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Link between alcohol and cancer is medically proven
Research has shown that all types of alcoholic drinks, including wine, beer and spirits, can increase the risk of cancer. The risk is linked to the actual alcohol (ethanol) in the drink, and increases with the volume drunk. Ethanol is the most important carcinogen in all-alcoholic beverages … Clear and consistent statements from medical and public health organisations and providers are needed emphasising that: (1) Alcohol is a known human carcinogen; (2) Cancer risk increases considerably at high consumption levels but there is no safe level at which there is no cancer risk; and (3) Alcohol use should be lowered or avoided to reduce cancer risk.”
How One Agency Is Improving Conditions in Connecticut’s Sober Houses AUDIO
Ken Aligata of the Connecticut Community for Addiction Recovery ran through an inspection of a sober living home in the quiet, picturesque neighborhood of Clinton, Connecticut. Seven people with addiction who are in recovery currently live there, and Aligata wants to make sure it’s a safe environment. “Everything’s squeaky clean. There’s no drippy faucets. There’s no mold,” Aligata said, going through his checklist as he looked through one of the house’s bathrooms.
“We live in an imbalanced society when it comes to encouraging male sexuality and discouraging female sexuality,” Demi said … For a long time, society has been pretty scared of female sexuality. It’s not seen as proper for a woman to display or openly discuss sex and sexuality, and that’s because it’s an element of power that people aren’t comfortable with. Taking that power back is important, and Demi’s doing that with her songs. Demi has also been very open about her sobriety, mental health, and struggle to keep both in balance. When her life gets hectic, Demi said it’s a harsh reminder of her early career when she used substances to cope with a busy schedule.
3 Young Children Found Alive Inside PA. Home with 2 Dead Parents
Two adults have been found dead of suspected drug overdoses after their 7-year-old daughter told school officials in Pennsylvania she couldn’t wake them up. The Allegheny County medical examiner says the bodies of 26-year-old Christopher Dilly and 25-year-old Jessica Lally were found Monday evening in their McKeesport apartment. Authorities say a 9-month-old girl, 3-year-old boy and 5-year-old boy who were inside the home were taken to a hospital to be evaluated.
READ MORE @ 6ABC.com
Juicy VIDEO
Wendy, Snapple Lady, Shares Path from Cocaine Addiction to Overnight Fame VIDEO
Wendy Kaufman grew to fame in the ’90s, answering customer letters in a series of heartwarming and hilarious Snapple commercials. But before “Wendy the Snapple Lady” became a household name, she struggled with a crippling decade-long drug addition. In a preview for Saturday’s episode of Oprah: Where Are They Now?, the 58-year-old explains how the she always felt “less than” in her life – feelings amplified by what she calls “a weight problem.”
Could drug checking have prevented Prince’s overdose death?
As the investigation into Prince’s death homes in on the source of the fatal fentanyl, some observers are suggesting that the United States explore a lifesaving strategy used in Europe: services that check addicts’ drug supplies to see if they are safe. In Spain, the Netherlands and a handful of other countries, users voluntarily turn in drug samples for chemical analysis and are alerted if dangerous additives are found. The pragmatic approach saves lives, proponents say.
READ MORE @ FoxNews.com
No More Motherless Children VIDEO
Mother finds redemption after drug addiction VIDEO
A Tennessee mother who has struggled with addiction wants to make it easier to find help. Only 11 percent of people who need treatment for drug addiction in Tennessee actually receive it, according to the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse. And there’s a growing epidemic of babies born drug dependent in East Tennessee. Brittany Hudson’s teens and early 20’s were consumed with alcohol and oxycodone. In 2014, Hudson was pregnant and addicted. She became one of the first women in Tennessee charged under a new state law with assaulting her unborn child.
