“Keep a green tree in your heart and perhaps the singing bird will come.” – RUMI, b. Sept. 1207 – d. Dec. 1273
Author: Leonard Buschel
ATTRACTION NOT COERCION – July 26, 2025 – Billy Joel felt “really hurt” after Sir Elton John encouraged him to go to rehab. The 76-year-old star admits that some “bad blood” developed between himself and Elton, after the Your Song hitmaker publicly suggested that Billy needed to spend some time in rehab. In the HBO documentary Billy Joel: And So It Goes, he says: “Elton had made a comment that he thought I needed real rehab. He chalked it up to, ‘Oh, he’s a drunk.’ And that really hurt me. “I said wait a minute? Don’t you know me better…
YES IT DOES – July 27, 2025 – Some addicts feel to share their problems and causes for the addiction. AA members provide a platform for such people and share their sufferings. AA members interact with such people and try to convince them to lead a healthy and happy life by quitting excessive consumption of liquor. The AA team is always ready to support the addicts who seek help to quit alcoholism. The experienced members interact with them and hear their problems patiently. Moreover, every detail, including the discussions at the AA sessions are kept confidential, he explained. “Our main…
VIDEO – STANDBY – July 31, 2025 – Beth McDonough spoke with WBZ-TV’s Penny Kmitt about hitting rock bottom with two DUI arrests and how she recovered from alcoholism. She also discusses more about her journey in her upcoming memoir titled “Standby.” CONTINUE@CBSNews
SOBER MILESTONE – July 31, 2025 – Elton John has celebrated a major personal milestone, marking 35 years of sobriety with a heartfelt message to fans and family on July 29. The music legend took to Instagram to commemorate the date with a photo of handmade cards from his sons, Elijah and Zachary, alongside a bouquet of flowers. “Grateful for all the love on my sobriety birthday,” he captioned the post, which drew thousands of comments from fans and friends. John, 78, has long been open about his past struggles with addiction and the transformative power of recovery. His battle…
READING MAKES YOU A BETTER PERSON – July 15, 2025 – “A stunning, seriously sick, and profoundly well work. I love the intricacies of sanity, and how it can look so crazy. This book had me laughing and crying. Truly brilliant.” – MARGARET CHO, COMEDIAN, ACTRESS, AUTHOR Brutally honest, darkly funny, and deeply empathetic, No Lost Causes Club is a guide to the process of sobering up when it feels like the party’s just getting started, from the voice of the popular Instagram @brutalrecovery. When she was told that her life expectancy could be as low as twenty-five if she…
WHO DO YOU TRUST? – July 21, 2025 – Benadryl interferes with the brain chemical acetylcholine, which is responsible for attention, concentration and memory, said Dr. Malaz Boustani, a geriatrician and neuroscientist at Indiana University. And an increasing body of research is linking regular use of these drugs to a higher risk of dementia. In a 2015 study in JAMA Internal Medicine, researchers followed over 3,000 older adults without dementia for seven years and found that frequent long-term use of acetylcholine-blocking drugs was associated with 54 percent higher risk of dementia and 63 percent higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Experts…
GRIEF MATTERS – Aug. 4th, 2025 – The video clip, from Von’s podcast This Past Weekend, highlights the comedian’s grief after losing a close friend to addiction—something Kim personally relates to. The $5-million net-worth comedian has often used his platform to speak about tough life experiences, and Kim, who has battled both addiction and mental health struggles, found Von’s words powerful enough to share with his audience. “Mental illness is real. Check on ur loved 1s once in a while. Sometimes [you] don’t know who is in that dark space,” Kim wrote in the caption on his Instagram Story. Anthony…
FEAR FACTOR – Aug. 5, 2025 – Researchers have discovered an effective method of getting people to drink less alcohol: Highlight the increased risk of cancer that comes with imbibing and pair that with counting each and every drink. This particular combo of ‘why to reduce’ and ‘how to reduce’ messaging can be useful for promoting good health … Too much drinking doesn’t just lead to cancer, of course. Overdoing it on the booze is associated with a whole range of problems, including premature death, heart disease, digestive issues, and an increased risk of dementia. “We found that pairing information…
HOWLING? – Aug. 2, 2025 – Bill Wilson, the founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, coined the term emotional sobriety, which, in simple terms, can be defined as inner peace. After many years without a drink, Wilson experienced a bout of depression which almost drove him to a disastrous relapse. Then he wrote Emotional Sobriety: The Next Frontier, which, in my opinion, is the one piece of AA literature that is the most valuable to nonalcoholic civilians. Now, dry drunk is a term that I believe people are more familiar with. It’s a way to describe an alcoholic who may no longer…
