China’s move to ban fentanyl could help curb addiction crisis in US
“The DEA views China’s actions to be four giant steps in the right direction, steps that will ultimately lead to the reduction of numerous overdoses that have occurred throughout the United States, especially the last couple of years,” DEA spokesman Melvin Patterson told Fox News of the new fentanyl controls. Patterson said that rigorous regulation of fentanyl in China should make it vastly easier for U.S. investigators to trace fentanyl and drugs laced with the deadly substance back to the illicit sources. Until now, China had been an exasperatingly indecipherable key piece of the puzzle in the fight against fentanyl trafficking and catching those aggravating the worst addiction crisis to hit the United States…
READ MORE @ FOXNEWS
Bullshitting the Public For Years
Doctors finally admit drugs can’t fix most cases of back pain
America’s doctors have finally admitted it: Their pharmaceutical tools to treat one of patients’ most common ailments don’t work … Lower back pain is one of the most frequent reasons people visit the doctor. Yet doctors are finding drugs should actually often be the last line of treatment for it … Exercise or alternative therapies, the ACP noted, can work as well as or better than medications, but don’t come with the side effects. The doctors group also strongly discourages opioids, since research suggests these drugs are only modestly effective for back pain and carry serious risks, including overdose and addiction … doctors don’t generally recommend doing MRIs for acute episodes of low back pain, since they can lead to overtreatment – like surgery – that also won’t improve health outcomes.
In a sharp break with the Obama administration, which distanced itself from harsh anti-drug rhetoric and emphasized treatment for drug users over punishment, President Trump this week reverted to tough drug war oratory and backed it up with a series of executive orders he said are “designed to restore safety in America.” … Trump also lambasted the Obama administration for one its signature achievements in criminal justice reform, opening the prison doors for more than 1,700 drug war prisoners who had already served sentences longer than they would have under current, revised sentencing guidelines…And in a sign of a return to the dark days of drug war over-sentencing, he called for harsher mandatory minimum prison sentences for “the most serious” drug offenders…
READ MORE @ Alternet.com
It’s All in Your Head
Addiction: Not a Brain Disease!
It’s also a theory that has been buoyed by doctors, politicians, and media pundits alike, all of whom have claimed addiction is not a moral failing but a product of biology. But there’s one problem: It’s not true, a new paper in Nature Human Behavior argues. “Some people think that [the addiction-as-disease narrative] is more compassionate,” says Carl Hart, chair of the psychology department at Columbia University, who has spent decades studying how drugs affect the brain and behavior. Unfortunately, Hart writes, there’s not much to support the theory that addiction is a disease of the brain, and it has done more harm than good.
Gov. Holcomb lauds private drug treatment facility
“All of those four areas are touched by the drug epidemic that crashes up against them in unique ways,” Holcomb said while addressing the crowd at the ribbon cutting for Bridges of Hope, a new drug treatment facility in Anderson. “It’s obvious to me that we can’t succeed unless we attack this head on.” … That’s why he included a new position, the executive director of drug prevention, treatment and enforcement, in his proposed two-year, $31.7 billion state budget released Tuesday. The new executive will work with all state agencies that deal with drug addiction and report directly to the Governor’s office…
READ MORE @ Reporter.net
Vape On!
Vaping Is 95% Healthier and 40% Cheaper Than Smoking
According to a new study published by Public Health England on Wednesday, however, vaping is actually 95% less harmful than their smouldering counterpart. The study, which was not funded by the tobacco lobby but rather the U.K.’s Department of Health, also noted that around half of the general public falsely assumed vaporizers and e-cigarettes were as unhealthy as a pack of Lucky’s, and that there’s no evidence vaporizers lead to smoking. In fact, the report suggested e-cigarettes as a useful tool to help people quit smoking.
Moby Opens Up About Developing a Drug Addiction While Touring the World
The DJ lifestyle is a rollercoaster of excessive highs and defeating lows. Moby has emerged relatively unscathed after years of relentless touring, but not before trudging through spells of alcohol and drug abuse which have compromised his life. Moby, known by his friends as Richard Hall, is easily one of the most famous figures in electronic music, yet his soft, thoughtful voice infers he’s not jaded by it all. He’s sat down to talk to Mixmag about experiences with his health and how the prevailing dream of world touring is at odds with the extravagant facade that fans see it as.
