“The best relationships develop out of friendships.” – Diane Keaton, Jan. 5, 1946 – Oct. 11, 2025
Author: Leonard Buschel
ARREST THAT ROBOT – Oct. 2, 2025 – The problem was that there was no driver to hand a physical ticket/citation to. A Waymo was pulled over after making an illegal U-turn in the area of San Mateo Avenue near the San Bruno Caltrain station, according to a social media post by SBPD on Saturday morning. Police did not say specifically what time or where exactly the traffic violation occurred. SBPD contacted the autonomous vehicle company to inform them about the “glitch.” This was the first time the responding SBPD officers pulled over a Waymo. “Since there was no human…
COMPASSION IN ACTION – Sept. 27, 2025 – Stable Recovery volunteers and community members spent the day cleaning up a house and five acres of land for Elizabeth Blythe, a well-known figure in the equine industry who has fallen on hard times due to health and financial struggles. The cleanup involved raking leaves, blowing debris, and using heavy machinery to clear the overgrown land. “It was pretty much a jungle,” said Frank Taylor, co-founder of Stable Recovery. Volunteers worked alongside Stable Recovery residents, creating large piles of branches ready for disposal. The local nonprofit organization, which operates as a sober…
VIDEO – NO HIDING ANYMORE – Sept. 28, 2025 – Austin Varipapa, Director of Long-Term Care at Discovery Place, shared his firsthand experience with TV17 News. As a former user himself, he says the drug market has shifted dramatically from the streets to social media, and it can be accessed as easily as ordering takeout, but the consequences can be deadly. “There’s basically like an Amazon for drugs online,” Varipapa said. “Snapchat was probably the big one first. People are posting basically what they have — like a menu — and kids use private stories, VPNs, WhatsApp and Telegram to…
MODERATION IS THE KEY – Oct. 1, 2025 – The 27-year-old, who first hit our screens in 2018 on Channel 4 reality competition The Circle, swiftly carved out a space for himself as one of the reality show’s most vibrant newcomers, bringing infectious humour, vulnerability and, of course, plenty of drama with him. Earlier this year, Freddie marked three years of sobriety – a milestone he chose to share on the show in an emotional moment. His decision to give up alcohol came after a terrifying health scare that saw him face possible liver failure. Here, Freddie opens up exclusively…
DON’T GAMBLE WITH YOUR LIFE – Sept. 27, 2025 – Volunteers spread out across the Strip, Downtown Las Vegas, and nearby neighborhoods to hand out free Narcan kits and show people how to use them. “Nevada was one of two states where overdose fatalities did not go down last year. so it’s more important now than ever to get Narcan out into the community,” said Ronald Schnese, care coordinator for the LGBTQ Center for Southern Nevada. The goal is simple equip as many people as possible with overdose reversal medication and teach them how to recognize the signs of an…
AUDIO – HIGH POSSIBILITIES – Sept. 24, 2025 – Mindstate Design Labs is one of a slate of new companies aiming to make safer psychedelics by removing the classic “trip” associated with them. The company is using AI to help design psychedelic-like drugs that induce specific mental states without hallucinations, and its first compound looks promising. Mindstate’s approach is based on the idea that a psychedelic “trip” might not be necessary for therapeutic benefit. Psychedelics work on the brain’s serotonin system by promoting neuroplasticity, which involves the growth of neurons and the formation of new connections. Some researchers believe that…
VIDEO – THREE DOUBLES? – Sept. 28, 2025 – Warning: This article contains discussion of alcoholism which some readers may find distressing. A NHS doctor has revealed six of the subtle signs which might reveal someone has an alcohol addiction. When people talk about British culture, we often joke that it means having pints in the pub – but the reality isn’t far off, with trips to the local no doubt a very big part of lots of people’s lives here. Although drinking only Dr Pepper is probably worse for you than the occasional pint, there are all sorts of…
SOBRIETY ON THE ROAD – Sept. 29, 2025 – In July this year, Aline Pereira joined her brother, Alex Pereira, as a champion. Aline was crowned the Karate Combat flyweight champion in Miami after she defeated Fani Peloumpi via unanimous decision. Former two-division UFC champion ‘Potan’ was in her corner, providing the much-needed support alongside coach Plinio Cruz. And this isn’t anything new! As the 38-year-old prepares for his much-anticipated rematch against Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 320 on October 4 after suffering a devastating loss earlier this year, he appeared in the UFC 320 Countdown alongside his sister. During the…
VIDEO – KEEP TRYING – Sept. 26, 2025 – “We take a picture of the individual’s brain, and then we match it with the helmet. We put the helmet on and then we’re able to really focus in and by matching up kind of where the transducers are in the area of the brain that we want to target. It really goes to show that by being able to target the area of the brain that’s the center of the rewards circuit, we’re able to reduce their craving for all substances.” “We do what we call a Q Reactivity task,…
