MIND OVER MATTER – Sept. 23, 2024 – Late nights, life on the road, booze and bad habits. The rock star lifestyle is the slipperiest of slopes. Ash Grunwald knows all about it. In 2017, the blues and roots star was shattered. The pressures of life in the public eye, touring, constantly creating, regular binge drinking,…
Author: Leonard Buschel
ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN – Sept. 12, 2024 – Julianna McLeod, 26, had her first psychotic episode while taking Vyvanse for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder last year. Ms. McLeod, who lives in Ontario, Canada, had taken the drug before but paused while pregnant with her first child and didn’t start taking it again until six months postpartum.…
OBSERVATION BEATS NAGGING – Sept. 15, 2024 – I recently spoke with an anthropologist named Barry Hewlett who studies child-rearing in hunter-gatherer societies in Central Africa. He explained to me that children in those societies spend lots of time with their parents — they tag along throughout the day and often help with tasks like foraging — but they are rarely the main object of their parents’ attention. Parents in contemporary industrialized societies often take the opposite approach. In the precious time when we’re not working, we place our children at the center of our attention, consciously engaging and entertaining…
DOING THE RIGHT THING – Sept. 13, 2024 – Rascal Flatts guitarist and singer Joe Don Rooney turned to social media on Friday (Sept. 13) to reveal that he is now three years sober. The musician posted on X to thank fans for their birthday wishes, revealing that the date also holds another special significance for him. The musician posted on X to thank fans for their birthday wishes, revealing that the date also holds another special significance for him. “It’s been a heckuva journey for me the past 3 years. Not only is today my born date – but…
PASSPORT TO FREEDOM – Sept. 14, 2024 – It’s an understatement to say that recovering from alcohol addiction or substance abuse is hard. That’s why recovering addicts are wise to use any tool at their disposal during their recovery journey, including a team of medical and mental health experts, a supportive community, and safe, comfortable surroundings…
VIDEO – A PLACE TO CRY – Sept. 15, 2024 – Organizers of a retreat for families who’ve experienced tragic loss in B.C. says demand is growing in part due to the worsening toxic drug crisis in the province. More than 1,150 British Columbians have died due to toxic drugs in the first half of 2024…
VIDEO – IS THAT THE VOICE OF GOD SPEAKING? – Sept. 17, 2024 – Moderate caffeine intake was also associated with certain metabolites — compounds produced when the body digests foods and drinks — that are linked to better heart health. People who consumed about 200 to 300 milligrams of caffeine daily had a lower risk…
WHY LIVE? – Sept. 14, 2024 – Rebekah Kane went on SSRIs aged 15 for OCD. After her first pill, “complete genital numbing and loss of libido” set in. It never went away. The numbing seeped into every area of her life – she lost the ability to cry, to care about friends, to feel joy, motivation, anger. “I don’t have a zest for life anymore because something’s happened in my brain where I just don’t get any joy. It’s a complete destruction of the self, everything that makes us human and not robots. It’s hell on earth. You’re basically dead.”…
PAINT THE WORLD – SEPT. 18, 2024 – For Jamie Walters, art is about helping others as well as creative self-expression. “My dad was an artist,” Jamie said, calling him her most important inspiration. “I’ve always loved art, but it wasn’t something I knew I could do. When I was forty, I thought, ‘I’m going to try it.’” “Part of my purpose was for the art to be attainable,” she said. “I know what it’s like not to be able to afford original art.” Her works range in price for people of varying economic strata and are sometimes sold using…
FIRST JAWS, NOW THIS – Sept. 18, 2024 – The waste spread across a 60-mile radius and continued to wash up until the next day, which extended the swimming ban. Restrictions are in place until further notice at the state park in Maryland and Virginia, but beaches in Delaware are open for swimming with caution. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources, confirmed that rangers found hypodermic needles and colored needle caps on the shore at around 7 am. found “feminine hygiene products and cigarillo cigar tips.” On Monday, the Maryland Department of Emergency Management raised the state activation level to…