Recovering Alcoholic Will Run 12-Hour Treadmill-A-Thon to Fight Addiction VIDEO
Feb 17, 2017 – There are currently 25 million Americans suffering from addiction, and one man is trying to raise awareness by running something out of the ordinary. “I wasn’t living life on life’s terms, and running helped me do that,” Runner Henry Ward said. A recovering alcoholic from Massachusetts, he’s been sober for over 9 years. He’ll be running for 12 hours straight on Saturday from 7 A.M. to 7 P.M. to fundraise in the fight against addiction.
Attorney General has 4 Ideas to Stem Epidemic of Opioid Addiction VIDEO
February 17, 2017 North Carolina’s new Attorney General, Josh Stein, tells the ABC11 I-Team, curbing opioid addiction is one of his top priorities. “Opioid addiction and opioid overdoses are a crisis here North Carolina,” Stein said. “More people are dying today in North Carolina of opioid overdoses than car crashes.” Stein wants to tackle the problem in a new way, preventing the problem where it often starts – the doctor’s office.
Feb. 18, 2017 – What: Legislation that would give parents the right to consent to drug treatment on behalf of their children and over their objections … “If you’re a minor, the parent is responsible for you, and I think the parent should have a say,” she said. Professionals in the field of drug addiction treatment are inclined to agree. James Layne Turner, administrator of Lehigh County’s Drug and Alcohol services, said drug abuse is far more common among area teens and preteens than many people realize. County schools conduct behavioral health assessments for 800-900 students annually and, of those cases, about 40 percent involve drugs and alcohol, he said. The average age of these students is 14, according to Turner, who said that he sometimes sees middle schoolers say “no thanks” to help. “Whether it’s a sixth-grade kid refusing help or an adult, their right to refusal trumps everything,” he said.
American Addiction Treatment Association (AATA) Unveils Addiction Treatment Industry Regulations and Compliance Information for Georgia
FEBRUARY 16, 2017 – The American Addiction Treatment Association (AATA) is unveiling regulations and compliance information to assist Georgia-based addiction treatment programs in remaining compliant with laws and regulations. Georgia is now the eighth state in which AATA membership resources are available to industry professionals, sober/transitional living facilities, and addiction treatment centers throughout Georgia. AATA has previously launched regulatory compliance resources in California, Arizona, Texas, Florida, New York, Illinois, and Tennessee.
READ MORE @ ITBusinessNet.com
Using With Conviction
Suboxone Proves to be a Favorite Among Prisoners
Feb. 18, 2017 – Suboxone, a medication used to help treat opioid addiction, has become prevalent among the substances being smuggling into jails and prisons and is an ongoing problem throughout the country. According to Reckitt Benckiser, the manufacturer of Suboxone films. The prescription drug is intended to be a discreet and effective treatment for opioid dependence. A combination of the drugs buprenorphine and naloxone, Suboxone helps reduce the physical symptoms of withdrawal from opioids (heroin being one). The film is a small, orange rectangle that’s placed in the mouth and absorbed into the bloodstream.
READ MORE @ Theet.com
Getting Caught in Florida
Arrests spark change in Palm Beach County’s drug abuse treatment industry
Feb. 18, ’17Palm Beach County’s crackdown on abusive practices in drug addiction treatment facilities has rippled through the industry five months after police began taking groups of people into custody. Investigators working as part of the county’s Sober Homes Task Force have arrested 15 people on allegations including fraud, possessing drug paraphernalia and taking kickbacks…
Adele Smithers – empowered charity benefactors, dies at 83
Thursday, February 16, 2017 Adele C. Smithers, who expanded on her husband’s bequests to help recovering alcoholics at a Manhattan treatment center and, in the process, won a consequential lawsuit that empowered benefactors and their families to oversee their charitable contributions, died Monday in Santa Monica. She was 83. The cause was complications of Parkinson’s disease, said her son, Christopher, the president of the Christopher D. Smithers Foundation, which is named for his grandfather, a wealthy investment banker. The Smithers name is generally associated with the prevention and treatment of alcoholism. For many years the Smithers Alcoholism Treatment and Training Center treated thousands of people, including celebrities like John Cheever, Joan Kennedy and Dwight Gooden, mostly at a former home on East 93rd Street.
