LOVE ON THE NATCH – June 26, 2025 – I love queer bars. I love meeting new people, squeezing around a table, and talking and laughing spontaneously. That first pint of the night used to feel so freeing, until it felt compulsory. Everyone’s sobriety journey is different and layered with deeply personal factors. My drinking was never out of control. At my ‘worst’, I was only drinking two to three nights a week. But it felt like my social life revolved around alcohol, and I could feel the effects lingering in my body days later. Beginning with a 30-day sober…
Author: Leonard Buschel
“Just because science and technology can do something, doesn’t mean it should.” – Joseph Chilton Pearce, 1926–2016
VIDEO – MISTAKEN IDENTITY – June 17, 2025 – Roger Lewis admits when Mt. Juliet police arrived on his call for help, he was in a real mess. Body camera footage showed the 66-year-old Hendersonville man standing outside his car, trying to get information from his phone that would identify the woman he’d paid in advance for a massage. The woman had directed him to come to her apartment complex, but security told him there was no one with her name. Lewis said the woman, whom he’d met while donating plasma, had asked that he bring some beer with him…
DUMBING DOWN MEN – June 17, 2025 – The researchers highlighted that certain patterns of brain activity observed in the high-frequency group resemble those seen in individuals with substance use disorders and even schizophrenia. Specifically, the increased connectivity in prefrontal areas, combined with altered physiological states … A recent study published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience offers new insights into how frequent internet pornography consumption may affect brain function, emotional response, and cognitive performance. The researchers found that college students who reported high levels of pornography use showed altered patterns of brain connectivity while viewing explicit material, heightened physiological and…
NOT SURPRISED? – June 18, 2025 – The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline will no longer use its LGBTQ youth service line starting July 17. Trevor Project CEO Jaymes Black called the decision “devastating,” adding, “Suicide prevention is about people, not politics.” The agency said it will “no longer silo LGB+ youth services” — notably removing the “T” representing the trans community in the initialism — to “focus on serving all help seekers, including those previously served through the Press 3 option.” The Press 3 option rolled out as a pilot program in 2022 in a government contract with the…
AUDIO – HEALING SYNONYMOUS – June 18, 2025 – Alcoholics Anonymous was born 90 years ago this month, in June 1935, when two men struggling with alcohol addiction came together to help each other. The 12-step recovery program is built on free, informal meetings, available at almost any time of day or night, in communities across the country. Alcoholics admit their problems, share their stories, and are helped by others doing the same. Alcoholics admit their problems, share their stories, and are helped by others doing the same. CONTINUE@WBUR
WATCH – Passing at 91 – June 26, 2025 – Moyers is survived by his wife Judith Davidson Moyers and three children, among them the author Suzanne Moyers and author and TV producer William Cope Moyers. “Bill Moyers documentary series, including “Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth,” drew 30 million viewers… CONTINUE@PBS
WHO WILL HELP? – By Ryan Hampton and Teresa Cobleigh June 19, 2025 – We come from different places — one grounded in the hope of recovery, the other in the profound grief of loss — but we stand united by a shared, devastating understanding: The system designed to help people like Ryan, and meant to save sons like Spencer and Graham, is fundamentally broken. Teresa’s sons’ deaths weren’t just personal tragedies; they were fatal symptoms of a national failure, one rooted in inconsistent standards, inadequate oversight, and the insidious creep of profit motives into spaces where healing should be…
VIDEO – ACOA Yes – June 20, 2025 – Sophie Calon lost her father to alcoholism when he was just 55. Her new book ‘Long Going’ seeks to address the questions all children of alcoholics are haunted by. During a lifetime it slowly gnaws away and hollows out those who are caught in its grip. It ruins relationships, destroys trust, and leaves family and friends feeling hopeless and helpless … An alcoholic doesn’t just destroy themselves. Their self-destruction has a terrible impact on anyone in their immediate orbit. Wanting to help a loved one who won’t, for whatever reason, allow…
VIDEO – IN A GROOVE – June 21, 2025 – This year’s performance had an even deeper meaning for Dro—it was his first sober Birthday Bash and came as he celebrated four years of sobriety. “The walk was a good walk. It showed me who I am and what I need to do.” Young Dro lit up the stage at Hot 107.9’s Birthday Bash 2025, marking an important milestone in his career and personal life. Speaking with Kyle Santillian from the Morning Hustle backstage, the rapper reflected on his unwavering love for Atlanta, his cultural roots, and his triumph over…
