NY DAILY NEWS EXCLUSIVE: Darryl Strawberry leading fight to help reeling Doc Gooden save his life VIDEO
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Sunday, August 21, 2016
It was Saturday night when Darryl Strawberry heard about Dwight Gooden’s implied denial of a drug problem in his life, via a text to me that ran in a Daily News story, in which Doc dismissed Strawberry’s own public concern for him as “unreal.” And that’s when the former Met slugger decided enough was enough. “I have to try something before he’s dead,” was the way Strawberry put it … Darryl Strawberry says he has no doubt his old Met teammate, Gooden, has an out-of-control cocaine problem.
‘Unthinkable’ spike in NJ heroin overdose death rate AUDIO
“Not to be a Chicken Little, but I really don’t see any calming down in the future. This is really, really getting bad,” Ocean County Prosecutor Joe Coronato said last week. “It certainly looks like we’re not only going to exceed the death toll of last year, but it looks like it’s going to be somewhere between at least 150 to 160 overdose deaths in Ocean County, which is unthinkable,” he said.
Porn addiction is causing a rise in erectile dysfunction in young men
An increasing number of young men are seeking treatment for erectile dysfunction normally associated with the middle-aged – because of their addiction to online porn. Frequent exposure to graphic images and films is de-sensitising men in their late teens and early 20s, leaving them unable to get aroused in the bedroom, experts claim. The problem is being exacerbated by the proliferation of smartphones and tablets, which are making pornography immediately accessible.
Parents, beware: The internet could be your kid’s drug dealer
As helpful as social media can be, it can be a direct hit to an overdose, said Louise Stanger, a social worker and interventionist based in Southern California. She said parents should rethink when, where and how they allow their teen to use their devices.
READ MORE @ AJC
SCIENCE STUDIES
Weed Whacked
Marijuana Tied to Subclinical Psychotic Symptoms in Teens
Limitations of the study include the fact that it was based on a longitudinal sample of urban boys who were followed from age 13 to 18 years in one geographical area. Whether the findings hold for adolescent girls remains to be determined, the researchers note. They also note that although evidence suggests that adolescents who report experiencing subclinical symptoms are at heightened risk of developing psychotic disorders later in life, for many young people, these symptoms are transient.
Tony Johnson never thought he would live past 35. He battled a 30 year drug addiction, that caused him to lose everything. Tony was arrested more than thirteen times and faced three felonies, he was on his to prison when he finally surrendered and committed to a life of change. Now, Tony works as a manager at three local restaurants and has dedicated his life to helping others that are struggling. Watch his full story.
Price Hike Has Parents of Kids With Allergies Scrambling
The cost of saving your child’s life has gotten a lot more expensive … Doctors and patients say the Mylan pharmaceutical company has jacked up the prices for an EpiPen – the portable device that can stop a potentially life-threatening allergic reaction – from around $100 in 2008 to $500 and up today. That’s a hike of over 400%. In 2008, the price was $145.99. In 2010, it was $220.99, then jumped to $649.99.
Doctors should be better trained in addiction treatment AUDIO/VIDEO
Dr. Evan Wood, co-author of the study published in the current edition of the Journal of Addiction Medicine, said there’s a greater awareness that for many people, addiction is a chronic disease that must be treated with evidence-based medicine, the same as heart disease or any other condition.”We’re just sort of learning and trying to unpack the mystery that some people will go into long-term recovery and never go back, whereas for other people it ends up being a fatal disease and they can never put it down. In many cases it’s because people haven’t accessed good treatment.”
Scientists design drug that relieves pain like opioids sans some dangerous side effects
Mice treated with PZM21 did not find it addictive, as evidenced by the fact that they were no more likely to return to a place where they got the drug than to visit a similar chamber where they could get a saline solution. Plus, while the animals became hyperactive after a dose of morphine – considered a sign of the drug’s addictive power – they remained perfectly calm after getting a comparable dose of PZM21.
