VIDEO – A PARDON? – May 1, 2025 – Jeff George, convicted in the overdose death of a 24-year-old customer, is getting out of prison early. He apologized to the victim’s grieving family in a Palm Beach County courtroom. George was originally sentenced to 20 years in that case and also concurrently served 15 years for federal conspiracy charges. Now, 13 years in, he’s about to be released — a decision that devastated Bartolucci’s family. “I’m 72 now and I really miss him,” said Joey’s mother, Gina Bartolucci, through tears. “He was loyal and I miss him.” CONTINUE@WPBF
Author: Leonard Buschel
SAVING LIVES – APRIL 27, 2025 – The left arm of Christian Camilo Amaya is tattooed with a skull pierced by a syringe, which he says represents the use of cocaine and heroin. He frequently shot up on streets of Bogota, but he has recently switched to South America’s only supervised room for drug use, aimed at reducing harm and preventing overdoses. Non-profit organization Accion Tecnica Social runs the supervised room named Cambie (or Change in English) in Colombia’s capital. Since it opened in June 2023, 14 users had their overdoses treated with injections of naloxone, a drug that reverses…
VIDEO – SOBER TIES – May 2, 2025 – In a new TikTok video she revealed that “addictive issues” ran in her family history. Hayden, 25, shared a TikTok clip explaining her decision to maintain a sober lifestyle. In the video posted on April 2, she said, “I am now 25 and in honor of my 10 years, I will tell you the reason why I got sober despite not being the worst addict that I knew.” She continued, “It was spring break, sophomore year of high school. I was in the car with my girlfriends after going on an…
EAT AT YOUR OWN RISK – April 27, 2025 – Sugar-laden eats, alcohol, and fried foods are obvious choices to nix from your diet in the name of longevity, but doctors have another to add to that list: Processed meats.Lunch meats, bacon, sausages, jerky, and canned meats are all potentially harmful to your heart health if eaten in excess, experts say. “Many studies have shown their toll on health and increasing the risk for heart disease,” Francisco Lopez-Jimenez, M.D., a cardiologist at Mayo Clinic, previously told Prevention in a conversation about the foods you should not eat. “Many of the…
BAD BOTS – April 27, 2025 – Meta’s AI-powered chatbots on Facebook and Instagram are able to engage in graphic sex talk with users, even children, with the voices of Disney characters and celebrities. AI using the personas of popular stars like John Cena, Kristen Bell, and Judi Dench were all capable of acting out sick fantasy chat with its users regardless of age… The Journal’s testing plumbed the depths that the chatbots would go, including having a fake version of Bell reprise her role as Anna from Disney’s “Frozen” to seduce a young boy, or having Cena play out losing his wrestling career over fictional sex with an underage girl. …
EVERYWHERE? – April 30, 2025 – Two leading theories of consciousness went head-to-head—and the results may change how neuroscientists study one of the oldest questions about existence.Where in the brain does consciousness originate? Theories abound, but neuroscientists still haven’t coalesced around one explanation, largely because it’s such a hard question to probe with the scientific method. Unlike other phenomena studied by science, consciousness cannot be observed externally. “I observe your behavior. I observe your brain, if I do an intracranial EEG [electroencephalography] study. But I don’t ever observe your experience,” says Robert Chis-Ciure, a postdoctoral researcher studying consciousness at the…
VIDEO – NOTHING BUT NET – May 1, 2025 – “Cocaine was my truth,” Herren said. Through the decades, Roundup’s gymnasium has echoed everything from game-winning cheers to physical education teachers enforcing rules. On Wednesday, the atmosphere shifted to near silence as Chris Herren, a former NBA player, spoke about his tragic spiral into drug abuse that unraveled not only his career but also the fabric of his life. “Cocaine was my truth,” Herren told MTN Sports in the quiet setting of Roundup’s school library before resonating his message in a student assembly. “Cocaine allowed me to be vulnerable and…
ABOUT TIME – 2025 – More than six in 10 Americans drink alcohol. But less than half of them know that they’re increasing their cancer risk while they’re doing it. GOVERNMENT WARNING: (1) According to the Surgeon General, women should not drink alcoholic beverages during pregnancy because of the risk of birth defects. (2) Consumption of alcoholic beverages impairs your ability to drive a car or operate machinery, and may cause health problems. The ABLA is enforced by the Secretary of the Treasury. The law states that if the USSG alerts the treasury secretary to alcohol-associated health harms that would…
“It’s not so much staying alive, it’s staying human that’s important. What counts is that we don’t betray each other.” – George Orwell, 1903–1950
Dysfunctional brain Dopamine caused by Reward Deficiency Syndrome – April 29, 2025 – What happens when the thrill is gone? In fact, what if the thrill was never there to begin with? The sun is setting on a balmy Saturday night in New York City, and 14-year-old Gerry is all alone sitting on his family’s balcony overlooking the Hudson River being lit up by the mysterious NY Skyline -a wonderful sight! Talking to his friend Pete, living in the same high rise, no novice when it comes to getting high on weed, who is encouraging Gerry to eat that THC…