ICON OF INVENTION – Oct. 3, 2025 – It was a crazy train. The documentary “Ozzy: No Escape From Now” covers the metal legend’s final six years and health battles leading up to his death in July 2025 at age 76. Premiering Tues. Oct. 7, Paramount never intended it to be a posthumous project. The two-hour film features … interviews with Ozzy before his death, his widow Sharon, 72, daughter Kelly, 40, son Jack, 39, and even publicity-shy oldest daughter Aimee, 42. A slew of musicians also weigh in, including Billy Idol and Slash. The doc covers the Black Sabbath…
VIDEO – NOT ENOUGH PROFIT? – Sept. 27, 2025 – In a public hearing on Thursday, Allina Health leadership explained why they’re closing the inpatient chemical dependency unit at Mercy Hospital in Fridley. “For the last two years, we’ve seen a significant change to receive authorization for payment for inpatient chemical dependency treatment,” said Clubb. On the health care system’s website, it says the 24-bed unit focuses on addiction treatment for alcohol and drugs, offering programming up to 40 hours a week, including therapy, monitored detoxification and more. “Our average length of stay has slowly been going down to three…
INSANITY – Sept. 29, 2025 – Philadelphia’s city government can address legitimate quality-of-life concerns in Kensington without constraining lifesaving services. Mobile health units exist mainly to serve people who use drugs, who often struggle to access traditional healthcare. But they also offer other kinds of support, like basic medical care and community outreach, to anybody, not just drug users, who would otherwise go without care. Between July 2022 and June 2023, Prevention Point Philadelphia’s mobile and stationary syringe services reached more than 30,000 people, provided 1,103 wound care visits, enrolled 357 new participants in medication-assisted treatment for drug addiction, and…
VIDEO – MUSICAL INTERLUDE – 2,036,839 views – This is the charity single sung by Broadway for Orlando, an all-star group of artists from the theatre and pop world: Sara Bareilles, Idina Menzel, Audra McDonald, Gloria Estefan, Carole King, Sarah Jessica Parker, and many more. The single was created to honor the victims of the Orlando shooting massacre at the Pulse Nightclub. 100% of the proceeds from the sale of the song will benefit the LGBT Community Center of Central Florida. The single was conceived by James Wesley, executive produced by James, Seth Rudetsky and Van Dean, produced by Michael…
VIDEO – MUSICAL INTERLUDE – 95,543 views Nov 20, 2017 – The “From Broadway with Love” Company performing “What the World Needs Now is Love” live for “From Broadway with Love: A Benefit Concert for Orlando” at the Disney Theatre at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, July 25th, 2016. Michael J Moritz Jr – Conductor for the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra. MORE
VIDEO – MUSICAL INTERLUDE – 36,645,966 views since July 4, 2025 -Because of the fuss over in the USA, I have discovered Bad Bunny. His music brings the sun to rainy England, This video is SO BEAUTIFUL for the hispanic community my God. MORE
TRY THIS – Sept. 29, 2029 – Curious about trying Sober October, the global challenge to give up alcohol for 31 days to benefit your health and raise awareness for cancer? Life Kit is here to help. Staying sober for a whole month is harder than one might think. How do you actually avoid the temptation of drinking in the real world? That’s why we’ve created Life Kit’s Guide to Zero-Alcohol Month. It’s a free, limited-run newsletter series that offers expert strategies and best practices on how to give up alcohol for a whole month. How to sign up To…
STICK WITH THE WINNERS! – Oct. 7, 2025 – Paulina Pinsky is a writer, ice skater, writing coach, and educator based in Los Angeles. She received her MFA from Columbia University, where she has taught Comedy Writing to high schoolers since 2018. She is the co-author of the teen guide to consent IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE AWKWARD. She writes the Substack newsletters “newly sober” and “process/product.” She is currently working on a memoir. Q. If you are in recovery, what was your drug(s) of choice and when is your sobriety date?A. I have been sober from all mind-altering substances…
FATHER, SON & HUSBAND – Sept. 28, 2025 – Drew Pinsky’s mother wasn’t Jewish; she came from what he called “a sort of Protestant, Episcopalian background – an old Philadelphia family.” There was, he joked, “a lot of pathology but no connection to Judaism.” His father’s side of the family was Ashkenazi Jewish, and their journey to America mirrored that of so many who fled the dangers of early 20th-century Eastern Europe. Dr. Pinsky, or “Dr. Drew,” as he is widely known, is a board-certified internist, addictionologist, and media personality. He got his start in show business with comedian Adam…
EATING CHEMICALS EVERY MEAL – Sept. 27, 2025 – People consuming the most UPFs were far more likely to show elevated hs-CRP levels, especially older adults, smokers, and those with obesity. Scientists warn that UPFs may contribute to cancer and other chronic illnesses, urging stronger health policies despite pushback from powerful food companies. Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are industrially altered products – like soda, snacks and processed meats – packed with additives and stripped of nutrients. Hundreds of new ingredients, previously unknown to the human body, now make up nearly 60% of the average adult’s diet and almost 70% of children’s…
