Author: Leonard Buschel

Most Rehabs Practice Best Practices — Dec. 29, 2017 – California’s notoriously hands-off approach to regulating the industry — still predominantly non-medical even as other states push hard for a more medical approach to care — makes it easy for almost anyone to open a treatment center and bill insurance companies hundreds of thousands of dollars per client…Treatment in a non-medical facility can reap $3,410 per day, with monthly bills topping $100,000 for some clients, according to documents filed in court. A woman from Washington state ran up a $416,050 bill over several months of treatment with San Clemente-based Sovereign Health.…

Recommended Book for the Year – Dec. 2017 – This is a genius-level piece of writing that manages to blend literary biography with self-help and tongue-in-cheek with the profound. The quirky, early 1900s French author Marcel Proust acts as the vessel for surprisingly impressive nuggets of wisdom on down-to-earth topics such as why you should never sleep with someone on the first date, how to protect yourself against lower back pain, and how to cope with obnoxious neighbors. Here’s proof that our ancestors had just as much insight as the gurus du jour and perhaps a lot more wit. De Botton…

Death Doesn’t Take a Holiday — Dec. 29, 2017 – Joe Thompson’s struggle with opioids started in 2004. After he was in a serious car accident, Thompson says her husband was likely overprescribed medication to treat the pain. He started going from doctor to doctor, a practice called doctor shopping, to get new prescriptions or refills. At his job as a package handler for UPS, he started swiping prescription drugs being shipped through the mail … Joe tried to get help. He enrolled in an outpatient facility. Several times, he got sober, sometimes for several years at a time. He even…

We’re All Connected – 12/24/2017 – Angela Davis was on her game, focused, attentive and present in the room and there was a spirit greater than any of us present as we joined together clapping hands and setting intentions. At the end of the class we were all greeted with the gift of Tyler Perry’s latest book, Higher Is Waiting. It’s a spiritual guidebook that tries to inspire readers to climb higher and live their best life. Though I do not fancy myself a religious person, I do see myself as spiritual. And in the 12-step tradition have “come to…

Ratings Mean More Than Anything? – DECEMBER 28, 2017 –  TV viewers, however, didn’t see the setup for this shocking scene. Herzog, who was battling alcoholism, told STAT and the Boston Globe that he was not intoxicated when he arrived at the Los Angeles studio. In his dressing room, he said he found a bottle of Smirnoff vodka. He drank all of it. Then someone handed him a Xanax, he said, telling him it would “calm his nerves.” Full Story @ StatNews.com

Naturally – Nov. 16, 2017 – In some cases, antidepressants are a necessary tool. They address the physical and mental health of a teenager. This is particularly true if a teen is considering self-harm. However, it’s important to understand how teenage antidepressants change the brain. Moreover, parents need to know about the side effects. In addition, the long-term impact of antidepressants on adolescents can be negative as they mature. Full Story @ NewportAcademy.com

Amstel House –  Police say there was so much alcohol being consumed at a college fraternity party in Maryland the air inside the house registered a .01 on a Breathalyzer … They say eight people locked themselves in a bathroom while another person jumped out of a second story window in an effort to avoid officers. Full Story @ 6ABC.com

Center on Calls – Dec. 21, 2017 – BizIQ assists its clients by using a series of complex techniques to elevate their social media presences. The firm employs advanced search engine optimization (SEO) methods to ensure that its clients have higher visibility across the internet. Full Story @ DigitalJournal.com

Sobriety to the Rescue? – Dec. 21, 2017 – Three years ago she decided it was time to take control of her drinking behaviour and today she is a Peer Mentor for the service and helps others to beat their addiction … But all this would not have been possible without the right support and a lot of determination. Full Story @ YorkshirePost.co.uk

He’s Fired – Dec. 21, 2017 Sources familiar with the shake-up at the agency question whether the administration is truly putting its muscle behind the opioid crisis. About 60 to 70 employees work for the agency. The Office of National Drug Control Policy is led by its acting director, Richard Baum. Muir, a political appointee, had access to key meetings at the White House aimed at curbing the opioid epidemic. Full Story @ CNN.com

