| Robert Downey Jr. Speaks About His Addictions “For some folks it’s just a function of age,” Robert Downey Jr. tells Vanity Fair contributing editor Rich Cohen, on the topic of beating one’s demons. “It’s perfectly normal for people to be obsessive about something for a period of time, then leave it alone.” CONTINUED | | REEL Recovery Film Festival LAS VEGAS | | Creating Addicts, One Tackle at Time | | The N.F.L.’s Absurd Marijuana Policy by Nate Jackson VIRTUALLY every single player in the N.F.L. has a certifiable need for medical marijuana. The game we celebrate creates a life of daily pain for those who play it. Some players choose marijuana to manage this pain, which allows them to perform at a high level without sacrificing their bodies or their minds. I medicated with marijuana for most of my career as a tight end from 2003 through 2008. And I needed the medication! CONTINUED | | DUFFY’S NAPA VALLEY REHAB | | From Pot To DUI To Meth: NFL Players Approve Changes To Drug Policy One aspect that did not go the league’s way centered on driving while under the influence. The players rejected the league’s proposal to issue discipline upon arrest, prior to adjudication. A two-game suspension will be issued upon conviction or plea agreement for violations of law involving alcohol and driving. CONTINUED | | BENCHMARK RECOVERY CENTER | | Coronation Street Star Michael Le Vell Celebrates Six Months Of Sobriety Coronation Street star Michael Le Vell – who used to swill up to 12 pints of lager a day – is set to celebrate six booze-free months. Le Vell, 49, started rehab for alcohol and drug problems in March after being cleared of child rape allegations a year ago. A source said he would be throwing a party to celebrate receiving an Alcoholics Anonymous sobriety chip “but without drink as that wouldn’t be appropriate”. CONTINUED | | COMMUNITY RECOVERY L.A. TREATMENT CENTER | | My Doctor Gave Them To Me… I think | | Sleeping Pills ‘Linked to Dementia’ “Benzodiazepine use is associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease,” lead researcher, Sophie Billioti de Gage of the University of Bordeaux, France, and colleagues wrote in the BMJ.
Continue reading the main story. “This study shows an apparent link between the use of benzodiazepines and Alzheimer’s disease although it’s hard to know the underlying reason behind the link,” said Dr Eric KarranAlzheimer’s Research UK. “Unwarranted long-term use of these drugs should be considered as a public health concern.” The study involved about 2,000 cases of Alzheimer’s disease in adults aged over 66 living in Quebec. All had been prescribed benzodiazepines. CONTINUED | | DR. KREVOY EATING DISORDERS PROGRAM | | A New Freedom and a New Happiness | | Surviving Heroin Addiction and Rebuilding a Young Life On the street, they say there are only three ways out of heroin addiction: death, prison or take a maintenance drug such as methadone for the rest of your life. Emmanuel Donato is desperately searching for a fourth way out. The 33-year-old former heroin addict, one-time narcotics dealer and ex-convict wonders why he is still alive after being rushed to the emergency room and nearly dying from an overdose. CONTINUED | | Neither Did Amy Winehouse VIDEO | | Scott Disick Suicide Update: Won’t Go To Rehab Despite Drug Overdose VIDEO Everyone knows Scott has a problem with alcohol, including himself,” a source told Radar. “However, Scott is refusing to go [to rehab]. He truly believes rehab isn’t the answer, and has talked about getting outpatient treatment. In his mind, Scott is strong enough to beat this on his own, and doesn’t need to go to rehab, so everyone is in a holding pattern.” CONTINUED | | Man Pleads Not Guilty To Killing Girlfriend With Heroin Overdose A 36-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to charges he killed his girlfriend with a fatal injection of heroin while she was being treated for an infection at a Pomona hospital. Steven Crow was charged Monday with one count each of murder and offering to sell a controlled substance in the 2012 death of his girlfriend, the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office said in a statement. CONTINUED | | Watch 2013 REEL Recovery Highlight Reel | REEL Recovery Film Festival HIGHLIGHT
Reel 2013
