, CA – A Malibu-based rehabilitation center was sued Thursday by a former patient who alleges he was sexually assaulted in 2017 by another patient while he was under sedation. The man’s Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit names as defendants Passages Malibu and the alleged assailant, Jordan Achterman. The suit alleges negligence, sexual harassment, fraud and battery, and seeks unspecified damages. Achterman had a history of similar conduct against other patients and was known for his promiscuity and “his frequent and boisterous proclamations of sexual interest in plaintiff and others,” the suit…
No One Is Immune – Jan. 17, 2018 – The McShin Foundation had applied for a special-use permit to operate a 28-day, 14-bed residential-treatment program inside the building, which they have used since August for daytime appointments and counseling sessions … But the council also heard from several recovering addicts, grieving parents of young-adult children lost to overdoses and other local residents who spoke of the need for local substance-abuse services to combat the ongoing opioid-addiction crisis. Council members called the testimony “heart-wrenching” and agreed that Warrenton and Fauquier County need more intensive services for people seeking help for substance…
Incarceration Mistake – Jan. 15, 2018 – Lori Criss is with the Ohio Council of Behavioral Health and Family Service Providers, which advocates for behavioral health services. She says the bill that proposes 30 days in jail when someone on probation tests positive for heroin is a step in the wrong direction. “It’s a very delicate time in their life. It would be like someone who has a heart problem going into cardiac arrest, having a heart attack. This is a crisis situation for them and their physical health, and we need to surround them with health care for that,”…
The Most Important Goal – Jan. 21, 2018 – On the anniversary of making the choice to live a better and more fulfilled alcohol-free life, Seferian-Jenkins expressed his gratitude for being able to overcome some of his darkest days and take the necessary steps towards a prosperous life and future. Jenkins discussed his early struggles in the NFL and what he did to turn his life around in a recent interview with the Players Tribune: Full Story @ USAToday.com
Professional MORONS – January 18, 2018 – Shamefully, during the crack epidemic, we never took collective ownership to solve the problem because the crisis didn’t spread beyond a narrow segment of society. Instead, there was an overemphasis on criminalization of crack addicts, which filled up our prisons. Even though there is finally a long-overdue national awakening to our opioid epidemic, the financial and social impact of a crisis that has been brewing unchecked is daunting. A 2017 White House report by The Council of Economic Advisers estimates that the yearly cost of the epidemic is in excess of $500 billion.…
Let Let Eat Death – June 26, 2017 – …Picard’s plan doesn’t stop there. If the individual doesn’t show up to court and already had a record of incidents, medics should not respond to additional calls for help, he suggests. The city is on track to spend $100,000 this year on Narcan, the opiate overdose antidote administered by first responders. Picard says the city is in “serious trouble” and can’t afford those expenses. After medics revive an overdose victim, Picard suggests the person make a mandatory court appearance and then complete community service to help pay back the city. A…
Too Clean! – Jan 19, 2018 – But teens have been recording themselves taking a dare called the “Tide Pod Challenge,” where someone tries eating a pod — and usually spits it out immediately. This week, the online video-streaming site YouTube began removing videos of the challenge. It’s the latest social media dare following crazes where people packed their mouths full of cinnamon or burned themselves with salt and ice, according to health officials. “The ‘laundry packet challenge’ is neither funny nor without serious health implications,” said Stephen Kaminski, CEO and executive director of the American Association of Poison Control…
MEDIA: Amazing BOOK – 40 pounds of fun… Full Story @ Generation-Sober.com
The End Is Near? – Jan. 9, 2018 – That worries a group of Apple investors, who are calling on the company to investigate what effects this screen time has on children’s brains and development. In a letter co-signed by New York investment firm… The average American teenager who uses a smart phone receives her first phone at age 10 and spends over 4.5 hours a day on it (excluding texting and talking). 78% of teens check their phones at least hourly and 50% report feeling ‘addicted’ to their phones. It would defy common sense to argue that this level…
MEDIA: Fiction – Jan. 18, 2018 – When looking for the pharmacists’ killers, he agrees to go undercover. … Connelly brings the national opioid crisis up close and personal in “Two Kinds of Truth.” When Bosch sees what’s happening, he is deeply affected. His actions are stunning. Also stunning is the love and support he receives in this book — long overdue and very satisfying acknowledgement of his dedication and expertise … When the story begins, we find Bosch busy at work. He’s volunteering his time and expertise at San Fernando’s small police department that serves a 2.5-square-mile area surrounded…