| Charlie Sheen’s Ex-Fiancée Brett Rossi Overdoses and Lives Brett Rossi, 25, was found passed out at her home by a friend and rushed to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where she spent a night in the intensive care unit after doctors pumped her stomach. The porn star, who was engaged to Charlie Sheen and had planned to wed the actor later this month. Rossi, who also goes by Scottine Sheen, met the former Two and a Half Men star last November and enjoyed a whirlwind romance until Sheen called off the engagement in mid October. CONTINUED | | Comprehensive Federal Strategy for Addressing America’s Prescription Drug and Heroin Epidemic The treatment and prevention of prescription drug and heroin abuse is one of the most important and difficult challenges facing our country. Nationwide, drug overdose deaths, fueled by prescription painkillers, now claim more lives than car accidents, with approximately 100 Americans dying from an overdose every day, nearly half from prescription opioid painkillers. CONTINUED | | Top Five Warning Signs of Internet Pornography Addiction “Internet pornography addiction can develop even more easily than a drug or alcohol addiction because it engages the most sensitive sense we have, our eyes; and it’s readily available in unlimited quantities. It’s even more addictive than drug addictions because the images are directly stored in the memory and imagination which remain long after viewing Internet pornography, altering the structure and function of the brain,” said Dr. Weber. CONTINUED | | This’ll Keep You Grateful VIDEO | | ’80s Heartthrob Jan-Michael Vincent Confesses: ‘I’m An Alcoholic’ VIDEO He openly tells the magazine, “I’m an alcoholic,” but won’t discuss how long he has been sober for. “I’m here, and I’m talking to you,” he tells The ENQUIRER, emphasizing that it doesn’t matter how long he has been sober because what is most important to him is that he is alive. Watch the video below for the full interview! CONTINUED | | Feds Shutdown Rehab: Kickback Scheme The feds filed suit Tuesday to shut down a kickback scheme that funneled tens of millions of dollars to a drug-treatment program called Narco Freedom, whose owner and his son were busted last week on charges that they pulled off a massive insurance fraud. The operation allegedly forced homeless junkies to enroll in Medicaid-funded outpatient rehab in exchange for beds in 18 substandard shelters – known as “Freedom Houses”. CONTINUED | | Mother Pleads for Caffeine Pill Regulations, Son Died from Overdose 17-year-old Noah Smith was found dead in his backyard nearly a month ago. Yalobusha County Coroner Ronnie Stark tells WMC Action News 5 that autopsy results show the teenager died from cardiac dysrhythmia, due to excessive caffeine use. Stark just released the results this week and said it appears Smith died of an accidental overdose from caffeine pills. Noah’s mother said that her son was tired from work and school. He told friends he bought the pills. It’s unclear how many pills Noah took, but his mother said he was up late talking to his girlfriend when he told her he didn’t feel well. CONTINUED | | Hope You Like This eBulletin | | Do You Have Approval Addiction? Everyone needs to feel appreciated on a regular basis. This stems from our very human need to know and feel that we’re doing a good job in life. It also stems from the fact that, as mammals, we have the need to bond with our parents, family and clan. Plus, a little recognition also prompts our brains to release the feel-good chemical dopamine. CONTINUED | | Nurse Fed Drug Addiction with Stolen Prescriptions – Blames Mentally Ill Patient A mental health nurse who stole prescriptions to feed her addiction to pain killers was jailed after trying to pin the crime on one of her vulnerable patients. She compounded the lies by visiting the patient, an alcoholic suffering from depression and memory problems, and persuading her to take the blame, even going so far as to write her a “script” as to what to tell the police. The patient did try to take the blame for her but was unaware of the other eight prescriptions so police realized she could not be the thief. CONTINUED | | Speaking Up and Speaking Out | | Toast to Alcoholics Anonymous Alcoholics are often shunned by society. The sad reality is that few try to understand the struggle they face on a daily basis, for society has deemed them “bad decision makers” and “long since given up on them.” “Don’t judge a man until you have walked a mile in his shoes,” says Kumar*, a one-time addict who has managed to turn his life around thanks to Alcoholics Anonymous. Kumar now dedicates his time to helping people with alcohol problems. “For every single alcoholic, ten people may suffer,” he says. AA was the first to categorise alcoholism as a physical, spiritual and mental illness. Medical science followed suit