Five Ways David Bowie Songs Kept Me Alive During Addiction by Dorri Olds
By 1973, I was 11 and I tried pot. I fell in love with changing my mood. That year I was gravitating toward the wild kids. We smoked cigarettes, passed joints, and drank. But when I was alone again in my room I was transported to a better place by Bowie’s lyrics. I memorized the words to “Sorrow” and felt less isolated.
I’ve Been to AA Meetings with David Bowie and Marlon Brando
Lord Mayor of Dublin, Christy Burke, has revealed he shared Alcoholics Anonymous meetings with the likes of Hollywood legend Marlon Brando and rock superstar David Bowie in the past.””People do recognise me [at meetings] but it’s where you get comfort so they don’t say anything. I have sat with David Bowie and Marlon Brando,” he added, noting that the stars had previously broken their own anonymity.”
At Least 2,250 of Canada’s Veterans Homeless Due to Alcoholism, Drugs and Mental Health
The average age of homeless veterans is 52, compared with 37 in the general population and many ex-soldiers cite alcoholism, drug addiction and mental health issues as reasons for their circumstances. The country’s top military commander, Gen. Jonathan Vance, says it’s shocking there would be homelessness among former military and says there will be a determined effort to identify those who need help before they fall through the cracks.
CONTINUED @ NationalPost.com
Seven Minute Lesson NPR ADUIO
Anatomy Of Addiction: How Heroin And Opioids Hijack The Brain NPR AUDIO
Jack O’Connor says he ended his freshman year of college as an alcoholic. He went home that summer desperate to replace alcohol with something else. And it was not hard to do. In 2012, 259 million opioid pain medication prescriptions were written – that’s enough painkillers for every American to have a bottle of the pills. O’Connor got his hands on some 30-milligram Percocet.
Notice To Announce Commission of a Surgeon General’s Report on Substance Use, Addiction, and Health
On December 31, 2015, the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the Office of the Surgeon General announced the commissioning of a first-ever Surgeon General’s Report presenting the state of the science on substance use, addiction, and health. The report will examine the health effects of drug and alcohol misuse from the perspectives of prevention, treatment, recovery, neurobiology, and delivery of care.
Danniella Westbrook Opens Up About Horrors of Drug Addiction on Celebrity Big Brother VIDEO
Although she is clean now, the actress has infamously battled with addictions for years and has relapsed on a few occasions … Despite her past struggles, Danniella admitted that there was something that is far more addictive than cocaine – fame. “It’s by far the most addictive thing out there,” she explained. “I see that in a lot of people. Especially the ones who are reality based stars. They are desperate for that fame.”
James ‘Jim’ Strayhand remembered for love, support for family, and AA
James “Jim” Strayhand Jr. served many, but if you are not someone he helped, you may not know his name. Mr. Strayhand, 78…died Dec. 31 of a heart attack. The Goodyear retiree spent his final moments at a meeting with fellow members of Alcoholics Anonymous, a group he needed and one that often needed him.Stepdaughter Karen Smith said Mr. Strayhand sponsored “a number of people” in A.A., gave numerous talks and influenced the beginning of the Interval Brotherhood Home Addiction Recovery Center. Yet even when he traveled overseas…
CONTINUED @ Ohio.com
One Drink At A Time
Cut Alcohol to Less Than One Drink a Day, Britons Are Warned
Men and women should drink no more than six pints of beer or standard glasses of wine a week, according to new U.K. government guidelines that warn that any level of alcohol consumption raises the risk of cancer … “The risk of getting cancer increases the more alcohol a person drinks,” said Professor Mark Petticrew at the London School of Hygiene… “We found that between 4 and 6 percent of all new cancers in the U.K. in 2013 were caused by alcohol consumption.”
REVIEW: I love this inspiring and life-affirming journey. What we have here is a heart-centered story of resilience and redemption, and in this fearless and well-crafted sharing the world becomes more personal. Beyond this there are generous lessons borne of solid experience for fellow helpers and healers as well as for the families and clients we serve. We are challenged throughout this memoir to first find healing and wellness for ourselves.
