Author: Leonard Buschel

VIDEO – NO ‘LONE’ RANGER – MAY 13, 2025 – “With the things that we do for work, whether it’s on the ranch or the farms or even in the rodeo industry part of it, there’s lots of injury and pain and also isolation,” said Lacey Marie Singleton, Founder and CEO of Sober Cowboy.She joined FOX21 Morning News on Tuesday, May 13, to talk about the organization. Singleton started Sober Cowboy following her own journey to sobriety. “I realized that there are not a lot of resources or other people even talking about it in the Western or rodeo industry.”…

NPR AUDIO – GIDDY UP –  May 16, 2025 – As the sun rises over Taylor Made Farm several dozen men gather in a home, heads bowed, and deep in prayer. Each man is on a journey to rebuild a life shattered by drug and alcohol addiction. Welcome to Stable Recovery, a program focused on helping men become sober and find a path to a successful life that includes a meaningful career. Taylor Made Farm, one of the world’s top sellers of thoroughbred horses, may seem like an unlikely place for a drug and alcohol recovery program. The idea of…

RELAX A LITTLE – May 4, 2025 – By Ryan Hampton – May is here again. For many, it signals spring finally taking hold, warmer days, maybe the end of a school year. For me, and countless others in the recovery and mental health advocacy communities, it means something incredibly important: Mental Health Awareness Month. It’s a time we dedicate to raising our voices, sharing our stories, and chipping away at the stigma that still surrounds mental health conditions. But this year, I want to talk about something more than just awareness. I want to talk about fitness. Not just…

BEWARE MOSQUITO – May 14, 2025 – In a health alert, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the FDA said people 60 years of age and older should skip getting Valneva-developed Ixchiq vaccine used to protect against chikungunya, a tropical disease. Outbreaks of chikungunya linked to mosquitoes have been reported in Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, and can be spread to unaffected areas by infected travelers. People can become infected with the chikungunya virus when mosquitoes feed on another infected person and then bite them. According to the CDC, roughly…

SMART CHOICE – May 11, 2025 – In a shocking revelation, Paige Spiranac, the renowned social media sensation and former professional golfer, disclosed how her decision to abstain from alcohol not only saved her money but also paved the way for her massive success in the digital world. Known for her candid nature, Spiranac humorously credited her non-drinking habit for being a smart financial move, Spiranac humorously credited her non-drinking habit for being a smart financial move. The golf influencer, boasting a staggering four million followers on Instagram and a significant presence on other platforms, shared insights into her journey…

DIABETES ANYONE? – May 12, 2025 – We owe our sweet tooths to the Arab world of the 7th and 8th centuries. It was in the newly founded Baghdad where people started our ongoing love of sweet treats, gorging themselves on sugar-based sherbets, honeyed porridge, fried syrupy pastries, and candies. The word itself — “sugar” — comes from the Arabic “Sukkar”, which Europeans imported westwards, along with a sugary appetite, following the Crusades of the 11th century. Back then sweets were infrequently enjoyed as treats: they were little pick-me-ups or remedies for a sleepy afternoon. Now, sugar is everywhere —…

VIDEO – SIRENS ARE REAL – May 15, 2025 – A large-scale U.S. study reveals that Takotsubo cardiomyopathy—also known as broken heart syndrome—continues to carry a high risk of death and severe complications, with no improvement in outcomes from 2016 to 2020. Often triggered by extreme emotional or physical stress, the condition mimics a heart attack and primarily affects older women, though men experience more than double the mortality rate. It can lead to severe, short-term failure of the heart muscle and can be fatal. Takotsubo cardiomyopathy may be misdiagnosed as a heart attack because the symptoms and test results…

“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” – Marcel Proust, July 1871–Nov. 1922

YES YOUR HONOR – May 5, 2025 – Lisa Mertz began using alcohol and marijuana in the eighth grade. By the time the suburban Cincinnati woman started the journey to sobriety in 2015, she’d progressed to painkillers and heroin. Along the way, she lost her job, her home and her kids. Near the end, “I spent every waking moment injecting heroin,” she said. On May 9, Mertz, now 42 and president and CEO of Cincinnati’s Addiction Services Council, will graduate at the top of her Northern Kentucky University law school class. Key mentors helped her believe she could build a…

WHAT ABOUT PERCODANS? – May 2, 2035 – The letter, also claims that the dentist encouraged the rapper to use the gas unsupervised. West claims it caused adverse neurological and behavioral effects, in addition to saying Connelly let him “fend for himself with a serious induced addiction.” “As a result, in this instance, Ye suffered extreme mental and physical distress leading to urgent medical care.” “As a result, in this instance, Ye suffered extreme mental and physical distress leading to urgent medical care,” Cherkasky wrote. “In another instance, evidence suggests additional improper usage of propofol or similar controlled substances when…