by describing it as a psychosomatic illness. CONTINUED | | Doctor, Addict, Alcoholic, Murderer VIDEO | | Doctors Accused of Over- Prescribing in Some Cases Killing Patients VIDEO Jenny Spielman was found dead in a bathtub at a drug treatment facility in Bay Park a few hours after spending the evening with family, celebrating her 29th birthday. Spielman was prescribed the drugs by Dr. Jerry Rand, an addiction treatment specialist. His actions, according to the California State Medical Board, contributed to Spielman’s death. Dr. Rand also illegally “self-prescribed” controlled substances and dangerous drugs, including sleeping pills, for his own personal use. CONTINUED | | Feds Shutdown Drug Rehab Scam A suit was filed Tuesday to shut down a kickback scheme that pumped tens of millions of dollars to a drug-treatment program called Narco Freedom. The owner and son were were busted on charges of huge insurance fraud. The scam dates back to atleast 2006 when Narco Freedom founder, Alan Brand, began opening the shelters – also known as “Freedom Houses”. CONTINUED | | Sober House Director Arrested for Dispensing Drugs The director of a home for recovering drug addicts has been arrested after residents said he did nothing to stop rampant drug use there. The director of the sober living house in the town of Vienna was arrested Thursday on tentative charges of dispensing drugs illegally, theft and running a drug house. Nobody who worked at the home was authorized to dispense Suboxone, the warrant said. CONTINUED | | VISIT OUR NEWSLETTER ARCHIVES | FOR EVERY
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Addiction/Recovery eBulletin CLICK HERE | | Investigation: Synthetic Marijuana VIDEO You’d expect Connor Eckhardt’s parents to be devastated and they are. Their only son, their first born, died unexpectedly at the age of 19 after, they say, taking literally one hit of a synthetic form of marijuana nicknamed ”Spice”. “We thought we were in touch. We thought we were the cool parents. We knew what was going on.” Sadly, it appears they did not. However, they’re channeling their grief into a worldwide educational and awareness campaign. CONTINUED | | Existential Dilemma Relief VIDEO | | Are You Addicted to Your Smartphone? VIDEO Do you sleep with your cellphone? Do you become agitated or uncomfortable if you don’t have your phone with you? If so, you could be a digital addict. In our culture of constant connectivity, it seems some people may take it too far, becoming smartphone and tablet junkies.
QUIZ: Are you addicted? CONTINUED | | | Except For the Big Pharma Profits | | Prescription Painkillers Ineffective A recent survey conducted by the Center for Public Advocacy at the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation reports that Americans with chronic pain do not find long-term relief from the use of prescription painkillers. The online survey polled 1,006 people who suffer from chronic pain; it was commissioned by the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation and conducted by Minneapolis-based Q Market Research. CONTINUED | | Legalize It. Or Put Then In Jail? | | Federal Court: ‘We Have Our Doubts That Imprisonment Is An Appropriate Treatment’ For Pot Smoking An opinion signed by three appellate judges, all of whom were appointed by Republican presidents, criticized a federal trial judge for returning a man to prison because of his marijuana use. As Judge Richard Posner’s opinion for the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit noted, there was no indication that the man “deals, or has ever dealt, in marijuana or any illegal drug.” His previous employers said that they were “impressed by his work ethic and would be glad to hire him back after he was released from prison.” Nevertheless, federal district Judge Sara Darrow sentenced him to 15 months in prison for marijuana use. CONTINUED | | Researchers Isolate Target To Treat Cocaine Addiction Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital suggests a newly identified neural target is key in contributing to cocaine cravings following a period of abstinence. A litany of genes and neural receptors have been implicated in the science of addiction. But in studying the behaviors of lab mice, scientists found that by simply by manipulating a receptor protein that influences cravings. CONTINUED | | MEDIA: Book Recommendation | | RECOVERY 2.0: Move Beyond Addiction and Upgrade Your Life by Tommy Rosen Through more than 20 years of recovery from addiction, noted yoga teacher Tommy Rosen learned a lot about what works and what doesn’t work in recovery. From his explorations on the yoga mat and in 12-Step rooms, he found a path to sustainable recovery that includes mind-body practices, a profound look at diet, and a more holistic and inclusive perspective on the 12 Steps. CONTINUED | | Not Playing with a Full Deck | | The Problem with Gambling Research Anyone looking for good quality evidence about the consequences of gambling first needs to understand how knowledge about gambling is produced. How do we know what we know? Who dictates the research agenda? How is research funded? How do we ensure that we have a sound base of impartial knowledge on which to build policy? CONTINUED | | From Athlete to Junkie VIDEO | | Heroin Epidemic Continues To Grow VIDEO The heroin epidemic continues to grow, and investigators say the drug is now cheaper and purer. 