ADDICTIVE ELIXIR – August 4, 2025 – Feel Free is being marketed for adults as an alternative to alcohol. The beverage’s two main ingredients are kava root and kratom. Botanic Tonics claims that it promotes “relaxation, productivity, and focus.” According to one alarming video posted on Instagram Reels, the drink has been spotted in gas stations, where it is more easily accessible to teenagers, who could use a fake ID, steal it, or in this case of this Instagram user’s experience, try to convince another adult to buy it for them. The Instagram user @yourbestiemisha, called the incident “truly disturbing.”…
BOOZY BLUNDER – July 31, 2025 – Fans of a popular energy drink may unknowingly be cracking open a can of alcohol, thanks to a supply-chain snafu. High Noon is recalling certain 12-packs of its vodka seltzers, which turned out to offer more than just a variety of fruit flavors: The company says some of them also contained cans of the cocktail that were mislabeled as Celsius energy drinks, an entirely different brand. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said Wednesday that High Noon is recalling an unspecified number of what it calls beach variety packs that were sent…
NEVER NEEDED THE ALCOHOL – August 5, 2025 – Bachelor Nation fans first met Demi Burnett on Season 23 of “The Bachelor.” Now, Demi is taking to Instagram to celebrate a major milestone in her sobriety journey. The Bachelor Nation star wrote, “In honor of my four year alcohol-free anniversary, here’s some pics of me doing things i never thought i could do without alcohol. My main takeaway – I never needed the alcohol.” Many of Demi’s fellow Bachelor Nation stars flooded the comments of her post sharing how proud they are of her. Hannah Godwin wrote, “Sooo proud of…
AI Therapy – August 5, 2025 – OpenAI has unveiled a series of updates to ChatGPT aimed at promoting mental well-being and preventing emotional dependency. The move follows months of scrutiny and chilling reports of users experiencing delusions, dependency, and emotional crises after prolonged interactions with the chatbot. The changes, announced on Monday, are designed to make ChatGPT more mentally responsible and less emotionally enabling. These include new break reminders during long chats, revised responses to emotionally sensitive questions, and improved detection of mental distress. “Our goal isn’t to hold your attention, but to help you use it well,” OpenAI…
By Leonard Buschel A GODSHOT – Aug. 12, 2025 – Did Jerry’s death keep me alive? Four days before he had died two miles from my home, I had just celebrated one year of clean and sober living after using drugs every day of my life for 26 years. And dealing drugs as my sole means of income for 23 years. I had moved to idyllic Marin County in 1981 with my girlfriend to raise our one-year-old son Benjamin. By 1993, I would see Jerry around because his daughter went to the same Waldorf school as my son, and once…
VIDEO – MUSICAL INTERLUDE – 3,024,726 views since Oct 22, 2020 – “In June 1984, the Grateful Dead performed Dear Mr. Fantasy for the first time, at Red Rocks. A year later, also at Red Rocks, they added Dear Mr. Fantasy by including the Hey Jude coda to the Traffic classic. And then we waited. Finally, in winter 1988, the Dead brought back Hey Jude, again attached to Fantasy, and it would remain this way for a couple of years, until Brent left the building in July 1990.” – David Lemieux Will you come with me? Won’t you come with…
VIDEO – MUSICAL INTERLUDE – 274K views IN 1 year – “Written by Mickey Hart and Robert Hunter in 1973, Fire On The Mountain made its long-awaited live debut in concert with the Grateful Dead in March of 1977 at Winterland. Usually joined to Scarlet Begonias, this is a rare stand-alone version, featuring Clarence Clemons on saxophone.” CONTINUE@YouTube
AUDIO – FOR HOW LONG? – Aug. 5, 2025 – NPR reported last month that the Trump administration was withholding $140 million from the OD2A program, which state and local public health departments rely on to lower overdose deaths from fentanyl, methamphetamines and other drugs across the U.S. Both spoke to NPR on the condition of anonymity because they fear retribution for speaking to the press without authorization. Some staffers at CDC expressed to NPR that this appeared to be good news, although the funding situation was still fluid and confusing. NPR reported last month that the Trump administration was…
STICK WITH THE WINNERS! – August 12, 2025 – Ronnie Marmo is currently playing Bill Wilson in the open-ended LA production of ‘Bill W and Dr Bob’ which he also directs (billwanddrbobonstage.com). He is touring his critically acclaimed one man show, “I’m Not A Comedian… I’m Lenny Bruce,” which he wrote and is directed by Joe Mantegna. Marmo is an acclaimed playwright, director and actor who has starred in more than 40 stage plays and 80 feature films and television shows, most recently guest starring on “FBI: Most Wanted”, “Ghosts” and “Criminal Minds.” Q. If you are in recovery, what…
7 TOO MANY – Aug. 8, 2025 – Lauren tried Feel Free, “I just felt a wave of euphoria wash over me,” she tells PEOPLE exclusively. At the time, she was sober and remembers thinking, “I really miss drinking, and this is a great replacement and it’s not making me visibly messed up,” she said. “It scratched the itch.” Feel Free is made with leaf kratom product — an ingredient the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency has listed as a “Drug and Chemical of Concern.” It can lead to addiction, the DEA says, and can cause euphoric or sedative effects, depending…
