| The Weight Is On Our Children | | Warning: Junk Food ‘Destroying Health of a Generation’ The health of an entire generation of children could be “destroyed” by a diet of junk food and lack of exercise, doctors have warned. “We are in danger of destroying the health of a whole generation of children. As parents and health professionals, we need to take responsibility and ensure that every child has a healthy and varied diet and regular exercise.” CONTINUED | | DUFFY’S NAPA VALLEY REHAB | | Smokey Robinson and the Miracle | | Smokey Robinson on God Freeing Him From Cocaine Addiction and Justin Bieber Legendary singer-songwriter Smokey Robinson credits God for delivering him from cocaine addiction after attending a church service in Los Angeles that changed his life nearly 30 years ago. Robinson, who is mainly known for his association with Motown Records, says cocaine was “a whole other animal” in terms of his narcotic abuse. But it was a pastor’s prayer that made him end his addiction, he explained. CONTINUED | | Reality TV Exposes American Nightmare | | Scott Disick’s Suicide Attempt, Drug Overdose Follow Both Parents’ Deaths Scott Disick, the boyfriend of Kourtney Kardashian, was recently hospitalized after swallowing an entire bottle of pills Disick has understandably been depressed after the shocking deaths of both his parents several months ago, and was hospitalized or alcohol poisoning. Rob’s recent dramatic weight gain (rumored to be about 100 pounds) has been an ongoing source of concern for his sisters Kim, Khloe and Kourtney. CONTINUED | | BENCHMARK RECOVERY CENTER | | Civilization At A Crossroads VIDEO | | Gabor Mate: Toxic Culture Shock – How Materialistic Society Makes Us Addicted VIDEO The Canadian physician and best-selling author of In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts is a brilliantly original thinker on addiction, trauma, parenting and the social context of human diseases and imbalances. Contrary to the assumptions of mainstream medicine, he asserts that most human ailments are not individual problems, but reflections of a person’s relationship with the physical, emotional and social environment, from conception to death. Mind and body are not separate. CONTINUED | | DR. KREVOY EATING DISORDERS PROGRAM | | Taxpayers Fund Addiction Treatment | | Massachusetts Jail Offers $1,000-Shot of Naltrexone To Fight Addiction Cummings said he decided to try naltrexone as a treatment for prisoners because it has no euphoric effects, is not addictive and has no street value, unlike the commonly used opiate addiction treatment drugs suboxone and methadone, both of which are composed in part of synthetic opiates that can lead to dependency. Raymond Tamasi, who runs the Gosnold on Cape Cod treatment center, which partners with Barnstable to provide ongoing shots and counseling to newly freed inmates, agreed that questions remain about the program’s long-term impact on recidivism and the sobriety of former inmates. CONTINUED | | COMMUNITY RECOVERY L.A. TREATMENT CENTER | | Abstinence Is Not an Option VIDEO | | UK Officials Prefer to Just Put Drug Addicts on Different Drugs VIDEO Millions of dollars are being made on human suffering, and it takes a gigantic effort to kick the deadly habit. Is it even possible to give up on drugs once and for all – or this is a fight of a lifetime? Is there a point of no return for the addict? Why do people even start taking drugs – is this for fun, or to escape the pain of reality? 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 | | Being Ignorant Is His Job | | Ted Nugent Attacks Sebastian Bach Over Sobriety Battle Sebastian Bach is a great guy. I love the guy and he’s incredibly gifted and a gentleman for the most part – but he’s weak. He doesn’t understand the concept of the body as a sacred temple. He doesn’t understand accountability and he doesn’t understand how his indulgences and his poisons ruin his life, his relationships, his marriage and his musical capabilities. CONTINUED | | 2 Minutes and You’ll Know More CNN VIDEO | | Why painkiller addicts turn to heroin CNN VIDEO While heroin is illicit and opioid pills such as oxycontin are FDA-approved, each is derived from the poppy plant. Their chemical structures are highly similar and they bind to the same group of receptors in the brain. (A few opioids, like fentanyl, are totally synthetic but designed to bind with those same receptors). All these drugs trigger “tolerance” – the need to take higher doses for the same effect – and a craving for the drug in its absence. CONTINUED | | Stark Anti-Drugs Campaign ‘Needed To Prevent Deaths’ Forensic expert Peter Barker said it was time for an anti-drugs campaign along the lines of road safety adverts. “We’ve seen some really horrific deaths where people have killed themselves after taking multiple drugs,” he said. “I think we need to be much more stark in the message we send to the public – adverts similar to those we’ve seen in road safety campaigns.” CONTINUED | | Because They Stopped Talking Year Ago | | Couples Who Smoke Marijuana Are Less Likely To Engage In Domestic Violence A new study by researchers at the University of Buffalo finds a significantly lower incidence of domestic violence among married couples who smoke pot. “Couples in which both spouses used marijuana frequently reported the least frequent IPV [intimate partner violence] perpetration.” Nonetheless the paper is a solid contribution to the marijuana literature, and we’ll need a lot more like it as the country seems to move toward overall legalization. CONTINUED | | VISIT OUR NEWSLETTER ARCHIVES | FOR EVERY