VIDEO – TEENAGE WASTELAND – Sept. 17, 2024 – The California Overdose Surveillance dashboard says in 2023, the county had 77 opioid-related deaths, 135 people visited an emergency department related to opioid overdose, and 46 people were hospitalized. From 2017 to 2022, drug overdoses claimed the lives of 220 people in the county. Breaking down the…
VIDEO – THE FINAL STEP – Sept. 17, 2024 – A woman who dedicated 25 years to supporting people with drug and alcohol issues has been honoured with a new social enterprise cafe in Stoke-on-Trent. Mrs Oliver established BAC rehabilitation centre in Burton-upon-Trent in 1998 and opened similar recovery cafes in the Staffordshire town and Wigan. The rehab service and WithYou charity have worked in partnership with Stoke-on-Trent City Council to deliver this new social enterprise. Cafe staff, a majority of whom are recovering from drug and alcohol addiction, served more than 2,000 customers during the opening weekend. “Seeing the…
VIDEO – MUSICAL INTERLUDE – 48,914 views Jan 14, 2020 – “Requiem” is a melancholic musing in the vein of John Lewis’ “Django,” and his arrangement of the traditional Mexican folk tune “La Llorona,” awash in handsome sorrow, serves as a showcase for the talents of pianist Gerald Clayton. CONTINUE@YouTube
VIDEO – ONE YEAR AT A TIME – Sept. 16, 2024 – The reality TV star has been on a transformation journey over the past two years, getting clean, dedicating her life to God and reversing her plastic surgery procedures. She celebrated with her son King Cairo, 11, and daughter Dream, 7. She was honored with another celebration at a recent event. “Their surprise cake filled my heart with joy and gratitude,” she wrote, posting a video on Instagram. “Here’s to new beginnings, cherished friendships, and the beautiful journey ahead.” Her sobriety journey wasn’t the only special celebration Blac Chyna…
VIDEO – TELL NO ONE – Sept. 18, 2024 – In “First in the Family,” Jessica Hoppe chronicles her experience with sobriety as the first generation daughter of Latinx immigrants. CONTINUE@YouTube
CELEBRITY REHAB ALUMNI – Sept. 18, 2024 – The Runaway Train alum got candid about how his longtime battle with cocaine addiction impacted his relationship with his 33-year-old daughter Emma Roberts, who he shares with ex Kelly Cunningham. “Of course, the biggest consequence of my drug use was losing Emma.” “I imagine I will remain as Julia’s brother and Emma Roberts’ dad for the rest of my life,” he continued. “I’d like to make good on that, to move aside proudly and with grace. That’s part of the reason for writing the book.” And while Eric—who got sober in 1995…
ONE ROLE AT A TIME – Sept. 13, 2023 – “I always had a desire to change, but with any form of addiction, you become powerless to this obsession. “I definitely had to go through my own process of getting sober. It took many, many, many years, many relapses, many dark moments … removing alcohol is just one part of it.” “I made the choice on the morning of January 2, 2022, that I was going to do everything I could to get sober,” she recalls to PEOPLE. “I knew if I continued on that path, I would’ve lost everything…
VIDEO – THE YIN & YANG – Sept. 18, 2024 – In this thought-provoking episode of The Rabbi and the Therapist, we dive into the critical and often overlooked issue of prescription drug addiction. While medication is essential for managing pain, there’s a fine line between treatment and dependency. They discuss the dangers of certain prescription drugs—especially opioids and sedative hypnotics—and explore how addiction can sneak up on unsuspecting patients. With personal stories, expert insights, and practical advice, they raise the key question: how can we avoid falling into the trap of addiction while following our doctor’s advice? Listen in…
BUSINESS AS USUAL – Sept. 13, 2024 – From at least October 2018 until December 2020, the man, Casey Mahoney, 48, of Los Angeles, paid about $2.87 million to “so-called ‘body brokers’” who gave thousands of dollars to patients to coax them into Healing Path Detox L.L.C. in Huntington Beach and Get Real Recovery Inc. Some of the money that the body brokers gave to patients was used by the patients to buy drugs, the department’s statement said. After a nine-day trial, a federal jury in Los Angeles on Wednesday found Mr. Mahoney guilty of one count of conspiracy related…
VIDEO – WHAT PRICE FREEDOM – Sept. 14, 2024 – Detroit is creating an opioid quick response team that aims to connect overdose survivors with treatment. The team is scheduled to be up and running on Monday. CONTINUE@CBSNews