VIDEO – NOT HARMLESS – June 24, 2025 – Family of the late Chad White, of Mendon, Illinois, describe him as the best father and person you could ever dream of. “He was just the nicest guy, he was popular but he didn’t let that affect it. He was nice to anybody and everybody, he had friends, wherever he went Chad made friends, he was the best son, I could not have asked for a better son,” said Lisa Garner, White’s mother. Lisa and her husband, Mike, were out eating in Quincy last August, when they received a call that…
GO TO ALANON – June 26, 2025 – At the end of dinner, I went to the restroom and on my way back I saw him take a couple of sips of my leftover wine. When I returned to the table, I said nothing. I’m not sure if that was the right thing to do. SURPRISED IN NEW YORK – DEAR SURPRISED:At the end of therapy, a problem drinker does not announce that he is not an alcoholic. Your friend may be an alcoholic in recovery, but he still is one. It appears from your letter that his sobriety may…
OVER THE MOON – June 25, 2025 – Kelley, 43, exclusively shared with Us Weekly before the release of Songs for a New Moon. “I said, ‘Guys, I want to write about my journey.’” That journey included a stay at a treatment center for alcohol. In August 2022, Lady A announced the postponement of their tour to support Kelley’s “journey to sobriety.”While receiving professional help, Kelley said he had an important realization about what really matters to him. “I had this moment where after about a week or two, I just was like, ‘I don’t even care what happens with…
VIDEO – LESS RECIDIVISM – June 20, 2025 – Kerr, an administrative captain who now runs the jail, began working there two decades ago. Now, jail officials give medication to help people with withdrawal and begin recovery. But that costs money. “The medication-assisted treatment doesn’t work without the medication,” Kerr said He tells me officials spent more than $100,000 on addiction medication last year. And he says prices continue to go up. “We’re just doing a lot more than we used to do to try to help the people that are in here,” Kerr said. CONTINUE@WCPO
LIVING LIFE – June 16, 2025 – He battled addiction, faced relapses, and rebuilt his life and music around sobriety. He rose to fame with hits like Thrift Shop and Can’t Hold Us, but behind the success lay a long struggle with drugs. The singer has been transparent about his journey, channelling it into honest, personal songs like Otherside, Chant, and the album Ben CONTINUE@MSN
VIDEO – MUSICAL INTERLUDE – 2025 – Sherman was born in Santa Monica, California as Robert Cabot Sherman, Jr. He graduated in 1961 from Birmingham High School in Van Nuys in the San Fernando Valley and received his vocal training from Georgia Massey’s School of Song and Dance, also located in the San Fernando Valley. Sherman first became famous as a house singer on the ABC television series Shindig! from 1964 to 1966. For several years, he tried to record singles and break out into the music industry, but he did not have much luck until he earned a role…
VIDEO – MUSICAL INTERLUDE – 2025 – RIP Lou. You were one of those people who enriched the rest of us by your presence in our world. Thanks for everything. This was a HUGE hit; I loved it (and still do). So great seeing it here on YouTube. I was 12 years old when this song was on the radio. Lou Christie thank you! • One of my all time favorite songs. I wore out my sister’s 45 listening to it back in the day! Could almost reach his falsetto while singing along. Today is my 69th birthday. Would probably…
VIDEO – MUSICAL INTERLUDE – 2025 – Lalo left us. But he also left us his music!!! Fabulous. Schifrin visibly has such fun doing this, and his theme for “Mission Impossible” is one of the all-time greats! A mind-blowing fact that further cements Schifrin’s genius is that the Morse Code for the letters “M” and “I” are the exact rhythm of the Mission Impossible theme. Two long for “M” and two short for “I”.• I can listen to this all day long! When a composer performs his masterpiece and knows he’s a badass! CONTINUE@YouTube
VIDEO – THRILLING – June 21, 2025 – Sober made it a winning end to Royal Ascot for Ryan Moore and Willie Mullins, justifying odds-on favouritism in the Queen Alexandra Stakes. Enjoy the best of Sky Sports Racing on the free and award-winning At The Races app: CONTINUE@YouTube
STICK WITH THE WINNERS! – July 1, 2025 – Matt Thomas is a 30-year music industry veteran with over a decade providing consultancy and support services in mental health, addiction, and conflict resolution. He is co-host of the podcast Empathy For The Devil and co-founder and Chair of the charity Music Support. Q. If you are in recovery, what was your drug(s) of choice and when is your sobriety date?A. Alcohol, with a big side of sedatives. But alcohol was my first love. Sobriety date is February 25th 2006. Proud Cottonwood alumni. Q. What do you like most about 12-step…
VIDEO – A GOD SHOT – une 25, 2025 – Paula Patton is sharing her seven-year sobriety journey. In a recent interview with Atlanta radio show Big Tigger Morning Show w/ Jazzy Mcbee, the actress explained how much it has changed her life. She also talked about her decision to give up alcohol was directly tied to motherhood — and to a choice she’d made regarding her career. “When you get sober–It’s so funny, I just had this epiphany that I had made a choice. Like, it was family, it was my life or chaos, to be honest with you,”…