Too Many Addicts? –  Dec. 20, 2017 – Over the past three years, their budget has more than doubled,” said Tom Donovan, Director of Charitable Trusts at the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office … On Wednesday, the state took over Serenity Place because it became overwhelmed by its own growth during the opioid crisis. Full Story @ WMUR.com

Do No Pharma – Dec 21, 2017 – “My office will relentlessly pursue medial professionals who divert prescription drugs from their intended purpose, especially when that diversion results in death,”… Full Story @ PennLive.com

Pharma to the Rescue – Dec. 22, 2017 – It’s an implant – inserted in the fatty tissue of the abdomen – that kills the craving for opiates. Once in the bloodstream, the Naltrexone blocks the receptors in the brain that give drug users the feeling of euphoria that comes from opiate use. It lasts for up to six months, but therapists say it’s no silver bullet. They say unless the patient gets intensive counseling and makes lifestyle changes, a recovering addict can easily relapse once the implanted medicine wears off. Full Story @ 10TV.com

MEDIA: Book Review –  Dec. 20, 2017 – She writes about her addiction with admirable honesty, and in a tone that is light, bubbly and remarkably rarely annoying. It is impossible to disagree with her argument that our society is a booze-pusher, or that there are many health benefits to drinking less. Where there is room for disagreement is on whether 100% sobriety is really the answer for everyone. Clearly, there are many people, such as Gray, for whom moderation will never be an option. Full Story @ TheGuardian.com

MEDIA: Book Review –  The Enthusiast, By JOHN WILLIAMS – DEC. 20, 2017 –  I began to verbally annotate everyday life to friends by referring to things he had done or said, with the same frequency with which I had once (no less annoyingly, I’m sure) called on scenes from “The Simpsons.” He was a Swiss Army knife of psychological and emotional insight. Full Story @ NYTimes.com

Opinion by Earl Ofari Hutchinson –  Dec. 23, 2017 –  The truth that Trump and Sessions would never admit is that the top-heavy drug use by whites has never stirred any public outcry for mass arrests, prosecutions, and tough prison sentences for them, many of whom deal drugs that are directly linked to serious crime and violence. Whites unlucky enough to get popped for drug possession are treated with compassion, prayer sessions, expensive psychiatric counseling, treatment and rehab programs, and drug diversion programs. Full Story @ HuffingtonPost.com

MEDIA: Suicide Cable –  Dec. 21, 2917 – It’s certainly easy to be seduced by the suave tempo of 13 Reasons Why – especially with the accompaniment of a well-furnished soundtrack that captures the euphoria of youth that swelters in the climate of romanticized chaos. Hannah Baker (Katherine Langford) is the lovely and wounded sacrificial lamb who kills herself after weathering the agonizing consequences of teenage woes — Full Story @ Medium.com

That Remind People to Smoke? –  Dec. 24, 2017 – In the end, the industry succeeded in avoiding the statements that they “deceived” the public about the “truth.” The statements that were first published beginning on Nov. 26, 2017, are prefaced by the less damning (and less informative) “A Federal Court has ordered Altria, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco, Lorillard, and Philip Morris USA to make this statement.” Full Story @ Salon.com

Let’s Take a Meeting –  Dec. 2017 – AXIS is designed as an intensive 3-day event that brings together individuals from diverse organizations to engage in a stimulating exchange of ideas on the changing healthcare environment, leadership, and business operations – an Executive Boot Camp. You and your team will experience: More Info @ AxisSummit.com

Not the Solution – Dec. 22, 2017 – On Aug. 1, the doors opened at the McShin Foundation, offering a peer-to-peer recovery program with support from the Fauquier County Sheriff’s Office. McShin spent $30,000 to renovate a building that sat empty for 10 years. McShin was assured it could purchase the building after the lease was up, which was McShin’s intention, pending the approval of a special-use permit. Full Story @ WashingtonPost.com