11 News I-Team reporter Lisa Robinson has more. CONTINUED | | 6th Experience, Strength and Hope Award show | | Mike Tyson Says He Was Sexually Molested as a Child VIDEO With Robin, I was young. I was a d–k. I’ve never been good at relationships,” Tyson said. “My mother’s never been good at relationships, and my father’s never been good at relationships. All my friends always had another woman in their life. I call it my ‘baseline bottom’ -a lot of drugs, liquor, violence, and sex, where I’m not trying to improve myself as a person. I have intimacy problems.” CONTINUED | | Atheists, Agnostics & Freethinkers Gather in Santa Monica For AA Convention – Nov. 6th The event will be held Nov. 6 to 8 at the Unitarian Universalist Community Church in Santa Monica under the theme “Many Paths to Recovery” and will feature key-note addresses by the Rev. Ward Ewing, past chairperson of the General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous, and Marya Hornbacher, noted memoirist and author of several works on addiction and recovery for nonbelievers. More than 350 attendees are expected, from 11 countries including the US, Canada, the Philippines, Costa Rica, UK, Spain, France, and Australia. CONTINUED | | DO YOU LIKE OUR eBULLETIN? | We Welcome Your Feedback! If you have any comments, compliments or suggestions for our weekly Addiction/Recovery eBulletin, please contact us at:
Writers In Treatment | REEL RECOVERY FILM FESTIVAL 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 and the general public. | Addiction/Recovery eBulletin Publisher & Editor:
Leonard Buschel – Send an email | | Sobriety: A Graphic Novel Have you struggled with an addiction to alcohol, food, ecstasy, meth or Xanax? If so, you are like millions of others for whom the new book Sobriety: a Graphic Novel was written–or actuallydrawn. Anyone who likes graphic novels will be engrossed inSobriety’s drawings, storyline, dramatic tension and characters–who are as varied as an African-American man from the UK, a high school girl adopted from Vietnam and a former factory worker pushing 70. CONTINUED | | Addiction Policy Must Be Evidence-Based – Opinion by Robin Clark,
professor of family medicine For what other illnesses would state officials impose regulations that both deny access to effective treatment and raise costs? A politician who told constituents they were only allowed three years’ worth of blood pressure medication would quickly be out of a job. Yet, many politicians seem to find support for their efforts to limit addiction treatment. One governor recently suggested that Narcan-a drug that reverses the life-threatening effects of opioid overdose-was simply “an excuse to stay addicted.” CONTINUED | | Most Deadly Drugs Are Already VIDEO | | Should Drugs Be Legalized? BBC VIDEO Addiction therapist and recovering addict Sarah Graham arguing against the push towards the legalization of drugs in the United Kingdom. CONTINUED | | Henry Maybury YouTube hit Lost Days raising awareness VIDEO Henry Maybury looked up to his handsome big brother. They loved to banter about football, with Tom teasing Henry about his love of Aston Villa. Last month, Tom would have been celebrating his 31st birthday with his family. If he hadn’t drunk himself to death. At the age of 29. “To see my brother go from a David Beckham lookalike to someone who shook all the time and could barely recognise his relatives was completely heartbreaking,” says Henry. But the 22-year-old is determined that some good should come out of the tragedy. He is campaigning to raise awareness of alcohol addiction, telling others about his brother. CONTINUED | | “Dark Alliance”: The Story Behind the Crack Cocaine Explosion “Kill the Messenger,” now showing in theaters across the United States, takes on a subject that some of the mightiest media corporations in the USA no doubt thought they had killed, buried, and delivered the eulogy for a long time ago – the “Dark Alliance” investigation by newspaper reporter Gary Webb. A groundbreaking investigation at the dawn of the Internet age in 1996, the “Dark Alliance” series, like no other newspaper reportage had done before, documented the firm links between the United States government, Central American cocaine traffickers and a domestic U.S. cocaine epidemic that had ravaged entire American communities. CONTINUED | | |