April 24, 2017 – Let me take you into a cancer ward, then try telling me you also have a disease … The reason this bothers me so much isn’t because I watch these addicts throw away their life, while someone is sitting in a hospital bed clinging onto their last breath, wishing that just for a moment they were healthy, that they didn’t have to face the chances that they would be dead within months. It bothers me because of the label we have given to addicts, making them believe they have an actual disease that they didn’t ask for, because let’s be real, what person asks for Cancer, Cystic Fibrosis, Ulcerative Colitis, or Multiple Sclerosis?
(Dr.?) Christie: ‘We’re Acting as If’ Drug Addiction is Not a Disease
“I have no problem with jailing dealers, but here’s the problem, we’re jailing addicts,” the governor added. “We’re jailing more addicts than we’re jailing dealers and we’ve been doing it for 30 years and it started out with the best of intentions. But you know what? It hasn’t worked.” Christie is in favor of incarcerating doctors who overprescribe addictive painkillers merely to make money … “We are acting as if this is not a disease. It is. Like lung cancer, like diabetes, like heart disease, this is a disease,” Christie said. “And it is a disease that’s not curable, but it’s treatable.”
Netflix warning for “13 Reasons Why” amid mental health concerns
May 1, 2017 – The YA adaptation has come under fire from mental health groups – and celebrities including Stranger Things star Shannon Purser and Paris Jackson – for its graphic depiction of high school student Hannah Baker’s (Katherine Langford) tragic suicide. 13 Reasons Why already featured on-screen warnings in front of episodes specifically depicting rape and suicide, but now Netflix will run a blanket warning at the beginning of the series. A Netflix statement to The Hollywood Reporter read: “There has been a tremendous amount of discussion about our series 13 Reasons Why. While many of our members find the show to be a valuable driver for starting important conversation with their families, we have also heard concern from those who feel the series should carry additional advisories.
Exploring pop culture’s unlikely new obsession with sobriety
“Hangovers suck.” “Heroin Killed the Radio Star.” “Highly Meditated.” “The only coke I do is diet.” And the simple, but effective: “Don’t die.” These are some logos on T-shirts by the brand Sober is Sexy. Hyped by Russell Brand, Demi Lovato, and Rumer Willis, Sober is Sexy started in 2010 and currently has close to 30K followers on Instagram and almost 230,000 likes on Facebook. Bradley Cooper, Eva Mendes, Sia, Robert Downey, Jr., Donatella Versace, Tom Ford, and many other celebrities have also publicly discussed getting clean in recent years. (Ford’s new relaxation technique for 2016? He takes five baths a day.
Altarum Institute Appoints Tom Coderre, Leader in the Recovery Field, to Senior Advisor
APRIL 26, 2017 – “Altarum is committed to helping people find and sustain their recovery for the long term,” said Coderre. “I am joining this team at a time when we are losing 144 people every day to drug overdoses, which is now the leading cause of accidental death in the U.S. I think a lot of people feel that more treatment is the answer, but I believe we cannot treat our way out of this-we have to both go upstream as well as make sure people have recovery supports post-treatment to address this problem effectively. What impresses me about Altarum is they are doing just that.
READ MORE @ Altarum.org
New Essay by Dr. Tian Dayton
Tied Up In Knots: The Anxiety of Living with Unresolved Grief
April 15, 2017 – Grief that is out in the open, that is part of the natural cycle of life or one of life’s tragic circumstances has a dignity to it. The person experiencing a loss feels that they have a right to grieve and to accept caring and attention from those they love. However the kinds of losses that accompany issues such as addiction do not necessarily command the respect of others nor does the person experiencing the loss necessarily feel a right to the support they long for.
Justice Department: is drug addiction a public health crisis or a crime?