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 | | Has Suicide Become an Acceptable Resolve for Depression and Addiction? by Jason Wahler With suicide being the 10th leading cause of death in the United States, has it become an acceptable resolve for the disease of addiction and depression? Nearly 37,000 people die every year from this tragedy and it seems people have become desensitized unless it relates to a celebrity personality; even then the reaction is short-lived. CONTINUED | | Stevie Nicks’ Latest Song Inspired by Drug Addiction Battle After a trip to the Betty Ford clinic, Nicks began seeing a psychiatrist who put her on the tranquilizer Klonopin to prevent a relapse and gradually increased her dosage over eight years until she was left dazed, overweight and unable to write. Looking at a Polaroid self-portrait one night, Nicks told Out she had another epiphany: “I thought, ‘You are going to OD on something really stupid like NyQuil or Benadryl, over-the-counter stuff, on top of the Klonopin.’ I thought, ‘I’m definitely not going to go out that way. If I go out, I’m going out in a blaze of glory. I’m not going out OD’ing on aspirin.’ So I said to myself, ‘This is it, and it is over.'” CONTINUED | | LaBeouf Pleads Guilty to Disorderly Conduct, Attends AA Shia LaBeouf pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct on Wednesday for charges that stemmed from his causing a heated disturbance during a performance of the Broadway presentation of Cabaret at Studio 54. Since then, the actor has been managing and receiving treatment for his alcoholism and working towards recovery. CONTINUED | | Curly Sue Actress Alisan Porter Celebrates 7-Year Sobriety “Hi, I’m Ali, and I’m an alcoholic,” she begins. “Yup, bet you didn’t see that one coming. Or, because you know that I’m a former child star, you totally did. Anyway, it’s the truth. I’ve been sober since October 28, 2007, and I haven’t touched a drink or a drug since.” Glad to hear she’s back on track and loving life! Kudos for her courageous and inspirational blog post. The 33-year-old defines what addiction is for her: “It’s not even really about a drink or a drug…” CONTINUED | | Northern Neighbor in Pain? | | High-Dose Opioid Painkillers Still Prescribed At High Rates In Canada In 2007, executives at Purdue Pharma pleaded guilty to misbranding OxyContin and other long-acting opioids. The agreed statement of facts described claims of lower abuse potential that were part of marketing campaigns. “You can’t put the genie back in the bottle. Once these marketing messages get out, there is no way to counteract them,” Persaud said. Doctors want to help patients in chronic pain to find relief, but there are few medication options beyond acetaminophen, anti-inflammatories like ibuprofen and opioids, Juurlink said. CONTINUED | | Robert Downey Jr.’s Son Pleads Guilty To Cocaine Possession The 21-year-old son of actor Robert Downey Jr. pleaded guilty Friday to a cocaine possession charge that could eventually be dismissed. Indio Falconer Downey was in court to enter his plea as his father looked on. “If you stay out of trouble for 18 months, this case gets dismissed,” Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Keith L. Schwartz said to Downey. CONTINUED | 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. | | Complete Printable Schedule 2014 NYC Reel Recovery Film Festival | | 43 Films
in
7 Days QUAD Cinema 13th and 6th Ave. New York City Sept. 26 – Oct. 2
| | CVS Health Loves This System | | U.S. Expands Prescription Drugs Return Program The Drug Enforcement Administration has announced the implementation of a new regulation that will allow hospitals, pharmacies, and clinics to collect unused prescription drugs. The new regulation is part of the DEA’s efforts at addressing the growing prescription drug abuse problem in the United States. In 2013, the number of people taking prescription drugs without a valid medical reason ballooned to around 6.5 million individuals. CONTINUED | | Robert Downey Jr. on Marvel, Fitness, Food, and More VIDEO Vanity Fair’s October cover star talks to senior West Coast editor Krista Smith about his exercise routines, what he’s learned since the success of Iron Man, and what he would eat if he could eat anything he wanted. CONTINUED | | THE ACADEMY OF ADDICTION PROFESSIONALS | | The City of Bud-erly Love | | Marijuana Decriminalization Coming To Philadelphia Philadelphia is a signature away from becoming the largest city in America to decriminalize marijuana possession, according to multiple published reports. Mayor Michael Nutter said Monday he will sign a bill that essentially fines people $25 for the possession of marijuana under an ounce, CBS Philly reported. CONTINUED | | XenoPort & NIAAA To Test Alcoholism Treatment National Institutes of Health and XenoPort, Inc. have announced they will partner