To our Readers and Advertisers: An Open Letter from Leonard Buschel Publisher/Editor of the Addiction/Recovery eBulletin
Gratitude is always in season, and as we begin 2017, I want to thank our readers and astute progressive advertisers for your loyalty and confidence. The Addiction/ Recovery eBulletin is approaching four and a half years of continued growth and influence. This would not have been possible without the support of “The Good Guys” – our sponsors who continually stand on the side of truth, integrity and Best Practices. It is an honor to serve our readers and a responsibility I do not take lightly.
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Johanna O’Flaherty, PhD
Her doctorate in clinical psychology is from Pacifica Graduate Institute.
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‘He’s blue’: Louisville rattled by 151 overdoses in 4 days
During the three hours CNN visited, Neal’s crews responded to nine overdoses, many of them probably caused by heroin. When he arrived at one scene and began talking with firefighters, there was suddenly another radio call: another overdose … One person using heroin was killed while riding in a car that crashed, authorities said; the driver of the car had used heroin but survived. The overdoses seemingly happened everywhere. Homes. Restaurants. Parking lots. People slumped in cars at stop lights. “It can be anywhere,” says Jody Meiman, the executive director for Louisville Metro EMS. “Unfortunately, we’ve had to respond to all those locations.
READ MORE @ KSAT.com
West Coast Sets Trends
California Sets the Stage for a Worldwide Treatment Revolution
“The idea is quite simple,” said California Consortium of Addiction Programs and Professionals (CCAPP) Chief Executive Officer, Pete Nielsen. “We are no longer going to stand by while our brothers, sisters, daughters and sons die from a treatable disease.” Although addiction treatment is as old as Bill Wilson’s inklings from the 1930s, the thought that society can and should demand that no one dies from it, is a relatively new concept. “Our own leadership has suffered from the same effects of stigma that addicts and their loved ones have suffered,” said Nielsen. “We have spent years begging lawmakers for a few more pennies for treatment, for a qualified workforce, for more beds and greater access. That time is gone. We are entering a new era. One in which the hard questions are asked, a time when there is no tolerance for death by ‘check back next month’.”
N.J. limits opioid prescriptions, requires insurers to cover treatment
New Jersey doctors will be able to prescribe only five days’ worth of opioid painkillers for most patients under a law Gov. Christie signed Wednesday as part of his pledge to fight addiction. The law also requires insurers to cover 180 days of drug treatment, although inpatient treatment can be reviewed after 28 days. “Today, we are taking action to save lives,” Christie said Wednesday afternoon at a Statehouse news conference, where he signed the bill 15 minutes after it passed the Democratic-led Assembly…
Woman pleads guilty in sober home scheme allowing drug use
A third person who was arrested in a wide-ranging federal investigation of sober homes in South Florida pleaded guilty Wednesday to charges in a scheme that exploited patients and defrauded health insurers, records show. Fransesia Davis, 44, of Lake Worth, admitted to using her name on ownership documents for Total Recovery Sober Living LLC, a sober home in West Palm Beach, in an attempt to hide the true owner, Kenneth Chatman, according to court records.
Stripping to fund her heroin habit in harrowing photo series that follows her battle to sobriety
February 15, 2017 Alex was 17 when she tried heroin for the first time. The teen steadily increased her usage when her mother, an alcoholic, hanged herself … She has not spoken to or seen her crack cocaine-addicted father since she was 10. In order to fund her spiralling habit, Alex, from Baltimore, began dancing in her underwear at a strip joint. … She tried again a year later and, in July 2017, will have been clean for four years. Sara has been following her for six years now and the pair have grown close. “If you’re shoved in a bathroom with someone doing heroin and you see their sobriety you can’t help but become close,” she said. Living in a sober household was key to maintaining sobriety.
