Teens who vape are Six times as likely to go on to smoke cigarettes
By Elizabeth Simpson The Virginian-Pilot. That’s what a study released today by the journal Pediatrics suggests, finding that adolescents who “vape” are six times as likely to graduate to regular cigarettes when they become young adults. The study by University of Southern California researchers gathered information from about 300 juniors and seniors in California high schools and then followed up with them 16 months later when they had passed the legal age of smoking…
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SOBER LIVING
A Gathering of Newcomers
Arizona city stews over regulating sober living homes
Prescott residents are dealing with an influx of recovering drug addicts drawn to the mountain community for many of the same reasons as retirees – cool air, pine trees and a small town atmosphere. Neighbors complain about loud music, foul language and cigarette butts emanating from sober living homes. While residents say they believe addicts deserve help, many take a “not in my backyard” stance on the homes.
Shia LaBeouf visits Indiana as part of documentary hitchhiking project
NEW CASTLE, Ind.- Actor Shia LaBeouf’s latest project has him traveling across the country using his Twitter coordinates. The project is called “Take Me Anywhere.” He teamed up with Vice News, the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art and the Finnish Institute in London … the stop in New Castle wasn’t LaBeouf’s only visit in the Hoosier State. He was also in northern Indiana, where he dined with a family.
Whitney Houston’s Long Battle with Addiction: ‘She Did Drugs to Escape the Pain’ VIDEO
Though it’s been four years since the star tragically died at 48 from accidental drowning (she was found to have cocaine in her system), the swirl of stories and drama – including her mother’s book detailing her anger and anguish over Whitney’s drug addiction and the ongoing feud between the Brown and Houston families over Bobbi Kristina’s hospitalization and death – has never ended.
READ MORE @ People.com
PHARMACEUTICALS
Drugs for Sale
Physicians on opiate abuse: ‘Many in the medical community were duped’
Deaths relating to opiate prescription drug overdoses quadrupled from 1999 to 2014 … Dr. Andrew Kolodny, the director of Physicians for Responsible Opiate Prescribing, spoke of the “over-prescribing” of opiates in the 1990s, which he says is directly linked to the current epidemic. In his view, the medical community was “duped” by marketing campaigns of drug manufacturing companies into thinking the risks of opiates addiction were much less than they were in reality.
The Fix travels back over 100 years to bring you some of the “cokey comedies” and discretionary tales about drugs that your great-grandparents enjoyed. For as long as people have been making movies, they’ve been making movies about drugs. We might think of films like Blow and Scarface as pictures with a distinctly modern interest in drug use-but the idea of the drug film is more than 100 years old. Here’s a look at some of the first contributions to the genre:
Consumers are ‘at risk of illness or death’ because of slow FDA recalls
The Food and Drug Administration did not force a recall of tainted peanut butter that caused salmonella poisoning in 14 people until 165 days after confirming the contamination, the agency’s watchdog said in report released Thursday. And in a similar case, it took the government 81 days to recall a variety of cheese products made by a Virginia firm – after 8 people had fallen ill from a bacteria in the food and a baby died.
Study questions use of antidepressants for children
June 8, 2016 – Treating children and teens suffering from depression with antidepressants may be both ineffective and potentially dangerous, a new analysis suggests. Of the 14 antidepressants studied, only fluoxetine (Prozac) was more effective in treating depression than an inactive placebo in children and teens, the review found. And Effexor (venlafaxine) was linked to a higher risk of suicidal thoughts and attempts compared to a placebo and 5 other antidepressants, the researchers reported.
The helpers from Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) are working to support patients who are looking to break their drinking habit. Last year, 613 people were treated at the hospital with alcohol-related injuries. “Members of the AA are recovering alcoholics and have a story to tell of how the substance damaged their relationships and health.