 Something to Rejoice – Dec 22, 2017 – Standing beneath a towering Christmas tree in Bucks County’s former courthouse, she honored one of the people she credits for saving her life nearly two years ago. She hung an ornament bearing the name of Tara Portney, a certified recovery specialist who stuck with Crocker through her recovery, prodding her to take the little steps and achieve “reachable goals” that Crocker said she needed to build resilience and resolve. Full Story @ BucksCountyCourierTimes.com

58,220 Died in Viet Nam, 1964-1975. Who is the Enemy now? –  December 21, 2017 – Roughly 40 million Americans still lack health insurance — and thus, access to affordable addiction and mental-health services … Beyond the incalculable human toll of all this death, the opioid crisis cost the American economy $504 billion in 2015 alone, according to the White House Council of Economic Advisers. And we’re doing virtually nothing about it. Full Story @ NYMag.com

What Me Worry? –  DECEMBER 22, 2017 – “We manufacture prescription opioids,” reads one of the ads, a full-page spread in the Wall Street Journal on Monday. “How could we not help fight the prescription and illicit opioid abuse crisis?” Facing a barrage of lawsuits for its alleged role in seeding the opioid crisis, Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin, is countering with a public outreach campaign meant to show it is doing its part to stem the epidemic. Full Story @ StatNews.com

Dying to Escape –  Dec. 21, 2017 – “I think we should take it very seriously,” said Bob Anderson, chief of the Mortality Statistics Branch at the National Center for Health Statistics, which is part of the CDC. “If you look at the other developed countries in the world, they’re not seeing this kind of thing. Life expectancy is going up.” Full Story @ WashingtonPost.com

Beyond Jazz –  DEC 22, 2017 –  Andrew Kolodny pointed to the rising drug death rate among older black men, many of whom have probably used heroin on and off since the 1970s, as evidence that progress against the new epidemic could take decades … “What’s really interesting is you’re not seeing younger blacks getting involved in heroin as much.”… Full Story @ Post-Gazette.com

When Prisons and Non-Profit – Dec. 18, 2017 – Drug use, from marijuana to cocaine and heroin, would be decriminalized under the plan, similar to the system in Portugal, which has been held up as a model by drug law reformers worldwide as a preferable option to jailing drug users. The plan was supported by a majority of the Norwegian Parliament, known as the Storting … The government “will stop punishing people who struggle but instead give them help and treatment,” Nicolas Wilkinson, health spokesman for the Socialist Left party, told Norwegian media outlet VG. “This is the start of…

Cartel of One – Dec. 21, 2017 – The lawsuit announced by North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein comes amid a federal investigation that has led to charges against several former executives accused of engaging in a scheme to bribe doctors to prescribe Subsys. Full Story @ USNews.com

Let’s Call Him Jesus – December 21, 2017 – …specialist Dr. Andrew Kolodny said that despite the devastating overdose numbers, there appeared to be some indicators of good news. CONTINUED @ CNN.com

Psychologist’s Explanation –  Dec. 11, 2017 – I remember watching “Goodfellas” in a movie theatre when it first came out in 1990. The film, which was based on events that happened in and around my neighborhood, Canarsie, was very real to me, particularly the scene where Joe Pesci says to Ray Liotta, “Do I amuse you? Do you think I’m a clown?” My stomach was in knots as I watched. It brought back events and experiences I’d witnessed in childhood and adolescence. CONTINUED @ HuffingtonPost.com

Feeling Groovy? –  “They jabbed him with the Narcan,” Geer said. “He took a great big, deep breath and looked stunned.” When the man came around, Geer says the paramedics asked him a list of questions, including whether he wanted to seek addiction treatment and get checked out at the hospital. He said no, and soon his rescuers got in the ambulance and drove away. CONTINUED @ WHYY.org