Author: Leonard Buschel

OBITUARY – May 9, 2025 – For more than four decades, Pia Mellody helped reshape the field of behavioral health. As one of the original architects of a new clinical model, she developed groundbreaking frameworks for identifying and healing childhood trauma, love addiction, and codependency. Her approach became a cornerstone of modern recovery treatment, influencing thousands of clinicians and transforming the lives of patients across the globe. Beyond her public work, Pia was devoted to her spiritual life and her family. Her children remember her not only as a public healer, but as a wise, vibrant, and fiercely loving mother…

OR IS IT TOO LATE? – May 6, 2025 – What are we going to do about it. When I ask people this question, the most common response is a blank stare or a shrug. Oh, tech people understand what’s coming — in fact, they understand it’s already here, displacing early career programmers. CEOs are studying how artificial intelligence might help reduce expensive head counts. Professors are aware that students are using it to cheat. Journalists have a natural wariness of any entity that produces faster, cleaner copy than they can. Outside of those professions, I keep being surprised by…

PROSECUTING ADDICTION – May 6, 2025 – Ms Letourneau doesn’t just speak about addiction – she dissects it with the precision of a lawyer and the vulnerability of someone who’s lived through its darkest corners. As counsel with the Ministry of Natural Resources legal services branch, she occupies a demanding role in corporate commercial law. But behind her daily work on contracts is a decade-long battle with alcohol addiction – one she now shares openly in a profession that rarely allows space for imperfection. Letourneau’s legal career began in government and largely stayed there. “I do primarily procurements, transfer payments…

PROGRESS not PERFECTION – May 6, 2025 -Federal authorities have arrested 16 individuals and seized record-breaking quantities of fentanyl, cash, firearms, and vehicles across multiple states, dismantling one of the largest and most dangerous drug trafficking organizations in U.S. history. CONTINUE@Justice

MEDICATION NOT MEDITATION – May 7, 2025 – I was caught between what the food industry has done to make the American diet unhealthy and addictive and what my metabolism could accommodate … These foods typically are called ultraprocessed, but I refer to them as ultraformulated because they have been engineered to manipulate the brain’s reward system. These foods have become the new cigarette and, similarly, have resulted in a health catastrophe. Forty percent of American adults are obese. These foods have contributed to a rise in diseases characterized by visceral fat, or what I call toxic fat — fat…

MICHAEL J. FOX – May 7, 2025 – Scientists found people who ate 11 or more servings of ultraprocessed foods a day were 2.5 times more likely to have early signs of the progressive movement disorder Parkinson’s disease than those eating three or fewer servings. One serving is the equivalent of a can of soda or tablespoon of ketchup, but other foods considered healthy like salads and sliced meat can also be ultraprocessed. The earliest signs of Parkinson’s disease in the study included sleep issues, fatigue, constipation and a reduced ability to smell. These symptoms come before tell-tale signs like…

AUDIO – MEMORY LANE DREAMS –  May 7, 2025 – U.S. vets and lawmakers are leading an effort to get clinical trials up and running for a potent psychoactive drug. Ibogaine is illegal in the U.S., but it’s proving to be a powerful treatment for post-traumatic stress, traumatic brain injury and addiction …  Ibogaine is a derivative of the West African iboga plant, and starting in the ‘60s, it came to be known as a powerful tool in treating opiate addiction. But in recent years, when veterans started going to Mexico for ibogaine to treat their PTSD and TBI, the drug…

LIFE ON LIFE’S TERMS – May 7, 2025 – He had a life that people could only dream of but he also spent decades self-medicating through alcohol and other substances, which he does regret.” The insider further revealed that despite being sober now, David’s health “has been declining for some time,” due to “decades of alcoholism”. David’s struggle with alcoholism reportedly contributed to the collapse of his marriage to Pamela, who tragically took her own life at the age of 61 in her Hollywood Hills home on March 5. Emergency services were summoned to the mother-of-two’s residence where it was…

“To be woke is not a threat. It’s a calling.” – Pope Leo XIV

ROOM TEMPERATURE IS BEST – April 30, 2025 – Medical experts have discovered that water temperature, when used at the right time, can significantly improve your wellbeing, affecting everything from how we digest our food to how well we perform during workouts. All water hydrates, but the temperature at which you drink it can make all the difference. Good morning! Many dieticians and wellness experts recommend drinking room-temperature water (about 68°F) first thing in the morning to gently activate your gastrointestinal tract (It also promotes regular bowel movements, FYI). This gentle approach is often referred to as “Japanese water therapy,”…

VIDEO – RELAX A LITTLE –  April 22, 2025 – Somewhere between your third Zoom call of the day and the relentless ping of notifications, you may have started to feel something more than just tired. A bone-deep weariness, a growing sense of detachment, or even a creeping resentment towards the work you once enjoyed. This is burnout— It’s not simply about being busy; it’s about being overwhelmed to the point of emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion. Left unchecked, it can affect not just your productivity but your health, relationships, and overall quality of life. Burnout, in its most unglamorous…

