Russell Brand on Seduction of Drugs on Oprah VIDEO
One of her guests on the show is Russell Brand, who describes his experience as a recovering addict, shares his thoughts on addiction and how Philip Seymour Hoffman’s death caused him to reflect on his own sobriety. Brand, who has been open about his struggles with addiction, says, “It never really goes away.” He adds, “It’s always there – dormant. If something provokes it, you’ll be back out there. I know that about myself.” CLICK PHOTO
Policy and Drug Taking
A Lethal Ignorance: We could make drugs safer. We choose not to.
The story of paramethoxyamphetamine, or PMA, is a neat parable of the war on drugs: a story of unintended consequences, a problem with viable solutions that are being ignored. Fixing this problem will not fix everything else. It is a relatively small part of the picture. But the logic that drives our response to it stands as a bottomlessly depressing symbol of the whole. CLICK PHOTO
Big Pharma’s New Dose
Zohydro Will Create New Addicts, Addiction Medicine Expert Says
Few benefits and many risks will result from the marketing of Zohydro, the extended-release formulation of hydrocodone, according to Richard D. Blondell, MD, vice chair for addiction medicine at the University at Buffalo and professor of family medicine in the UB School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. CLICK PHOTO
Science Report NY Daily News
First LSD Study in More Than 40 Years
Dropping acid can allay angst in those suffering terminal illness, a new survey has exposed. Noting that legalized used of LSD by U.S. psychiatrists slammed to a halt in 1966 after the mind-altering drug became popular as a recreational narcotic, the new survey reported favorable results among advance-staged cancer patients in Switzerland.
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NA Should mean NOT AVAILABLE
Heroin Scourge Overtakes a ‘Quaint’ Vermont Town
Stephanie Predel, a stick-thin 23-year-old freshly out of jail, said she was off heroin. But she knows precisely where she could get more drugs if she ever wanted them – at the support meetings for addicts.
“I can get most of my drugs right at the meeting,” she said. “Drug dealers go because they know they’re going to get business.” She added, “People are going into the bathroom to get high.” CLICK PHOTO
New Stoner Study Huffpost
Longtime Marijuana Use Linked With Decreased Motivation
New research regarding dopamine and marijuana gives scientific backing to the stoner stereotype of lackadaisical or slacker pot smokers. A recent study found that people who smoke marijuana regularly over a long period of time are more likely to produce less of the brain chemical that is linked to motivation: dopamine. Researchers in the United Kingdom scanned the brains of 19 regular marijuana users, and 19 nonusers of the same sex and age, using positron emission tomography (PET), which helps measure the distribution of chemicals throughout the brain. CLICK PHOTO
E-Cigarettes: Gateway to Nicotine Addiction for U.S. Teens
In the first analysis of the relationship between e-cigarette use and smoking among adolescents in the United States, UCSF researchers found that adolescents who used the devices were more likely to smoke cigarettes and less likely to quit smoking. The study of nearly 40,000 youth around the country also found that e-cigarette use among middle and high school students doubled between 2011 and 2012, from 3.1 percent to 6.5 percent.
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Youth in Peril
Energy Drinks Cause Mental Health and Substance Abuse Problems Among Teens
Want an extra dose of depression with your caffeine? In the last few years, Monster, Red Bull, and 5-Hour-Energy have all been served with wrongful death suits, and the FDA has instigated investigations into links between energy drinks and potentially fatal health risks.
New Researchers Explore Cocaine and Principles of Pleasure Seeking
The other side of the cocaine high is the cocaine crash, and understanding how one follows the other can provide insight into the physiological effects of drug abuse. For decades, brain research has focused on the pleasurable effects of cocaine largely by studying the dopamine pathway. But this approach has left many questions unanswered. “We weren’t looking at pleasure; we were looking at the animal’s desire to seek that pleasure, which we believe is they key to understanding drug abuse,” said Aaron Ettenberg, a professor in UCSB’s Department of Psychological and Brain Science. CLICK PHOTO
At one point he was taking 150 Vicodin pills a day. His name is Dr. Sylvester Sviokla, but he prefers to be called Skip. He also prefers his way of life these days. He’s board certified in addiction medicine. “I’m an addict by experience and also by training. I mean, I know about addiction,” Sviokla said. And boy does he. But his beginnings were promising. He was a standout football player at Harvard in the 1960s and went to medical school there. He became a surgeon and then a prominent emergency room doctor in California.