READ MORE @ WBIR.com
Inspired
Fake Instagram Account Teaches A Surprising Lesson About Addiction
Two months ago, Louise Delage made her Instagram debut. She describes herself in her bio as a 25-year-old Parisian, and her photos are the definition of Insta-envy. She’s pictured having rooftop drinks on a sunny Paris day, vacationing at crystal blue beaches, snuggling up with a cat at an outdoor picnic. Her clothes are always simply chic, and her hair effortlessly styled. Her extravagant, party life translated to Instagram gold. Within two months on the platform, she gained more than 47,000 followers, all eager to tag along on her aesthetically perfect adventures.
Mel Gibson plays recovering alcoholic on run with daughter in Blood Father VIDEO
Mel Gibson is the star, not that he looks much like one. With an unkempt grey beard, his face as lined as a map of Greyhound bus routes, Gibson plays John Link, a former convict and recovering alcoholic, holed up in a remote trailer park, scratching a living as a tattoo artist. It could be that Link has grappled with even more demons than Gibson, which is saying plenty. But for the improbably perfect set of Hollywood teeth, he looks like a man who has gone ten rounds with life, and lost on a knockout.
FDA app would direct overdose victims to nearest Narcan
Overdosing on heroin or another opiate? Soon, there could be an app for that. The federal government is hosting a competition – a call for innovators who can develop a mobile phone application that will help a person having or witnessing an opioid or heroin overdose get the quickest access to the drug naloxone, known by the brand name Narcan, which can reverse the overdose…” The goal of this competition is to develop a low-cost, scalable, crowd-source mobile application that addresses the issue of accessibility,” said Dr. Peter Lurie, FDA associate commissioner for public health strategy and analysis, in a statement.
Renowned fighter turned promoter Oscar De La Hoya backs Tyson Fury to overcome recent substance issues
Oscar De La Hoya pretty much did it all as a boxer. He won an Olympic gold medal for his country in the amateurs and became a six-weight division world champion as a professional … But that didn’t come without problems in his own life which have been well documented at this point, issues he has been very open about in recent years. He struggled with alcohol and other substance issues himself for many years and something that not a whole people might know is during the training camp for his final fight in the ring against Manny Pacquiao – he was actually drinking alcohol regularly all throughout the training camp. This is something Oscar admitted to journalist Mario Lopez in recent times and also spoke on how he then checked himself into rehab to overcome his demons and get his life back on track.
READ MORE @ BoxingNewsandViews.com
BBC Book Review AUDIO
Hitler’s (not Trump’s) Drug Addiction – 6 min. AUDIO
A new book, “Blitzed”, by German author Norman Ohler details Adolf Hitler’s drug abuse during most of the Second World War. Relying on the personal diaries of Hitler’s physician Theodor Morell, Norman Ohler discovered how the German dictator regularly took a cocktail of drugs including cocaine, heroin and morphine. But it wasn’t only Hitler himself who was relying on drugs – Nazi soldiers were systematically given a drug called Pervitin which was meant to ward off exhaustion and increase aggression.
These states are struggling with a drug addiction-fueled crisis in foster care
National data doesn’t identify how many children are removed from their homes because of a parent’s substance abuse. And there’s no one standard for how states report substance abuse and child neglect. But many state officials say the surge in foster care cases is a direct result of the drug epidemic … in the past, the largest group of children taken from their parents had been teens. Today, the state has more young children (under age 6) in foster care than at any other time in its history, said Karen Shea, interim deputy director of the Vermont Department for Children and Families. And drugs are behind the shift, Shea said. Of the children under age 6 placed in foster care last year, more than half came from homes where abuse of opiates was involved.
‘I don’t take coke but I do think about ecstasy’: Former addict Robbie Williams admits he’s STILL tempted by substances
He went into rehab in 2007 after taking speed, acid, heroin, cocaine and ‘heart-stopping’ amounts of prescription drugs. But while those wild days are all behind him, Robbie Williams has admitted he still fights urges to take certain substances. The former Take That star, 42, who is about to release his eleventh solo album, said he no longer wants to drink alcohol or take cocaine but is still tempted by ecstasy.
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Her doctorate in clinical psychology is from Pacifica Graduate Institute.
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.
