Gov. Rick Perry Compares Homosexuality to Alcoholism
Texas Gov. Rick Perry said the U.S. would better serve its diverse population by letting the states handle many economic and social policies, a point he perhaps inadvertently drove home when he compared homosexuality to alcoholism. “I may have the genetic coding that I’m inclined to be an alcoholic, but I have the desire not to do that, and I look at the homosexual issue the same way.”
‘They Were Trying to Kill Me!’ Former D.C. Mayor, Marion Barry, on Crack Bust
Almost 25 years after being videotaped smoking crack with a woman in a hotel room, former Washington D.C. Mayor Marion Barry still insists that he was a victim of an entrenched white power structure. In a new memoir out this week called ‘Mayor for Life,’ Barry writes about his decades in politics, the stunning fall from grace that has come to define his career, and the people he still holds responsible.
Leo McCarthy Sends Teens Who Pledge Sobriety to College
Leo McCarthy’s world was shattered with one phone call late on a crisp October night in 2007. An underage drunk driver had killed his youngest daughter, Mariah, 14, and injured two of her friends, less than half a block from his Butte, Montana home. “We wanted to make sense of this for Mariah’s generation,” says McCarthy. “We couldn’t bring her back. But we could keep somebody else from losing a loved one to a drunk driver.
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HIS HOUSE
Bob, You Can Come Back Now, Please
Jamaica to Decriminalize Personal Marijuana Possession
The Jamaican government has decided to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana, joining the trickle of countries moving to soften laws on the drug known on the Caribbean island as “ganja.” Minister of Justice Mark Golding made the announcement at a news conference on Thursday saying that Jamaica’s Dangerous Drugs Act would be formally amended this summer.
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Staying Mellow
Teen Marijuana Use Not Increasing as More States Legalize
As marijuana’s national popularity continues to grow and more states have legalized either medical or recreational use of it, a new federal survey shows that those shifting attitudes have not produced a surge in teen use. he biennial High School Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that the rate of marijuana use among U.S. high school students remained virtually unchanged from 2011 to 2013.
Pharmacist to Pay $147K for Mishandling Prescription Drugs
After an inventory audit, DEA officials say Loechler could not account for nearly 16,000 oxycodone pills over a two-year span. The painkiller is more commonly known by its brand names: OxyContin, Roxicodone and Percocet. As part of the settlement, Loechler was forced to sell Sixth Avenue Pharmacy and lost her DEA controlled substance registration, on top of paying the $147,500 penalty.
Four members of the central area planning commission voted unanimously to overturn a zoning administrator’s March ruling that granting the project an alcohol permit could threaten the fragile sobriety of formerly homeless residents of the Skid Row Housing Trust’s New Genesis Apartments.
The gift – which comes from the Skip Viragh Foundation – will be used for the construction of the $20 million Skip’s Hall for Integrated Addiction Treatment center. The new structure provides a larger platform for the addiction center’s recently introduced Pain Recovery Program as well as a wellness and fitness center, admissions and nursing.
Jim Steinhagen today was named Vice President and Administrator in charge of the Betty Ford Center, and Steve Eickelberg, M.D., was appointed Medical Director of the Center. “The Betty Ford Center has been a special place since it opened in 1982, providing a beacon of hope and a practical solution to thousands of people suffering from addiction to alcohol and other drugs,” said Mark Mishek, President and CEO of the newly merged Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, who announced the hires after an extensive nationwide search. “It deserves the very best leaders who can continue and build upon the great legacy left by our former First Lady, who sought to ‘help others live their best possible life.’
See clips from last year’s Award Winning REEL Recovery Film Festivalwith Paul Williams, Russell Brand, Robert Blake, Barbara Eden and Phillip Seymour Hoffman. See VIDEO
The Time Has Come … HuffPost
Naloxone: Necessary but Not Nearly Enough
One of the main limitations of naloxone is that someone who is overdosing can’t self-administer it. That’s true even for the new “auto-injector” EpiPen-like device recently approved by the FDA. Naloxone can’t save someone who overdoses alone or stops breathing while asleep in bed, possibly one of the most common ways people die from prescription-opioid overdose.
Jason Goudlock, an African-American whose mother was addicted to cocaine, grew up in Cleveland and went to prison in 1993, when he was eighteen. His first conviction drew a six-to-25 year sentence for assault and robbery with a mandatory nine-year “firearm specification,” and he’s been incarcerated for over 20 years.