April 26, 2017 – Last month, at a youth summit, the attorney general talked up enforcement and appeared to disparage treatment, remarking that it “often comes too late” and that he had “seen families spend all their savings and retirement money on treatment programs for their children, just to see these programs sometimes fail.” Complete remission among victims of heroin addiction will never be 100 percent, but that has not stopped Rosenstein from appreciating the importance of treatment, particularly in the context of reentry programs … A year ago, Rosenstein visited a federal prison to talk with inmates about their future. He recognized that they “face strong temptations to return to a life of crime” and emphasized the programs available to help them, saying, “Our mission is preventing crime, not just sending people to prison.”
Brain’s Reward System Says Alcoholism Tends to Be “More Rewarding” in Women
April 28, 2017 – Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have conducted a collaborative study that has shown the difference of alcoholism to men and women. It particularly targeted the effects in the brain’s reward system. The study focused on determining whether the alcoholism-related reward system that was previously observed with men is similar with women. As it appears, it’s not. – Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have conducted a collaborative study that has shown the difference of alcoholism to men and women. It particularly targeted the effects in the brain’s reward system.
Addiction Treatment Center Re-routed 800 Numbers, Google Maps Hijacking Stealing Your ClientsAUDIO
April 20, 2017 – Recovery Radio FM Video Below with host Indian Bob and his Guest Charles Davis CEO Behavioral Health Network Resources discussing valuable information on Addiction Treatment Center Re-routed 800 Numbers being highjacked stealing your call center lead generation clients. 100,000’s of calls of many treatment centers are being re-routed. This show reveals a couple of ways to protect your organization including a double log in process and checking your google maps daily.
Arkansas family highlights ‘demon and disease’ of addiction in son’s obituary VIDEO
April 26, 2017 – After a Little Rock family lost their son to a long and difficult battle with addiction, they decided to be upfront and honest about the struggles they faced. In their son’s obituary, they said they hoped to expose the demon and disease of addiction in a hopeful attempt to save other lives. They weren’t prepared for the overwhelming response from all over the state. On the outside, Suzanne and Rory Tipton’s son, Nicholas Kellar, seemed to have it all. He was a stellar student, had college scholarships, and a great personality. His mom said he was smart, funny, hardworking, and very caring.
WATCH MORE @ THV11.com
Suicide Watch? VIDEO
Here’s Why Mental Health Experts Are Calling ’13 Reasons Why’ A Dangerous Show VIDEO
The show has been met with critical acclaim for its diverse casting and in-depth exploration of issues regarding depression and suicidal behavior, but not everyone has been so happy about the show, or its portrayal of suicide. In fact, there are many people who seem to think that its graphic depiction of the issues could be triggering to those who struggle with depression, or that 13 Reasons Why actually glamorizes suicide, to an extent.
WATCH MORE @ ViralThread.com
Death Takes No Holiday
Drugged driving more fatal than drunk driving
April 27, 2017 – For the first time, data shows that drivers killed in car crashes in the United States were more likely to be on drugs than drunk, according a new report. On Wednesday, the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) and the Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility (Responsibility.org) released a study that found 43 percent of drivers tested in fatal crashes had drugs of any kind – prescription or illegal – in their system, compared to 37 percent who showed alcohol levels above the legal limit.
Finding Sobriety in the Rural Rituals of Her Remote Orkney Home
THE OUTRUN By Amy Liptrot 280 pp. W. W. Norton & Company. $25.95. Amy Liptrot begins her memoir with a glossary: In the Orkney Islands of far northern Scotland, seals are called selkies; cattle are kye; and the fog rolling in from the sea goes by the evocative haar. The place Liptrot uneasily calls home is an enchanted, windswept, salt-scoured archipelago where the northern lights are known as Merry Dancers and “lambing” is both a season and a verb … As friends and confederates grow up and drink less, Liptrot sinks deeper into alcoholic isolation. She loses the typical things: friends, boyfriends, apartments, jobs. Soon all decisions (or lack thereof) flow from one primary purpose: getting drunk.