President Barack Obama will share his experience with substance use in an opioid crisis documentary with Macklemore that will premiere worldwide at the White House this afternoon and on MTV next week, the New York-based cable company announced Tuesday. The president and the Grammy Award-winning artist will both be featured in the premiere of “Prescription For Change: Ending America’s Opioid Crisis,” an hour-long documentary that addresses the ongoing opioid addiction epidemic in America … MTV will premiere the documentary next Tuesday, Oct. 11 at 9 p.m.
Outed as a recovering person against her will, Laurie Dhue has embraced her role as a champion of recovery
At the height of her career, Laurie Dhue was at the depth of her alcoholism. From the early 1990s through 2008, Dhue rode a successful career as the only person to hold anchor positions at all of the top three cable news networks: CNN, MSNBC and Fox News. To the world, she was the essence of professionalism-poised, intelligent, authoritative. Name the attributes on any news executive’s wish list: Dhue filled them all, at least when the cameras were on. But off camera?
READ MORE @ RenewEveryday.com
Smart Man
Kid Cudi Checks Into Rehab for Anxiety, Depression and ”Suicidal Urges”
The Cleveland native made the shocking announcement to fans on his Facebook page, writing, “It’s been difficult for me to find the words to what I’m about to share with you because I feel ashamed. Ashamed to be a leader and hero to so many while admitting I’ve been living a lie. It took me a while to get to this place of commitment, but it is something I have to do for myself, my family, my best friend/daughter and all of you, my fans. Yesterday I checked myself into rehab for depression and suicidal urges … If you or someone you know needs help, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
Gainesville City Council votes against sober home for men
Gainesville City Council on Tuesday denied a special use request for a sober living home for men after neighborhood residents raised concerns about safety … There are just five registered group homes for men in Gainesville, according to planning officials, and the need for sober living facilities has grown as drug courts become a more widely used alternative to incarceration … Proponents said the Synergy Recovery Center would give up to 36 men referred by the criminal justice system a “second chance.”
READ MORE @ GainesvilleTimes.com
Keep Your Higher Power?
Male Nurse forced into AA says his religious freedom was violated
A former Vancouver nurse is claiming his rights as an atheist were violated because his employer and union forced him into Alcoholics Anonymous following a psychotic episode. Byron Wood was involuntarily committed to hospital by a doctor in October 2013, taken there by ambulance after police were called to a walk-in clinic. Wood, 39, said he was suffering withdrawal symptoms from a combination of alcohol and prescription and street drugs.
Police arrest 10 in investigation of rehab facilities
After more than 10 Hispanic immigrants told police this week that they were being held against their will, 10 people were arrested as detectives tried to sort out what one Fort Worth police official called “unorthodox” rehab programs. Initially, Fort Worth police believed the immigrants might be victims of human trafficking. “After interviewing the victims, it was discovered that some of them had been taken to this facility by family members,” police Sgt. Marc Povero said in an email on Wednesday. “They were taken for alcohol and/or drug rehabilitation.” … “The victim advised police that he had run away from a treatment facility,” McLellan said. The man directed police to a facility…where officers found several people described as patients. At least two patients told officers they were being held against their will, and some said they’d been physically abused … Neither Irving nor Fort Worth police released the name of the program. There were no signs on a building…
READ MORE @ Star-Telgram.com
More Meds, Less Prayer?
How to write about addiction without promoting stigma & bias
Addiction is also the only disorder for which 80% of mainstream treatment involves promoting confession, prayer, surrender to a “higher power” and restitution, via instruction on twelve-step programs-treatment that would be viewed as “alternative” for cancer, depression or any illness. Moreover, it’s the only disorder in which judges, jails and prisons are legally permitted to deny access to the only treatment (opioid agonists like methadone and buprenorphine) proven to reduce the death rate by 50% or more. All of this-in conjunction with the language we continue to use about it-suggests, at best, ambivalence about addiction as a health problem.
