New Rehab Will Treat Drug Addiction With … Marijuana?
High Sobriety was founded by Joe Schrank, a recovering addict who has been abstinent from drugs and alcohol for more than 20 years and who once worked as a counselor at Promises Malibu. He later started one of New York City’s first sober-living homes, which earned him a flattering profile in The New York Times Style section in 2011 (the piece noted the facility’s exposed brick walls and Restoration Hardware chairs)…” I’m in a state of shock,” says Dr. Howard Samuels, who used to work with Schrank at Promises; he now runs the Hills Treatment Center, a high-end facility in L.A. “We all know in the treatment field that weed is such a dangerous drug for the emotional stability of our youth.”
READ MORE @ LAWeekly.com
The Staff of Life and Death
Madison man’s death sheds light on male eating disorders
On one of the last nights before he died, Max Briles treated himself to part of a cucumber … He figured it had 20 calories, which would keep his total below 1,000 for the day, less than half of what health officials say an adult male should eat … Briles, 26, of Madison, died in October, at least in part from anorexia nervosa, an eating disorder in which people starve themselves because they fear gaining weight even though they are thin. His parents encouraged him to get treatment, but he refused.
Alcoholic loses 165 pounds after quitting the bottle
An alcoholic who garnered attention from men with a fat fetish is now a stunning aesthetician after she quit drinking. Courtney Maguire, 30, of Houston, Texas, dropped 165 pounds after the binge-drinking addiction she had since college led her to overeating … In addition to switching from fast food to a high-protein diet, she took up fitness classes like Pilates, pole dancing and barre … Maguire’s body was changing for the better, but she was left with excess skin and sagging breasts. That’s why she decided to treat herself to a breast augmentation and abdominoplasty in 2016.
Cops Help Addicts Get Treatment in Programs Facing Uncertain Future
Jan. 16, 2017 – They fear that President Donald Trump will favor a return to a “war on drugs” model that focuses on prosecution rather than treatment. … Faced with a national epidemic of opioid-related overdoses, a cadre of police organizations have adopted a promising new approach focused on addiction as an illness rather than a crime. But just as the ANGEL program-which uses cops to steer addicts to treatment rather than jail-has begun to expand to hundreds of police departments with White House support, advocates worry that it could run into obstacles under the incoming Trump administration.
Central Recovery Press Buys Assets of Mac Publishing
Las Vegas-based Central Recovery Press has acquired the assets of Mac Publishing, a publisher of materials of works on family systems add addictive disorders. The purchase involves nine books, seven audio seminars, and 19 instructional videos that have a print component. Mac Publishing was founded to publish the works of Claudia Black who is co-owner of the company with Jack Fahey. CRP said it will rebrand all Mac Publishing material as The Claudia Black Library.
The Trauma Heart: We Are Not Bad People Trying to Be Good, We Are Wounded People Trying to Heal – Stories of Survival, Hope, & Healing by Judy Crane
The majority of people addicted to substances or process addictions such as relationship disorders, eating disorders, self-harming behaviors, gambling or pornography are trauma survivors. Many people caught in the web of addiction don’t identify as trauma survivors until their personal, familial, intergenerational, and in-uterine history is exposed. Unfortunately, relapse is inevitable without trauma resolution that can only take place once their history is exposed.
Report: Repeal of health-care law will affect those treating drug addiction, mental illness
January 11, 2017 More than 220,000 people in Ohio may be unable to afford care for mental illness or drug addiction if congressional Republicans scrap the 2010 health-care law without passing a substitute measure, a new report says … President-elect Donald Trump pledged Wednesday to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act “essentially simultaneously” with confirmation of his Health and Human Services secretary. But that position is at odds with GOP leaders in Congress, who have said they will repeal the law early this year but with no immediate plan for a replacement.