VALIUMS TOO! – April 27, 2025 – While most side effects of sleeping pills are temporary, there now appears to be one that’s more…life-altering. “Our results are staggering to say the least. Many people rely on sleeping pills to help them sleep, so it’s a shock to find that taking them may more than double your mortality risk,” says Dr. Yu Sun, MD, Ph.D, The authors also observed that sleeping pill users have a shorter life expectancy than non-users. Men’s life expectancy was 5.3 years shorter, and women’s was 5.7 years shorter. Additionally, sleeping pill users had a higher cancer…

HUMANS DON’T WAKE UP – May 1, 2025 – Medetomidine, which is used to sedate pets and is somewhat similar to xylazine, was first detected in illegally manufactured opioids in North America in 2022. Investigators say the drug is being mixed in with other illicit drugs, mainly fentanyl, the synthetic opioid behind most overdose deaths. In Chicago, health officials last May were puzzled by a surge in overdoses. The patients had taken fentanyl, but the overdose-reversing drug naloxone didn’t seem to work. After an investigation, the city’s health department reported 12 confirmed cases of medetomidine-involved overdose — the largest to…

IF YOU READ – April 26, 2025 – There is nothing quite like the feeling of turning the final page of a great novel and looking up at the world knowing you will never be quite be the same person. In reality, few books – even the really good ones – do much beyond giving you a pleasurable reading experience. However, there are some novels that really do change you. This is the case for many classics (hence why they become classics), but it is also true for some more modern novels too. From Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan Quartet to Hilary…

SO GOOD TO BE ALIVE – April 30, 2025 – Mark Chesnutt has announced his “2025 Redemption Tour” in celebration of health, recovery and sobriety, and is going public with the disclosure of multiple health scares which almost ended his life. In recent years, he underwent invasive spine surgery, years of alcoholism, rehab and open heart surgery in succession, all of which cost time he intended to spend strengthening his career. Chesnutt’s struggle began in his early 20s when he fractured his spine. He lost the ability to walk and fell down an escalator at the Houston airport. “My surgery…

IT’S ALL IN YOUR HEAD – April 30, 2025 – The study included 160 individuals with chronic pain — both with and without OUD — recruited from primary care and pain clinics. Participants completed a positive emotion regulation (ER) task and questionnaires. A subsample of participants at risk for opioid misuse were randomized to one-on-one, eight weeks of MORE or supportive group therapy and then completed the ER task at posttreatment and questionnaires through 3-month follow-up. Participants with OUD showed difficulty enhancing positive emotions, as seen in weakened brain responses when they tried to savor images representing naturally rewarding objects…

IT’S GOOD LAW – April 30, 2025 – Austin Warfield and Pleasant Davis walked into Hardin Circuit Court Room 3 with a new future ahead of them. With them Tuesday morning were their three children Micah Davis, who recently turned 3, Matao Warfield, 18 months, and 8-month old, Kinsley Warfield. Following behind were other members of their families. The couple is the first graduating from Hardin County Family Recovery Court. “It feels really really good,” Warfield said. To look at them you wouldn’t know the couple has journeyed an 11-month path recovering from drug addiction and having their children removed…

SAY, SO IT AIN’T SO? – May 1, 2025 – Substance addiction is commonly described as a “chronic, relapsing brain disease,” both in scientific and public discourse, and has been compared to other chronic diseases such as hypertension or diabetes. However, conceptualizing addiction as a “disease” has faced growing criticism due to weak empirical support and its focus on individual, rather than psychosocial, contributors to addiction. A new article in Lancet Psychiatry takes aim at the brain disease model of addiction … Arguing that its scientific foundation is weak and that it has distracted public health efforts from more promising,…

BIG DEAL? – May 1, 2025 – Rogan offered an update on his journey to being sober. “I haven’t had a drink in about 2 months and I feel great. Almost makes me feel dumb for not quitting a long time ago. Rogan’s honesty inspired people to come forward with their sobriety journey. “I wish more people would see that! Alcohol is completely unnecessary and only sets your life back without even thinking,” one person wrote. “Just hit 9 months today. At this point I don’t see myself drinking again. Like you said. Wish I would have done it…

PUFF THE MAGIC DRAG ON – April 27, 2025 – It was fun in the beginning. As a high school student in San Diego, Zach would get high with his friends at an abandoned construction site next to his school. Afterward, they’d go out for Mexican food or hit the beach. Zach, now 31 and living in San Francisco, noticed that he was smoking more than his friends and couldn’t put down the weed once he’d started. A straight-A student in high school, Zach couldn’t stop smoking for long enough to study in college and ended up withdrawing for a…