FAITH AND VOTING TOO – Sept. 29, 2025 – Recovery is not just a personal journey. It is a political one. It provides a roadmap for how we might mend and heal our seemingly broken democracy: people of different faiths, political parties and diverse identities sitting beside one another, offering a hand to someone in need, and saying: You got this, you are not alone. At a time when our country feels increasingly divided and many are left feeling isolated and alone, recovery offers hope, investing in one another, in community and in the belief that every person matters. Growing…
VIDEO – SOBRIETY ON THE ROAD – Sept. 30, 2025 – “Everybody knows somebody in recovery, but they don’t know it a lot of times because we don’t talk about it.” On top of overcoming addiction– people in recovery also overcome a stigma. And Kevin McLaughlin is someone who wants to change that. “I’m a person in long term recovery, which means for me, 19 years with no drugs or alcohol…And over time, I’ve had people look at me. So, Kevin, what are you in this for? Like, you’re not even in recovery. And I say, well, I’m kind of…
VERY WELL – Sept. 30, 2025 – Greater alcohol consumption is linked to smaller volume in nearly all brain areas, but neuroimaging studies find that even at low (<7 standard drinks per week) or moderate levels of consumption was associated with smaller brain volume. The evidence has also been quite clear that excessive alcohol consumption (12 standard drinks/week) is a risk factor for dementia. But here’s where it gets tricky: In the past, studies reported a J-shaped association, where no alcohol consumption is correlated with a slight increase in dementia risk and high consumption showed a much larger risk increase.…
CLEAN AND COOKING – Sept. 28, 2025 – Actress and podcaster Tammin Surok, 42, has turned pain into purpose by being open about her past eating disorders. She says sharing her private struggles publicly has been liberating. “Having an eating disorder (bulimia) really young, especially as a teenager on Home and Away, was a secret of mine.” But I didn’t want to feel like I was holding that weight anymore. “The minute you share it, you feel lighter. And when others share the same thing, you feel so seen.” Disclosing the difficult truth was still nerve-racking, though. “I thought it…
FAMILY MATTERS – Sept. 28, 2025 – The love between a mother and son is strong — something Priscilla Presley discussed in her 2025 memoir, Softly as I Leave You: Life After Elvis. She opens up about her family including her son, Navarone Garibaldi Garcia. Presley wrote about helping Garcia through drug addiction and his near-death experience mere days before the death of his sister, Lisa Marie Presley. Presley and her former partner, music producer Marco Garibaldi, welcomed Garcia four years into their relationship in 1987. While Presley and Garibaldi parted ways for good in 2006 and Garcia no longer…
TAP WATER BETTER? – Sept. 30, 2025 – The Journal of Hazardous Materials, looks at the science around the health risks posed by single-use plastic water bottles. They are serious, she says, and seriously understudied. “Drinking water from plastic bottles is fine in an emergency but it is not something that should be used in daily life.” In her analysis of more than 140 scientific papers, Sajedi reports that people ingest an estimated 39,000 to 52,000 microplastic particles each year. For those who rely on bottled water, that number climbs even higher—about 90,000 additional particles compared to individuals who primarily…
NEW STUDY – Oct. 1, 2025 – We are less physically active. We consume more processed foods and sugar. We encounter plastics and forever chemicals everywhere we turn. We’re even sleeping less. Any of these factors may have something to do with early-onset cancer. MORE
SO BEAUTIFUL – Sept. 30, 2025 – Afghanistan used to have the distinction of producing the opium for 95 per cent of the heroin on the European market, and about 80 percent of the world’s illicit supply. But since the ruling Taliban announced a ban on growing the crop in 2022—it was already technically illegal, but the announcement amounted to increased threats—cultivation has plummeted. The crackdown was largely implemented in the southern provinces of Helmand and Kandahar. Local authorities enforced the ban, and major suppliers and larger farms were able to offset lost income by drawing down opium stocks they’d…
IMPORTANT – Sept. 29, 2025 – In honor of National Recovery Month, this installment of Women & Democracy is presented in partnership with the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health at Georgetown Law, exploring the often unspoken intersections of addiction, recovery and gender justice while highlighting public health and policy solutions that prioritize dignity, equity, access to care and civic engagement. Alongside this companion essay collection, Ms. is releasing a multipart podcast mini-series, The Long Way Home, hosted by Dr. Michele Goodwin in conversation with leading experts on recovery. The multimedia collection, The Right to Recovery Is Essential to…
DYING FOR A FIX – Sept. 28, 2025 – Nearly 4,000 hand-painted tombstones were placed on the National Mall, stretching from 7th St. SW to 12th Street SW this weekend. The tombstones featured the names, pictures and stories of those who had lost their battle with drug addiction. Trail of Truth is the grassroots organization behind the display that it calls a “national cemetery for substance use related deaths.” The organization was started by Alexis Pleus, who lost her son to an overdose 10 years ago. The goal of Trail of Truth is to change policies regarding access to treatment,…