IT’S COMPLICATED – April 23, 2025 – Year-over-year figures for the 12 months ending in November 2024 reveal a 37.7% decline in drug overdose deaths in West Virginia, surpassing the national average decrease of 26.5%. This reduction translates into 468 more people that are alive today, continuing their journey toward recovery and stability. During the height of the opioid epidemic, the former Department of Health and Human Resources began monitoring the correlation between overdose deaths, and the impact on social services programs. In calendar year 2024, caregiver’s substance use disorder was still the most common reason for removal, but new…
VIDEO – DYING BY THE BAY – April 24, 2025 – “I think having a city policy that says, listen, the cessation of illicit drug use and long-term recovery is the primary objective of our drug policy,” Dorsey said. “That’s what we would wish for a loved one or family member. That’s what we would wish for anyone.” The recovery-focused policy has come under fire from some supporting harm reduction programs, a strategy that takes steps to reduce the negative consequences of using drugs. This includes the distribution of kits that have things such as clean needles and Narcan. Supervisor…
VIDEO – WE ARE LEGION – April 23, 2025 – For Ronnie LeDuff, therapy doesn’t come in the form of a counseling session. It comes through a microphone. “I didn’t know how to be vulnerable,” LeDuff said. “I didn’t understand anything about counseling or treatment. But trusting God and letting Him order my steps, that led me here.” LeDuff is in recovery from a heroin addiction, a struggle that nearly cost him his life. He attempted suicide six times and overdosed five times. Now, six years sober, he shares his story through the “Built By Redstick Addiction Recovery” podcast. It’s…
LIFE SAVER – April 23, 2025 – Dr. Edwin Salsitz is a methadone OG. He was one of a coterie of New York City doctors who pioneered its use to treat opioid use disorder back in the 1980s. “God almighty. So many people could have been saved from HIV if they’d either gotten on methadone or stayed on methadone.” It started in 1985. He would prescribe in his clinic and patients would pick up a 28-day supply from an on-site pharmacy. It was liberatory not to have to attend a clinic six days a week. To participate, patients had to…
EARLY ONSET STUPIDITY – April 17, 2025 – Boozers had 133 % higher odds of developing vascular brain lesions than those who never drank. With the help of surveys of the deceased’s next of kin, researchers gathered information about the deceased’s cognitive function and alcohol consumption in the three months before their death. Among participants, 965 never drank, 319 drank up to seven drinks per week (moderate drinking), and 129 had eight or more drinks per week (heavy drinking). Another 368 were former heavy drinkers who had stopped drinking before their last three months of life. The analysis showed that…
WAY TO GO – April 22, 2025 – “I’m back. I jumped off the wagon and I’m back on it,” Pardi says on Amazon’s Country Heat Weekly podcast. “It gets even more crazy when you jump back in it. And for me, now looking back…you can see where the fluff in the neck was coming up. And I just don’t think my body can handle it no more. And now I’m looking good.” Not only is Pardi done drinking, but the “Tequila Little Time” singer is also encouraging others to do the same. “I always say this: if you’re thinking…
SINGING IT SWEETLY – April 23, 2025 – “It had come to an embarrassing point,” Hayes recalls to CBS News. “But I had a handle of vodka in my Honda Accord at all times. And it went in every beverage.” Hayes ultimately quit drinking after he had an epiphany that one drink would someday be his last, one way or another. “I woke up, and physically, I’ve never felt like this before,” Hayes remembers. “It wasn’t even a hangover. It just felt like if I start again today and do this, I might die.” Hayes admits he has almost relapsed…
TALL ORDER – April 23, 2025 – Elev8 Centers has announced the launch of an enhanced alcohol rehab program designed to meet the increasing demand for effective addiction treatment services in New York City. The comprehensive program integrates evidence-based practices with holistic approaches to provide personalized care for individuals struggling with substance use disorders. According to recent health statistics, New York has seen a significant increase in alcohol-related disorders, creating an urgent need for accessible, high-quality treatment options. Elev8 Centers has responded by expanding its facilities at 151 W 136th St to accommodate more patients seeking alcohol rehab in NYC.…
EACH ONE, TEACH ONE – April 23, 2025 – A mother-of-two who was helped by a rehabilitation organisation said she is “overrun” with gratitude now her life is back on track. “Every woman deserves opportunity and if my hands being held out to that woman is enough … I’ll continue to do what I do,” Sophie said. The Nelson Trust was founded in Brimscombe in 1985 as a residential rehabilitation centre for men and women struggling with drug and alcohol abuse, before expanding to four treatment centres in Stroud and nine women’s centres in 2010. The trust launched an “informed…