NO MORE NATURE? – June 18, 2025 – This study demonstrated that the total amount of time spent on social media, mobile phones and video games was not associated with future suicide-related or mental health outcomes. What mattered most was how youth were engaging with screens—especially whether their use showed signs of compulsion, distress or loss of control. New research shows that youth who become increasingly addicted to social media, mobile phones or video games are at greater risk of suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts and emotional or behavioral issues. The study, published June 18 in JAMA, was led by researchers…
BAD MOVE – May 31, 2025 – Eric Spofford, 40, was accused of targeting journalists employed by New Hampshire Public Radio in retaliation for publishing an investigation that allegedly revealed multiple allegations of sexual misconduct against him while he was the CEO of Granite Recovery Centers. The NHPR article made a splash, grabbing the attention of local and national media, officials said. Spofford publicly denied the allegations and later sued the public radio station for defamation. He claimed the public radio station filed a “hit piece” against him. He said in his complaint that as a result of the investigation,…
VIDEO – AIN’T RIGHT – June 20, 2025 – According to court documents, in October 2024, Sisters In Recovery nonprofit volunteer board member Brittany Kennard notified the rest of the board that the nonprofit’s secretary, Kathryn Curtice, was making suspicious financial decisions with the nonprofit’s funds. According to a co-founder of Sisters in Recovery, Curtice is one of three co-founders. The non-profit has multiple homes in Pasadena that provide affordable housing for women on the road to sobriety.Court documents say investigators accuse Kathryn Curtice of having residents pay their rent directly to her, opening a credit card using the company’s…
STAR BEVERAGE! – June 25, 2025 – The former Chisley Knows Best star decided to get sober from alcohol. The shift came after Chase endured a setback, which involved him facing a brush with the law amid ongoing family hardship. Now, in embarking upon his alcohol-free journey, Chase was inspired to create Gold Drop. The new alcohol-free sparkling water offers a crisp flavor profile while also allowing those who want to be social a smarter alternative to sip from. It boasts 0% alcohol and zero added sugar, making for zero regrets after consumption. “It’s been in the making for quite…
VIDEO – IT’S NO JOKE haha – June 19, 2025 – “I think everybody started to know what, how, why I was in Hattiesburg. And everybody in the city was so kind to me and…there were people that were like coming up. I remember like pastors would come up to me like slip me their number. They’re like ‘If you need anything let me know,’” he said. While in rehab, Crist developed friendships with other men in recovery for addiction, and they continued to encourage each other in a group text once they got out of rehab. Crist explained that,…
HONKY TONK HEAVEN – June 24, 2025 – King candidly reflects on his journey to sobriety, while describing the social challenges he faced after giving up alcohol as an act of self-preservation. He is the frontman of his southern country rockers band and explains how sobriety has brought him newfound clarity and pride. “I don’t really miss it because it just became a pretty miserable way of living,” he says. King is also excited to have “new music coming out with the band and under the moniker of Marcus King Band again,” while noting that joining back up with the…
More Than 300 Charged – June 30, 2025 – There is a $10 billion urinary catheter scheme that highlights the increasingly sophisticated methods used by transnational criminal organizations. They charged 320 people and uncovered nearly $15 billion in false claims in he largest coordinated takedown of health care fraud schemes in history! CONTINUE@AP
VIDEO – CHERRIES ONLY – NO MORE PITS – June 23, 2025 – The actor chatted about attending an AA meeting with “Armchair Expert” host Dax Shepard in an episode of the podcast released Monday. Pitt said attending AA was an amazing thing. “I just thought it was just incredible — men sharing their experiences, their foibles, their missteps, their wants, their aches, and a lot of humor with it. I thought it was a really special experience,” Pitt said. Shepard said he wondered if Pitt was nervous to chat on the podcast with him after they had met in…
ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAT WORDS – June 20, 2025 – Marlee Matlin blazed a trail as the first deaf actress to win an Oscar, but the journey to stardom was filled with isolation and loneliness. In her new documentary, ‘Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore,’ produced and directed by Shoshannah Stern, who is also deaf, Matlin reflects on the impact of her upbringing, including being diagnosed deaf at 18 months old– and being a pioneer for the deaf community in Hollywood. Matlin, 59, reflects on the pressure she felt being the first deaf person with national acclaim. From advocating for closed…