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“The Easily Offended Group” of AA
AA Spirituality Offends Both Atheists and Christians
Fed up with the spirituality of traditional Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings, a group called We Agnostics and Freethinkersis creating non-religious AA groups around the globe. This November it will host its first international convention in Santa Monica, Calif. CLICK PHOTO
Advocacy with a View
Rappelling To Raise Awareness Of Addiction
“The Shatterproof Challenge brings people together to conquer their fears by rappelling for the cause of addiction,” said Gary Mendell, founder and CEO of Shatterproof. “These events allow families and friends to say to the 22 million Americans who struggle with addiction every day – ‘We care about you.'”The first event in 2014 will kick-off in Pasadena at the Westin-Pasadena on March 12th followed by Ft. Worth, Dallas, Milwaukee and many more cities across the nation.” CLICK PHOTO
Greatness: Then, Now and Forever NPR AUDIO
Elaine Stritch, One Drink a Day, So Shoot Me AUDIO
I don’t think I’m gonna die tomorrow or even two weeks from now, or even ever. I just don’t know – who the hell knows what’s gonna happen to them? Nobody! Isn’t that comforting? Nobody has a clue. I like that we don’t know. And I like that it’s somebody else’s decision, not mine. She won the 2001 Tony for her solo show Elaine Stritch at Liberty. She’s won an Emmy in recent years, too, for playing Jack Donaghy’s mother on 30 Rock.
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Washington Weighs In
Obama Administration Plans to Address Rising Heroin Deaths
The Drug Policy Alliance joins overdose prevention advocates across the country in applauding today’s statement by US Attorney General Eric Holder encouraging expanded access to naloxone, an often-overlooked overdose reversal medicine that has been approved by the FDA for decades.But advocates are also urging the Obama administration to advocate for a more comprehensive array of solutions to address the roots of the overdose crisis. CLICK PHOTO
SAMSHA’s Rainbow Connection
New SAMSHA Guide Helps Support LGBT Kids
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to work with SAMSHA to disseminate our research-based family intervention strategies to build healthy futures for LGBT youth. Now that research shows the critical role of families in promoting both risk and well-being for their LGBT children, it’s essential to ensure that practitioners in all settings know how to engage and help families to support their LGBT children.”
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Celebrity Rehab News
Ke$ha Completes Rehab And Is ‘Feeling Healthy’
“I can’t thank my fans enough for all the love & support u have given me???. Life is beautiful. I’m so blessed to have u all,”
Ke$ha tweeted. She was reportedly treated outside of Chicago at Timberline Knolls, the same facility where Demi Lovato found help
Artist Paul Ribera enshrines childhoods with warped and strung out versions of 90’s cartoons.
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When Dinner Talks Back
Family Hospitalized after Eating LSD-tainted Meat from Walmart
It’s a commonplace that “the eyes are the windows to the soul.” It turns out that the eyes are also the windows to our nervous system. The center of the nervous system, the brain, loves novelty, so it’s no surprise that when we make close eye contact with a lover, we “see” them as if we’re seeing them for the first time.
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Lesson Learned
Narc cop says his 3.3 pounds of cocaine for ‘educational purposes’
Police chief found with $400,000 worth of cocaine in his work locker claimed the drugs were “for educational purposes”. Investigators said they were “seriously questioning” the narcotic officer’s alibi.
The haul only came to light after his wife phoned the police station following a domestic argument. CLICK PHOTO
Reflections and Perspective
Lea Michele says Cory Monteith shouldn’t be defined by his overdose death
The Glee actress has fond memories of her late boyfriend and co-star, and insists his death from an accidental drug overdose shouldn’t define him.
“Being on the set of Glee is no more difficult than being at home and finding [Cory’s] slippers under the bed. We had a life and a job together – it goes with you everywhere you go. You can’t get away from grief. So I might as well be surrounded by the people I love and get to lean on them. CLICK PHOTO
Collateral Damage AP
How Drug Addiction is Destroying the Redwood Forests
“When I interview suspects, that is the (reason) they say: their addiction to drugs and they can’t find jobs.” Authorities say unemployment and drug addiction have spurred an increase in the destructive practice of cutting off the knobby growths at the base of ancient redwood trees to make decorative pieces like lacey-grained coffee tables and wall clocks.” CLICK PHOTO
Pain Killers Kill the Pain THE GLOBE AND MAIL
Addiction to Prescription Opiates is Almost Always a Symptom of Deeper Suffering
“You know why. They treat pain. But not just physical pain. It gets it all. You return to the womb.” Rough edges disappear, and with them, the drive for another breath.
Drug manufacturers know it’s better business to create dependency than to offer remedy, and there are walk-in clinics in every small town. Give people a dose of fentanyl for a broken elbow, and pills to go home with, and a percentage will eat the pills even after the pain fades.”
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WIT gets treatment for individuals who suffer from alcoholism, drug addiction or other self-destructive behaviors.
Everyone had a date for the Oscars Awards show and for Zac Efron had the most original one to date. The “High School Musical” star did not have a supermodel with him or his mother, as some others did that night. Who did Efron bring as a date? His sobriety coach according to a report from PerezHilton.com.