Federal Views Diverge on Proper Use of Painkillers
How do you have a conversation about prescription drugs that provide critical pain relief to millions of Americans yet also cause more fatal overdoses than heroin and cocaine combined? “A controlled substance shouldn’t be the most widely prescribed medication in the United States,” DEA Deputy Assistant Administrator Joe Rannazzisi said in an interview. “If we believe we’re the only country that knows how to treat pain that’s a pretty arrogant attitude.”
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Staying In the Sobriety Lane
Man Celebrates Sobriety by Biking from Florida
To Canada
It has been 25 years since Sergio Laurens joined Alcoholics Anonymous. To celebrate, he’s bicycling from Miami Beach back to his home in Montreal. He says every place he goes and he uses their facilities, he always buys something to show his appreciation for the business. “The people are very friendly,” he said.
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Media: Books for Meditated Sobriety
Dharma Drunks Two New Buddhist Takes on How to Stay Sober
Refuge Recovery is more overtly Buddhist, with a program set in the framework of the four noble truths and eightfold path. The author, Noah Levine, is an American dharma teacher whose coming-to-Buddha memoir, Dharma Punx, is a rallying point for disaffected Gen Xers and Millennials searching for a spiritual practice relevant to their lives. With this latest book, they can also follow Levine’s lead in recovery.
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Was It A Tooth?
DUI Manslaughter Suspect Pleads Not Guilty to Concealing Meth in Body Cavity
A woman charged with DUI manslaughter pleaded not guilty Tuesday to concealing methamphetamine in a body cavity while in custody at the Bay County Jail. The incident will be added to the two separate cases involving methamphetamine to which Finch has pleaded not guilty – including a wreck involving a death that investigators claim was caused by methamphetamine use.
Government studies indicate at least 100,000 doctors – or about one in 10 currently working – is addicted to drugs or alcohol. Some are performing surgeries while stoned, injuring and even killing unsuspecting patients, according to TODAY national investigative correspondent Jeff Rossen, who found numerous cases of doctors busted for substance abuse. “At my worst I was doing 100 pills a day, Vicodin mainly,” all while seeing patients, he told Rossen. Loyd, who has been clean for 10 years, said it still scares him to think about that period in his life.
Friday the 13th is turning out to be pretty lucky for Justin Bieber. The “Heartbreaker” singer, 20, has worked out a plea deal for the DUI charges against him in connection with his Miami Beach arrest in January. A source confirms to Us Weekly that the charges will be dropped in exchange for the Canadian superstar attending anger management courses.
‘Special K’ Could Resolve Treatment-Resistant Depression
Research at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center indicates ketamine is a fast-acting anti-depressant capable of treating even the most severe, drug-resistant cases. In the medical field, ketamine is commonly used as a sedative and painkiller. In Britain, it is also used to tranquilize unruly horses. Known as “Special K” among illicit users, it is widely used for recreational purposes.
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There But For The Grace…
Substance-Abuse Counselor Weeps as She is Sentenced To 55 Years to Life
A substance-abuse counselor who struck a pedestrian with her car and drove through a Los Angeles suburb with the dying man on her windshield has been sentenced to 55 years to life in prison. Sherri Lynn Wilkins, 53, wept as she was sentenced on Thursday after being convicted of second-degree murder, drunken driving and hit-and-run.
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When A Coach Calls The Right Play AUDIO
To Beat Heroin Addiction, a Turn to Coaches AUDIO
Gosnold director Ray Tamasi says this aggressive approach is paying off. Tamasi compared the medical records of 54 18- to 28-year-olds one year before, and one year into, the pilot program. There was an 83 percent reduction in admissions to rehabilitation facilities for the one-year-in group. Emergency room admissions went from 16 to one. There were no new legal offenses. Gosnold recovery coach Kristoph Pydynkowski, right, takes Jeremy Wurzburg kayaking, building a life of healthy, positive activities in early recovery.
A few months ago, after reading Sarah Probst’s thoughtful story about hermonth without booze, I took the so-called “alcohol abuse self-test” from the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence. I didn’t really think I had an alcohol problem – I certainly wasn’t pouring whiskey into my Starbucks in the morning – but I was curious about where I fell on the seemingly arbitrary spectrum of “abuse.”
