Author: Robert Bowman

‘I thought my drinking habits were normal’ For years, Céline Le Luyer thought her drinking habits were normal. Her twenties included weekends which revolved around pubs, nights out and large amounts of alcohol. But what started as social drinking gradually became something she relied on to cope with anxiety, stress and declining mental health. Read More

Students Found Dead as Kratom is Found at Site WATCH Metro Narcotics said in a news release that law enforcement is investigating the deaths of two college-aged individuals found at separate locations. Authorities have not confirmed the deaths are connected, but packaged kratom sold from a retail store was recovered in both investigations Read More

Smartphones Make Adolescents Obese? The GEE analysis showed that children in the potential-risk group for smartphone addiction had 16% higher odds of obesity than those in the normal group, even after considering smartphone use time. The high-risk group also had higher odds of obesity, but the difference was not statistically significant. Read More

Scientists Identify Worse Smartphone Habit The findings point to passive content consumption as a particularly concerning behavior. Social feeds and short videos deliver a rapid succession of novel stimuli, continually pulling attention from one item to the next. Prolonged exposure to that pattern may make sustained concentration more difficult and contribute to mental fatigue. Read More

Your Morning Coffee May Contain Something Disturbing The humble brown beans travel through farms, processing facilities, roasting plants, and grocery shelves before eventually making their way into homes. A woman discovered that cochineal, a scale insect found in her coffee, was linked to her persistent digestive problems. Read More

3 Common Drugs Older Adults Might Be Overusing The problem? Benzodiazepines (including Valium, Xanax, and Ativan) and the related “Z” drugs (Ambien, Lunesta) “may impair balance, coordination, and cognition that can translate into falls and fractures and motor vehicle accidents,” Olfson said. In patients also taking opioids for pain, benzodiazepines can cause overdoses. Moreover, “once you’ve taken them for a period of time, you develop a dependence, when you come off them, you may develop withdrawal symptoms.” Read More

Husband Diagnosed with Colon Cancer, we Changed our Family Diet (PHOTO: author and husband) Fast food and other ultra-processed foods have no place in our home. Will my children have McDonald’s once or twice a year? we’ve talked with our kids about the dangers of alcohol since they were little, but that conversation will now include the fact that alcohol intake is a risk factor for several types of cancer, colorectal cancer included. Read More

19 viral photos show what happens after drinking 1, 2, and 3 glasses of wine "The first picture was taken right away when our guests (had) just arrived at the studio in order to capture the stress and the fatigue after a full day after working all day long and from also facing rush hour traffic to get here," Alberti explained on his website. "Only then fun time and my project could begin. At the end of every glass of wine, a snapshot, nothing fancy, a face and a wall, 3 times…by the end of the third glass several smiles…

Quitting Alcohol Changes the Brain FOREVER? Although alcohol abstinence is associated with improved health outcomes, addiction researchers have theorized that brain changes that occur during abstinence may increase a person’s risk of relapse. Read More

Mom’s Alcohol Use Was Hidden for Years—Then It Wasn’t! A mom whose alcohol abuse almost caused her to lose everything spoke to Newsweek about the realities of living with alcohol use disorder, and her pride after turning her life around. Taylor Krajewski, 31, from Denver, was just 14 years old when she had her first taste of alcohol. Read More

Beware of this ‘Miserable’ Complication of Long-term Cannabis Use Every emergency physician I know is well aware of this condition, known as cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome. “It’s a pretty pronounced degree of vomiting and severe discomfort that our patients are experiencing,” he explained. “People say, ‘This was awful. This is the worst I’ve ever felt.’” Read More

GLP-1 Helps Woman Overcome Alcohol Addiction Jessica Vega was drinking every day and living in a shelter when she received her first GLP-1 injection. The 44-year-old had been living at an OpenDoors shelter in Rhode Island for about a month after losing her housing. Her drinking had become a daily routine,… Read More

Ai falling short in mental health conversations with kids A new study found that in longer conversations with teenage users, popular chatbots can still make potentially dangerous errors, like offering up a diagnosis of a teen’s mental health condition or helping to conceal a suicide attempt. Read More

One Critical Factor Predicts Longevity Better Than Diet or Exercise Let’s untangle the complex interactions between sleep, diet, and exercise. The results suggest the amount of sleep you get each night is a significant indicator of long-term health.Adequate sleep is vital to almost every aspect of our well-being: missing a single night of slumber can impact brain circuitry and the body’s immune system, for example. Read More

Brown Rice May Help Lower Weight, Cholesterol and Blood Pressure A higher intake of whole grains was associated with a lower risk of cardiometabolic diseases and a reduction in body weight. The study was published in the European Heart Journal on September 15. Increasing wholegrain intake is a relatively simple, and affordable. Read More