Addiction/Recovery eBulletin’s New EXECUTIVE CORNER
Dr. Joe DeSanto is a double Board Certified MD with over 12 years of addiction treatment experience. He is an addict in successful recovery who understands the day-to-day struggle to find sobriety and break free from painful cycle of being dependent on a substance. Graduate of Lafayette College and attended the State University of New York at Downstate in Brooklyn for his medical school training. He moved to California to complete his internship and residency training at Cedars Sinai Medical Center… Q : Where did you go on your honeymoon? A: Which one… Q: How do you measure success? A: By the respect and love of your friends and family. Q: Who was your biggest influence throughout your life? A: My father. He taught me tenacity and work ethic. It saved my life. Q: What is your current hobby? A: I bought a drone with a 4K camera. Now I’m terrorizing the neighborhood with it. I also tango dance. Q: What prominent fe/male figure would you most like to date? A: Elle Macpherson 1985 / Brigitte Bardot 1965 Q: Favorite Radio show, news show? A: The Recovery Show with Dr. Joe and Angelina, of Course! and Rachel Maddow ALL 20 QUESTIONS and ANSWERS click HERE
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.
Alcoholism and Masculinity are the Real Monsters in “Colossal”
April 26, 2017 – “Colossal” is the story of Gloria, played by Anne Hathaway, who is a functioning alcoholic and unemployed writer who returns to her hometown after a fight with her ex-boyfriend Tim (Dan Stevens). She coincidentally meets up with her childhood friend Oscar (Jason Sudeikis) and works part-time at his bar. However, at the same time as her return, a large kaiju, the Japanese approximation for “giant monster,” appears and begins destroying Seoul, South Korea.
Amazon comedy Catastrophe: one of TV’s most realistic depictions of alcoholism
May 1, 2017 – His first messy relapse happened at the end of season two when he thought Sharon was cheating on him (it’s complicated), but his drinking in season three isn’t about Rob having splashy drunken breakdowns. Instead, Rob just keeps sliding into random benders, having five too many happy hour beers and veering into dark bars on the way home like he can’t help himself – which, of course, he can’t. Alcoholic characters aren’t exactly new on TV or otherwise. The way Catastrophe deals with Rob, is smarter – not to mention more realistic – than most.
36 hours, 1 county, 4 overdoses, 2 deaths: Is fentanyl in your neighborhood? VIDEO
Apr 25, 2017 – The department said that these incidents may well be indicative of a bad batch of deadly drugs, such as heroin or fentanyl, making their way into Forsyth County over the weekend. Channel 2’s Tom Regan learned from investigators that a teenage girl is one of those who overdosed and died. She was last seen alive around 2:00 a.m. Monday.
April 24, 2017 – The “inmate was unresponsive, blue in the face and lips and did not have a pulse nor was he breathing,” according to a report on an overdose late in the evening of Feb. 18 at Pickaway Correctional Institution. The next night, an inmate was found “laying on the floor of bathroom with eyes closed, covered in vomit,” another report said. The documents, obtained by The Associated Press through an open records request, don’t name the drugs the inmates used, but say guards administered the anti-overdose drug naloxone to revive them. Naloxone is typically used to revive people overdosing on opioids like prescription painkillers and heroin. Ohio state prison officials say that multiple overdoses in such a short period at the same prison is unusual, but say the state’s opiate epidemic is also inside the prison walls, which is why they keep the anti-overdose drug stocked.
Energy Drinks May Give the Heart an Unhealthy Jolt
April 26, 2017 – “Consumers should be aware that drinking an energy drink is not the same as drinking coffee or soda. There are differences,” said lead researcher Emily Fletcher. She’s a deputy pharmacy flight commander from David Grant U.S.A.F. Medical Center at Travis Air Force Base in California … Electrocardiograms revealed that energy drinks caused a 10-millisecond increase in the heart’s corrected QT interval – the time it takes the lower chambers of the heart to repolarize and prepare to generate another heart beat. “If this time interval, which is measured in milliseconds, is either too short or too long, it can cause the heart to beat abnormally,” Fletcher said. This abnormal heart rhythm can be life-threatening, increasing the risk of heart attack or stroke.