NO PEA BRAIN JOKES – April 23, 2025 – Major scientific discoveries can arise from simple decisions: say, by simply looking where virtually no one else has. Such was the case for Ines Ibañez-Tallon, a research associate professor at The Rockefeller University, who over the past decade has revealed how one small, understudied region of the brain plays an outsized role in addiction and substance abuse—work that’s sparked a federally funded search for new medications that may help people beat chemical dependencies. Known as the habenula, this narrow strip of gray and white matter—so tiny it’s considered a microstructure—is an…
JOB SECURITY? – April 23, 2025 – Jay Bhattacharya, the director of the National Institutes of Health gave a ringing endorsement to the nation’s top addiction researcher, Nora Volkow, this week in his first public remarks on the drug overdose crisis — a potential signal that her position as leader of the National Institute on Drug Abuse is, at least for now, secure. Speaking at the Rx and Illicit Drug Summit in Nashville, Tenn., this week, the NIH’s newly installed director, Jay Bhattacharya, told the audience that he was “proud” of her and NIDA’s work. CONTINUE@StatNews
VIDEO – WHAT HAPPENED? – April 24, 2025 – Kennedy called addiction “a source of misery, but also a symptom of misery.” In a speech that mentioned God more than 20 times, he pointed to his own experience feeling as though he had been born with a hole inside of himself that he needed to fill. “Every addict feels that way in one way or another — that they have to fix what’s wrong with them, and the only thing that works are drugs. And so threats that you might die, that you’re going to ruin your life are completely…
BUSINESS AS USUAL? – April 24, 2025 – Darius Moore, 31, formerly of Santa Ana but most recently of North Carolina, was sentenced Thursday to seven years behind bars for soliciting and receiving nearly $500,000 in illegal kickbacks from corrupt sober living homes in exchange for finding them new patients in a process known as “body brokering”. Moore pleaded guilty in November 2021 to one count of conspiracy to pay or receive illegal remunerations for referrals to clinical treatment facilities and one count of soliciting or receiving illegal remunerations for referrals to clinical treatment facilities. CONTINUE@MyNewsLA
VIDEO – MUSICAL INTERLUDE – 6,189,446 views Feb 13, 2025 – The 2025 GRAMMYs telecast was reimagined to raise funds to support those impacted by the wildfires in the greater Los Angeles area. The Recording Academy and MusiCares launched a dedicated campaign to support affected music professionals, and we need your help. CONTINUE@YouTube
VIDEO – MUSICAL INTERLUDE – 954 Million views 6 years ago – Official Video for “This Is America” by Childish Gambino. CONTINUE@YouTube
VIDEO – LET THEM DIE – April 25, 2025 – A preliminary budget document, obtained by The Washington Post, reportedly calls for deep cuts to federal health programs and targets multiple addiction prevention and treatment programs, including training of community responders to administer Narcan. Narcan – known generically as naloxone – is a nasal spray that works to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose in two to three minutes. It is widely used to combat overdoses from serious drugs, including fentanyl. Though state and local governments have alternative resources than federal programs to obtain Narcan, experts are concerned that…
VIDEO – IT’S IN THE WIN COLUMN – April 19, 2025 – The Ole Miss head coach, who has been sober since 2020, said that he had come to a realization that he was “not the best version of myself,” mentioning that an unhealthy diet, along with drinking alcohol, led to weight gain. “I really didn’t start this ‘I’m never gonna drink’ thing. I was like, ‘I’m going on a cleanse diet’, and it was like, no red meat, no bread, no alcohol.” Eventually, Kiffin realized how “amazing” he felt after the changes he made, ultimately coming to grips with…
Lending his voice and leadership in concert to youth groups and spiritual centers throughout the nation, Jami Lula has been honored by LA Music Awards (“Best Male Vocalist”), winner of the Centers for Spiritual Living “Youth Champion Award,” Honorary Doctorate from Centers For Spiritual Living, and many other musical and mission-based honors. His work with youth is legendary. Q. If you are in recovery, what was your drug(s) of choice and when is your sobriety date?A. July, 18 1993. Weed, alcohol, sex, debting, self-loathing.Q. What do you like most about 12-step meetings?A Community where I could be who I was, until I…
VERY Happy Birthday – April 23, 2025 – Decorated with seasoning and whipped cream — the shots were served at an elementary school Christmas party at Jones Elementary. Multiple students consumed the alcoholic Jell-O shots and some got sick, according to court documents filed this month. All but four children in the class were sent to the nurse’s office because they had consumed a Jell-O shot. “Tyler ISD is aware of the recent arrest of a parent in connection to an elementary holiday party last December. At the time, a parent volunteer brought homemade Jello to the celebration, which was…
BOOK REVIEW – April 23, 2025 – The story of direct marketing to physicians — of drug reps offering doctors convenient free samples, fancy dinners and luxury trips — is never comfortable for a doctor to read. In “No More Tears,” child psychiatry comes under scrutiny … A product that was assumed to be benign turns out to be dangerous. A heavily marketed new drug has serious side effects. A medical device leaves a trail of complications. In all of these scenarios, the public is supposed to be protected by some combination of federal oversight, scientific and medical vigilance, and…