to test a version of gabapentin in preventing heavy drinking relapses in adults with alcohol use disorder. “People will take it twice a day – when they wake up and at night – but tend to forget that middle dose,” said Dr. Mason. Finding a way to keep gabapentin evenly in the bloodstream for 12 hours between doses would be ideal. CONTINUED | | ‘Fat is something you have, not something you are’ I am fat due to a whole range of issues. I haven’t always been fat, I wasn’t a particularly fat child. But I have always been very emotional. I believe the two are linked for me, particularly at this stage in my life. But my weight is my business. I’ve lost weight before; I will lose weight again. If you want to help me, please don’t laugh at me wobbling when I go to the gym. CONTINUED | | Did You Make The Cut? VIDEO | | 100 Friends in 2 Minutes at the REEL Recovery Film Festival over the last 6 years. If you are on the reel, you’ll get 4 FREE tickets to NYC or LA. | | Her Father Was An Alcoholic And Her Mother Walked Out On Them… ”Growing up in my household was fractious. My dear father was a chronic alcoholic who had severe seizures if he didn’t drink,’ she said. ‘My mother was emotionally unavailable to me and often lived away from me after the age of 10. ‘My parents would fight and I obviously didn’t want to see that or be around it. Visit NAPCAN’s website for more information about National Child Protection Week. CONTINUED | | Wake-Up Call For Mid-Life Drinkers Amanda fears over-45s are becoming a burden on society, with alcohol-related conditions such as strokes, cancer and heart disease on the rise. Social drinking has been a big part of her life and her career. When preparing supper she would reach for a glass. Out for dinner she would order a bottle and feeling good she celebrated with champagne, but now… CONTINUED | | New Drug Czar Tackles Weed, Prescription Pain Pills AUDIO New drug czar is like the old one- too lazy and too overconformed to the status quo- he sat idly by when people were abusing opioids and heroin- he should be fired now and someone who cares about pain care put in his place. CONTINUED | | Reaching Out and Touching Lives | | Altruism And Al-Anon: In Helping We Are Helped Giving implies to make the other person a giver also.” So said Eric Fromm whose quote starts this research paper which travels to the heart of mutual aid. The clear message? In helping other, we help ourselves. The recovery saying “We only keep what we have by giving it away” hits the mark in this respect. What has research to say about AlAnon in this regard? 97% of Al-Anon members are female and three quarters are partners of alcoholics. They conducted the research through questionnaires (169) and 20 interviews. The survey focused on two questions: CONTINUED | | Self Medication or Self Destruction? | | Mariah Carey Needs Rehab for Depression Mariah Carey may be heading to rehab to treat her depression and alcohol dependency following her recent split from husband Nick Cannon. Sources said friends are worried because Carey been drinking alcohol to excess and is taking anti-depressants since splitting from Cannon a few months ago.Carey, 45, and Cannon, 33, have been married for six years and are the parents of three-year-old twins, Monroe and Moroccan. 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 | | Gov. Christie Understands | | Drug Addiction Declared a Mental Illness in New Jersey People could be ordered by courts to participate in outpatient treatment if their drug addiction puts their lives or the lives of others in danger, under a bill approved by an Assembly panel yesterday. The measure was strongly supported by parents who have lost children to an overdose. “Addiction is every bit as debilitating as schizophrenia, major depression and other forms of severe and persistent mental illness.” CONTINUED | | Grandma The Alcoholic: Her Recovery Offers Hope To People Of All Ages “I started drinking wine as a buffer at night,” she said. “Then I started using it as a crutch to escape from the realities that I had to face.”…”I want people to realize that even if they are desperate and hopeless, that doesn’t have to be the end. That doesn’t have to be where it stays,” she said. “There’s always hope, no matter where you are, no matter what’s happening. CONTINUED | | Attention New Yorkers!
Invitation to Receive FREE Passes to our
| | VISIT OUR NEWSLETTER ARCHIVES | FOR EVERY
Past Issue
of the
Addiction/Recovery eBulletin CLICK HERE | Addiction/Recovery eBulletin Publisher & Editor:
Leonard Buschel – Send an email | | |