The 12 steps leading to the front door of the Cloquet Alano Club may feel like 12 miles to a person struggling with drug or alcohol addiction. For someone else, they may mark a short and happy climb. Still, the number of steps to get inside the building at 103 10th St., Cloquet, are the same for everyone who enters, just like everyone inside is expected to follow the same 12 Steps to Recovery created by the founders of Alcoholics Anonymous.
CONTINUED @ PineJournal.com
VIEWPOINT January 10, 2016
Why I Will Never Call Myself an Alcoholic
Addressing the mounting harms caused by our nation’s favorite vice begins in how we speak about alcohol addiction. Awareness and acceptance are vital motivators of change yet arbitrary and un-diagnosable term “alcoholic” encourages denial, creating dread for those who wonder if they are drinking one too many. We must empower someone to question his or her relationship with alcoho l… Annie Grace is the author of: This Naked Mind; Control Alcohol, Find Freedom, Discover Happiness & Change Your Life. She recently left the heavy-drinking corporate world behind to write her book…
CONTINUED @ StewardshipReport.com
Newsweek – Opinion by Susan Cheever
What Donald Trump Learned From His Alcoholic Brother Fred by Susan Cheever
“Years of living with an alcoholic is almost sure to make any wife or child neurotic,” explains the book Alcoholics Anonymous. “The entire family is to some extent, ill.” Donald Trump plays at least four of these roles. He is a proud patriarch who looks after his children and grandchildren; he gives them jobs, he urges them not to drink. His success, especially in the last few months, has obsessed the news cycle-his brother’s death is forgotten. Trump has “opened up” to reporters about Fred’s death from alcoholism, but the actual cause of death is not on the record…Fred Trump’s cause of death is never mentioned by his brother.
Results of This Marijuana Study May Leave You a Bit Grumpy
However, not every new study has worked in favor of marijuana supporters. Initially published online in January 2015, a study from researchers at the Yale University of Medicine and Pennsylvania State University showed that trial participants who smoked marijuana tended to be more hostile and impulsive the day they used marijuana, as well as the day after.
Sponsors include: Breathe LA, Hotel California, His House/New Creation…
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CONTINUED @ Testimonials
Sadness In the Realm – David Bowie Passes
Ziggy Stardust to ‘The Man who Fell to Earth’: Bowie’s greatest music, films VIDEOS
Legendary British art-rock icon David Bowie – who has died aged 69 – was all these and so much more. In a prolific career spanning more than four decades, Bowie amassed a huge catalog of music, his unrelenting evolution keeping him relevant to new generations of fans.CONTINUED @ CNN.com
Sex Sells, Really?
Advertising May be Fueling the Popularity of e-cigarettes Among Teens
Money spent on e-cigarette ads rose from $6.4 million in 2011 to $115 million in 2014, researchers estimate. Over that period, the proportion of middle school students who said they used e-cigarettes in the previous 30 days increased from 0.6% to 3.9%. For high school students, recent e-cigarette use jumped from 1.5% to 13.4%…”The same advertising tactics the tobacco industry used years ago to get kids addicted to nicotine are now being used to entice a new generation of young people to use e-cigarettes,” Frieden said in a statement.
The Surprising Internet Forum Some Alcoholics are Choosing over AA
StopDrinking is a fascinating case study, both as a thriving online community and as a possible new vector for addiction treatment. It’s run entirely by volunteers, most of whom are themselves former alcoholics. It includes an astounding 31,339 subscribing members, as of this writing, plus untold thousands who view the forum but don’t subscribe or comment.
“I called a friend from rehab and he said, ‘You know, I want to tell you something, the last time I talked to your mom before she died, she said, You know I’m worried about Johnnie’. It broke my heart. She worried because she thought I was drinking too much and I was on some anti-depressants and that damn (prescription sleep aid) Ambien. “I’m so happy to be off that. I don’t take anything, my memory was starting to get really messed up and that was the hardest thing to kick.”