Ohio parents arrested after 8-year-old found with heroin in system
Dowdy had noticed his son stopped breathing and his lips were turning blue so he called 911, WKYC reported. Police found drugs and needles at the home, the station reported. At Southwest General Hospital, sources said they found drugs hidden inside a toy watch kept inside the boy’s sock. When the boy took a urine test, they said heroin was in his system…
Eva Marie Addresses Her Battle With Alcoholism VIDEO
Eva Marie recently released a video Q&A session on her YouTube channel. You can check out the video below. During the Q&A, she answered a fan question about her battle with alcoholism. Below is an excerpt: “I’m not sure if you guys know but I am in a recovery program. You absolutely have to carve out time for it. You just have to remember how desperate and willing you were to get sober in the first place and never lose that feeling.”
Police depts. not yet armed with life-saving overdose antidote –
and some don’t want it !
All R.I. emergency medical service vehicles must be equipped with naloxone just as they are with EpiPens and other life-saving equipment. But there is no such requirement for police, and some departments don’t want it … In Rhode Island, all emergency medical service vehicles must be equipped with naloxone, just as they are with epinephrine injectors known as EpiPens and other life-saving equipment. But there is no such requirement for the police. “I don’t want to criticize departments that don’t want it,” U.S. Attorney Peter F. Neronha said last week, “but from everything that I know, speed matters, time matters. It may be too late by the time rescue gets there.”
8th Annual Experience, Strength & Hope Awards – Feb. 23 in LA
Broadcast giant and Recovery advocate PAT O’BRIEN is set to receive the Experience, Strength and Hope Award presented on Thursday, February 23, 2017 Guest Host, Bruce Davison Guest Singer, Sherri Lewis Special Presenter, Joe Walsh Spoken word performance by author Dejuan DJ Verrett Actress Rachelle Carson-Begley will be Thanking our VIP Sponsors from the stage. SPECIAL COMEDY performance, from South Florida to you, SARGE (He’s half Jewish and half Black. What could possibly go wrong?) PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS TBA Previous Honorees: Christopher Kennedy Lawford, Lou Gossett, Jr., Buzz Aldrin, Duran Duran’s John Taylor, Carrie White, Joe Pantoliano, Mackenzie Phillips Previous Participants: Danny Trejo, Tony Denison, Robert Downey, Jr., Ione Skye, Bobcat Goldthwait, Joanna Cassidy, Alonzo Bodden, Mark Lundholm, Dan Fante, Bob Forrest, Sharon Lawrence, Barry Diamond, Jack McGee Event Will Sell Out – Book now to avoid disappointment
Children as young as five are phoning a helpline to hear a bedtime story VIDEO
Children as young as five are phoning a helpline to be read a bedtime story because their alcoholic parents are too drunk to put them to bed, a charity has revealed. Some call so regularly their favourite books are kept next to the phones, according to the National Association for Children of Alcoholics. The desperate youngsters often ask to hear classic Disney tales, while Horrid Henry and Roald Dahl books are also popular.
Are children born naughty? This is an important question when considering Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), a condition characterised by issues with impulsiveness, restlessness and difficulties with focus. A study this week claimed to have found conclusive evidence that ADHD was an actual brain disorder and not just another way of labelling poor parenting or badly behaved children. The study looked at brain volumes of more than 3,200 people and noticed that those of people with ADHD were underdeveloped – actually smaller – in five key areas involved in emotion and motivation, compared to those of people without the condition.
February 17, 2017 – This is the seventh edition of an ongoing series of real stories about addiction from ClickOnDetroit’s readers. He will do about anything to get this drug. He once purposely slammed his hand in the car door to get an opioid prescribed. His most severe overdose has just occurred. A previously unknown doctor prescribed 120 Percocet. He was staying at a friend’s house. They left for work the next morning, noticed he was still sleeping on the couch but knew he had to go to work later.
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American author, journalist, comedian, and founder of the magazine The Realist. Krassner became a key figure in the counterculture of the 1960s as a member of Ken Kesey‘s Merry Pranksters.
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