Author: Leonard Buschel

ALGORITHMS ADDICT YOU – Dec. 28, 2024 – Heroin is concentrated opium poppy. Cocaine is concentrated coca leaf. Substances that are otherwise benign become both potent and deadly when they’re super-concentrated. Which is exactly what the algorithms deployed in secret by social media do: they purify and concentrate hate and fear spread across the broader social…

GETTING UNSTUCK – December 31, 2024 – Feeling stuck in a midlife rut is a common experience, yet it opens the door to transformative growth. Many individuals find themselves questioning their life choices, goals, and overall sense of happiness during this period. The good news is that this phase offers an invaluable opportunity for self-reflection and renewal. Presented to you courtesy of Addiction Recovery eBulletin, the following article provides actionable strategies to help you navigate through these challenges, enabling you to emerge more robust, fulfilled, and happier. CONTINUE@AddictionRecoveryeBulletin

MUSICAL INTERLUDE – video 6.9 Million Views – Marilyn C says., “When I’m having my absolute worst days, I come here to this song to fix it. No song brings me peace like this.”  CONTINUE@YouTube

STICK WITH THE WINNERS! – Dec. 31, 2024 – Anna David is a NYT bestselling author of eight books and the CEO of Legacy Launch Pad Publishing. She’s appeared on Today, The Talk, and GMA. Anna lives in LA with her boyfriend and their son. Q. If you are in recovery, what was your drug(s) of choice and when is your sobriety date? A. Cocaine, 11/19/2000. Q. What do you like most about 12-step meetings? A. Being among my people and hearing what I need to be reminded of. Q. Do you think addiction is an illness, disease, a choice, or…

TOO BIG TO PROSECUTE – Dec. 26, 2024 – The U.S. Justice Department is suing pharmacy giant CVS, accusing it of putting profits over patient safety and thus fueling the opioid crisis. The accusations bear similarities to violations for which the Ohio Board of Pharmacy last year fined the company, and the DOJ complaint cites some of board’s findings in its suit. In essence, it accuses CVS of understaffing its pharmacies to such an extent that pharmacists and technicians could not ensure they were filling opioid prescriptions properly. Additionally, it accuses CVS of even graver conduct. “CVS also allegedly filled…

SOMETHING STINKS – Dec. 27, 2024 – The E.P.A. continues to promote sewage sludge as fertilizer and doesn’t require testing for PFAS, despite the fact that whistle-blowers, academics, state officials and the agency’s internal studies over the years have also raised contamination concerns. The company’s research already linked exposure to birth defects, and cancer. That sewage was being used as fertilizer on farmland nationwide, a practice encouraged by the Environmental Protection Agency. The presence of PFAS in the sewage meant those chemicals were being unwittingly spread on fields across the country. 3M didn’t publish the research, but the company did share its findings…

NOT SO ANONYMOUS – Dec. 25, 2024 – The breached data may include names, addresses, phone numbers, dates of birth, medical record numbers, and other identifiers, according to American Addiction Centers. Social security numbers and health insurance information may also have been exposed, but not patients’ treatment information or payment card data. The Brentwood, Tennessee-based company discovered a cybersecurity incident “on or around” September 26 of this year and said it launched an investigation immediately. It notified law enforcement and engaged third-party cybersecurity experts for assistance. The investigation determined that an “unauthorized party” had taken some data from AAC’s systems…

Dear Loyal Readers, Dec. 31, 2024 – HAPPY HEALTHY  NEW YEAR – As we welcome 2025, I want to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude to each of you for making the Addiction/Recovery eBulletin a vital resource for our community. Your weekly curiosity, and hunger for brilliance, brings confidence to advertisers to be associated with the leading source of independent addiction news and information in the country.  CONTINUE@AddictionRecoveryeBulletin

The (de)Basement’ – Dec. 24, 2024 – Samuel L. Jackson is one of the most famous actors of the age—he’s not the highest grossing actor of all time for nothing! But before he garnered worldwide fame, the Star Wars actor was a drug addict , and in a recent interview, he revealed that his addiction got so bad that it nearly destroyed his marriage. Jackson started acting back in the 1970s, and has consistently booked major roles in award-winning films, like Goodfellas , Jurassic Park , Star Wars , Pulp Fiction… In the 1980s, he was frequently drinking heavily, using…

DRAMA SCENE – Dec. 24, 2024 – The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills husband, Paul Kemsley, 57, confessed he was “shocked, disappointed and upset” when he saw how Dorit, 48, had described his alcoholism and alluded that it led to their split. “I’m really proud and public about my sobriety, and I’m 12 months in two weeks,” he began. “I’m now completely clear. My public sharing of my sobriety was about recovery. It was to inspire other people that it doesn’t matter how dark it gets, you can recover. You can’t do it on your own. You need people.” Calling…