GET DRUNK INSTEAD? – April 24, 2025 – The city is moving aggressively to shut down the once-thriving gray market — a matter of public safety, and also essential for the legal medical cannabis industry to thrive. The shop was padlocked by the task force and police arrested one individual. A search warrant was issued, and police swarmed the building, carting out boxes. While licensed to sell medical cannabis, the Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration (ABCA) director Fred Moosally tells Axios that investigators found illegal products on the premises, including psychedelic mushrooms, a Schedule 1 offense. Catch up quick: It’s…

VIDEO – GETTING EVEN –  May 2, 2025 – Eleven Tribal nations and community members hurt by Arizona’s sober living home fraud scandal will benefit from a new wave of grants. The Arizona Attorney General’s Office will distribute up to $500,000 in grants to each recipient through its Sober Living Home Support Program. General Kris Mayes hopes the grants will alleviate economic loss and support recovery for Tribal members who were victimized by the fraudulent activity. “Although we can never fully make up for the harm this fraud caused, we can make sure justice is served — and that Native…

WE HOPE HE CAN – April 30, 2025 – “You’re not broken—you’re just wired in a way that no longer serves you. And the incredible thing is, your brain can be rewired. Change is possible, and it starts with one small step.” Addiction is not just a behavioral issue—it’s a neurological one. Understanding how the brain becomes hijacked by substances and behaviors is key to lasting recovery, and few people explain it as powerfully as George Haymaker. A former entrepreneur who once battled a severe addiction to pain pills and alcohol, George has since rebuilt his life and now helps…

DRUMMING FOR GOD – May 1, 2025 – “What society and communities at the moment are dealing with is a disconnection. People are grasping in all directions to try and find a bit of peace in their souls and what often happens is that it then manifests into addictions, prescription or substance (abuse) to get some relief from the turmoil they are going through. The day itself will also see the official opening of Bridget’s Cottage, a beautiful old style Irish residence which lay derelict for years, but which has now been brought back to its original glory by Gearoid.…

VIDEO – MUSICAL INTERLUDE –  1969 – 9,564,047 views since 2016 – The Very Best of John Lennon. Completely remixed from the original multitracks in Stereo, 5.1. CONTINUE@YouTube

VIDEO – MUSICAL INTERLUDE – 1958 – 6,166,800 views since 2011 – Bill Evans’s “Peace Piece” is an unrehearsed modal composition that he recorded for his “Everybody Digs Bill Evans” LP in 1958. It is hailed as one of the most beautiful and evocative solo piano improvisations ever recorded. CONTINUE@YouTube

ADDICTION SURVIVORS – May, 2025 – Pink was known for her wild partying days in the early 2000s, but she eventually realized she was heading down a dangerous path. She credits motherhood and her love for fitness as turning points in her sobriety journey. Today, she promotes a balanced, healthy lifestyle while still being honest about past struggles. Her music often reflects themes of self-empowerment and overcoming obstacles. Pink’s transformation shows that change is possible with determination. She remains a role model for those seeking a healthier life. CONTINUE@MSN

STICK WITH THE WINNERS! – MAY 6, 2025 – Jay Stinnett is a grateful channel of the wisdom of the beverage program and producer of the film Bill W Conscious Contact. He can be found in the 4th Dimension in Sedona Arizona where he visits the 5th and entertains people that are locked in the 3rd Dimension. Q. If you are in recovery, what was your drug(s) of choice and when is your sobriety date? A. Alcohol and everything but opioids. Sobriety date: 5/2/1979. Q. What do you like most about 12-step meetings? A. Seeing an unnamed force infuse the…

BUSINESS AS USUAL? – May 1, 2025 – Seabrook allegedly lacked licenses and contracts for a veterans program at its Upper Deerfield facility, yet billed federal and state agencies for its services, the federal prosecutor’s office said in a statement. Seabrook also tried to keep state inspectors unaware that veterans were participating in its program for short-term residential treatment and partial hospitalization care… “On the dates of scheduled state inspections, Seabrook staff took these residents on outings, so state inspectors would remain unaware that these patients were receiving services Seabrook could not legally provide,” it says. The agreement also alleges…

OUT OF SIGHT… – April 27, 2025 – Across the country, a troubling trend is accelerating: the return of institutionalization – rebranded, repackaged and framed as “modern mental health care”. From Governor Kathy Hochul’s push to expand involuntary commitment in New York to Robert F Kennedy Jr’s proposal for “wellness farms” under his Make America Healthy Again (Maha) initiative, policymakers are reviving the logics of confinement under the guise of care. These proposals may differ in form, but they share a common function: expanding the state’s power to surveil, detain and “treat” marginalized people deemed disruptive or deviant. Far from…