TRY IT ALREADY! – Sept. 15, 2024 – The Psychedelic Assembly attracts a certain type of clientele. The walls of the group’s Manhattan meeting space are lined with LSD blotter art and Alice in Wonderland paraphernalia. Rows of bookshelves are filled with esoteric titles… Suffice to say, those who find their way there tend to check certain boxes: liberal, Northeastern, experienced with mind-altering substances. They do not tend to be politically and religiously conservative lawmen from one of the reddest states in the U.S. But on a sunny morning in May, that’s exactly who walked in: Bryan Hubbard, an attorney…
FRIGHTENING VIDEO – IS IT TOO LATE? – Sept. 11, 2024 – “Social media platforms are designed to addict users—especially our kids —to spend countless hours digging for their algorithmic fix,” Coleman said in a news release. “Even as our Office continues to hold these companies accountable for the harm they inflict on our youth… You’ve seen them on cigarette and alcohol containers; surgeon general warnings are public statements from the nation’s doctor to keep the public informed about critical health issues and risks. A group of attorneys general, including Kentucky’s Attorney General Russell Coleman, are now calling for similar…
THE MOUNTAIN COMES TO YOU – Sept. 12, 2023 -The team includes a physician, case manager and outreach workers who have personal experiences with substance use disorder, worked out of a van parked at six sites in neighborhoods that have high rates of fatal and nonfatal overdoses. The goal was to get patients same-day prescriptions for…
VIDEO – RECOVERY BY THE MILE – Sept. 13, 2024 – Michael Seminetta, a recovering heroin addict, is riding his bike from Chicago to Santa Monica, California, to raise awareness and money for drug rehab centers after spending 20 years in and out of prisons. It’s a ride many thought the now 40-year-old wouldn’t be alive to make. Now clean for two years, Seminetta initially turned to heroin in his late teens and spent decades chasing the drug amid prison stints. “Going in and out of jail, rehab, and mostly my family being heartbroken was a very big motivator for…
BROKEN STARDOM – Sept. 18, 2024 – The former Monaco player is awaiting trial for events in early September, when he allegedly tried to touch a woman’s thigh while masturbating in a drunken state. Ben Yeddder has been working with psychiatrists and psychologists to deal with alcohol problems that are bordering on addiction. “I’m trying very…
“Wouldn’t Give This Feeling Up” – Lucy Hale on Sobriety
VIDEO – SPEAKING OF… – Sept. 12, 2024 – The drugs “can flood the brain with dopamine, and when you flood the brain with dopamine you potentially can cause psychosis,” said Dr. Jacob Ballon. The link between amphetamines and psychosis isn’t new. Amphetamines increase levels of dopamine in the brain. “That’s what this study provides,” said Dr. Will Cronenwett, vice chair for clinical affairs in psychiatry at Northwestern Medicine. “The United States is having sort of an amphetamine moment right now,” Cronenwett said. “The popularity and use of amphetamines is high and getting higher.” Stimulant use in the U.S. has…
PRAY TELL? – Sept. 9, 2024 – Model Elle Macpherson has overcome a lot in her life including staying sober for 20 years and beating breast cancer. In her recently released memoir, she explains that, when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017, she chose to listen to her gut and pursue alternative treatment methods. “It was a shock, it was unexpected, it was confusing, it was daunting in so many ways. And it really gave me an opportunity to dig deep in my inner sense to find a solution that worked for me,” she told Women’s Weekly. “I…
DISEASES IN EVERY GLASS – Sept. 2024 – There is no “good” soda—even the diet ones should be totally avoided. Many new brands and flavors are popping up with the promise of being healthier. Whether something is made from natural cane sugar or has zero calories, it’s still just simply bad for you. Society has conditioned us to drink soda regularly, but we should not. It’s on the shelves at every store, it’s offered as part of a “meal” at fast food restaurants, and celebrities endorse it on TV. The truth is soda should be considered an occasional treat, such…
OR NOT – Sept. 8, 2024 – Last summer, a term went viral on TikTok that spoke to many: the DOOM pile. An acronym for “didn’t organize, only moved,” a DOOM pile could be a junk drawer with receipts, bills and other papers you’ve put off sorting. It could be a cardboard box in the corner of your bedroom full of desk clutter from your old job and other things you forgot you owned. For many with ADHD ― or others who stare down DOOM piles and feel overwhelmed ― it’s easy to default to a less-than-ideal solution to all…