GUIDING LIGHT – April 25, 2025 – Natalie Russell, a relationship recovery coach, public speaker and content creator, is now using her platform to inspire others. However, she has faced many challenges to get to this point. Ms Russell said: “Looking back at my childhood, I realise how deeply instability affected me. “That absence created a hole in my life I struggled to fill.” She began smoking cannabis at the age of 12 and was regularly using heroin by the age of 17. Ms Russell said: “My world was a blur of relationships that were abusive and codependent. CONTINUE@DailyEcho

ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT – April 29, 2025 – “It’s heartbreaking. It’s heartbreaking to hear the clients talk to their facilitator or me and say, what are we going to do? We don’t have any place to go, and they’re still sober, but you can see in their eyes that it’s really, they’re really struggling,” said “Mary,” another former employee who wants to remain anonymous. Both Barbara and Mary worked as behavioral health technicians and weren’t paid until recently. “We weren’t being paid as employees, but they weren’t paying for these houses that these clients were staying in either. So as soon…

Juice WORLD too! – April 27, 2025 – Sadly, popular music has lost more people amongst its ranks than we’d like to remember. Why is it that so many of the great songwriters and performers are also addicts? Why do they search for drug-induced highs as much or more than they search for career highs in their art form? Maybe we’ll never know. It’s heartbreaking. Here below… we wanted to take a look at the lives of three all-time artists who couldn’t kick their addictive demons. This trio of songwriters and performers are superstars that millions wish were still alive.…

CRAZY WORLD – May 2, 2025 – The massive national effort to return the Medicaid enrollment process to its pre-pandemic rules starting in April 2023 may have disrupted the care of people receiving treatment for opioid addiction, a new University of Michigan study suggests. The researchers call this finding concerning, because the disruption may increase the risk of overdose…The study has implications for the current debate over the future of Medicaid funding, which may result in further changes in eligibility in some or all states. Although opioid overdose deaths have declined somewhat, they are still as high as they were…

VIDEO – UNBELIEVABLE – April 25, 2025 – Host Robert Scheer dives into a critical discussion with Dr. Charles LeBaron, a distinguished physician and CDC veteran, who has authored a compelling and essential book, Greed to Do Good: The Untold Story of CDC’s Disastrous War on Opioids. Dr. LeBaron offers a unique perspective on the opioid crisis, drawing from his extensive experience and personal encounters. Through his well-crafted narrative, he sheds light on the complexities of pain management, the challenges of public health policies, and the human stories behind addiction. CONTINUE@ScheerPost

A SIN – May 6, 2025 – Nowadays, drugs go through extensive testing before being released to the public. It’s at least unlikely that anything you’re prescribed will result in an extremely awkward discussion with your doctor where they explain how you’re about to be sicker than you’ve ever been before. But in the past, drug distribution was a little bit fast and loose, especially when it seemed like someone had stumbled upon a miracle. Here are five miracle drugs that certainly don’t seem that way in retrospect… CONTINUE@Cracked

ONE DRUG DESERVES ANOTHER – May 8, 2025 – Varenicline, a prescription medication sold under the brand name Chantix, has been shown to help adults stop smoking. And a small clinical trial in adults found it may be effective for quitting vaping. Dr. McGee says, “Varenicline is now another medication option she would raise with her 16- and 17-year-old patients and their parents” A challenge when helping patients under 18 quit, McGee says, is that state laws differ on whether drugs can be prescribed without parental consent. McGee encourages her patients to talk to their parents about quitting, unless the…

YOU BET SHE WAS – May 6, 2025 – As far as her coworkers were concerned, Mary Durso was a successful career woman, a wife and mother, who juggled a demanding six-figure-salary job with raising her adorable daughter.They had no idea that every lunchtime the Chicago based data programing executive would drive to a park… Nor could they have had any idea that her exhaustion was the product of the hopeless addiction that kept her up all night. For Durso’s drug of choice was gambling – as addictive as any opioid and every bit as destructive. Speaking exclusively to the…

HEARTBROKEN and HELPFUL – May 6, 2026 – On a sunny afternoon last month, hers was the privilege no parent wants: The chance to convince a roomful of lawmakers to fix the broken system she believes contributed to the death of her child.For the second time in two weeks, she would testify before the state Legislature as a key witness for not one, but two separate bills targeting the health insurance industry. They were among several such measures percolating through the Capitol, hastened along by public outrage that boiled over after the fatal shooting of the chief executive officer of…

VIDEO – SOBER AND LOVING IT –  May 5, 2025 – Chris Soriano is a long way from when he was addicted to fentanyl. “Took me everywhere it takes everybody — jails, rehabs,” Soriano said. Soriano was lost to opioids for almost two decades, until the last time he was hospitalized… “Just from IV use, I had huge open sores on my legs,” Soriano said. During that hospitalization, Soriano was introduced to the Stephen and Sandra Sheller Consult Bridge Program. With the bridge program, Soriano has access to a variety of services, including medications and counseling. He’s been sober for…

VIDEO – MUSICAL INTERLUDE – 8,592,558 views since Mar 11, 2019 – What a mountain of a song…It’s Bob’s world we are just paying rent…There’s only a handful of musical artists who will still be remembered 100 years from now and Bob Dylan is one of them. CONTINUE@YouTube