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CLICK HERE | | For Those Who Want it, Not Who Need It | | She Refused Medical Help A woman who had battled with an addiction to alcohol died from self-neglect and chronic alcohol abuse, a coroner has ruled. Rosemary Sandford was found dead by her boyfriend on February 7 this year.The court heard how Rosemary had shunned advice from her doctors who had suggested the 57-year-old be taken into a nursing home. Coroner Michael Rose said: “This is a sad way to end a life. Her death was a tragedy caused by chronic alcohol abuse with a self-neglect factor. 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 | | The United States of Addiction | | Most Americans Addiction Issues Don’t Get Treatment The top two reasons why individuals said they did not receive treatment remained the same: Not having health coverage or not being able to afford the cost (37.3 percent) and not being ready to stop using (24.5 percent). Other reasons individuals reported not seeking treatment included not knowing where to go for treatment and not having transportation to a facility. The survey is released annually in September to coincide with National Recovery Month, which is in its 25th year. CONTINUED | | Pixie Geldof Pays Tribute to Sister Peaches with Memorial Ring Pixie Geldof made a return to the spotlight on Saturday as she attended the launch of Sony’s new Xperia Z3 and Z3 Compact mobile phones in Berlin, Germany with fellow celebrity offspring Rumer Willis and she used the opportunity to pay tribute to Peaches in her own way. Pixie wore an In Memory Of ring, no doubt a private reminder of her tragic sister, who died from a heroin overdose at her home in Kent in April. CONTINUED | | He’s Got Magic for You AUDIO | | Broadway Legend Ben Vereen Talks About Substance Abuse & Recovery AUDIO Ahead of a Wisconsin speaking appearance, actor Ben Vereen talks with Lake Effectabout how his acting career was nearly derailed by substance abuse. “It affected my career to the point where, number one, you’re not reliable; two, you’re not there – people can’t depend on you; and three, it affects your mind.” Mr. Vereen won a Tony Award for his stage work and was nominated for an Emmy Award for his role in the miniseries, Roots. Most recently, he’s performed a series of one-man shows. CONTINUED | | Teen Mom Amber Portwood Wants To Open A Rehab Facility VIDEO Amber Portwood, one of the most popular stars from MTV’s reality show Teen Mom, spent time in jail and has battled drug addiction since she first appeared on the show. However, she says she has big things in mind for her future. “It’s going to be sort of a boot camp-rehab. I feel like, for addicts … we have a lot of excuses. Sometimes it takes a little kick in the butt in order to move forward. CONTINUED | | Attention New Yorkers!
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| | Complete Printable Schedule 2014 NYC Reel Recovery Film Festival | | 43 Films in QUAD Cinema 13th and 6th Ave. New York City PRINT & SHARE SCHEDULE | | Students Have Phone Addiction The students reported spending nearly NINE hours a day on their mobile phones. There was a significant difference in the amount of time male and female students spent on their phones, with women spending around 150 minutes more a day using the device. It was also found that women spent a lot more time texting than men, and were more likely to report feeling agitated when their phone was out of sight or their battery was nearly dead. Men spent more time than women playing games. 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. WATCH VIDEO | | Cooking More Than Freebase VIDEO | | Chef Jesse Schenker’s Memoir About Addiction VIDEO This September Jesse Schenker, the chef behind Recette and The Gander, will publish his memoir, All or Nothing: One Chef’s Appetite for the Extreme. In it he chronicles his younger years in Florida, where, as a high school dropout he got involved in hard drugs (specifically heroin and crack), and his more recent struggle with severe anxiety. CONTINUED | NY REEL Recovery Film Festival Screening | | SATURDAY, SEPT. 28 at 8PM – The Wisdom to Know the Difference VIDEO (2014) Best Picture Jury Award and Best Picture Audience Award at the San Antonio Film Festival, and Best Picture, Best Editing, Best Original Song and Best Supporting Actress at the Long Beach International Film Festival. Wisdom is a story about a man’s journey to bring his sobriety full circle and help a young Latino girl lick a serious drug problem in an unorthodox manner. In this quest, Bob disregards the tremendous dangers he encounters and puts his own life at risk at the request of old friend. Starring Daniel Baldwin, Lou Diamond Phillips, Mayra Leal. Writer/Director: Daniel Baldwin. CONTINUED | | Alcohol, Marijuana Bad for Teens in Different Bad Ways Investigators found that drinking alcohol was associated with more unsafe driving, damage to relationships with friends and romantic partners, and regret about actions while under the influence of alcohol, especially among females. On the other hand, marijuana use was more often tied to worsening relationships with teachers or supervisors, less energy or interest, and poorer school or job performance, according to the NYU researchers. “Nearly half of high school seniors have used marijuana in their lifetime and overtwo-thirds have used alcohol, but few studies have compared adverse psychosocial outcomes of alcohol and marijuana directly resulting from use.’ CONTINUED | | Nicotine, In Any Form, Can Prime The Brain For Harder Drugs Kandel and Eric Kandel has been studying nicotine for years, and in their earlier work they found that nicotine dramatically enhanced the effects of cocaine”We’ve worked very hard to reduce smoking in this country, and I think it’s been a fantastic success,” Denise said. With the introduction of e-cigs, “Now I think we’re on the verge of destroying all of the progress that we’ve [made].” CONTINUED | | In Chicago? Speed Over to Theater Wit! | | Steven Strafford Is In Chicago With His One-Man Show Methtacular Running At Theater Wit Methtacular! is Steven Strafford’s hilarious and harrowing autobiographical account of his three years as a crystal meth addict in Chicago. “Crystal meth addiction has been a serious national problem for years in the gay community, and especially here in the Midwest. A talented artist and brilliant storyteller, Steven shines a light on addiction that is at once funny and thought provoking, turning his journey down the rabbit hole into a compelling and comedic evening.” Running Time: 1 hour 30 minutes with no intermission. CONTINUED | | More Than One Way to Help a Boozer | | Can ‘Sobriety Sampling’ Help Someone with Alcohol Use Disorder? Sue told me she buys two bottles of wine every day, but “I just can’t say I’m an alcoholic. When I broached my drinking with my grown kids, they said they didn’t want to think of me as a ‘drunk.’ It’s humiliating for us all.” Like so many with addictions, Sue doesn’t want to label herself an alcoholic because of all the baggage that comes with it. My core challenge is to get her to separate the behaviour from the person. CONTINUED | | ACE FREHLEY Talks About ‘Space Invader’, Struggles With Sobriety VIDEO Original KISS guitarist Ace Frehley recently talked to Radio.com about his new album, “Space Invader”, his cover of Steve Miller’s “The Joker”, the struggles of sobriety and his days in the “hottest band in the world.” I have Attention Deficit Disorder, and there are absolutely no distractions when working at this place. You record for eight or 10 or 12 hours, then you go back to the hotel and go to sleep. You can now watch the chat now. CONTINUED | | Stigma – A Good Thing? Stigma discredits individuals and groups, reducing social status and creating ‘spoiled identities’, says Goffman. It’s not a good thing. But hang on a minute – might it have a positive function? Could it actually help in terms of public health? Help by changing behaviour through societal pressure. If so, that would be a good thing, right? But perhaps the most notorious instance of stigma is the international ‘war on drugs’ that, in effect, stigmatises individuals by means of criminal sanction. The counterproductive effects of this approach. CONTINUED | | Trying Everything To Prevent Drug Misuse | | A System to Monitor Emerging Drug Trends The National Drug Early Warning System will scan social media and Web platforms to identify new trends as well as use conventional national- and local-level data resources. Information about designer synthetic drugs – including different ways to possess and use them – is rapidly spread to millions of people through the Internet and social media. Also, other drug trends may quickly change. 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.
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Leonard Buschel – Send an email | | New Methods To Combat Addiction Showing Success Tom, a recovering alcoholic from Old Saybrook, would not consider going to Alcoholics Anonymous and he knew that if he’d gone to a treatment center, he’d start drinking again. Fortunately for Tom, his brother got in touch with Aware Recovery Carein Madison, an addiction-treatment service with a major difference from traditional treatment centers. Tom has been sober for 18 months, six months since the yearlong program ended (and he now goes to six or seven AA meetings a week). CONTINUED | | 144 Characters To Poverty | | Twitter Enables Shopping Addiction With a new ‘Buy Now’ Button Twitter wants your money, or at least a new way to monetize all those characters you’re using up with more than those annoying sponsored tweets promoting nothing you ever want. “There is a real-time component to Twitter that isn’t replicated anywhere else. I think that lends itself to items with a temporal component… or anything with urgency,” Hubbard says. Translation: Twitter sees itself as a powerful platform for more spontaneous purchases and limited-time offers. CONTINUED | | Clinicians Looking For Better Approaches | | The Third Wave of CBT Although psychodynamic theorists may still argue that CBT does not address the deeper issues, cognitive behavior therapists argue that CBT does deal with the deeper issues – only, it is done more rapidly and more effectively. New research that indicates that CBT can be effective with patients suffering from borderline disorders illustrates the power of case conceptualization within a structured proactive approach. CONTINUED | | Mad Men Manipulates Minds | | ‘Drink Responsibly’ Ads Make People Drink More Health experts have slammed the alcohol industry’s ‘drink responsibly’ ads and called for tough warnings on alcohol bottles to be introduced. Researchers say the ads are ‘deceptive and misleading’. They called for warnings similar to those found on cigarette packets to be used. CONTINUED | | REEL Recovery Film Festival LAS VEGAS | | |