ONE STEP AT A TIME – Sept. 28, 2025 – A man who overcame an addiction to alcohol that spanned two decades said “walking was a great tool” when he initially took strides to become sober. Jimmy Thistle, who is now a Peer Mentor at Motiv8 Addiction Services, came up with the idea to hold a walking challenge from the east to the west coast of the Isle of Man to raise awareness overcoming addiction. Mr. Thistle said the event would help those recovering from a dependency to see that “they are not alone” and help them make “human connections”…
Author: Leonard Buschel
“What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” – Jane Goodall, B. 1934–D. 2025
WE NEED MORE LIKE HER – Sept. 25, 2025 – Inluencer Tana Mongeau, who first rose to YouTube fame back in 2015, has shared a very important milestone with her fans: one year of sobriety. In a TikTok posted on September 22, Mongeau revealed it was her one year anniversary of no longer consuming alcohol. I just wanna say if you’re out there and you’re thinking about it, you can do it,” Mongeau said. “Like I genuinely… I believe that with everything in me. I never thought in my entire lifetime I would see this day, and that I would…
SEE NO EVIL – HEAR NO EVIL – WRITE TRUTH – Sept. 21, 2025 – Mark Zuckerberg’s company was trying to “silence and punish” Sarah Wynn-Williams, the former director of global public policy at Facebook, after her decision to speak out about her time at the company. Wynn-Williams made a series of claims about the social media company’s behaviour and culture in her book Careless People. “Meta has served a gagging order on Sarah and is attempting to fine her $50,000 for every breach of that order. She is on the verge of bankruptcy. I am sure that the whole house…
VIDEO – ON TELEVISION – Sept. 26, 2025 – California Live met up with Mary Alice Stephens author of “Uncorked: A Memoir of Letting Go and Starting Over.” She reveals how making the decision to get sober is a powerful first step, but the journey doesn’t end there. For many, the early days of sobriety can be a challenging transition, especially when alcohol is so deeply embedded in our social culture. Whether you’re fully committed to a sober lifestyle or just “sober curious,” these tips can help you navigate this new chapter with confidence. MORE
EXPORTING HORROR – Sept. 21, 2025 – The herbal extract from the evergreen tree called Mitragyna speciosa can be chewed in the form of its leaves, ground to powders and taken as a supplement. It can also be added to a liquid for consumption. There have been many drugs that have taken over the streets in the UK, like spice, and badly cut powders that can send a person to the ER from an overdose. CONTINUE@LADBible
HE HAS TWO – Sept. 26, 2025 – A 24-year-old man who’s been vaping for nearly a decade has a stark warning for other users after his lung sudden collapsed. It’s no secret that vaping has significantly increased in popularity in recent years with more and more people swapping them into their routines in place of traditional cigarettes. And while experts still consider vaping as better for us than opting for a pack of cigs, it still doesn’t come without its own horror health stories. One TikToker who frequently vaped recently recalled how he suffered a ‘minor’ heart attack, known…
AUDIO – NOTHING BUT NET – Sept. 25, 2025 – Chris Herren was introduced to cocaine for the first time in his Boston College dorm room after a Sports Illustrated photoshoot in 1994. The basketball phenom exploded onto to the scene during his high school years in Fall River, Mass. The hype around him had never been higher when he walked in on his roommate and another student using cocaine. “I had no idea at 18 years old, when I promised myself ‘just one time,’ that that one line would take 14 years to walk away from,” he said. “I…
POT HEADS HEADED NOWHERE – Sept. 25, 2025 – The overall percentage of marijuana users who chose to vape the drug also grew over the study period. Among eighth graders who had used marijuana in the past 12 months, the percentage who vaped it increased from 48% to 57%. In 10th grade, the number went from 60% to 66%, and among 12th graders, it rose from 58% to 67%. Flavored marijuana vaping is now the most common form of use among American teenagers who vape cannabis, according to new findings from the University of Michigan’s annual Monitoring the Future surveys.…
Ya Think? – Sept. 24, 2025 – Aging isn’t just about birthdays. It’s also about how our organs age on the inside—brains included. Scientists can now estimate a person’s “brain age” from MRI scans and compare it to their actual age. When brain age is older than expected, risk for cognitive problems tends to run higher; when it’s younger, that’s a good sign. Diet is one way you can support a healthier brain, and Mediterranean-style patterns keep coming up as brain-friendly. Now, a new analysis points to a specific tweak that could potentially nudge brain aging in the right direction.…
STAY ACTIVE – Sept. 21, 2025 – A new study shows that high-intensity interval training (HIIT) is more effective than moderate exercise at protecting adolescent lab animals from cocaine use. Animals exposed to HIIT developed a preference for non-drug environments and an aversion to cocaine, linked to increases in ΔFosB, a molecular switch involved in addiction. People with substance use disorder who participate in recovery running programs have shown improved success in maintaining their sobriety and reducing their risk for relapse. Those observations led Panayotis Thanos, a University at Buffalo neuroscientist who studies the brain’s reward system, to try to…