Court Bars Feds From Prosecuting Medical Pot Cases
A federal appeals court on Tuesday banned the Justice Department from prosecuting medical marijuana cases if no state laws were broken. A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ordered the federal agency to show that 10 pending cases in California and Washington state violated medical marijuana laws in those states before continuing with prosecutions. Marijuana remains illegal under federal law, but Congress has barred the Justice Department from spending money to prevent states from regulating the use or sale of medical pot.
READ MORE @ ABCNews.com
HEALTH WARNING
Be Careful UK – No Sexit
Sexual health warning as figures show rate of syphilis in London up 22 per cent
A fresh alert about the dire state of the sexual health of Londoners was sounded today as new figures showed soaring rates of syphilis. The sexually transmitted infection was diagnosed in almost 3,000 patients as concern mounted about “high-risk” practices such as “chemsex”, dating apps, unprotected sex and people seeking HIV-positive partners. Syphilis, which can cause damage to the cardiovascular system and central nervous system if left untreated and can prove fatal, is seen as a key marker of unsafe sexual activity with numerous partners.
“12 Steps, the Musical!” show synopsis: This comedic and heart warming story follows Graham Chili, a country boy from Texas who has just moved to New York City to follow his dreams as a wall street stock broker by day and a cabaret singer by night…Featuring 7 original, colorful and lively songs including “Everyone is Addicted to Something,” “Higher Power,” “Making Amends,” and “We Are All One!”
N.J. school district plans drug testing for 7th, 8th graders
The collection of specimens for the program will be limited to the school’s physician, the school nurse, a certified physician other than the school’s physician or the staff of a state-licensed clinical laboratory … A student who refuses to consent to the test after being randomly selected could be considered in violation of the policy and subject to the same consequences as if they had tested positive for alcohol or drugs…
How a quick trip to your local pharmacy can fight addiction and overdose
Walgreens will install 500 medication disposal kiosks nationwide. Walgreens announced the plan in response to the opioid epidemic and the dramatic increase in deaths related to opioid pain relievers and heroin over the past 16 years. In addition to that, naloxone, an opioid antidote, will be made available in more than 35 states across the country without a prescription. If for some reason you absolutely must dispose of medicine in your household trash…
Addiction and the ‘recovery’ gurus who profit from it
Focusing on the brain’s chemistry, the neuroscientist Marc Lewis explains that addiction is not a disease – and that to claim it is actually hinders recovery … Perhaps because so many of them are former drunks and junkies, ‘addiction experts’ are touchy people. Often they don’t like each other – hardly surprising, since they are fighting each other for such a lucrative business. You can make bigger bucks out of selling ‘recovery’ than by peddling drugs… i n any media report of a celebrity’s battle with substance abuse, the words that you’re most likely to read before ‘rehab’ are ‘in and out of…
With 7 suicides in her family, Mariel Hemingway declares war on depression
“I started to realize I had a great understanding of the whole space,” says Hemingway, who was in South Florida recently to speak at State of Recovery 2016, a conference held at the Diplomat Resort & Spa in Hollywood on behavioral health care. “I was drawn to being able to tell a story so that other people don’t feel alone, so they don’t feel isolated inside the darkness because there is so much darkness when you don’t speak about it, and there’s so much hope and light in recovery if you’re able to tell your story.”
The Food and Drug Administration put the experimental drug esketamine (also known as ketamine) on the fast track to official approval for use in treating major depression, Janssen Pharmaceutical announced Tuesday. This designated “breakthrough therapy” would offer psychiatrists a new method for treating patients with suicidal tendencies and would qualify as the first new treatment for major depressive disorder in about half a century.
is a social, educational, networking and recovery forum showcasing first-time filmmakers and experienced professionals who make films about addiction and recovery. Our audience is treatment professionals, people in recovery, members of the entertainment industry, media representatives, educated moviegoers & the general public.
A dangerous strain of heroin with a “Game of Thrones” label has been circulating in Vermont and New Hampshire, where officials have counted nearly a dozen recent overdoses. At least ten people in Vermont had to be revived with naloxone, an opioid-reversal medication, over the weekend after they likely overdosed on the highly potent drug, health officials said Monday.