71% of Americans Say They’re Completely Exhausted If you’ve felt a complete sense of exhaustion lately, join the club. New research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that fatigue is running rampant in the good ol’ U.S. of A. Nearly three-quarters of people over 18 reported they felt fatigued in the past three months, Read More

Person of the Week: Woody Giessmann Woody Giessmann is a musician with The Del Fuegos, author and addiction counselor. Sober since 1990, he draws on music, art and lived experience to help individuals and families find recovery. Read More

Quote of the Week: Bob Dylan “A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and gets to bed at night, and in between he does what he wants to do.” – Bob Dylan Read More

Addiction kept making my world smaller. Recovery keeps handing pieces of it back. Sept. 22, 2026 – Dr. Ronaye Calvert, Executive Director of REVIVE Detox in Los Angeles, reflects on nearly two decades in addiction and trauma care—and the lessons recovery has taught her about courage, connection, hope, and living fully. Read More

Good Family is the Best Way Sept. 22, 2026 – (Photo CEO Naveed Syed, ) “Leo discussed the challenge of drug addiction in young people and its consequences for the family. “Today, we bear witness to the pain of many broken families, whether due to drug use, violence, the criminal recruitment of a child, poverty, or the lack of opportunities that push people to the margins of society,” Leo explained.” Read More

Quality Behavioral Health Raided by FBI Sept. 22, 2026 – (Photo CEO Naveed Syed, ) The Aug. 25 FBI raid in three Metro Detroit cities associated with drug rehabilitation nonprofit Quality Behavioral Health was at least a year in the making and included an early morning visit to the home of the nonprofit’s President and CEO Naveed Syed, his attorney Arthur Weiss said Aug. 26. Read More

Experts Warn Against Using Kratom Sept. 22, 2026 – “Health experts are warning consumers to use caution when shopping at convenience stores or gas stations. That’s because a number of products containing kratom that often appear safe should probably be avoided, according to drug analysts. The kratom products typically have labels promising an energy boost or pain relief. However, doctors say they can be very dangerous.” Read More

Man Faces 10 Years Sept. 22, 2026 – A San Mateo County jury found a man guilty of mul­tiple felony counts, includ­ing child endan­ger­ment, after an incid­ent at a Half Moon Bay beach where he gave his 11-yearold son a sub­stance that pro­sec­utors said con­tained opi­ates, claim­ing it was “Pun­j­abi medi­cine.” Read More

Nicotine… for wellness? Sept. 22, 2026 – Nicotine pouches — small, fiber sachets containing nicotine, flavorings, sweeteners and plant-based fibers — first emerged in Sweden in the early 2000s, before arriving on the US market in the late 2010s. As cigarette use has declined, the discreet, smoke-free products have carved out a growing niche in the tobacco industry. Read More

20-year addiction Sept. 22, 2026 – My friend, ‘Jac’ had a very public ‘meltdown’ and was ordered to inpatient rehabilitation for his 20-year-long drug addiction. One year after his treatment, he has not changed and continues to hurt others and blame others for his many shortcomings. Read More

psychedelic experiment Sept. 22, 2026 – “The room looked ordinary enough: a tan couch, bland art, the anonymous comforts of a medical office building in Baltimore. Then Elizabeth Richwine’s doctor handed her an ornate bronze chalice. Inside was a capsule filled with a crystalline powder: psilocybin, the psychedelic compound in magic mushrooms.” Read More

Fentanyl a Rising Threat Sept. 22, 2026 – Lethargic behavior. Slurred words. Unusual sleep patterns. Nausea and vomiting. Begging a doctor not to change a certain medication. All can be signs of misuse of fentanyl and other opioids, a hot-button concern for older adults who are more vulnerable to the lethal drug in various ways. Read More

Overdose Deaths Drop Sept. 22, 2026 – “While overdose deaths are still a problem, White said in the past couple of years, she’s not only seen more people seek treatment, but more resources available — like Naloxone, or Narcan, a substance that can reverse an overdose. She also said there are more ways to test the substances people do have.” Read More

Fame and fortune isn’t an escape Sept. 22, 2026 – In conversations with Los Angeles therapists whose practices include clients from affluent families where the parents work in the entertainment industry. The Reiner tragedy — the true nightmare — has reverberated as extreme endpoint and dark mirror. Read More

Dr. Drew on Hayden Panettiere Sept. 22, 2026 – Dr. Drew says Hayden Panettiere may have had a real stretch of sobriety before relapsing … and says those relapses can stay hidden from those around them. The good doc joined “TMZ Live” Monday after we first reported that Hayden is suspected to have died from an oxycodone pill laced with fentanyl.  Read More