NOW AND ALWAYS – Sept. 25, 2025 – “We have medicines that can help people quit tobacco, alcohol and opioid use. For opioid addiction, treatments like Suboxone, methadone, and naltrexone can help patients stay in recovery and avoid serious health issues,” explained Dr. Meyer. However, recovery is about more than finding the right medication. Many people also require counseling, and attendance at mutual support group meetings like Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous can be helpful, according to Dr. Meyer. “Studies show that folks who find employment and who return to the workforce do better,” said Dr. Meyer. “People who struggle…
TOO SOON TO DIE – Sept. 25, 2025 – These platforms, which promote micro-betting and rapid-fire bets on a wide range of games in real time, are fueling massive sports betting financial losses that leave young adults trapped in debt and at greater risk of suicidal actions. As a result, a series of sports betting addiction lawsuits have been filed in recent months, alleging that companies like FanDuel, DraftKings and others are engaging in deceptive marketing tactics and have designed addictive platforms, which can lead users, especially students and young adults, into severe financial and emotional distress. MORE
HOW TO UNLOCK? – Sept. 26, 2025 – “What makes addiction so hard to break is that people aren’t simply chasing a high,” says Friedbert Weiss, professor of neuroscience at Scripps Research and senior author of the study. “They’re also trying to get rid of powerful negative states, like the stress and anxiety of withdrawal. This work shows us which brain systems are responsible for locking in that kind of learning, and why it can make relapse so persistent.” “This brain region just lit up in every rat that had gone through withdrawal-related learning,” says co-senior author Hermina Nedelescu of…
HORRIBLE – Sept. 26, 2025 – In 2023, 557 teens died of opioid overdose, nearly threefold as many as in 2018, while adult opioid deaths only went up by 65% during this time, according to the study. Drug overdoses are now among the leading causes of death for US teenagers. “Ten years ago, illicitly manufactured fentanyl was primarily something that people with a history of opioid use were using via injection or smoking,” Cano said, adding that now teenagers who are experimenting with drugs are more likely to encounter these pills or buy them through social media. Fentanyl is highly…
VIDEO – MUSICAL INTERLUDE – TODAY – 27,880,943 views – Kali Uchis performs “Never Be Yours” after a long conversation with Intuition on the Kinda Neat podcast. She sounds like she was plucked from a lowrider oldies compilation, and looks like she was an extra in The Fifth Element. With her unique voice, nuanced writing, great ear for beats, and extravagant fashion, I have a feeling labels will be frothing at the mouth for her soon. MORE
VIDEO – MUSICAL INTERLUDE – NOW – Hello Kitty, why the long face?You keep on standing, standing, standing in the same placeNew coupons riding in the Chevrolet with big bassYou’re deep on talking, talking, ‘bout how we all lack taste MORE
VIDEO – SOBRIETY IS A VICTORY – Sept. 25, 2025 – Mid-Michigan Recovery Services executive director Patrick Patterson says just like those smokes stacks are a beacon, the lighthouse on his organization’s logo is a symbolic beacon of hope, for those dealing with addiction. “We’ve always specialized, for 65 years, in alcohol and drug treatment recovery, for the poorest of the community.” Patterson has been executive director of mid-Michigan recovery services for the past six years, helping turn this one time elementary school into a place where people can take part in group and individual counseling. They use a holistic…
SHARING – SEPT. 24, 2025 – Singer, songwriter, and actor Dominic Fike — known for playing Elliot on Euphoria — has opened up in a rare, wide-ranging interview covering everything from filming the HBO hit to sobriety, dating, and his chaotic entry into acting. Fike and Schafer met while filming Euphoria and dated in real life. Since their split, Schafer confirmed in a 2024 interview that she was still healing and briefly dated Spanish pop star Rosalía — who, coincidentally, also joins the Euphoria cast in Season 3. Yes, Schafer and two of her real-life exes are appearing on screen…
STICK WITH THE WINNERS! – Sept. 30, 2025 – I was born in North Dakota, in a farming community. I went to the same school for 12 years. I have such fond memories of my beautiful classmates and teachers and there are six kids in my family and we’re like the Brady Bunch — three boys and three girls. My parents were married for 65 years. And I have 31 nieces and nephews back in North Dakota that I get to go see. Q. Where are you from and where do you reside now?A. I’m actually from Minot, North Dakota and…
FAMILY MATTERS – Sept. 25, 2025 – “My mom’s the most supportive person in the world,” he said. “And it got to a point where she called me when I was in rehab and she was like, ‘My biggest fear is that I will turn on the news and I’ll see that my son has died.’” The devastating confession struck a chord with the King of Staten Island actor, especially since his mom is someone who tries to remain positive. He also doesn’t want to be the reason for that kind of heartbreak after his father, Scott Davidson, died during…