AU REVOIR – Dec. 20, 2024 – The following destinations were hand-picked by sober travelers and offer perks like sophisticated zero-proof cocktail bars, outdoor activities, spiritual attractions, and alcohol-free culture that sober and sober-curious travelers will appreciate. Here are 10 stand-out travel destinations that make sober travel fun and easy: “Copenhagen has also embraced ‘mindful drinking’ culture wonderfully. Their coffee scene is world-class, and many bars now feature dedicated non-alcoholic menus,” says Crabbe. “Some spots, like Mikropolis Bar, make great zero-proof cocktails. They are so good, you’ll forget you’re not drinking alcohol.” CONTINUE@Forbes

L’Chaim! – Salute! – Prost! – Santé! – Dec. 27, 2024 – What my sober friends tell me they miss the most about drinking isn’t always the booze itself, but rather the shared rituals. Happy hours after work with friends, boozy brunches on Sundays. New Year’s Eve toasts. Even for those who don’t hit the bottle hard, ringing in the first moments of the new year with a solitary glass of sparking wine is a tradition as wholesome as it gets (when it comes to alcohol). There may be trace amounts of alcohol. “For a drink to be legally non-alcoholic,…

ALANON 101 – Dec. 25, 2024 – Keith Urban has been sober for nearly two decades after going to rehab for three months just a few weeks after marrying his wife, Nicole Kidman . Now that his addiction problems are a thing of the past, both he and Kidman have spoken out about their experiences: Urban on the path to sobriety and Kidman on how to be there for someone on that journey.  Keith Urban struggles with addiction—back in the early days of his career, he abused alcohol and hard drugs regularly . “I didn’t seem able to stop,” Keith…

AUDIO – WANNA ARM WRESTLE? – Dec. 16, 2024 – On TikTok, influencers tout protein powder as key to building muscle and nourishing their bodies — all in a quick, convenient scoop added to coffee or a smoothie. But most protein powders are considered dietary supplements, which raises the question: Do you really need a supplement to to get enough protein? And if you do, what kind is best? We asked experts for advice. Are protein powders necessary? The “vast majority” of people in the United States already get enough protein from the foods they eat and don’t need to…

“The bond of our common humanity is stronger than the divisiveness of our fears and prejudices.” – Jimmy Carter, Oct. 1, 1924 – Dec. 29, 2024 

WHO DO YOU SUE? – Dec. 18, 2024 – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued an alert to veterinarians about a popular medication used to control pain associated with osteoarthritis in dogs after numerous reports of adverse side effects and death. It’s Librela, a monoclonal antibody drug given by injection that was approved by the FDA in May 2023. From May 5, 2023, through June 30, 2024, just under 6,000 reports of adverse side effects in dogs linked to the medication were reported, according to an FDA report. Issues reported to the agency include: ataxia, seizures, other neurologic…

VIDEO – MUSICAL INTERLUDE – 1965 – 786,695 views Since Aug 4, 2022 – Soprano Saxophone – John Coltrane Piano – Mccoy Tyner Bass – Jimmy Garrison Drum – Elvin Jones CONTINUE@YouTube

VIDEO – MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE – 1965 – 1,465,813 views since Jan 20, 2010 = Refusing to let his Christmas be ruined, Charlie Brown decorates the tree he chose, despite the doubt from the rest of the group. A Charlie Brown Christmas is now streaming on Apple TV+ CONTINUE@YouTube

AUDIO – WELLNESS FARMS COMING? – Dec. 17, 2024 – Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for health secretary, has a troubled past with addiction. Lev Facher, addiction reporter at STAT, weighs in on how RFK Jr.’s beliefs and personal history with addiction may inform U.S. policy in the coming administration. CONTINUE@WLIW

‘TIS THE SEASON… – Dec, 18, 2024 – “There’s already an excuse to start drinking in the morning, and that was tough because we knew he’d had an excuse to start drinking straight away,” she said. “We never knew what mood we were going to catch my dad in – whether he was drinking, whether he hadn’t been drinking, whether we were going to do present opening. He was desperate to get up and have a drink. “You could always see it in my dad, he’d start shaking, he was physically dependent on alcohol. Towards the end of his life…

VIDEO ONLY – METHADONE FOR ALL MY FRIENDS – Dec. 20, 2024 – Millions of people struggle with alcohol and opioids each year. This week, PBS News Weekly takes a look at Americans’ battle with substance use and what is being done to help. If you are in crisis, call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Hotline. CONTINUE@PBSNews