The state of Montana is home to some of the most proud residents, but there’s one county so deeply devastated by drug addiction that it’s people have been forgotten and left to die … “We’ve had 70 year-olds test positive and kids as young as 12 and 13 test positive for meth,” said Trottier … “It has broken up families, we have children that are in foster care and we have parents that can’t take care of themselves,” said Smith. “We have children who look 20 years older than they should.”
READ MORE @ KBZK.com
RECOVERY EVENT
In Honor Of
Be Part of the Solution’ Sponsoring Drug Addiction and Recovery Awareness Walk
JAMESTOWN, NY – Despite her efforts at recovery, 23-year-old McKenzie Paulson passed away this past June from her struggle with drugs. In celebration of her 24th birthday, Be Part of the Solution is sponsoring a Drug Addiction and Recovery Awareness Walk, Saturday, Aug. 20, to help raise funds for transitional housing for those recovering from drug addiction.
Joel Stein also went on to mention that health men use pornography as a tool for an orgasm. It is possible for healthy men to use pornography in moderation. In many cases, it can be good for the mind and body. Does that go for alcoholism? According to the Harvard School of Public Health, men should have no more than two drinks per day. For women, no more than one. So yes, in a way, you can fit alcohol into a healthy lifestyle. As long as one doesn’t overdose on booze or pornography, the two can be beneficial.
From drug addiction to Rio 2016: Australian swimmer Dan Smith on how faith in God changed his life
Australian swimmer Dan Smith made an incredible recovery from a drug addiction which saw him made homeless and turn to crime before going on to compete in the Rio Olympics this summer … “Swimming isn’t who I am it’s just what I do. I’m a vessel of the Holy Spirit, God loves me – it’s taken me a bit of time to really realise that. God doesn’t need gold medals and stuff, he cares more about my character and what’s on the inside.” After swimming success as a child, he turned to alcohol as a teenager which resulted in him having a drink-driving accident aged 18, just four weeks after winning his first open Australian title … I hated the limelight. And so for me the best way I knew how to deal with it was to start smoking marijuana and getting into more drinking.
Effective, But Expensive, Anti-Addiction Drug VIDEO
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – The country’s drug crisis now kills more people each day than car crashes or gun violence. A growing number of specialists hoping to offset the epidemic are turning to an anti-addiction drug that’s expensive but effective. Most anti-addiction drugs are themselves addictive, but this newly-popular medication is a non-narcotic alternative, and its sales are up 40 percent.
PRESCOTT – Three local recovery centers and another from Scottsdale are suing the Health Net insurance company for actions that allegedly have had “a severe and adverse effect” on the treatment centers, as well as the clients. The legal complaint by Chapter 5 Counseling Center LLC, Prescott House Inc., Desert Cove Recovery Center LLC, and Compass Recovery Center LLC was filed in Maricopa County Superior Court July 22. The complaint deals with many of the accusations that an insurance-company investigator made this week to the Prescott Mayor’s Ad Hoc Committee on Structured Sober Living Homes. At that Aug. 10 meeting, Centene Corp. lead investigator Dan Kreitman maintained that many local group homes have been engaging in fraudulent practices…
The DEA has just been ‘toying with us’ on legalizing marijuana
Commentary by Jesse Ventura, the former governor of Minnesota and the author of “Jesse Ventura’s Marijuana Manifesto” (Sept. 6 2016). He was a Navy SEAL and is a Vietnam veteran. He was also a professional wrestler from 1975 to 1986 under the ring name Jesse “The Body” Ventura.
Houston Cop Arrested Four Days After Killing Man in Drunk Driving Crash
A Texas cop was not arrested Friday even though his blood alcohol level was twice the legal limit when he swerved into an oncoming lane, slammed his SUV head-on into a Corvette and rolled over the top of it, killing the man inside … Eventually police charged him with intoxication manslaughter, which carries a sentence between two to 20 years in prison, and a judge set his bond at $100,000.
READ MORE @ PINAC.com
RECOVERY
Spiritus Contra Spiritum
Why Addicts Are Healthier Than the Rest of Us
…however, folks who struggle with drugs and alcohol, and are actively working on their recovery, are often light-years ahead in the way of personal development and emotional health than your average Joe who has never struggled at all with drugs and alcohol. How can this be?