This is clear proof that he is serious about his sobriety, especially after two recent stints in rehabilitation. Efron admits he has been clean for the past eight months and bringing him along helped avoid the temptations that come alongside celebrations of this magnitude.
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2013 Highlight Reel from RRFF VIDEO
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
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Rehab Industry News
Millions Going Into Center City’s Main Campus as Hazelden Expands
The landmark Hazelden sign on Highway 8 will be revised to read “Part of the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation.” The merger will add some 300 to 350 jobs in total to the treatment providers’ U.S. network. In Center City there are currently 800 employees. County Commissioner George McMahon remarked that the county is fully supportive of Hazelden and its mission. CLICK PHOTO
Pot Calling the Kettle Black
Doctors Say Pill Makers Contribute to Overdose Epidemic
As prescription-painkiller overdose deaths have increased in recent years, so have profits for the pharmaceutical companies that make the highly-addictive drugs. Medical experts are calling for more controls on the manufacturing of opioid drugs, like oxycodone and Percocet, saying the U.S. Food and Drug Administration hasn’t done enough to stop suppliers from feeding a substance-abuse scourges. CLICK PHOTO
Inanity from Huffpost VIDEO
Is Secular Rehab Successful?
Alcoholics Anonymous’ recovery program is closely affiliated with religion. But, over 150 groups do not share that relationship. We talk to members of AA who are Christian, Buddhist and who don’t want to mix religion with recovery. CLICK PHOTO
Law Enforcement LA Weekly
“Skid Row Ricky” Sells Beer Outside Rehab Centers
According to LAPD Officer Deon Joseph, the most visible and popular cop on Skid Row:
Skid Row Ricky” has his system down: He sets up shop outside rehab centers and sells beers to homeless people for $2 a tall boy ($1 if you’re his buddy). He used to store his merchandise in a big, blue recycling bin. After about five years and dozens of arrests, he’s a little more cautious, hiding the booze underneath clothes in a cart.
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Health Warning of the Week
One Can of Coke a Day is TOO Much Sugar
Drinking just one can of Coke a day could be bad for you, the World Health Organization said as it urged Americans to lower their daily amount of sugar. Under draft guidelines published on Wednesday, the health agency suggested sugar should make up just 5 percent of the total calories needed for a day – half of what it had previously suggested. The guideline means just one Coke, or six Oreo cookies, would be considered an excessive amount of sugar. CLICK PHOTO
Opinion: Bob Gaydos 40-plus year veteran reporter
Society is Still Out of Touch with the Reality of Addiction
Addiction is considered a chronic, incurable disease because once the brain is reintroduced to the addictive substance — alcohol, heroin, cocaine — it can quickly return to its old ways. Addicts often say that when they started using their drug of choice after a period of abstinence, they were right back where they left off, or worse. This is why abstinence and continued treatment, be it therapy or a 12-step program, is recommended for recovery. A change in lifestyle and constant awareness are the keys, the experts say.
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Hypnosis, Pain Relief and Giving it All Away
How Gambling Machines-and the Digital World-put us in “the Machine Zone”
A quiet revolution has taken place in gambling, with electronic terminals finely-tuned into the perfect devices for parting you from your money. Rather than thrilling you, they lull you into a calm, machine-like state that gives the illusion of control. CLICK PHOTO
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Celebrity Sobriety Huffpost
Juliette Lewis On Drug Addiction: ‘I Quit All My Bulls–t At 22’
Lewis, who once deemed herself a “heavy pothead,” got deeper into drugs and began dabbling with painkillers and cocaine. She eventually entered a rehab program and has been sober since she was in her 20s.
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Coming to Consciousness
Psychiatry Now Admits It’s Been Wrong in Big Ways
In the long-term, not all, but many individuals who have been diagnosed with psychosis actually do better without antipsychotic medication. Bruce Levine, the director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Thomas Insel, announced that he agreed with the conclusion that psychiatry’s standard treatment for people diagnosed with schizophrenia and other psychoses needs to change. CLICK PHOTO
Book of the Week VIDEO
Doctor Claims ADHD Doesn’t Exist and Drugs Do More Harm Than Good VIDEO
‘To treat ADHD as a condition, rather than a set of symptoms, is doing a disservice to the children.” I was not at all surprised. Why? Because, after 50 years of practicing medicine and seeing thousands of patients demonstrating symptoms of ADHD, I have reached the conclusion there is no such thing as ADHD.This so-called condition has apparently spread like wildfire across the globe in recent years, with a huge increase in its diagnosis and medication. CLICK PHOTO
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Longtime Marijuana Use Linked With Decreased Motivation