READ MORE @ Philly.com
There are bars for Alcoholics…VIDEO
Proposed Safe Injection Facilities Renew Debate Over Treatment of Drug Addiction VIDEO
April 25, 2017 – Imagine having facilities where drug users go to get high, with nurses supervising to assure it’s all done as safely as it can be. That’s a controversial concept being tried in some places around the country that could be heading to our area. Places where drug users can get high with a medical professional are known as supervised, or safe, injection facilities. They aim to provide a clean and sterile environment for illegal drug users, and they’re supported by more than 100 health care professionals in New York City.
Disney’s ‘Miracle’ Actor Michael Mantenuto Found Dead at 35
APRIL 27, 2017 – Michael Mantenuto, an actor and hockey player who starred in Disney’s 2004 film “Miracle,” has died. He was 35. Mantenuto died on Monday of an apparent suicide, according to TMZ, and was found in his car by police in Des Moines, Wash. TMZ reports that the actor died by shooting himself. “Miracle” tells the story of the U.S. men’s hockey team that won the gold medal at the 1980 Winter Olympics. The American’s victory over the heavily favored Soviet team was dubbed the “Miracle on Ice.” The U.S. would go on to beat Finland to win gold. Mantenuto played Jack O’Callahan, a member of the team who’s injured.
April 25, 2017 – “Addictions are a tricky field,” said Torous. “I don’t think we have a digital panacea – yet. I can’t tell [when it’s going to be, but] I think we will see some important breakthroughs in addiction and mental health that come from using technology.” … The word “addict” has a lot of stigma attached to it. “We were sold years ago on the idea that addicts were people that lived under a bridge,” said Jamison Monroe Jr., founder of teen addiction recovery center Newport Academy. But in the last few years, opioid abuse has hit epidemic proportions, and white people have had the largest increase in heroin addiction. Monroe, who is a recovering addict, said it’s helping to change the stereotypes around what an addict looks like. “We are coming to understand that addiction does not discriminate based on demographics or on income brackets or by zip code.”
04/27/17 – You believe wholeheartedly in what you refer to as Rule #62 of 12-step meetings: “Don’t take yourself too damn seriously.” How does this rule apply both in your personal life and in early recovery as well? Recovery is about opposites. We are first thought wrong people. We have this incredible ability to always say the wrong thing. The opposite of opening your mouth is shutting the fuck up. The opposite to thinking about yourself all the time is dedicating yourself to helping others and being of service. If you think it’s okay to hang out at the bar, you probably shouldn’t be anywhere close to a bar. It’s all about opposites.
Extending last call a backward move for California
APRIL 27, 2017 – April is Alcohol Awareness month, and is therefore a good time to reflect on the enormous toll that alcohol already exacts on our nation, and on California. In my work with the legal profession and the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, I am regularly reminded that alcohol remains our most pervasive and deadliest drug. It is involved in more homicides than all other drugs combined, and is especially common in sexual assault and intimate-partner violence. It kills 88,000 people a year in the United States – making it the fourth-leading cause of preventable death – and is behind one-third of auto fatalities. It costs our country a quarter of a trillion dollars per year in medical and public safety expenses, and lost productivity.
May 1, 2017 – “The family support navigator and peer advocate services provide critical guidance to people entering treatment, as well as to their families,” said OASAS Commissioner Arlene González-Sánchez. “The services also help reduce barriers to the treatment process, so people can achieve long-term recovery without relapse.” Visit www.combatheroin.ny.gov for more information on addressing heroin and prescription opioid abuse, including a Kitchen Table Tool Kit to help start the conversation about the warning signs of addiction and where to get help.
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“It’s a unique service to addicts and their families. And an informational periodical for the rehab industry. If I don’t ingest the Addiction/Recovery eBulletin, then I immediately need a fix.”
Paul Krassner
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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