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DRUG LAWS
Half of America
Say Hello to the 25th and Newest State to Legalize Medical Marijuana
…legislators in Ohio passed House Bill 523, which would legalize medical marijuana in oil, patches, edibles, tinctures, and plant material form but would not allow patients to buy the smokable leaf marijuana or grow it in their own homes for personal medical use. The bill also lays out recommendations for what 20 ailments (AIDS, cancer, epilepsy, and chronic pain, to name a few)…
I Was A Corporate Lawyer With A Serious Cocaine Addiction
At about 2:00 p.m. one Friday, I rushed into my office at a law firm high above Times Square to call in my cocaine order for the weekend. I needed to beat the rush. I locked my office door behind me and whipped out my phone. My heart pounded with fear that one of the partners I worked with would call or come by before I could get to my dealer and get out of the office. If I caught a cab on Broadway before the real traffic started, I could be downtown in 20 minutes. There is nothing worse for a drug addict than running dry without knowing more is on the way.
Novus Medical Detox Center Says Regulating Sober Homes Will Benefit Residents
“Novus is a strong proponent of sober home regulations, and we truly believe they are in the best interests of those struggling to overcome alcoholism and addiction,” said Bryn Wesch, CFO of Novus Medical Detox Center. “Detox and rehab facilities are regulated and accredited to ensure patients’ safety and a proper standard of care. But since sober homes are unregulated, there is no way to tell if individuals with substance abuse disorders are receiving the support they need for a successful recovery or if lax oversight may put them at risk for a relapse.”
Scans reveal brains’ adaptations to alcohol dependency
SAN DIEGO, June 13 (UPI) – Researchers found in brain scans of recovering alcoholics that a receptor linked to cravings and addictive relapse is blocked as the brain adapts to recovery, according to a recent study. Tracking and blocking activity of mGluR5 receptors in the brain may lead to treatments to help patients recovering from alcohol dependency stay sober, say researchers presenting the study at the annual meeting of the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging.
Louie Anderson’s bad Summerfest experience inspired him to write a book about his alcoholic fatherVIDEO
Louie Anderson has been flexing his comedic chops for more than 30 years, racking up old-school Tonight Show appearances, numerous stand-up specials, TV and movie gigs, an Emmy-winning animated series, and a stint as the host of Family Feud. Dear Dad: Letters From An Adult Child, is a harrowing reckoning with his deceased, alcoholic father, told in emotional and sometimes angry personal letters. Now, in the latest episode of Marc Maron’s WTF podcast, Anderson reveals what inspired him to write the book in the first place: a bad experience at Summerfest
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.
Gov. Jerry Brown on Wednesday signed a pack of bills that will raise the smoking age in California from 18 to 21, restrict the use of electronic cigarettes in public places and expand no-smoking areas at public schools … Tobacco 21 is a signal that California presents a united front against Big Tobacco,” Hernandez said, “Together, we stand to disrupt the chain of adolescent addiction.”
Eric Clapton reveals incurable damage to his nervous system VIDEO
Mr Clapton, 71, said that it is now ‘hard work’ to play the guitar and he has had to ‘come to terms’ with the fact that his condition will not improve. ‘Because I’m in recovery from alcoholism and addiction to substances, I consider it a great thing to be alive at all. By rights I should have kicked the bucket a long time ago. ‘For some reason I was plucked from the jaws of hell and given another chance,’ he said.
Carrie Fisher dishes out ‘Advice from the dark side’
She battled a drug addiction for years. And when she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder she underwent the controversial psychiatric treatment of Electric Shock Therapy … “Hilariously – after all the drug addiction and celebration marriage and mental illness and divorce and shock treatment and heartbreak and motherhood and childhood and neighborhood and hood in general – I’ve turned out to be (at close to 70) a kind of happy person (go figure!),” Fisher continued.
Blood Test May Help Identify Most Effective Depression Treatment
LONDON, June 10 (UPI) – “This study provides a clinically-suitable approach for personalizing antidepressant therapy — patients who have blood inflammation above a certain threshold could be directed toward earlier access to more assertive antidepressant strategies, including the addition of other antidepressants or anti-inflammatory drugs.”