Many adults will admit to telling white lies to children to make their lives a little easier. But research has found children can spot this tactic, and can even tell when their parents or teachers are deliberately withholding information from them. ‘But if this person has taught you something wrong, has made a mistake, or has omitted something that’s important for you to know, then you might want to suspend your trust, be sceptical of the information he provides in the future, and even seek other sources of information.’
Brain Retains Signs of Childhood Trauma-and a Warning for Substance Abusers
People abused as children show reduced brain volume in regions governing emotion, learning, and memory, deficits that make them more vulnerable to relapse-and relapses of greater severity-if they become substance abusers, a new study by Yale School of Medicine researchers shows. The study, published online June 11 in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, identifies potential biological markers that can identify addicts at high risk of relapse.
Sexual Abuse Charges Surface in Church Sobriety Program VIDEO
More women are coming forward claiming the director of a sober living program tied to the Rock Church sexually abused them. Before the allegations, the Rock Church called the program “Saviors of the Addicted,” but they have since cut ties with the program. There are now 13 women in the civil suit, 12 who are in recovery and a former employee.
Camden Police Administer Narcan to Save Drug Overdose Victim
A Camden County Police Department officer saved a man who was experiencing a drug overdose early Tuesday with an anti-opiod medication, authorities announced. After EMS personnel determined that the man was experiencing a drug overdose, Mulford administered Narcan and the man regained consciousness.
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A Little Help for the Little Ones
New Treatments Help Babies Born Drug Dependent
“We need to have different environments where it’s not this noise-laden, hyper-stimulated environment with light and monitors,” said Dr. William Edwards of Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. “We need to normalize their care.” Meagher said that in some cases, like Gurley’s, a new baby is a strong motivator to get clean and stay that way. Experts said treatment, education and peer support–not shame and blame–is the cure.
5 Summer Must-Reads That Are Actually About Addiction
If summer, for you, means the chance to find a beach and lose yourself, for once, in a piece of writing longer than an email, never fear – we’ve done the hard work for you and checked out a whole bunch of this year’s hottest reads. It just so happens that in one way or another, a lot of the best books out right now are about addiction. So how convincingly do they portray it?
Jim Myers, who is an administrator for behavioral health in the department of psychiatry for Children’s Hospital Colorado, says reimbursement for addiction treatment is even lower than that of mental health. “If we have a child with a mental health diagnosis who also has substance abuse problems, often the insurance company will use the substance abuse instance to deny authorization,” he says.
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Don’t Bogart That Law My Friend
Has the Legalization of Marijuana in America Become Inevitable?
In overwhelming majority of Americans believe that the legalization of marijuana is inevitable. We’ll soon find out if they’re right. Medical marijuana has become so relatively uncontroversial that late last month the House of Representatives shocked almost everyone when a bipartisan majority voted to block the Drug Enforcement Agency from pursuing medical marijuana operations that are legal under state laws.
According to RadarOnline, it is largely the public who will be responsible for the now 17-year-old’s $438,000-per-year rehab treatment. Ethan Couch had been staying at the Newport Academy, an upscale rehab center, complete with stables, a state-of-the-art gym, and massages and cooking lessons for interested patients.
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Full of It?
New Drug Treats Constipation Caused by
Pain Killers
Opioids play an important role in chronic pain relief by binding to mu-receptors in the brain, blocking the brain’s ability to perceive brain. But they also bind to mu-receptors in the bowel, contributing to constipation. Pain medicines often lead to constipation for patients seeking long-term pain relief, but an investigational once-daily drug may help, according to study led by the University of Michigan Health System.
Leo McCarthy Sends Teens Who Pledge Sobriety to College 
Jamaica to Decriminalize Personal Marijuana Possession 
Federal Views Diverge on Proper Use of Painkillers 
Man Celebrates Sobriety by Biking from Florida 
Dharma Drunks Two New Buddhist Takes on How to Stay Sober 
DUI Manslaughter Suspect Pleads Not Guilty to Concealing Meth in Body Cavity 
‘Special K’ Could Resolve Treatment-Resistant Depression
Sexual Abuse Charges Surface in Church Sobriety Program VIDEO 
Teens with Addiction Have Few Recovery Programs 
Taxpayers Footing Rehab Bill for ‘Affluenza’ Teen