The Blessing of Falling Apart The gift of being an addict or alcoholic is that it fast tracks you to a place of total deprivation where you have nowhere else to go except to get help.
Laura Silverman woke up in New York City, still tired and groggy from the night before. It was the first time she, a resident of Washington D.C., ever visited the City. She wasn’t in a comfy hotel bed though; she was in the hospital. For alcohol poisoning. And it wasn’t the first time.
West Virginia city has 27 heroin overdoses in 4 hours VIDEO
There were 27 heroin overdoses within four hours, including one death, in Huntington, West Virginia, on Monday. Officials believe the drug may be laced with something to make it particularly dangerous…The calls started coming Monday afternoon, overwhelming the 911 call center and taxing ambulance resources in the area…
Black patients half as likely to get pain meds as white patients
A black patient with the same level of pain and everything else being accounted for was much less likely to receive an opioid prescription than a white patient with the same characteristics,” … Black patients had about half the odds of being prescribed opioids compared to white patients for non-definitive conditions … And the dearth of black physicians exacerbates the situation. Only 4% of physicians are black…
Money was motive for drug- dealing SC doctor facing prison
He is a severe alcoholic,” “That is his main issue.” Dr. Mackie J. Walker of Aiken, once a respected podiatrist, pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court to being the key figure in a major South Carolina oxycodone drug trafficking ring. Walker, 63, who sold oxycodone prescriptions to dozens of addicts and drug traffickers for up to $1,000 per prescription, is now subject to being sent to prison for up to 20 years, prosecutors said. “Dr. Walker preyed upon the vulnerabilities and imperfections of various individuals for his own financial benefit,”…
READ MORE @ TheState.com
ATTENTION: NEW YORK FILM LOVERS
Saturday Sept. 24, 1pm New York City
Alcohol Anonymous Movies: Thee Amazing Films: LIVE TALK by William Borchert
As part of the 5th Annual New York Editions of the REEL Recovery Film Festival & Symposium, two Alcoholics Anonymous Classics written by author William Borchert and the world premiere of “The Mary Seiberling Tapes, Witness to a Miracle”, the story behind the historical meeting of Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith at the home of Henrietta Seiberling in 1935.
On Saturday, September 24, 2016 we will have a Q&A with author William Borchert between the screenings of two very important films about the inception of AA:
1:00 pm – My Name is Bill W. – Starring James woods and James Gardener View the trailer here:
LIVE IN PERSON @ 2:30 William Borchert discussing the books behind the films and filming of “My Name is Bill W.” (with William having a small part as bar patron) and “When Love is Not Enough-The Lois Wilson Story “
ALSO, Dr. Kimberly Johnson from SAMSHA, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, will acilitatie a Q&A with audience participation.
3:00 pm When Love is not Enough – The Lois Wilson Story – Starring Winona Ryder and Barry Pepper View the trailer here:
5:00 pm the World Premiere of “The Mary Seiberling Tapes, Witness to a Miracle” with IN PERSON guests, filmmaker Kathy Anderson and William Huhn, Grandson of Henrietta Seiberling. Ms. Anderson and Mr. Huhn will conduct Q&A following the 40 minute film
PROUD SPONSORS OF THE 2016 REEL RECOVERY FILM FESTIVAL & SYMPOSIUM
The In Crowd
New Directions for Day Treatment at the Betty Ford Center
The treatment day starts at 8 a.m. with meditation, a morning lecture, group therapy, and lunch, followed by specialty groups addressing such topics as emotional sobriety, eating disorders, grief workshops, or fitness. AA and NA meetings are scheduled either during the day or in the evening, and patients may participate in individual sessions, art or music therapy, or attend one of the professional groups, including the Legal Professionals Program (LPP); the Heath Care Professionals (HCP) program facilitated by Dr. Harry Haroutunian; or the LGBTQ group. At the Betty Ford Center, the “Caduceus” AA group also meets regularly for all health care professionals.
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As helpful as social media can be, it can be a direct hit to an overdose, said 