From: International Journal of Emergency Mental Health and Human Resilience
Robert A. Moylan has worked for over 30 years as a teacher, coach and counselor. He is the author of two books-Emotional Core Therapy and Emotional Core Therapy for Adolescents. He delivers lectures on his Emotional Core Therapy techniques as well as bullying, substance abuse and career counseling. “Key to my discovery of ECT was the uncovering of the four true and authentic feelings. These four are joy grief, fear, and relief. Every relationship stress has one of these four feelings. So why not learn front these four feelings rather than suppress them or run from them.”
(CNN)Higher-than-recommended doses of the antidiarrheal medicine loperamide, sold under the brand name Imodium, can lead to serious heart problems and even death…This includes 10 reported deaths. However, the agency believes the actual number of cases is higher because not all incidents are reported to the FDA.
…Many of our favorite public figures have crossed the line into addiction, from Elton John to Philip Seymour Hoffman to Robin Williams to Prince …. Why do we even imagine that a medical diagnosis makes addicts feel better? Being diagnosed with a chronic brain disease is hardly something to celebrate. Pointing to a disease doesn’t necessarily diminish stigma, as exemplified by attitudes toward Aids patients. Even the designation of “mental illness” provokes stigmatization. Apparently, emotional associations color people’s judgments far more than rational reflections on health v illness.
This past weekend, the Orange County Register highlighted my personal story. I lost my son James to an accidental overdose in 2014 just two days before his 27th birthday after a long struggle with both depression and addiction. We need to talk about what can be done to change these stories and statistics … Shatterproof has been a strong advocate for this bill, and will continue to work to address prescription drug abuse in California and nationally in years to come.
Carol Waldman, 64, became addicted to Xanax, which was prescribed by a psychiatrist, and to pain pills for chronic back and knee problems. Drug addiction is not restricted to the young. Donna Weber, 53, turned to painkillers after undergoing simple surgery. Then a long, tortured path to divorce made her anxious and depressed. Soon, she found herself on a candy-colored pill roller coaster. Unlike street drugs, the pharmaceutical pills were easy to obtain legally. She got them from emergency rooms, dentists, psychiatrists, even plastic surgeons.
Trump Bankrupted His Atlantic City Casinos and Still Earned Millions
He repeatedly emphasized that what really mattered about his time in Atlantic City was that he had made a lot of money there. “Atlantic City fueled a lot of growth for me,” Mr. Trump said in an interview…”The money I took out of there was incredible.” His audacious personality and opulent properties brought attention – and countless players – to Atlantic City. “People underestimated Donald Trump’s ability to pillage the company,” said Sebastian Pignatello, “He drove these companies into bankruptcy by his mismanagement, the debt and his pillaging.”
Is your smartphone addiction putting your child at risk?
Distracted parents are putting their children at risk by being obsessed with mobile phones, a senior paediatrician has warned. People are running the risk of being involved in a “nasty accident” if they refuse to curb their smartphone addiction, said Dr Rahul Chodarhi, after new research found almost a quarter of parents have been engrossed in their devices when their children have had an accident or a near miss.
‘911 Good Samaritan’ law granting immunity for overdose calls signed by Gov. John Kasich
The law grants immunity to callers and to the person overdosing on heroin, opioids or other drugs from arrest, charging, prosecution, conviction and penalization for a minor drug possession offense. Most people who overdose are not alone when they do so, and more emergency personnel are equipped with Naloxone, which blocks the effects of opioids and reverses an overdose..
Alcoholism, drug addiction are family affairs; Al-Anon helps family, friends recover too
“We suffer too – physically, emotionally, terribly,” said an Al-Anon member who agreed to share her story on the condition of anonymity, as is custom with Alcoholics Anonymous and its affiliate groups. She said Al-Anon helped her find solace while her 20-something son recovered from alcoholism and drug addiction. Though her son is now more than 18 months sober, she intends to keep Al-Anon a part of her life as long as she lives.
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By Elizabeth Simpson 