Former heroin user and the police officer who arrested her fight the opiate wars together VIDEO
“When you get that feeling for the first time where you feel like you don’t have to deal with stuff … you kind of keep taking that pill to make things a little bit more numb,” she said. Opiates provided more instant gratification than alcohol or marijuana had, she said, and instantly made her worries and fears seem irrelevant. She continued to use – at one point sleeping in the park behind Mason High, where she’d once gone to school – until her arrest and court-ordered rehab.
Dr. Bernie Siegel: Life After Death, Find Your Chocolate VIDEO
In these days of anxiety, conflict and worrisome situations, take a breather and experience the many magic tools of life with medical expert and prolific author, Dr. Bernie Siegel on Dr. Carol Francis Talk Radio. His interview released today will soothe the flames of antagonism and fear spreading due to concerns about Trump, Healthcare, EPA and Inauguration anticipations…
Sex Pistol Steve Jones Finally Outgrew His Punk Outlaw Past VIDEO
“I’m not looking forward to people reading this book, with all the weird shit that’s in it,” former Sex Pistol Steve Jones confesses at the outset of our interview about his fantastic new memoir, Lonely Boy: Tales of a Sex Pistol. And “weird shit” indeed abounds. Jones confesses to the kind of sordid, outlaw upbringing that would make even Keith Richards blush. His frank tales about his childhood addiction to masturbation, run ins with the local pedophile in his rough and tumble London neighborhood, his abusive stepfather, homosexual dalliances, and acute kleptomania read like the tales of a crazy uncle who comes to holiday dinner and shares hard-to-believe stories of his youthful exploits with abandon.
His life in recovery is one of helping others and he emphasizes in “True Blue Friend” that no matter what happens in life, there’s never a reason to pick up a drink or a drug. “I put all this stuff about my life in there because I didn’t get high no matter what. People will drink over a divorce or go back out after surgery,” he said. “It’s a choice. I thank God I didn’t have to get high over anything.” He credits his 26 years of sobriety to God and AA meetings.
Mental health and substance abuse issues are linked in kids by Carmen Morrow
Jan. 21, 2017 – A question that often is asked is: What comes first? The substance abuse or mental health problem? … Often, students and adults talk about using drugs to self-medicate their feelings and/or mental illness. Alcohol, marijuana or other drugs can be abused to self-medicate the symptoms of depression or anxiety. Unfortunately, substance abuse causes side effects and in the long run worsens the very symptoms they initially numbed or relieved.
READ MORE @ HutchinsonLeader.com
Jesus Now Hiring VIDEO
Russell Brand Launches New Addict Employment Services At Trews Cafe VIDEO
Creating a place to turn the lives of ex-drug addicts and prisoners seems like an unlikely space to find a breeding ground for healing the wounds left by events such as Brexit – but according to Russell Brand that’s exactly what could be happening here. On a chilly Wednesday morning, people are gathering in Hackney’s Trew Era cafe – donated by Brand to become a social enterprise now staffed by ex-addicts and offenders – to hear stories of how people have turned their lives around from some exceptionally dark circumstances.
‘El Chapo’ Getting ‘American Justice’ After Decades of Drugs, Bloodshed VIDEO
The cartel made billions of dollars in profits – hence prosecutors’ bid for a $14 billion forfeiture – and employed hit men who carried out murders, kidnappings and acts of torture, according to prosecutors. The Sinaloa smugglers also helped fuel an epidemic of drug abuse in the U.S. in the 1980s and ’90s, the prosecutors said … “It took ten years to get Osama bin Laden,” notes Shakeshaft, who spent years developing the Chicago prosecution. “It took more than that to get to Chapo, but ultimately we did!”
Disgraced former Methodist Minister: I still struggle with drug addiction
The disgraced Methodist Minister and former chairman of the Co-op Bank who was fined for possessing cocaine and other drugs, has admitted he still struggles with addiction. Paul Flowers, who is from Bradford, was last week stripped of the title reverend and the power to lead services for the Church.
READ MORE @ ITV.com
Addiction/Recovery eBulletin
CVS is Open 24/7
Gabapentin Contributes to Rise in Overdose Deaths in W. Va.