Tallying the Toll: Staten Island OD Wave in Flowers at Funerals
Florists and funeral homes on Staten Island have had an uncomfortably close view of the rising death toll. There are a limited number of these businesses on the island, and many of those who work in them said in interviews last week that they had helped lay overdose victims to rest. They described the broad range of emotions on display within this subsection of grief, from denial to blame – of others, of oneself – to disbelief… “It’s insane,” said Ms. Berger, of Eltingville Florist. “It’s every week. Some weeks I feel like we have five kids. Once one comes in, we’ll have another one in a few days. I don’t know if they had the same batch or what.”” Read More at NY TIMES
Only If You Inhale
Is pot is addictive? Battle smolders around ballot question
It’s rare that people get truly addicted,” said Kurt Isaacson, president and CEO of Spectrum Health Systems, Inc. “Although, they can get emotionally addicted, so they feel a need for it.” Spectrum is a substance abuse treatment company based in Worcester that offers both inpatient and outpatient recovery programs. Isaacson said he is firmly against legalizing recreational marijuana, in large part because of the impact it can have on youth who may be able to get easy access to the drug … However, according to the Rocky Mountain report, annual hospitalizations related to marijuana nearly doubled between 2011 and 2014 from 6,305 to 11,439. Even if somebody can’t die from smoking too much or consuming too strong an edible, it can leave a person fatigued and dehydrated.
The 4 Personality Types That Are Most in Danger of Addiction
Patricia Conrod, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Montreal, developed the program. It identifies high-risk adolescents through a questionnaire, then brings them together in two 90-minute group workshops aimed at motivating them to understand the connection between their personality and certain emotional and behavioral reactions. It also helps them develop coping skills.
Atlantic City walk remembers those lost to heroin addiction VIDEO
ATLANTIC CITY – The Stop the Heroin organization, based in Egg Harbor Township, held a memorial walk Saturday to raise money so people who have completed rehabilitation can afford to spend time in a sober-living facility afterward. Even though it rained for part of the morning, at least 200 people marched from Kennedy Plaza along the Boardwalk to talk about loved ones lost to addiction and to provide testimonials for people who were helped by sober-living facilities.
READ MORE @ PressofAtlanticCity.com
The Making of New Little Addicts
California’s foster care prescribers fuel the medication of vulnerable kids with antipsychotics
Now, a Digital First Media investigation into the prescribing habits of the state’s foster care doctors reveals for the first time how a fraction of doctors has been fueling the rampant medicating of California’s most vulnerable kids. A mere 10 percent of the state’s highest prescribers were responsible about 50 percent of the time when a foster child received an antipsychotic, the riskiest class of psychiatric drugs with some of the most harmful side effects. The startling numbers are revealed as part of a new analysis of Medi-Cal pharmacy data, which the news organization obtained through a public records request.
“The same way they would if they died from a disease like cancer,” said Faunda, whose sister died of an overdose. “Not just silently treat you like it’s not a big deal.” The conversation about death is perhaps most unsettling to her, because she is now dealing with a second addiction in her family. Observing the grief of the others, mostly mothers who have lost sons, terrifies her. They are quick to offer words of encouragement, though. “The only thing we can say is, we remember those fears,” offered Bussard. “But there is hope,” said Brozman. And to others who might be scared, Howells says this: “Just come to one meeting. “We understand. We understand more than anyone else.”
READ MORE @ Vindy.com
For the Health of a Nation
Opioid epidemic, Clinton offers more specifics than Trump
Hillary Clinton calls the scourge of heroin and opioid addiction a “quiet epidemic.” Donald Trump marvels that overdoses are a problem in picturesque American communities.
“How does heroin work with these beautiful lakes and trees?” he said recently in New Hampshire. “It doesn’t.”
Both presidential candidates agree drug addiction is a major problem in America, but only Clinton has offered a detailed plan to tackle it as part of her campaign. The Democratic nominee has outlined a $10 billion plan to give states more money for prevention, treatment and recovery programs. Trump, meanwhile, says the border wall he plans to build along the U.S. boundary with Mexico will stop the flow of illegal drugs…
READ MORE @ TheRepublic.com
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