VIDEO – OR AT THE URINAL – Sept. 21, 2025 – A doctor has issued a serious health warning to those who scroll on their phones while on the loo. You’re probably sitting on the porcelain throne right now reading this story, and I’m here to tell you why you should refrain from bringing a device near the toilet in future. Dr. Saurabh Sethi regularly posts TikToks and YouTube videos for his followers, warning them about little-known complications that your body might create if you do common things. He explained: “Don’t scroll on your phone.” Why is it so bad,…
MANY PATHS TO GOD – Sept. 21, 2025. – I was addicted to alcohol for more than 15 years. What started as binge drinking in high school and college became a pattern of blackouts, emergency room visits, regret and shame. I tried 12-step meetings, therapy and asking doctors for help. But nothing worked for me until I was prescribed safe, effective medication proven to help people reduce or quit drinking. With some help from naltrexone, a recommended frontline medication for alcohol use disorder, I was finally able to take back control over alcohol. I started Oar Health to close that…
ACTOR CHAMELEON – Sept. 25, 2025 – “It’s pretty well-chronicled now my history with addiction, but I don’t think you have to be an addict to play an addict,” he said frankly. I suppose I have some form of OCD that is given good life in regard to acting because you get to obsess about the characters and maybe imagine their history.” “Ballad of a Small Player” is playing in official selection at the Basque festival just a year after Berger’s “Conclave” bowed at the same event. Adapted from Lawrence Osborne’s novel, the film finds Lord Doyle adrift in the…
BECAUSE HE’S GUILTY – Sept. 24, 2025 – Doctors could prescribe methadone for pain but needed special permission from the Drug Enforcement Administration to prescribe the medication for opioid use disorder. Suetholz said he didn’t know that when he began prescribing methadone to opioid addicted patients in his private practice. Suetholz became the target of a federal indictment in October 2021 for his treatment of some patients with addiction histories. His conviction led to a sentence of one year and one day in prison. He was released from the custody of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons on Aug. 25. While…
DROVE MYSELF SANE – Sept. 23, 2025 – Katie Herzog understands this reality intimately. For nearly 20 years, alcoholism took over her life, her relationships, and her career. She tried repeatedly to stop drinking, but it never lasted long. Then, in 2022, she came across an unorthodox treatment online. The method flips abstinence-based recovery on its head: Instead of never touching alcohol, you keep drinking, but first take an opioid blocker. I was a chronic drinker for over 20 years. At times, I was drinking between 10 and 12 drinks per day, every day. Short of rehab, I tried all…
PLANTING THE SEEDS – September 23, 2025 – Miley Cyrus is opening up about her passion for gardening and how it helps her maintain an important practice in her life. Miley got candid about how the “very personal process” of taking care of her garden helps her keep a sober lifestyle while speaking to Pamela Anderson. “Gardening is something you do for yourself. When we’ve shared so much of ourselves, having those little precious times with something simple — like putting a seed in the ground and nurturing it — it becomes a very personal process,” Cyrus told Anderson. She…
VIDEO – FOOD LIKE PRODUCT – Perpetual – Introduced in 1949, the French fries were cooked in a mixture of 93% beef tallow and 7% cottonseed oil. – Potatoes, Vegetable Oil (Canola Oil, Soybean Oil, Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Natural Beef Flavor [Wheat and Milk Derivatives]*, Citric Acid [Preservative], Dextrose, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate (Maintain Color), Salt. Prepared in Vegetable Oil: Canola Oil, Corn Oil, Soybean Oil, Hydrogenated Soybean Oil with TBHQ and Citric Acid added to preserve freshness. Dimethylpolysiloxane added as an antifoaming agent. Silicoaluminate, dextrose (which is sugar) and potassium iodide, *Natural beef flavor contains hydrolyzed wheat and hydrolyzed milk as…
VIDEO – SHE’S AMAZING – Sept. 24, 2025 – Author Barbara Kingsolver opened the facility in January with royalties from her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, “Demon Copperhead,” whose plot revolves around Appalachia’s opioid crisis. The home offers a supportive place for people to stay while learning to live without drugs. Kingsolver had asked the women now living there to join her on stage. Kingsolver, who grew up in Appalachia, suggested the women share with the audience what they were most proud of having gained from their first weeks at Higher Ground. But she learned they were more eager to brag on…
FIGHT FOR SOBRIETY – September 24, 2025 – He told People magazine about his continuing sobriety journey: “Right now it’s going very well. I’m back on point. I’m back on track, you know what I’m saying? “And this is the way that I plan on staying for the rest of my life.” He also offered advice to others struggling with addiction…. MORE