…gabapentin is showing up in cocktails of drugs that are linked to overdose deaths … A West Virginia Board of Pharmacy report says a prescription drug used to treat nerve pain is contributing to a sharp increase of overdose deaths in the state … The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports the number of fatal overdoses involving gabapentin in West Virginia jumped from three in 2010 to 109 overdoses in 2015.
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.
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.
Lily Collins Reflects on Her Teenage Eating Disorders
As the star of Marti Noxon’s upcoming drama, To the Bone, the 27-year-old actress is tackling a character that hits close to home. In the film, which recently debuted at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival, Collins portrays a woman seeking treatment for anorexia, a battle she also faced in her life. “This was definitely a more dramatic role for me. I suffered with eating disorders when I was a teenager as well,” she said…
Symposium Workshop Shows How to Rise Strong in Life After Recovery from Eating Disorders
JANUARY 21, 2017 – In the United States, 20 million women and 10 million men suffer with eating disorders. Even when individuals experience the freedom of recovery, they often feel shame for having struggled with an eating disorder as well as common co-occurring conditions like substance abuse and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In the workshop, “Rising Strong in Life After an Eating Disorder” – to be featured at this year’s iaedp Symposium – Jennifer Lombardi and Jenni Schaefer will present research in the areas of shame and experiential avoidance as well as the impact of these variables on risk and recovery for sufferers of eating disorders.
Wrestler Kurt Angle Launches App To Help Those Dealing With Addiction VIDEO
As an Olympic gold medalist, professional wrestling champion, and movie star, Kurt Angle has had more career success than most people can dream of. Along with the fame and the fortune, came addiction. The disease runs in his family. Alcoholism contributed to his father’s death, his sister died of a heroin overdose, and his brother killed his sister-in-law while they were both intoxicated. Now, at almost four years sober, he’s talking about his struggle and his solution.
The fact that alcohol plays an important role in the development and progression of certain cancers is not new – alcohol intake is linked developing cancer of the oesophagus, breast, mouth, liver and bowel. However, less is known about the equally serious impact alcohol can have beyond prevention, in individuals who have already received a diagnosis of cancer. Experts have revealed drinking even small amounts of alcohol while on chemotherapy or radiotherapy can increase the frequency and severity of the treatment’s side effects. Alcohol has the potential to compromise treatment, by making certain therapies less effective.
Estimation of alcohol use during pregnancy and fetal alcohol syndrome
Alcohol use during pregnancy is the direct cause of fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). We aimed to estimate the prevalence of alcohol use during pregnancy and FAS in the general population and, by linking these two indicators, estimate the number of pregnant women that consumed alcohol during pregnancy per one case of FAS. We also estimated that one in every 67 women who consumed alcohol during pregnancy would deliver a child with FAS, which translates to about 119,000 children born with FAS in the world every year.
Lamar Odom on Sobriety, Making Amends to Kids VIDEO
The former NBA star’s life hung in the balance after he was hospitalized in Nevada in October 2015, but in a new interview with Dr. Travis Stork on The Doctors, the 37-year-old athlete shared how he is finally sober following a 30-day rehab program … “[My children] were really happy that I went through the process,” he said during the interview. “I was thinking a lot, too much, about how they would think of me, but once I let down that guard, let them in and let them know everything I was going through, I think it helped build our relationship. We were struggling.”
To really solve this crisis though, we must look to its roots. They are tangled and deep. They branch off in many directions. Prescribing practices and deceptive marketing of opioids are part of the story. But not the whole story. Imported chemicals are implicated, but this is not the whole story either. It is true that, for some, addiction starts with physical pain or biochemical risk factors. But for many, the pain that leads to substance use is not as simple as a broken limb or postoperative wounds. Very often, social isolation and trauma are at the core of problematic substance use. As Dr. Gabor Maté writes: “hurt is at the centre of all addictive behaviour.” That hurt takes many forms: childhood trauma, domestic violence, sexual abuse, abandonment, rejection and more.