WATCH – MUSICAL INTERLUDE – 2,300,000 views since 2013 – The arrangements on the version here are riveting.. It’s not just poetry, of course. It’s a social science theory. One of the really big ones. A proven statement that explains the nature of menkind’s evil personified – Masters of War. Valid, without any doubt. Word for word, line for line. For all time. CONTINUE@YouTube

USA USA USA – April 25, 2025 – U.S. foreign assistance has generally led to substantial improvements in security and political and economic stability, including a reduction in the number of people living in extreme poverty. Japan and South Korea, whose economies were rebuilt with assistance from the United States, are now among its major trading partners.Since U.S. foreign assistance accounts for about 1% of the federal budget, we are skeptical of cost-savings–based arguments for its elimination. Moreover, the retrenchment of U.S. foreign assistance could have adverse and unpredictable political consequences. Measures to abandon U.S. foreign aid could have cascading…

THAT’S RIGHT, THE WOMEN ARE SMARTER – May 8, 2025 – More than 200 women have filled the hall at Anthony’s in Malden this morning to celebrate, support, and share stories of challenges and triumph at the Women’s Recovery Court Session. This year’s theme is “Inspire and Empower.” This annual celebration, presented by Malden District Court Probation and the Massachusetts Trial Court, was first introduced 12 years ago by then Chelsea District Court Judge Benjamin Barnes, who is now Edgartown District Court First Justice, then Chelsea Probation Probation Officer Judy Lawler (now retired Malden District ACPO) and Katie O’Leary of…

AUDIO – JUST A TWO PACK – May 8, 2025 – The rise of non-alcoholic beer isn’t just a passing trend-it’s a cultural shift. Whether people are cutting back on alcohol for health reasons, personal preference, or simply exploring a new way to socialize, the demand for flavorful, high-quality non-alcoholic beverages is here to stay. Consumer habits are evolving, with more people choosing mindful, health-conscious drinking options over traditional alcoholic beverages. Driven by wellness trends, the sober-curious movement, and a growing demand for alternatives that complement an active lifestyle, the market for premium alcohol-free beverages is booming. CONTINUE@ModestoBee

STICK WITH THE WINNERS! – May 13, 2025 – Tawny Lara has reported on the sober curious and non-alcoholic beverage industry since 2015. She is the author of Dry Humping: A Guide to Dating, Relating, and Hooking Up Without the Booze and co-author of The Sobriety Deck. She co-founded the non-alc botanical spirit (parentheses) and co-hosts the Recovery Rocks podcast. She teaches virtual courses about writing, publishing, media strategy, and DIY PR. Q. If you had an extra million dollars, which charity would you donate it to? A. Road Recovery. Q. Who has been the biggest influence throughout your life?…

MOVIES MATTER – May 8, 2025 -On the 8th, her agency King Kong by Starship released several behind-the-scenes stills from the poster of the new tvN Monday-Tuesday drama ‘Second Shot at Love’ (written by Myung Soo-hyun, Jeon Ji-hyun / directed by Jang Yu-jeong / planned by Studio Dragon / produced by How Pictures), in which Jo Yoon-hee plays the role of ‘Han Hyun-joo’. ‘Second Shot at Love’ is a sober romance drama that follows a woman, who rated herself as a very reasonable drinker, as she reunites with her first love, who despises alcohol, and challenges herself to her first…

GUILTY! – May 6, 2025 – Parents were convicted of second-degree assault after their toddler had to be put on a Narcan drip to keep her alive after overdosing on fentanyl.’When she returned to the car, she put her bag, which contained multiple fentanyl pills and other drug paraphernalia, in the backseat within reach of the toddler. The child got into the pills and swallowed several of them.’ A short time later, Meek and Hollmann noticed the child was overdosing. Beaverton Police arrived on the scene, the child was unconscious, not breathing and had no detectable pulse. The couple told…

CURED PATIENTS NEVER RETURN – May 7, 2025 – We treat addiction today like an acute crisis, not a chronic condition. Care is designed around getting someone through detoxification—which alone can be a significant hurdle—but it is rarely structured to keep them well long term.That gap is where the revolving door begins. For anyone who has tried to help a loved one find treatment, you know how quickly hope can turn into overwhelm. Getting into care isn’t as simple as making a call. It’s a confusing, high-stakes journey of repeated phone calls, outdated provider lists, insurance hurdles, and treatment programs…

GOING FOR THE GREEN – April 30, 2025 – Blue Cross Blue Shield is suing several people, including a Goodyear woman, for their alleged involvement in sober living fraud spanning different states. They say Rad Life and Excellence in Everything Recovery (EIE) both acted as “body brokers.” The owner of EIE Recovery is Cari Passmore. Passmore is accused of sending potential patients to an insurance agent in Oklahoma to be enrolled in Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance plans. The lawsuit says the patients would then be sent to South Coast Behavioral Health in California for free detox treatment before returning…