PLASTIC FANTASTIC LOVER – Dec. 18, 2024 – It’s a disturbing thought: At this very moment, tiny crumbs of plastic are trickling through our bodies, a parade of unwelcome houseguests ready to take up residence in some tissue or organ. Our soil, drinking water and food supply, the air we breathe, all carry microplastics …”Plastics are probably one of the largest exposures we experience as humans and it’s been ongoing most of our lives and our parents’ lives,” says Douglas Walker, a professor of environmental health at Emory University, Rollins School of Public Health. These particles are endlessly varied, making…

WHERE’S BIG PHARMA WHEN YOU NEED THEM? – Dec. 18, 2024 – For nine months, while incarcerated in a county jail in Portland, Maine, he pleaded for a medication called buprenorphine. Mannion, a barber, recreational fisherman, and father of two, was once a regular heroin user, but had used the medication to eliminate the cravings and withdrawal he experienced whenever he tried to quit opioids cold turkey. Buprenorphine had worked before for Mannion, just as it has worked for millions of others, helping him to avoid using far more dangerous illegal drugs like heroin and fentanyl. On Aug. 11, 2022,…

SLAVES TO ADDICTION – Dec. 20, 2024 – Black men in this group have represented 12% of all overdose deaths in the past four years, despite making up less than 1% of the population. They are nearly 32 times more likely to die of an overdose than the average American. Mario Rogers was 6 when his family moved to San Francisco’s Fillmore neighborhood in the early 1960s. Before long, his mother, storied activist Mary Helen Rogers, was blocking bulldozers, trying to save the city’s Black enclave from destruction. She didn’t succeed: Thousands of the young family’s neighbors were displaced by…

PLUS VANITY – Dec. 18, 2024 – “Mike Tyson famously said, ‘Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth,’” Dr. Bloch starts. “During the holidays, people have plenty of opportunities to slip up. The most successful in avoiding are those with multi-layered plans, not just a single response.” Rather than skipping holiday events altogether, Dr. Bloch suggests creating strategies to avoid temptation – and those who might push a drink into your hand. “Equally important is having sober supports help rehearse different plans so you’ll know what to say in certain situations and have several ways of…

FRAUDULENT FOREVER – Dec. 17, 2024 – “They were treated like chattel, more or less,” said John Brewer with the Brewerwood Law Firm. “I mean, they weren’t treated as human beings.” Fraudulent billing for behavioral health services grew from $43 million to $2.8 billion, according to the newly filed complaint … “Many of the fraudsters drove across state lines, went to cities like Gallup and Farmington, took people from there, brought them here to Phoenix, and then took advantage of the benefits available through AHCCCS,” said Laskey, who is with the law firm McCoy Leavitt Laskey. The complaint lists several…

A WIFE STEPS UP – April 2024 – Kathryn Burgum now in long-term recovery for 22 years — told Carlson Zink and the luncheon crowd that she adopted her recovery platform soon after her husband was elected to his first gubernatorial term in 2016. She would make it her priority to support and develop initiatives specifically to help eliminate the shame and stigma of the chronic disease of addiction. “How many of you have been impacted in some way by the disease of addiction? Either through your family, friends, whatever — raise your hand.” That was the question posed by…

AT LEAST THEY CAN’T DRIVE – Dec. 2024 – Target has crossed what should be an uncrossable line—selling toy cocktails and beer steins to kids. Please join Alcohol Justice, Consumer Federation of America, and Fairplay in telling Target to respect the health and safety of the families that shop there and pull all “Happy Hour” toys from their stores. he MGA Miniverse “Happy Hour” line of model alcoholic drinks is a spinoff of the popular Miniverse toys, an award-winning line of model everyday objects. The idea is to allow kids to use resin, stickers, and precast plastic models to construct…

FROM THE FRONT LINES – DEC. 20, 2024 – Research shows that at least 1 in 10 health care workers will develop a substance use disorder during their career. What about medical doctors? The recovery program has never included doctors, but the state board that licenses most doctors plans to push for one that focuses on early intervention and is disconnected from its disciplinary power. To protect patients, California passed a law in 2008 creating standards for each state licensing board detailing how they should manage workers dealing with addiction. These regulations include drug testing, restricting travel and psychiatric evaluations.…

AUDIO – REALLY? – Dec. 20, 2024 – “Sometimes, there’s a reaction to some of these types of treatments, like we shouldn’t be giving something to people who have an addiction. But on a practical level these treatments work really well.” Clinical psychologists from the University of Michigan are working with local addiction recovery clinics on a form of treatment called “contingency management.” The study will determine if positive reinforcement affects recovery outcomes. U-M Addiction Treatment Services Director of Clinical Programming, Anne Fernandez, says a smartphone app may help those who might not be able to afford recovery services, notably…