CONTINUED @ KGMI.com
Making Progress NPR AUDIO
Medicaid May Soon Pay For Some Inpatient Addiction Treatment AUDIO
Chris Benedetto, a 30-year-old who started using heroin when he was 13 years old, in Scranton, Pa., says he needed much more than 15 or even 30 days in rehab to kick his drug habit. “I was really young,” Benedetto says. “I actually was arrested in school.” He bounced from school to probation to jail to rehabilitation. Benedetto says he knew how to play the treatment game, fooling his family and others that he was doing well, even when he was still using drugs, or about to slip.
“Even though different researchers across the world may define the problem somewhat differently, or ask different questions in different countries with differently aged kids, we find almost the same results across the world” Gentile says. “The estimates perhaps vary somewhat, but they all seem to come out somewhere between about 4 and 10 percent: that’s the amount of gamers I would classify as addicted.”
Can a Treatment Center Pay for Referrals in California?
A question frequently asked these days relates to the practice of paying for referrals. This issue is one of the most misunderstood laws in California. This business practice has the potential for significant adverse consequences. As we see treatment business practices under scrutiny, knowledge is key.
‘Full House’ star Jodie Sweetin has ‘gratitude’ for sobriety after meth struggle
“My life is amazing,” the actress, 33, told People magazine, which published Sweetin’s comments online Thursday. “I will have five years [of sobriety] in March. It’s given me a lot of gratitude.” As part of the magazine’s Jan. 18 “Secrets of the ‘Full House’ Stars” cover story, Sweetin – who started playing the spunky Stephanie Tanner when she was 5 years old – discussed her struggles with crystal meth.
Recovering Alcoholic from Berkeley to Tackle the London Marathon for Addiction Charity
Rachael Goatman, 44, turned her life around in the middle of 2015 when she decided to ditch drink and took up running. Following a series of failed attempts to nip her addiction in the bud, the decision to run was the catalyst for a staggering transformation, with Rachael losing two-stone and returning to good health in a matter of months – all while remaining on the wagon.
Manhattan’s First Medical Marijuana Dispensary Opens and is Already Working with Mt. Sinai Hospital by FORBES Contributor, Julie Weed, (I kid you not)
Nicholas Vita and Michael Abbott aren’t just opening New York City’s first medical marijuana dispensary, they are trying to steer the industry to a more data-focused way of matching patients with the strains of medical marijuana to help their specific conditions. .
How About Having An Alcoholic Robot As Your Drinking Partner? VIDEO
This is Robot Drinky, probably world’s first and only robot that can drink. It is not exactly very sophisticated, but is certainly cool enough to be your drinking pal. At least when you’re bored of getting high with your human friends & loved ones.Just imagine the scenario of getting high with a alcoholic robot sitting besides you. Now that’s freaking cool. Isn’t it?
Mother’s Heartfelt Words About Addiction Lead to Outpouring of Support
Brian Dijon Knox, 40, died Dec. 30 in his apartment in Metairie. His obituary, which ran in editions of The Advocate, has been shared across social media and generated numerous guest book messages, many from people who didn’t know the deceased but were inspired or strengthened by his mother’s words about loved ones who suffer from addiction.
CONTINUED @ TheAdvocate.com
There Goes The Neighborhood VIDEO
Police Arrest 10 in Drug Bust Near Treatment Facility VIDEO
Police in Salem bust a suspected meth house Friday morning, right next door to a drug rehab center. The search warrant led to 10 arrests. Officers have deemed the location uninhabitable due to unhealthy conditions. The residence … is located next door to the Serenity Lane addiction treatment facility.
ST. THOMAS – For the second straight year, St. Thomas police did not find a single impaired driver during holiday roadside sobriety checks, despite pulling over more than 1,000 vehicles. “The message seems to be getting through here,” said St. Thomnas police Staff Sgt. Randy Mundt. “I think that is good news.” Officers issued two tickets during the sobriety checks, one for a Liquor Control Act violation and the other under the Highway Traffic Act.
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