Teens who smoke weed damage their brains for Life? VIDEO
Teenagers who regularly smoke cannabis suffer long lasting brain damage and are in much greater danger of developing schizophrenia. American researchers say the drug is particularly dangerous for a group of people who have a genetic susceptibility to the mental health disorder – and it could be the trigger for it. Asaf Keller, of the University of Maryland School of Medicine, said the results highlight the dangers of teenagers smoking cannabis during their formative years.
This new ADHD medication for kids comes in a fruity package.Adzenys XR-ODT, an extended-release amphetamine, was released in May and is aimed at children 6 years and older with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. More than 11 percent of kids ages 4 to 17 have ADHD, and 75 percent of those children take medication, the CDC reports … Like Adderall, this prescription tablet can improve a person’s short-term ability to focus and learn, but Adzenys has three peculiar features: It’s fruit-flavored to mask the amphetamine’s bitter taste, dissolvable and comes in blister packaging as opposed to pill form.
Inside a Killer Drug Epidemic: A Look at America’s Opioid Crisis
Opioid addiction is America’s 50-state epidemic. It courses along Interstate highways in the form of cheap smuggled heroin, and flows out of “pill mill” clinics where pain medicine is handed out like candy. It has ripped through New England towns, where people overdose in the aisles of dollar stores, and it has ravaged coal country, where addicts speed-dial the sole doctor in town licensed to prescribe a medication. Public health officials have called the current opioid epidemic the worst drug crisis in American history, killing more than 33,000 people in 2015. Overdose deaths were nearly equal to the number of deaths from car crashes. In 2015, for the first time, deaths from heroin surpassed gun homicides.
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, Ed Begley, Jr. Guest Singer, Sherri Lewis Spoken word performance by author Dejuan DJ Verrett Actress Joanna Cassidy 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
Once, a doctor went to a village with an aim of launching a campaign against alcohol abuse. He gathered a bunch of alcoholics. To make them aware of the dire consequences of alcoholism, he explained various things to them. When he saw that this was not creating the necessary impact, he decided to explain matters through a demonstration. He poured pure water in one glass and alcohol in the other. He then dropped an earthworm in the glass of water. The worm started swimming around gaily. He then dropped another earthworm in the second glass. It began convulsing, and then started disintegrating into pieces before dissolving completely in the alcohol. Seeing this, the onlookers were stunned.
“I wrote and recorded these songs two weeks after getting out of a treatment center for drug addiction, which is something I struggled with through my adolescence and into my early twenties. I had been trying to get clean for months, but kept failing. I was caught in a vicious cycle of short periods of sobriety followed by near fatal relapses, and found myself barely surviving up until the day I checked myself into the facility. I am blessed to be alive and sober today. I felt disconnected from society during my time in detox, where I couldn’t use the Internet and could very seldom speak on the phone. I had, and to an extent, still do, felt a similar disconnect during active addiction.
Dallas Injury Lawyer Found in Car Died of Cocaine Overdose VIDEO
Friday, January 20, 2017 – An autopsy on a prominent personal injury lawyer found unresponsive in his car showed that he died of an accidental cocaine overdose … Loncar’s death came two days after the funeral for his 16-year-old daughter, who killed herself on Nov. 26. According to Grace Loncar’s obituary, she had battled depression … Brian Loncar was found Dec. 4 in the front seat of his vehicle, which was parked in front of his downtown Dallas law office.
Christie signs executive order declaring opioid addiction a public health crisis
Jan. 17, 2017, NEWARK – In front of a small group of recovering addicts, Gov. Chris Christie signed an executive order on Tuesday declaring the opioid addiction problem in New Jersey a public health crisis. The event, which was held at Integrity House – an substance abuse recovery home on South Street in Newark … During Tuesday’s event, Christie outlined both broad and specific points of his plan to take on opioid addiction that he spoke about in his State of the State speech and heard eight personal stories of recovery by participants in Integrity House’s programs.
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