AMAZING STORY – July 15, 2025 – At 25, Lauren McQuistin decided she needed to quit drinking for good. At the time, she was studying and performing opera at Yale School of Music. Many of her peers were deep in heavy, college-era drinking habits. But she was addicted, and as she used alcohol to cope, her life became “unbearable.” There wasn’t a “rock bottom” moment like she’d always heard about. She hadn’t been arrested, fallen into debt, lost her house or spouse or kids. She didn’t even have any of those things. (“Who could afford a house, right?” she tells…
WINNER’S WINNER – July 27, 2025 – She is calling herself a “controlled addict” after decades of being a recovering alcoholic. The 66-year-old actress reflected on her 26-year-long sobriety journey in a new interview, saying she has always retained some degree of control over her life, even when she was at her lowest point. “I am a controlled addict,” she told The Guardian. “In recovery we talk about how, in order to start recovering, you have to hit what you call a ‘bottom.’” “You have to crash and burn, lose yourself and your family and your job and your resources…
CELEBRATING NON-ALCOHOLIC LIFE – July 27, 2025 – From the age of 14 to 24, I was caught in a relentless cycle of binge drinking most weekends. Monday through Thursday, I was fine, but then came Friday to Sunday where I transformed into the classic party girl – the last to leave and always urging everyone for “just one more” What started as an optimistic New Year’s Resolution in my 20s, to finally break free from my weekly binge drinking, became a defining decision in my life. Since writing an article about my journey earlier this month, my inbox has…
BARTENDER HAS TIME – Aug. 1, 2025 – The award-winning country artist announced that she’s opening a bar called Redemption. It’s “inspired by her personal path to sobriety and designed as a welcoming space that honors authenticity. Redemption will offer a stage for rising singer-songwriters and feature zero-proof cocktails … “When the opportunity to make my mark on Broadway came, I knew I wanted to create a space that champions what’s made a difference in my life; a space that lifts up the brushed aside, and makes sure everyone feels welcome,” McBryde said in a statement in the press release.…
AUDIO – NOW OR EVERE – Aug. 7, 2025 – This is Radio Atlantic. I’m Hanna Rosin. Today, we have the second episode of No Easy Fix, our three-part series about why San Francisco, one of the world’s most innovative cities, can’t seem to solve the very visible problems of homelessness and addiction. We meet Evan, who finally made the decision to try and get off the streets. Evan: I’ve always been able to have a job and a house and everything and still have been able to use, and when it got to the point of losing all of…
WHO’S GOT THE RICE? – July 27, 2025 – “I got married on July 10th to the love of my life. Prior to our marriage I had a slight manic episode, it’s been handled and he encouraged me to get help and also stay off social media. So I committed to that but now I’m back! HEALTHY, HAPPY, MARRIED to a good man,”… CONTINUE@Parade
RED, RED WINE – August 4, 2025 – Red wine has built a reputation as a “healthy” drink; however, limited scientific evidence supports its blood pressure benefits. Small amounts of red wine may not affect your blood pressure, but drinking lots of it can. Overall, experts agree that red wine, like other types of alcohol, raises blood pressure. In the short term, alcohol stimulates your nervous system to narrow your blood vessels and make your heart beat faster, which increases blood pressure. In the long term, alcohol affects the areas of your brain that manage blood pressure, contributing to chronic…
OH BABY – August 6, 2025 – Women who strongly wanted to avoid pregnancy were significantly more likely to become pregnant if they engaged in heavy drinking. Their risk was 50% higher compared to women who drank moderately or did not drink at all. On the other hand, cannabis use showed no connection to increased chances of undesired pregnancy. Women who used cannabis were just as likely to avoid pregnancy as those who didn’t use it. The study began with a larger group of over 2,000 non-pregnant women between the ages of 15 and 34. From that group, researchers focused on…
LEGALIZE THEM ALL – July 29, 2025 – Last year, prescription MDMA looked like a sure thing. After decades of clinical research, political wrangling, and aggressive promotion, the popular underground club drug was set to be tamed and medicalized, with a stamp of approval from the US Food and Drug Administration. Then, it wasn’t.In a stark change of course, the FDA rejected the MDMA therapy it had been considering by a 10-1 vote. The decision derailed psychedelic medicine for the foreseeable future. Except for one thing—an unexpected lifeline from the Trump administration. In May, the FDA’s new commissioner, surgical oncologist…
WHO MESSED UP? – Aug. 7, 2023 – How political red tape and a drug company’s thirst for profits limited the reach of a drug that experts believe could have reduced the opioid epidemic’s toll. The writer interviewed dozens of sales reps, executives, doctors, patients, researchers, investigators for this article. In 2005, J. was a young pharmacist, in the middle of a divorce, when he decided he needed a change. He was outgoing, a former rugby player, and he had begun to feel out of place among his quiet co-workers. “Does a pharmacist ever come over to you and chitchat?”…